2024 Master Sustainability Thesis Inventory
The Sustainability Master’s Thesis Inventory was developed by the Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS). It gathers information about all Master’s theses with sustainability content at the University of Toronto since 2009. It includes 3,177 sustainability-oriented Master’s theses, representing approximately 29% of 10,924 Master’s theses since 2009. The purpose of the sustainability thesis inventory is to increase the visibility of such work, making it more accessible for the U of T community to access sustainability related scholarly work.
The approach to sustainability we take here addresses both human and environmental wellbeing (instead of simply focusing on reducing environmental damage), in accordance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were chosen as a basis for the inventory due to their comprehensiveness and widespread usage in the sustainability field. The inventory was created based on keywords from the SDGs, as shown in this table.
These SDG-related keywords, also used to develop the Sustainability Undergraduate Course Inventory, were developed in 2017 by the Expanded Student Engagement (ESE) Project in consultation with CECCS. SDG 17, “Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the goal partnership for sustainable development,” was excluded from the methodology, as it encompasses the act of achieving the other goals rather than bringing a new perspective to sustainability.
Using these keywords, titles and abstracts of Master’s theses were searched. Since 2009, the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) requires doctoral and masters graduates to submit a thesis to TSpace, a free research repository hosted by the U of T Libraries to disseminate and preserve the scholarly record of U of T faculty and graduate student research. SGS intends to house all available digitized Doctoral and Masters theses by U of T graduate students on TSpace. Thesis metadata was exported by a TSpace administrator and shared with CECCS in August 2024.
The search results were then manually reviewed for quality assurance by CECCS. Any output deemed irrelevant to the particular SDG based on the abstract has been removed. The following information was documented in the inventory: Author, Advisor/Supervisor, Title, Department, Date Issued, Abstract, Degree, Subject and the SDG(s) to which the thesis is related.
If you are an author or supervisor at the University of Toronto and think that a thesis should be included in or removed from the inventory, please contact ayako.ariga@utoronto.ca.
| Author | Advisor | Title | Department | Date issued | Abstract | Degree | Keyword(s) | SDG(s) covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abachi, Rowa | Fernie, Geoff | Design and Evaluation of a Portable Cost-Effective Biomechanics Analysis System Using Multiple Kinect Sensors | Biomedical Engineering | 2014-11 | Homecare workers have difficult jobs that place them at high risk of back injury. They perform challenging patient handling activities alone in confined spaces with limited equipment. We need to better understand the postures and techniques homecare workers utilize in order to develop effective solutions to reduce their risk of injury. Existing biomechanical tools require complex equipment and/or lengthy processing time. This work describes the design and evaluation of an inexpensive portable biomechanics evaluation system based on multiple Kinect sensors that addresses these limitations. Caregiver's joints are tracked and posturally-induced spinal loads are calculated. The Kinect system was compared to a gold standard Vicon system and was found to be very accurate overall, with RMS errors (SD) as low as 1.11° (0.97°), 0.86° (0.84°), and 1.80° (1.28°) for flexion, lateral bend, and twist respectively. Pilot tests conducted in simulated bathroom and bedroom settings demonstrated that the system is feasible to use in confined spaces. | M.A.S. | worker | 8 |
| Abadir, Monica Raafat | Todorova, Miglena | The Curation of Difference, Diasporas in Archive: A Living Document Breathing Through Memory | Social Justice Education | 2017-11 | This document is a dialogue of questions in the erasure of racialized Muslimah from the state-sanctioned institution, the Aga Khan Museum, settling on colonial Canada. Its framework is founded in an understanding of memory as having physical qualities, and material implications in its moment of recollection, museumization, and visualization. In juxtaposition to the critique of the Museum, and the colonial visual landscape of Canada more broadly, a public memoir through a collection of artwork, and a dialogue to follow. In it, three Muslimah-Canadian artists: Faduma Mohamed, Nasim Asgari, and Hiba Abdallah, which not only illuminate the variances of (mis)representation which claim a cultural production of knowledge in Canada, but also speak and curate themselves into existence, and thus enact resistance. This thesis is written to be a document of doing; an active public space which divests of whiteness, and the colonial inclination to erase, commodify, and barter bodies of difference in its presence. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Abarbanel, Mishael David | Simon, Robert M. | Holistic or Autonomous: Educators' Conceptions of Literacy and their Implications for Practice and Teacher Development | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-06 | This thesis investigates educators' conceptions of literacy, what beliefs and conceptual frameworks support them, how literacy seems to be defined in educators' sites of practice, and how conceptions of literacy inform teaching. Main findings show that `literacy' is a sliding signifier: a sign that bears no connection to the thing it ostensibly represents; dominant literacy pedagogies in teachers' sites of practice are the strongest determinants of how teachers conceptualize and teach literacy, influencing or superseding personal definitions when differences exist; and elementary and secondary teachers described different notions of both the ontology and function of literacy. Specific professional development is needed to allow educators to deal with policies that aim to standardize and decontextualize the teaching and assessment of literacy, and that posit literacy as a series of discrete skills, as opposed to a series of context-specific social practices. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Abbas, Sabeen | Cummins, Jim||Gagne, Antoinette | “We're sisters now”: Reciprocal Learning in a Canadian/Chinese Cross-cultural Educational Collaboration | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-06 | My thesis presents the findings from a research study that examined the cross-cultural teacher collaboration between two elementary school teachers from Toronto and Shanghai within the context of the ‘Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education Between Canada and China SSHRC Partnership Grant Project’. The theoretical framework that I use to analyze the research data draws on theories of multiliteracies, plurilingualism and cosmopolitanism. This exploratory narrative case study aims to answer the broad research question: What does reciprocal learning look like in a cross-cultural collaboration? The collaboration between the two teachers resulted in a digital ABC book and a series of video-taped Read Alouds by the students. Reciprocal learning in the classroom involved participants teaching and learning from each other, using multimodal literacy practices, recognizing and including cultural and linguistic diversity, focusing on relationship building, and co-constructing teaching and learning practices together. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Abbasnezhad-Ghadi, Banafsheh | Lawrence, Herenia P. | Access to Dental Care for a Selected Group of Children and Adolescents with ASD | Dentistry | 2010-07-21T15:03:12Z | Objectives: 1) to determine if children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encounter difficulties accessing dental, 2) to identify barriers that diminish access to dental care for this population. Methods: This descriptive study is based on a web-survey conducted at the Geneva Centre for Autism in Toronto between November 2008 and March 2009. Forty-nine multiple choice questions including open-ended fields were developed. Parents of children with ASD (ages 5–18) completed the survey. Results: The majority of participants visited a dentist regularly (71%) and had private dental insurance (64%). Parents/caregivers were more likely to have difficulties finding a dentist as unmarried parents (OR=3.7, P=0.075) or when their level of education was high school/less (OR=10.4, P=0.043). Conclusions: The majority of children/adolescents with ASD had access to dental care. Difficulties accessing dental care were related to family structure, parents’ education and their perception of dentists’ knowledge of ASD. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Abdallah, Salsabil | Senatore, Adriano | Biophysical Characterization and Evolutionary Analysis of the Presynaptic Voltage-gated calcium (Cav2) Channel in Trichoplax adhaerens | Cell and Systems Biology | 2018-11 | Trichoplax adhaerens is a primitive metazoan with six cell types that lacks a nervous system and synapses. One cell type, dubbed gland cells, line the periphery of its flat disc- shaped body and resemble neurons by expressing membrane apposed secretory vesicles and proteins required for regulated neuronal exocytosis including a presynaptic Cav2 calcium channel homologue. Trichoplax is a motile behaving animal that can integrate sensory information with cell activity, where it will pause its ciliary locomotion upon detecting algae under its body, then locally secrete hydrolytic enzymes to lyse and consume the algae by external digestion. In this project, a molecular characterization of the cloned Trichoplax Cav2 channel, with a focus on its biophysical and pharmacological properties will be examined. My work will provide insights into the evolution of the nervous system, where pre-synaptic calcium channels are essential for translating electrical signals into regulated secretion of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides. | M.Sc. | consum | |
| Abdel-Nour, Mena | Guyard, Cyril | The Role of the Legionella Collagen-like Protein in Legionella pneumophila Biofilm Formation, Environmental Dissemination and Pathogenicity | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2013-11 | The Legionella collagen-like protein (Lcl) of Legionella pneumophila is an adhesin involved in multiple processes during the lifecycle of L. pneumophila. Among these processes is the sedimentation and auto-aggregation of L. pneumophila. Lcl potentiates the infection of amoeba species by facilitating contact and adhesion to its host, allowing the pathogen to replicate, disseminate and persist in the environment. Lcl dependent auto- aggregation requires divalent cations, suggesting it may occur in the natural habitat of L. pneumophila. In addition to its role in sedimentation, Lcl mediates biofilm production of L. pneumophila. The Lcl encoding gene, lpg2644 is polymorphic among clinical isolates, and the number of collagenous repeats is positively correlated to biofilm production and clinical prevalence. This study underscores the role of Lcl in human infection by contributing to environmental dissemination and persistence, thereby increasing the likelihood of encountering human hosts. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Abdela, Mubarek | Iravani, Reza | Impact of Grid-fed Electric Vehicle DC Fast Charging Station on the Utility Grid | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | Fast recharging of EVs from grid-connected chargers requires a large amount of power which can adversely affect the grid. This thesis investigates impacts of a grid-connected DC fast charging station (DC-FCS) on the utility grid and proposes an energy storage system (ESS) to mitigate the impacts. A study system consisting of a distribution feeder, a DC-FCS and an ESS is selected. The study system is used for time-domain simulation studies to evaluate steady-state and transient operations of the DC-FCS with and without the ESS in the PSCAD/EMTDC platform. The steady-state performances are studied under different Short-Circuit Ratio (SCR) values, and degrees of voltage unbalance. The transient performances are studied by introducing load changes and fault scenarios. The offline simulation results are verified by using Control-Hardware-In-the-Loop (CHIL) in RTDS-based real-time simulation platform. The study results demonstrate that the ESS can mitigate adverse effects caused by peak charging demand of the DC-FCS. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Abdul Selam, Mustafa Abdul Halim | Connelly, Kim A||Thavendiranathan, Paaladinesh | Early Cardiac Remodeling in Women with Breast Cancer, Receiving Sequential Therapy with Anthracycline and Trastuzumab – Cardiac MRI Study | Medical Science | 2019-06 | Background: Cardiotoxicity is an adverse prognostic marker in women with early-stage breast cancer. Understanding cardiac changes using cardiac-MRI will provide the opportunity to establish predictive models for early detection of cardiotoxicity. Methods: Eighty-three patients had cardiac MRI pre-anthracycline, within three weeks post-anthracycline, and at five months (~three months into trastuzumab therapy) on a 1.5T scanner; along with thirty volunteers scanned at matched time points. Results: Temporal and inter-observer test-retest variability, repeatability, and reproducibly of left and right ventricular volumetric parameters in healthy volunteers were statistically small. Ten patients (12.1%) developed LV-cardiotoxicity, 1 (10%) at 2 months and 9 (90%) at 5 months. LV-cardiotoxicity was associated with a significant increase in LVESV in 91% of the patients. Conclusions: Ventricular remodeling occurs during cancer therapy. The primary mechanism of cardiotoxicity is likely a reduction in contractility. Change in LVESV at 2 months is an early predictor of cardiotoxicity by 5 months. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Abdullah, Silmi | Nestel, Sheryl | Whose Education? Whose Nation? Exploring the Role of Government Primary School Textbooks of Bangladesh in Colonialist Forms of Marginalization and Exclusion of Poor and Ethnic Minority Children | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-10T17:07:06Z | Through an analysis of Social Studies textbooks of the government primary school curriculum of Bangladesh, this thesis highlights the role of the education system in pushing poor and ethnic minority children out of school. The texts and graphics are analyzed in order to examine the ways in which they oppress and exclude these children by perpetuating dominant ideologies of nationhood, constructing a notion of the “ideal citizen,” and criminalizing those who do not fit this category. Using an anti-colonial and post-colonial theoretical framework, the study situates the education system of Bangladesh within its histories of colonial domination and argues that the discourses present in these textbooks reflect colonial forms of racism and oppression, and reproduce class and ethnic hierarchies characteristic of the larger Bangladeshi society. Most importantly, this study advocates the need for a just and equitable education system that respects all children of Bangladesh as citizens of the country. | MAST | educat; equitable | 4 |
| Abdulmajeed, Raghad | Cafazzo, Joe | The Use of Continuous Monitoring of Heart Rate as a Prognosticator of Readmission in Heart Failure Patients | Biomedical Engineering | 2016-11 | In this study we validated the accuracy of heart rate measurements of two consumer-grade heart rate and activity tracking wearable devices in 8 healthy participants. In a clinical setting and using the Holter monitor as the reference, participants exercised on a stationary bike for 10 minutes with a 10-watts step protocol. The two devices reported better correlation with the Holter monitor at higher workload levels, hence, at higher heart rates with a 90% confidence interval for overall measurement accuracy. We also examined the feasibility of the two devices in remote monitoring 8 heart failure patients (NYHA II-NYHA III) for two weeks. The two devices reported lower daily physical activity, lower total step count and higher resting heart rate for NYHA III patients when compared to NYHA II patientsâ data. Therefore, with the wearable devices we differentiated different classes of heart failure based on heart rate and physical activity. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Abdulnour, Shahad | Jenkins, David J. A. | Effect of Dopamine Receptor DRD2 and ANKK1 Polymorphisms on Dietary Compliance, Blood Pressure, and BMI in Type 2 Diabetic Patients | Medical Science | 2010-12-14T16:00:30Z | Reduction in dopamine receptor D2, has been associated with insufficient brain reward, food addiction, obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Our aim was to assess whether the genetic variability responsible for this reduction is associated with poor dietary compliance and life style habits in T2D patients. Genetic-analysis was done for 109 T2D individuals who completed a 24-week randomized clinical trial and were assigned to follow either a low-GI or a high-fibre diet. Polymorphisms of TaqIA and C957T were compared with physical and biochemical measures. Regardless of dietary treatments, individuals with the C957T-T allele and the TaqIA-A2 allele were significantly associated with blood pressure reduction. Carriers of the T allele significantly lowered their body mass index (BMI) over the 24-week trial. Our findings suggest that the presence of the TaqIA-A2 allele is associated with a decrease in blood pressure. The C957T-T allele was associated with decrease in pressure and body weight. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Aberman, Youval | Plaks, Jason E | A Double-Edged Fork: Motivating and De-Motivating Pro-Environmental Food Behavior | Psychology | 2018-06 | Climate change is a consequence of human behavior, but people tend to construe climate change as an unfathomable, abstract phenomenon that is irrelevant to their individual actions. In the present studies, the high-impact, underrepresented behavior of dietary choices was communicated with numerical information that varied in its frame of reference. We present initial evidence that presenting the footprint of human behavior at a global level, compared to at an individual level, demoralizes individual choices and weakens behavioral intentions to change diet. In addition, we find that participants reported reductions in their meat consumption when an implementation intention intervention was combined with our ‘frame of reference’ intervention. Presenting nation-wide consequences of human behavior is a double-edged sword: Framing in a large scale might reveal the relationship between collective actions and environmental issues, but it hinders the belief that individual actions make a difference. | M.A. | consum; climate; environment | 12, 13 |
| Abghari, Bahar | Newman, Roger C. | Corrosion of Copper in Concentrated Aqueous Chloride Under Anaerobic Conditions | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-11 | Canada’s plan for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste fuel is an approach called Adaptive Phased Management. It includes a two-vessel design for the nuclear waste containers that will be buried in the deep geological repository and kept safe for about a million years. Copper has long been considered as the outer shell of these waste containers. It shows a good resistance to corrosion and in regards to other noble metals (Pd and Pt) is less expensive. Corrosion of copper under simulated geological repository conditions is studied in this work. It was shown than thermodynamically, copper corrodes in the absence of oxygen and presence of high concentrations of chloride. However, its rate of corrosion is less than 10 nm/yr, which makes it a suitable candidate for the used fuel containers. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| Abidi Tafreshi, Soroush | Trbovich, Patricia||Rossos, Peter | Privacy and Security of Personal Health Information: A Novel User-Centric Approach | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-06 | Privacy and security are highly important to prevent unauthorized access to personal health information (PHI). However, there is currently limited information on clinicians’ experience with privacy and security-related tools and processes. This study took a user-centric approach in identifying the impact of current privacy and security-related tools and processes on clinicians’ workflow in different practice settings. This exploratory study involved the analysis of clinical workflow observations and semi-structured interviews. The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patients Safety (SEIPS) framework was used to evaluate the potential incompatibility between the healthcare work system components as they relate to PHI. The results demonstrated four main themes of privacy and security challenges and associated workarounds: hybridization, authentication, authorization, and device management and environmental controls. Also, the challenges and associated workarounds varied as a function of the practice settings where clinicians worked. To optimize clinicians’ experience with PHI privacy and security, system-level practice interventions are recommended. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Abouassaly, Robert | Alibhai, Shabbir Muhammad Husayn | Predictors of Partial Nephrectomy Utilization and Inequities of Care in the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma in Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-12-14T16:03:58Z | Compared to radical nephrectomy (RN), partial nephrectomy (PN) leads to improved renal function preservation. However, PN may be infrequently utilized, particularly in patients susceptible to chronic kidney disease. We conducted a population-based, retrospective, observational study using the Canadian Institute for Health Information Discharge Abstract Database. All patients treated for a renal mass with either RN or PN from April 1, 1998 to March 31, 2008 were included in the analysis. Using descriptive statistics and multivariable regression modelling, we demonstrated low uptake of PN (17.5% overall); year, age, geographic region, Charlson score, hospital volume, and physician volume were independently associated with PN use, whereas DM, HTN and income quintile were not. In this contemporary analysis PN continues to be underutilized, and the rate of PN in DM, HTN and the elderly was less than expected given their known relationship to chronic renal failure. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Abraham, Andrew | Portelli, P John | Intellectuality for Liberation: Exploring Anti-oppression, Praxis, and Care | Social Justice Education | 2014-11 | This thesis will argue that liberal education is inadequate for anti-oppressive praxis. I aim to explore notions of knowledge, intellectuality, praxis, and care that are compatible with anti-oppressive praxis. While intellectuals often traverse the academy, the task of the anti-oppressive intellectuals is to situate themselves such that they can understand and articulate the material conditions of oppressed people. The anti-oppressive intellectual's role is to develop and communicate understandings of the world that contribute to the liberation of people from oppressive conditions. This thesis aims to explore and promote notions of care and integrity that I argue can undergird and guide a viable approach to genuine anti-oppressive intellectual praxis. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Abrishamkar, Sadra | Yu, Eric | Goal-oriented Know-how Mapping: Mapping process, prototype, and empirical studies | Information Studies | 2014-03 | We elaborate and evaluate a goal-oriented modelling approach for mapping the means-ends knowledge in technology domains. The means-ends relationship connects a solution to a problem, capturing "know-how" of a domain that can be made explicit. Means-ends knowledge from publications is codified and used to create a know-how map in order to organize domain knowledge in terms of problems and their solutions. Domain researchers as well as newcomers, can use the map to search for problems and solutions, and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions. A know-how map is expected to facilitate discovery of knowledge gaps, thus promoting new research and innovation. This work further explores goal modelling approach to know-how. The process of creating and using goal-oriented know-how maps is documented. The user evaluation conducted in this work gathered empirical data about the performance of know-how maps in comparison to a written review of the domain. | M.I.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Abualrous, Yasar | Panesar, Daman K.||Hooton, Douglas R. | Characterization of Indian and Canadian Fly Ash for Use in Concrete | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | The chemical, physical, and morphological properties of fly ash samples from nine Indian and Canadian coal-fired stations were characterized in this research work. The effect of particle size distribution, not adequately addressed in the standards and the literature, on water requirement and pozzolanic activity of the various fly ash samples was examined. The particle size distributions for the nine Indian and Canadian sources were measured using Laser Diffraction Analyzer (LDA). Each LDA measurement was verified by a corresponding scanning electron micrograph. Particle size analysis appears critical to determining the suitability of the practices presently in use for collection and processing fly ash. The effects of fly ash variability on concrete properties were determined within three series of experiments. The findings of this study have potential to form the basis for drafting recommendations to modify existing prescribed limits in the standard specifications for fly ash for use in cement and concrete. | M.A.S. | sustainable design | 12 |
| Acevedo, Andres | Tate, Joseph E | Optimal Generation Redispatch and Visualization of Network Flows Considering Uncertainty | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | With an increasing amount of renewable generation present on the power grid, grid operators are faced with the challenge of incorporating intermittent energy resources that add uncertainty to the system. In this work, uncertainty in the net load is modeled as a set of forecast errors with known probability distributions. This probabilistic model is used within a robust optimization (RO) framework to formulate an optimal policy for generation redispatch that balances the system in the presence of forecast errors. The optimal generation redispatch policy is compared with conventional approaches to assess its suitability in the presence of large forecast errors. As a secondary contribution, network visualizations are obtained that map the uncertainty present in net load forecasts to transmission line flows; these visualisations can be of use in increasing the situational awareness of grid operators. A case study is performed on a 37-bus test system and conclusions are drawn. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable | 7 |
| Acland, Erinn L. | Martin, Loren J | The Effect of Peripheral Nerve-injury on Depression and Anxiety-like Behaviours in Mice | Psychology | 2017-06 | Past animal studies examining the relationship between depression and chronic pain have used only male rodents and often only assessed behaviours 7 to 14 days after an injury. To determine whether chronic pain results in a sexually dimorphic presentation of depression-like behaviours, I conducted a series of experiments assessing male and female mice at 14, 28, and 42 days after a peripheral nerve injury. I found that mice did not show any changes in behaviours 14 or 28 days. At 42 days post-surgery male mice with a nerve injury showed significantly more depressive-like behaviours than the sham group, however females did not. This suggest that results from male rodents may not be generalizable to females and that studies assessing mental health and chronic pain in rodents should assess behaviour over longer periods of time as to be more representative of long-term pain experiences. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Acosta Reveco, Joaquin Osvaldo | Kwon, Oh-Sung | A Framework for the Integration of Models in Structural Design and Nonlinear Analysis for Performance-based Seismic Design of Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | The increasing application of Performance-Based Seismic Design to design and retrofit buildings has been possible due to ongoing research, growing computing power, and development of numerical models to simulate cyclic structural behaviour. Performance assessment through nonlinear structural analysis can be cumbersome due to the time and expertise needed to develop a nonlinear model, running analyses, and the subsequent data post-processing, which can prevent a broader adoption of the approach by engineers. Furthermore, the volume of information on nonlinear modelling of structural components is vast and widespread. This thesis explores the formulation of a computational framework for semi-automatic conversion of an elastic structural model, developed with a commercial platform, into a nonlinear analysis model. The conversion method allows the user to focus on choosing the most suitable model for the structural components involved, from a knowledge base built of component models, while avoiding cumbersome work when defining the model. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Acosta, Alisa | Slotta, James D. | The Role of Epistemic Cognition in Complex Collaborative Inquiry Curricula | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | This thesis examines the role of epistemic cognition within the context of a Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI) curriculum for secondary science. The study employs a new form of design-based research, called Model-Based Design Research (MBDR), which first maps a formal pedagogical model onto the curriculum design, and then assesses how the enacted curriculum adheres to the design. The curriculum design was a ten-week Grade 11 Biology unit that met the Ontario Ministry requirements for evolution and biodiversity, and included activities situated within a unique immersive environment called EvoRoom. The thesis includes an assessment of students' epistemological views about science and science learning, and evaluates the epistemic commitments of KCI using a relevant theoretical framework of epistemic cognition. The analysis reveals the complex interconnections amongst the epistemological, pedagogical and technological elements of the design, resulting in recommendations for future design iterations as well as theoretical insights concerning the KCI model. | MAST | environment; biodiversity | 13, 15 |
| Acquah, Gifty Ewurama | Cooper, Paul ||Krigstin, Sally | Characterization of Forest Harvest Residue from the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Forests of South-eastern Ontario | Forestry | 2010-12-14T16:08:45Z | The use of fossil derived products and the environmental and economic problems associated with them have made a shift to abundant renewable resources such as forest biomass more attractive. However before forest biomass can be used as a resource, its properties must be known. This study determined the physical properties of heterogeneous biomass residues produced during harvesting on two operational forest sites within the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest of south-eastern Ontario. Properties measured were moisture content, size distribution, bulk density, and wood-to-bark ratio; also thermo-chemical properties including elemental composition, thermal reactivity and energy content were measured. The effects of forest site and harvest type, storage and position in storage pile, on the properties of biomass were also investigated. Results of the study showed that the various heterogeneous forest harvest residues differed more physically than thermo-chemically for the different variables, and this affected biomass procurement more than the potential utilization options. | MAST | energy; renewable; environment; forest | 7, 13, 15 |
| Adam, Simon | Burstow, Bonnie | Elder Care in an Emergency Department: How does Disparity in Practice Come to be? | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-04-05T15:46:42Z | Elderly patients in the Emergency Department (ED) receive a different level of care than younger patients. The ED disproportionately deploys resources to serve the needs of the younger patient population, a decision that appears to be mediated by the acuity of the patient’s condition as defined by the institution. This study will seek to examine the institutional work processes by which this disparity in care is created. By looking at the needs of the elderly as ED patients and based on what they identify as important to them, this ethnographic study will examine the work organization of the nurses, physicians, and administrators in the ED. The goal of the research is, through the examination of the organization of work and the texts that mediate it, to explain the ruling relations through which elderly patients are subjugated as patients in the ED. | MAST | EQUALITY | 5 |
| Adams, Andrew-Christian | Azarpazhooh, Amir | Access to Deep Sedation and General Anasesthesia Services for Dental Patients: A Survey of Ontario Dentists | Dentistry | 2015-11 | Background: Many patients need deep sedation or general anaesthesia (DS/GA) to undergo dental treatment as a result of fear, anxiety, disability, invasive dentistry, medical illness, or age. Objective: To assess barriers in accessing DS/GA as identified by dentists. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to Ontario dentists (n=5507). Descriptive and regression analyses were performed. Results: With a response rate of 18.3%, one quarter (24.8%) of those surveyed report inadequate access to DS/GA. Those outside the Greater Toronto Area and in rural communities had higher odds of reporting this outcome. General dentists, part-time dentists, urban dentists, and dentists >64 years-old had higher odds of not utilizing DS/GA. Common reasons for not utilizing GA were lack of perceived need and additional costs. Dentists that utilize DS/GA indicate that additional patient costs represent the greatest barrier to care. Conclusion: Access to DS/GA in Ontario is not uniform and major barriers to care exist. | M.Sc. | urban; rural | 11 |
| Adams, Jennifer | Finkelstein, Sarah A. | Quantitative Paleoclimate Reconstructions from the Melville Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada | Geography | 2009-12-14T19:14:12Z | A transitional climate and the presence of Thule sites make the Melville Peninsula an area of high importance for paleoenvironmental studies. Lake sediment cores and surface samples from Melville Peninsula were analyzed for diatom assemblages. Fragilarioid diatom species dominate assemblages from the interior of the peninsula since the middle Holocene. The greatest changes in diatom communities occurred during the transition from the Holocene Thermal Maximum to the Neoglacial, and in the post-Little Ice Age period. Species richness reached maximum values in the most recent period, reaching 50.8 species in surface sediments. Diatom-inferred pH reconstruction from two lakes did not indicate substantial change throughout the Holocene despite assemblage changes, showing the complexity of interpreting paleoclimate records dominated by Fragilarioids. Analysis of modern assemblages from the interior and East coast of Melville Peninsula confirm the importance of site size and water chemistry, as determined by bedrock geology, in determining diatom species distributions. | MAST | environment; climate; water | 6, 13 |
| Adamson, Bryce | Karen, Knop | The New Zealand Food Bill and Global Administrative Law: A Recipe for Democratic Engagement? | Law | 2012-11-20 | The New Zealand Food Bill is being passed amidst stern criticism of its content and the influence on it by multi-national corporations and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, whose food-safety standards motivated the bill. These concerns illustrate the large democratic and legitimisation deficits in global governance. One response to these criticisms and concerns is global administrative law, which focuses on promoting administrative law tools to enhance accountability. However, an examination of the Food Bill reinforces two main critiques of global administrative law: that it excludes addressing substance of international law and brackets democracy. I argue the limited GAL approach cannot be justified and the significant gaps in its approach require that it engage with democracy. I analyse the possibilities of global administrative law to engage with (to acknowledge and adopt) three theories of global democracy - deliberative, cosmopolitan, and radical pluralism. I argue deliberative democracy offers the most accessible option. | MAST | food; governance | 2, 16 |
| Addnan, Nasif | Jamieson, Greg | Design of Mobile Application Using Location Based Adaptive Automation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-06 | Process industry workplaces are increasingly more automated and require workers to collaborate with an automated agent. Implementing mobile devices in such workplaces is expected to improve task performance and restore multi-sensory cues by providing information to workers at the point of work. Focus group was conducted with 23 field workers to identify challenges that they currently face and proposed opportunities to address them. This resulted in identifying 19 challenges and 7 opportunities to address them using mobile devices. I designed one opportunity that used Adaptive Automation to deliver location-specific equipment operational data to workers at the point of work. Usability results from four participants validated the application and earned an excellent mean System Usability Scale score of 85. The design is expected to provide workers with real-time and projected operational data using a mobile device, providing smart services and allowing them to deliver more accurate equipment diagnosis during maintenance work. | M.A.S. | worker; industr | 8, 9 |
| Aden, Ayana | Desloges, Joseph R | The Impact of the Mount Polley Tailings Pond Failure on the Sedimentary Record of Quesnel Lake, British Columbia | Geography | 2018-06 | The Mount Polley tailings pond failure that occurred on August 4, 2014 provided an opportunity to understand the effects of point-source sedimentation events in the sedimentary record. Six sediment cores that were taken at both distal and proximal locations in Quesnel Lake (B.C.) were used to identify if turbidity currents or subaqueous debris flows were generated. Geotechnical (grain size and LOI), mineralogical and copper metal concentrations confirmed the presence of turbidite deposits in four cores. All of these turbidites contained a coarser-grained base and an uppermost fine-grained cap. Two out of the four turbidite deposits that were most proximal to the spill mouth contained mixed basal layers that may signify the energy of the current at that depth. Sediment is focused in the deepest part of the basin. The spill sediments will compress over time but will represent sedimentation rates at 4-5 orders of magnitude larger than Holocene natural rates. | M.Sc. | energy | 7 |
| Adleman, Jenna | Hudson, Chris | Retinal Vascular Reactivity Capacity in Healthy Subjects | Medical Science | 2010-12-14T16:09:58Z | Purpose: To determine the vascular reactivity (VR) capacity and visual function (VF) response to potent vasoconstrictor and vasodilatory provocations of retinal arterioles in healthy subjects. Methods: One hyperoxic hypocapnic and two graded hypoxic hypercapnic stimuli were administered. VR in response to gas provocation was assessed using the Canon Laser Blood Flowmeter. VF was assessed using high and low contrast ETDRS logMAR charts, Medmont C-100, and H.R.R. Pseudoisochromatic Plates. Results: Flow reduced by 23% (p=0.0001) during hyperoxic hypocapnia and increased by 18% (p=0.0129) during hypoxic hypercapnia. During hyperoxic hypocapnia, high contrast VA improved by -0.026 (p=0.0372). During hypoxic hypercapnia, high and low contrast VA were reduced (+0.033, p=0.0110; +0.025, p=0.0058, respectively). Colour vision was unaffected. Conclusions: The retinal arterioles demonstrated a greater capacity for vasoconstriction than vasodilation in response to the stimuli used in our study. Hyperoxic hypocapnia improved high contrast VA while hypoxic hypercapnia reduced high and low contrast VA. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Adler, John | Veneris, Andreas | Novel Approaches to Automated Digital Design Debugging in a Modern Development Cycle | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2017-11 | The ever-increasing complexity of modern digital designs has introduced significant challenges to ensuring designs meet specification. Verification alone consumes up to 70% of the cost of designing a chip, with debugging comprising the majority of this cost. In recent years, advances in automated debugging techniques have alleviated this cost, but nevertheless are resource-intensive and offer only design-centric results. This thesis proposes two novel methodologies to address these problems. First, a dual-window approach to analyzing memory-locked errors is introduced. A sliding window is used to model inputs to memory while a fixed observation window is used to model memory outputs. Next, an extensible perceptron-based framework that ranks revisions based on their likelihood of having introduced an error is discussed. A perceptron is trained on past failures and their fixes, then used to make predictions on future failures. Experiments demonstrate the benefits offered by the proposed techniques. | M.A.S. | INNOVATION | 9 |
| Adler, Melanie | Piran, Niva | The Comorbidity of Eating and Substance use Disorders in Women: Explorations of Childhood Maltreatment, Multidimensional Perfectionism and Shame | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-12-17T19:39:22Z | This investigation examined multidimensional perfectionism, shame and maltreatment in 45 women with bulimia nervosa, 14 women with binge eating disorder and 26 women with anorexia nervosa, purging type, all of whom suffered from comorbid substance use disorders. Participants completed three perfectionism scales, one shame scale and one maltreatment scale. Results revealed that in the bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder group, perfectionistic self-promotion and bodily shame were significant predictors of eating disorder severity while other-oriented perfectionism was a significant predictor of alcohol use severity. In the anorexia group, other-oriented perfectionism and bodily shame were significant predictors of eating disorder severity and nondisplay of imperfection was a significant predictor of drug use severity. All participants experienced elevated levels on all types of shame and maltreatment and on most perfectionism dimensions compared to normative samples. Findings should be utilized in developing treatment programs for those with comorbid eating and substance use disorders. | MAST | women; HEalth | 3, 5 |
| Adler, Patrick | Deborah, Leslie | Economies of Speed? Bike Couriers, Pace, and Economic Development in the Global City | Geography | 2011-12-01 | In this thesis, I propose that bike courier delivery is not merely a convenient service for clients but an important function in the operation of successful economies. By allowing the regions to function at higher speeds, same-day courier networks seem to play an active role in generating positive economic outcomes. The availability of courier networks is found to be as uneven as economic vitality itself. Cities like New York and Toronto have large, dense courier networks, capable of delivering items within an hour while smaller cites, do not support same-day courier service at all. They do this, in part, by allowing for couriers to cope with the precariousness of their work, and in part by providing supportive sub-cultures. These findings point to the role of service workers, and wider eco-systems in fostering regional advantage. | MAST | worker; cities | 8, 11 |
| Adly, Marian Helen | Upshur, Ross | Limiting the Collateral Damage of SARS: The Ethics of Priority Setting | Medical Science | 2010-12-14T16:12:26Z | The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Canada highlights a broad range in ethical challenges, particularly in priority setting. Presently, a leading theory in ethical priority setting is Daniels’ and Sabin’s Accountability for Reasonableness (A4R), which enhances fair and legitimate procedural decision making in typical healthcare settings. A4R attempts to mitigate conflicting interests and facilitate fairness in deliberations over priority setting issues. Whether this framework may be applied to public health emergencies has yet to be examined. This qualitative study describes the outbreak through the lens of A4R and explores the applicability of A4R in atypical or emergent circumstances. Findings from 25 structured key informant interviews of public health officials suggest refinements to the framework may be required for emergency events. The presence of such a framework may minimize collateral damage during and after a response. The lessons may guide future preparedness efforts such as pandemic planning. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Afif, Elie Jose Antonio | Farnood, Ramin | Catalytic Gasification of Activated Sludge in Near-critical Water | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-11-30 | This thesis was the report of the research done on the near-critical water gasification (NCWG) as an application for activated sludge treatment. The research started with the use of model compounds and binary mixtures of these compounds as feeds for the NCWG. High gasification yields were obtained using a commercial catalyst (Raney nickel), and it was found that interactions between model compounds in the binary mixtures resulted in lowering the gasification efficiencies. The research then shifted to the use of actual activated sludge samples and the search for novel catalysts for that application. Almost 70% of the sludge was gasified in the presence of the high amounts of Raney nickel. Hydrogen was the main product in the gas phase. However, Raney nickel lost half its activity after only 8 minutes of exposure to supercritical water. For some model compounds, novel catalysts formulated in our laboratories had better activities than the commercial ones. This was not the case for the NCWG of activated sludge. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Afshar, Shadi | Bialystok, Lauren | Re-Imagining the Public Value of the Humanities: An Ecological Perspective | Social Justice Education | 2016-11 | Much of the recent discussion regarding the humanities has been in response to the destabilizing effects economic pressures have on perceptions of their value. I explore the public value of the humanities in light of these contemporary challenges. Chapter One situates this approach in a public conception of the university. In Chapter Two I discuss how the aims of higher education are being reshaped, largely in response to an instrumentalist context that is framed by economic outcomes. In Chapter Three I review three defences of the humanitiesâ subjective, liberal, and democraticâ and how they address the question of public value, respectively. I conclude by arguing for an ecological approach to the humanities, grounded in the broader value of the university to the public it serves, and argue that working inwards from a situated position may provide a more robust account of public value than many of the previous attempts. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Agate, Adam MB | Chow, Tiffany | Adolescent Disconnection from Brain Health and Impact on Brain Health Behaviour Decision-making | Medical Science | 2015-11 | This qualitative content analysis study was preformed to understand the views about brain health held by high school students in grades 9 and 10, and how this impacts their adoption of brain healthy behaviours. Three semi-structured focus groups interviews were held with 23 high school adolescents in the Greater Toronto Area. Three themes regarding participants’ views on brain health emerged from the data analysis: (1) Ambiguous Definition, (2) Lack of Understanding and (3) a Struggle for Relevance. These themes contributed to adolescents feeling disconnected from the topic of brain health and its impact on their present and future lives. This emerged as a barrier to the adoption of healthy brain health behaviours. There is a need to address the divide between the youth of our generation and the topic of brain health through the creation and implementation of more meaningful learning experiences about the brain. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Agha, Sanaz | Novak, Alison C | Biomechanical Evaluation of Nosing Design on Stair Navigation in Healthy and Post-Stroke Older Adults | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-06 | Stair design can influence the risk of stair falls, with stair nosings intended to provide greater foot accommodation. However, to date little is known regarding the appropriate nosing shape to guide safer stair ambulation. This thesis investigates the impact of different nosing shapes (round, square, tapered, and no-nosing) on foot trajectory measures during stair navigation among healthy and post-stroke older adults. Less resultant foot clearance and greater foot overhang during descent highlighted the increased risk of falls on stairs in the post-stroke group. For both healthy and stroke participants, the tapered and round nosing shapes resulted in the largest horizontal foot clearance, and smallest foot overhang, respectively. However, with greater step-to-step variability detected with round nosings, the tapered nosing presents as the safest choice among all evaluated designs. The results of this work can be used to inform architectural and accessible design standards to create a safer built environment. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Aginsky, Danielle | Tannock, Rosemary | Working Memory and Academic Achievement in Children With Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2009-12-11T19:43:28Z | This study used pre-existing data to examine whether children with ADHD, with and without working memory (WM) deficits, differ in their academic achievement and clinical profiles. 73 children (26% female), aged 6-12 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD had completed standardized achievement tests of reading, mathematics, and written language. Six WM measures and three parent and teacher questionnaires probing behaviour and executive functioning were administered. Of the sample, only 26% met the criteria for a WM deficit. Children with WM impairments were found to perform significantly worse than those without WM impairment on all achievement clusters, with no clinical profile differences. Poor WM is not universal in ADHD, but its presence is associated with lower academic achievement scores. Clinicians and educators should consider that underlying impairments in WM may be the contributing factors to academic difficulties in children with ADHD. Interventions targeting WM skills need to be implemented. | MAST | educat; health | 3, 4 |
| Aguda, Vernie Leigh | Thiele, Tod | Identification of Subpallial Neuronal Populations Across Zebrafish Larval Stages that Express Molecular Markers for the Striatum | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11 | Striatal neurons within the basal ganglia play a central role in vertebrate action selection; however, their location in larval zebrafish is not well defined. We assayed for conserved striatal markers in the zebrafish subpallium using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry. Whole mount FISH revealed an inhibitory neuronal cluster rostral to the anterior commissure that expresses tac1, the gene that encodes the precursor peptide for substance P. This molecular profile is shared by mammalian striatal direct pathway neurons. A second partially overlapping population of inhibitory neurons was identified that expresses penka, the gene that encodes the precursor peptide for enkephalin. This molecular profile is shared by striatal indirect pathway neurons. Immunostaining for substance P and enkephalin confirmed the presence of these peptides in the subpallium as well as the presence of dopaminergic innervation. The tac1 and penka populations were both found to increase linearly across larval stages. Together, these findings support the existence of a striatal homologue in larval zebrafish that grows to match the development and increasing behavioural complexity of the organism. | M.Sc. | conserv; fish | 14 |
| Aguiar, Anelize | Valcke, Catherine | The Law Applicable to International Trade Transactions with Brazilian Parties: A Comparative Study of the Brazilian Law, the CISG, and the American Law About Contract Formation | Law | 2011-08-25 | Despite Brazil’s importance in the world economy and its increasing participation in foreign trade, there is considerable legal uncertainty regarding the law applicable to international commercial contracts involving Brazilian parties because Brazilian judicial courts do not respect parties’ freedom to choose the governing law, thus this determination is only made by a judge, according to Private International Law rules of the forum. Applying these rules, this study demonstrates that there are at least three potential legal regimes: the Brazilian law, the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, and a foreign domestic sales law. Making use of the American law as the foreign law, a comparative analysis of these three legal regimes regarding contract formation demonstrates that their approaches are very distinct, and this confirms the legal uncertainty. In order to reduce this problem, three different strategies are proposed to the Brazilian government. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Ahmad, Aria | Pennefather, Peter ||Kohler, Jillian Clare | Addressing Variability in Drug Quality: Finding The Right “Quality” Framework(s) | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2012-11-20 | Background: In many countries, a significant proportion of medicines traded and consumed are of poor or variable quality. Meanwhile, failures in appropriately framing and responding to the problem have led to a proliferation of public health and governance challenges. Objective: To examine the issues exacerbating the trade and consumption of medicines of poor or variable quality, as well as present locally relevant strategies. Methods: Analytic triangulation was applied to the synthesis of publicly available documents. Results: Where economic and regulatory environments are less structured, supply chain security strategies that fixate on ‘counterfeits’ often fail in limiting the prevalence of poor quality medicines. In addition to a multivariate drug quality classification chart, three quality frameworks are presented for examining appropriate policy strategies in mediating drug quality. Conclusion: These tools can assist stakeholders in determining more locally relevant and context-specific strategies, while interrogating the proposition for greater transparency vis-à-vis drug quality. | MAST | health; trade; consum; environment; governance | 3, 10, 12, 16 |
| Ahmad, Sidrah Maysoon | Magnusson, Jamie | Invisible Violence Against Hypervisible Women: Understanding Islamophobic Violence in the Greater Toronto Area Through Qualitative Interviews and Arts-Based Inquiry | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-06 | Islamophobic violence against Muslim women is an understudied issue in Canada, even as it is increasing. Using an anti-colonial Muslim feminist theoretical framework and praxis, I conducted 21 interviews of Muslim women survivors of Islamophobic violence in the GTA, and analyzed these interviews to characterize the discourses that sanction Islamophobic violence; the different forms of Islamophobic violence and its impacts, including its relation to trauma; challenges for bystander intervention; and Muslim women’s strength and agency. Notably, several participants employed faith-based methods of understanding and responding to Islamophobic violence. Poetry by six Muslim women survivors of Islamophobic violence supplemented these findings by enriching them with emotional depth; this poetry will be included in a community toolkit on Islamophobic violence that will emerge from this study. Future research should continue to centre diverse Muslim women’s voices and focus on anti-colonial methods of challenging Islamophobia that focus on building relationships with Indigenous peoples. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Ahmari-Moghaddam, Ali | Emon, Anver | Towards International Islamic Human Rights: A Comparative Study of Islamic Law, Shari’ah, with Universal Human Rights as Defined in the International Bill of Human Rights | Law | 2012-07-24 | Islamic law, also known as Shari’ah law, is one of the most complex and multifaceted, yet easily misunderstood areas of law. It is complex because its subjects, but not limited to, human rights, politics, religion, economics, and criminal. Islamic law is also misunderstood because it is greatly understudied and grossly over-generalized. This regretfully has lead to a situation where Islamic law is often characterized as an inhumane and discriminatory set of laws which have no respect for human rights. The questions that remain to be answered are whether or not there is a human rights discourse in Islamic law, and is Islamic law compatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its two subsequent International Covenants? The aim of this paper is to ascertain whether or not Shari’ah law, as it has been reflected in the Islamic human rights documents discussed, is compatible with universal human rights standards. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Ahmed, Maria | Davies, Scott | To Conform or Innovate: Organizational Life Cycle of Independent Religious Schools in the Greater Toronto Area | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2017-11 | This thesis presents the argument that private religious schools in Toronto experience competing forces of isomorphism (from their status as schools in a highly institutionalized setting) and innovation (from their position as a business in an open market environment). Assuming multiple roles as a business, non-profit, and educational institution augments the pressure they experience and forces them to search for strategies to manage the additional strain caused by conflicting forces. This mixed methods study captures interview data from senior leadership in 20 independent religious schools in the Greater Toronto Area. Findings conclude that schools follow an S-curve on an Organizational Life Cycle, which measures a schoolâ s level of establishment or legitimacy. Furthermore, schools in the study faced competing forces (or logics) of education, religion, financial sustainability, and community. Through an institutional entrepreneurship approach, schools strategically selected their location, identity, leadership, policies, social networks and new practices to improve organizational longevity. | M.Ed. | innovation; environment; institution | 4, 9, 16 |
| Ahmed, Mavra | Keith, Mary E. | An Investigation of Outcomes in Relation to Thiamin Status of Ambulatory Patients with Heart Failure | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-07-19 | Thiamin is a required coenzyme in energy producing reactions that subsequently fuel myocardial contraction. Therefore, thiamin deficiency (TD) might contribute to the reduction in myocardial function observed in patients with heart failure (HF) by limiting the available energy and subsequently aggravating cardiac performance. While the prevalence of TD as well as the impact of supplementation has been examined in patients with HF, none of these studies to date has examined the impact of TD on clinical outcomes. Therefore, this study investigated the associations between erythrocyte [TPP] levels and outcomes in ambulatory patients with HF. Time-to-event probabilities were found to be not significant for acute decompensated heart failure, mortality, all-cause hospitalizations, arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions and other adverse events. Further investigations into the longer term impact of TD on outcomes and the effects of thiamin supplementation as an adjunct therapy in delaying the disease progression are needed. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ahmed, Sarah | Mizrahi, Romina||Kiang, Michael | Examining an Event-related Brain Potential Index of Semantic Priming in Cannabis-using Individuals at Clinical High-risk For Psychosis | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) for schizophrenia experience subthreshold symptoms of this disorder, and cannabis use further increases their risk of conversion to psychosis. To seek neurophysiological evidence that cannabis use is associated with semantic processing deficits in the CHR state, we used the N400 event-related potential (ERP) to measure semantic priming. We recorded ERPs in 15 cannabis-using and 12 non-cannabis-using help-seeking CHR individuals, and 10 cannabis-using and 15 non-cannabis-using healthy controls while they viewed related and unrelated prime-target word pairs, at a short and a long stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA). We observed no significant differences in N400 semantic priming between the four groups, but observed a trend towards deficits at the long SOA in all CHR participants compared to all controls (p = 0.07). The results suggest that CHR individuals experience semantic priming deficits similar to those of schizophrenia patients but that cannabis use does not further impair this process. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ahrari, Soha Mahmoodi | DeAngelis, Carlo | DEVELOPING A TEXT MESSAGING INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT MEDICATION ADHERENCE TO ENDOCRINE THERAPY IN ADJUVANT BREAST CANCER: AN INTERPRETIVE DESCRIPTION APPROACH | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2017-11 | Most adjuvant breast cancer patients are prescribed long-term endocrine therapy; however, not all patients continue these medications long term. Text messaging programs have been shown to be a low cost means of increasing medication adherence in a wide variety of chronic conditions, but have not been extensively studied in the breast cancer setting. The primary objective of this study was to develop a text messaging intervention to support long term endocrine therapy adherence. First, we sought to understand the breast cancer survivorship experience in the context of endocrine therapy. Second, we were interested in womenâ s experiences when using a theoretically grounded text messaging intervention. Participants were recruited from a single large academic centre. The initial text messaging intervention was informed by the Medication Adherence Model. Data collection comprised of two semi- structured interviews with eight participants, as well as enrollment in the text messaging intervention. Two main themes arose regarding the experience of breast cancer survivorship. First, fear of recurrence and the worry about returning to normal after breast cancer treatment were dominating emotional experiences. As a result, a high degree of uncertainty permeated their lives, and learning to manage uncertainty was identified as a critical coping skill. When participants were asked regarding preferences for a text messaging intervention, women stated they were interested in an intervention that would act as a supporting friend, sending positive messages about overall wellness. In addition, message tailoring was recognized as an important characteristic in order to increase program usefulness. These findings are useful in shaping future work ensuring long term medication adherence to endocrine therapy. | M.Sc. | health | 5 |
| Ahsanuzzaman, S. M. | Prodic, Aleksandar | Interactive Flexible Switch Mode Power Supplies for Reducing Volume and Improving Efficiency | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2013-07-10 | The purpose of this thesis is to introduce a family of interactive Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) for reducing the overall volume of the conventional converter topologies in low-to-medium power (up to 60W) applications. As shown in this thesis, the interaction between power supplies and electronic devices can be incorporated with emerging digital controllers for SMPS, to implement flexible converter topologies. These flexible topologies dynamically change the converter configuration, based on the load requirement, to provide near ideal transient response and/or improved efficiency over a wide range of operating conditions. This interaction relaxes the energy storage requirement for the converter reactive components and results in a low volume implementation. The interaction with the SMPS can be between the electronic load and the power supply or different conversion stages of a multi-stage converter. The effectiveness of the introduced family of SMPS is verified on digitally controlled dc-dc and ac-dc converter topologies. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Ai, Tao | Mann, Steve | HDRchitecture: Real-Time Quantigraphic High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for WearCam (Wearable Camera) | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | An important feature of wearable camera systems is that they must work in awide variety of situations under a wide range of lighting conditions. This is truewhether they are used to take pictures, or record video, or even to perform objectrecognition. For these cameras to be used as a real-time seeing aid, we need toproduce High Dynamic Range (HDR) videos at a high frame rate.With the advance of technology in the Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)industry, the increasing number of successful implementations of real-time imagingsystems makes FPGA an attractive platform for prototyping HDR video systemfor wearable computers. In this thesis, an scalable and adaptable frameworkis implemented on FPGA for real-time quantigraphic HDR imaging, for solvingthe camera dynamic range limitation. Most of the implementing issues found inthe essential stages of a typical HDR imaging flow are addressed in detail. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Aitken, Madison Lee | Martinussen, Rhonda | Exploring Predictors of Performance on a Curriculum-based Measure of Written Expression | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-11-28 | The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals. | MAST | gender; girl | 5 |
| Akanmori, Harriet | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | A Critical Analysis of the Activities of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to Promote Equity and Access in the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Education in Ghana: 2005-2010 | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Canada supports developmental efforts in Ghana through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). This dissertation investigates how Canada partners with Ghana to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for education by 2015. The study focuses on achieving equity and access to education in Ghana, and examines how far Ghana’s policy and Canada’s aims and objectives (through CIDA) for adressing these developmental issues converge or diverge. The principal methodology for accomplishing this study includes literature review and a content analysis of CIDA programmes and documents related to education in Ghana. The study concludes that CIDA programmes and operations in education in Ghana have a clear focus on issues relating to equity and access to education, and complement governmental efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for Education in Ghana. The thesis ends with recommendation for further study on using spirituality and indigenous knowledges to enhance and provide holistic education in Ghana. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Akdeniz, Ceren | Passeport, Elodie | Adsorption and Desorption of Naphthalene in Bioretention Cells | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Naphthalene is a toxic contaminant commonly found in urban stormwater. Low impact development stormwater management practices such as bioretention cells are effective in reducing contaminant input into downstream. To this date, the transfer and transformation processes of typical urban runoff trace organic contaminants have not been characterized extensively; particularly in winter conditions. This study investigated the adsorption and desorption of naphthalene in bioretention cells at various temperatures and salinities. In all experiments, more than 70% of the initially added naphthalene was adsorbed on the bioretention soil at equilibrium. Temperature and salinity showed little but inconsistent effects, and the adsorption of naphthalene was partially reversible under some conditions. Despite its reversibility, naphthalene desorption may allow for the regeneration of the sorption capacity of the soil media, and transformation processes to take place. Overall, these results suggest that bioretention cells can store up to 80% of the inflowing naphthalene over short periods. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Akhter, Mohammad Raza | Simpson, Andre J||Simpson, Myrna | In vivo NMR-based Metabolomics of Daphnia magna: Exploring the Potential and Limitations | Chemistry | 2015-06 | Daphnia magna (a keystone species) is routinely used in understanding the toxicity of environmental contaminants. Traditional ecotoxicity methods use endpoints such as mortality to understand the toxicity of contaminants. To fully understand the impact of a stressor, the underlying biochemical pathways that drive the physiological changes in an organism must be studied. Here in vivo Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was developed to understand the metabolomic changes that occur in 13C-labelled Daphnia magna in response to stress. A flow-system which delivered oxygen to daphnia inside an NMR tube allowed for a total experiment time of 48 hours. A baseline metabolomic profile D. magna was established from 1H/13C one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) NMR. Changes in the lipids/TriAcylGlycerides (TAG) and carbohydrates of daphnids under different physical conditions (male/female and pregnant/non-pregnant) were identified demonstrating the viability of this approach for studying the biochemical response of D. magna to contaminant exposure. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Al Safi, Ali | Behdinan, Kamran | Novel Framework for Reduced Order Modeling of Aero-engine Components | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | The present study focuses on the popular dynamic reduction methods used in design of complex assemblies (millions of Degrees of Freedom) where numerous iterations are involved to achieve the final design. Aerospace manufacturers such as Rolls Royce and Pratt Whitney are actively seeking techniques that reduce computational time while maintaining accuracy of the models. This involves modal analysis of components with complex geometries to determine the dynamic behavior due to non-linearity and complicated loading conditions. In such a case the sub-structuring and dynamic reduction techniques prove to be an efficient tool to reduce design cycle time. The components whose designs are finalized can be dynamically reduced to mass and stiffness matrices at the boundary nodes in the assembly. These matrices conserve the dynamics of the component in the assembly, and thus avoid repeated calculations during the analysis runs for design modification of other components. This thesis presents a novel framework in terms of modeling and meshing of any complex structure, in this case an aero-engine casing. In this study the affect of meshing techniques on the run time are highlighted. The modal analysis is carried out using an extremely fine mesh to ensure all minor details in the structure are captured correctly in the Finite Element (FE) model. This is used as the reference model, to compare against the results of the reduced model. The study also shows the conditions/criteria under which dynamic reduction can be implemented effectively, proving the accuracy of Criag-Bampton (C.B.) method and limitations of Static Condensation. The study highlights the longer runtime needed to produce the reduced matrices of components compared to the overall runtime of the complete unreduced model. Although once the components are reduced, the assembly run is significantly. Hence the decision to use Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) is to be taken judiciously considering the number of iterations that may be required during the design cycle. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Al-Dajani, Mahmoud | Azarpazhooh, Amir ||Quiñonez, Carlos | Hospital-based Visits and Admissions for Maxillofacial Injuries in Ontario: An 8-year Retrospective Study | Dentistry | 2013-11-20 | Objectives: (1) To calculate rates for maxillofacial (MF) injury-related visits in emergency departments (EDs) and hospitals in Ontario; (2) To investigate socio-demographic distribution of MF injuries; (3) To identify common causes for MF injuries. Methods: An 8-year retrospective study design was implemented. Two datasets were used: Discharge Abstract Database and National Ambulatory Care Reporting System. Color-coded maps were created using ArcGIS. Results: From 2004 to 2012 in Ontario, 1,457,990 ED visits and 41,057 hospitalizations due to MF injuries were registered. MF injuries are most frequent in males and occur mainly in evenings (7:00 to 9:00 pm) and weekends. Higher rates of MF injury are seen in rural areas and low-income neighborhoods. The leading cause of MF injuries is falls. Conclusion: 3 out of 100 ED visits and 1 out of 200 hospitalizations were caused by MF injury. Male youth and female older people suffered high rates of MF injury. | MAST | rural | 11 |
| Al-Dajani, Nadia | Uliaszek, Amanda | Differences in Emotion Reactivity between Individuals with Features of Borderline Personality Disorder and Depression | Psychology | 2013-11-20 | Depression and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are highly comorbid and are both characteristic of affective disturbance. In this study, it is hypothesized that the disorders share a common etiological factor of emotion reactivity. In addition, an investigation of specific emotional experiences that may differentiate the two symptom clusters is undertaken. A mood induction task was used to elicit emotional reactions in a sample of 121 university students. Regression analyses were conducted to examine emotion reactivity as a common factor. Unique associations between specific emotions and features of BPD, depression, and an interaction term (BPDxDep) were investigated. It was found that all models tested were significant, with the exception of joy. Features of BPD were uniquely associated with sadness, guilt, and anger, as were depressive features. BPDxDep symptoms were negatively associated with guilt. A discussion of the findings obtained and their significance in theory and in practice is undertaken. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Al-Khalidi, Banaz | Vieth, Reinhold | Casein Proteins as a Vehicle to Deliver Vitamin D3: Fortification of Dairy Products with Vitamin D3 and Bioavailability of Vitamin D3 from Fortified Mozzarella Cheese Baked with Pizza | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-20 | Current vitamin D intakes in Canada are inadequate. The extension of vitamin D fortification to additional foods may be an effective and appropriate strategy for increasing vitamin D intakes in the general population. Cheese is potentially an ideal candidate for vitamin D fortification. We introduce the potential use of casein proteins as a vehicle for vitamin D3 fortification in industrially made cheeses where we found that over 90% of vitamin D3 added to milk was retained in both Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses. Use of casein proteins for vitamin D3 fortification did not fully prevent vitamin D3 loss into whey. However the loss was minimized to approximately 8%. We then show that vitamin D3 is bioavailable from fortified Mozzarella cheese baked with pizza suggesting that the high temperature baking process does not significantly breakdown vitamin D3. Our findings could have important implications in increasing fortified food options for Canadians. | MAST | food; industr | 1, 8 |
| Al-Rudainy, Oras | Lawrence, Herenia P. | Role of Acculturation, Social Capital and Oral Health Literacy on Access to Dental Care among Preschool Children of Arabic-speaking Immigrants in Toronto, Canada | Dentistry | 2011-12-01 | Objectives: To determine access to dental care among preschool children of Arabic-speaking immigrant families; to investigate the influence of social and cultural factors on access to dental care; and to measure preschool children’s oral health as reported by their parents. Methods: This survey used a semi-structured questionnaire to interview 100 Arabic-speaking parents of children under the age of 5 who were identified from community centres. Five scales were used to measure acculturation, social capital, oral health literacy, oral health knowledge, and health literacy. Results: Only 34% of families had visited the dentist to obtain dental care for their preschool children. Nineteen-percent of Arabic parents in our sample rated their children’s oral health as being fair or poor. None of the scales used in this study had a significant impact on access to dental care; however, higher scores on these scales tended to be associated with better access to dental care. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Alaca, Betül | Pyle, Angela | Kindergarten Teachers' Perspectives on Culturally Responsive Education | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2017-11 | Researchers and policymakers have been making efforts to build more inclusive Canadian schooling experiences that reflect the diversity of its student bodies. The present study examined kindergarten teachersâ experiences of culturally responsive education. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six kindergarten teachers in the Greater Toronto Area to learn about how they understand and approach cultural diversity in their classrooms and the challenges that they experience. Participating teachers most often referred to ethnicity in relation to studentsâ cultural backgrounds, and believed that culturally responsive practices have an important place at the kindergarten level. Teachers described implementing practices that are both structured components of the classroom, and spontaneous in that they are unplanned accommodations or instruction. They spoke of challenges relating to their access to resources both within and outside of their schools and establishing strong relationships with school personnel and families. | M.A. | educat; inclusive | 4 |
| Alaeddini, Mohammadreza | Austin, Lisa M. | Cyberspace: The Gated Public Sphere | Law | 2011-12-01 | Cyberspace, as a notional environment, is a reality that comes into existence only through the proprietary technologies, platforms, and infrastructures of private industry. This has given “Internet companies”, as the non-substitutable pathways to the virtual world, a truly unique and tremendously powerful role in exercising their discretion in regulating citizens’ behavior online. Consequently, citizen’s fundamental rights and liberties in the virtual world, such as freedom of speech, thought, assembly and association, access to information and dissemination, are at the mercy of a handful profit seeking enterprises. With the ever-increasing role of the Internet in our social life, it seems that the time is ripe for revisiting some of the foundational questions in cyberspace in order to preserve the cornerstones of our liberal societies in the information era. | MAST | infrastructure; industr; | 9 |
| Alagraa, Bador Saadeldin | Ruddick, Susan | "Known to the Police": A Black Male Reflection on Police Violence in Toronto | Geography | 2015-06 | In response to the increased prevalence of gun violence in Toronto, local politicians and media have focused on how to more efficiently police the city's most violent neighborhoods. Because of the racialized nature of this violence, much attention has been given to the role of structural and institutional effects of systemic racism and marginalization on the manifestation of violence in the City of Toronto. Obscured from these discussions however are the ways in which narratives of criminality are internalized by Black and Brown bodies and their communities. In light of this, this research will highlight the lack of attention given to the discursive remapping, and the reimaging of the Black male body in urban spaces. Ultimately, what I propose is a radical decentering of this institutional paradigm in favour of one that takes the subjectivity of the Black male as its point of entry. | M.A. | institution; urban | 11, 16 |
| Alary, Mary Catherine Claire | Boydell, Katherine M | Listening to Marginalized Women in Toronto: A Dialogue about Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening | Medical Science | 2015-06 | This study explored the perceptions of women living in homeless shelters and women with severe mental health challenges about the factors influencing their decision-making processes regarding breast and cervical cancer screening. Twenty-six qualitative interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The aim of this exploratory study was to focus on meanings and actions with a broader view to identify the interplay between participants' narratives and social structures, medical praxis and policy implications. Results provided insights on both positive and negative prior cancer screening experiences, the role of power and trust in women's decision-making, and areas for improvement in health care provider/patient interactions. Outcomes of this investigation contribute to the future development of appropriately designed intervention programs. Tailored and effective health promotion strategies leading to life-long cancer screening behaviours among marginalized women may improve clinical outcomes, decrease treatment costs and save lives. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Albaun, Michael Jordan | Cadarette, M Suzanne | Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis Management Among Seniors | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2014-11 | Background: Chronic oral glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is the leading cause of secondary osteoporosis, resulting in rapid bone loss and increased fracture risk. Objective: To examine trends in GC-induced osteoporosis management, by sex and over time. Methods: Using Ontario healthcare utilization data, we determined the proportion of chronic oral GC users (age 66+) who received a bone mineral density test and/or osteoporosis treatment within 6 months of starting chronic GC therapy. Results: We identified 72,099 male and 95,975 female patients on chronic GC therapy between 1996 and 2012. Overall, 15% of men and 36% of women on chronic oral GC therapy received osteoporosis management. However, among patients without prior osteoporosis management, only 12% of men and 23% of women received osteoporosis management within 6 months. Conclusion: GC-induced osteoporosis management improved significantly over time in both sexes yet remains low, particularly among men. This represents a missed opportunity for fracture prevention among patients requiring prolonged GC therapy. | M.Sc. | health | 2 |
| Albert-Green, Steven | Thomson, Murray | Understanding the Effects of Nozzle Design and Spray Characteristics for Optimizing Pyrolysis Liquid Biofuel Ignition and Combustion | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | This thesis examines how nozzle design and spray characteristics influence the combustion and emissions of a pure pyrolysis liquid biofuel (PLB) flame in a 10kW, insulated, swirl burner using an internally mixed air-blast nozzle. PLB is a carbon-neutral fuel made from waste wood, but its properties make efficient combustion challenging. First, atomization trends were examined with distilled water to elucidate the important parameters and design aspects and to determine the nozzle's primary atomization mechanism(s). With this information, combustion experiments studied how carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, carbonaceous residue, flame stability and coking were influenced by the nozzle's mixing chamber diameter and outlet number/diameter, angle and total area in order to optimize the design of the nozzle. Ultimately, an optimized nozzle was designed that achieved a self-sustaining PLB flame with good stability, low emissions and low coking. In addition, it allowed for "cold-starting" and pilot flame extinguishment at steady-state while maintaining stability. | M.A.S. | waste; water | 6, 12 |
| Albert-Vartanian, Alenoush | McGlade, Jane ||Zadeh, Gelareh | Role of Hexokinase 2 (HK2) in Modulating Tumor Metabolism and Response to Therapy in Glioblastoma | Medical Biophysics | 2013-11-20 | Glioblastoma (GBM), similar to many other cancers, exhibits enhanced aerobic glycolysis with concomitant lactate production, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. We have demonstrated that preferential expression of Hexokinase 2 (HK2) is a critical mediator of metabolic reprograming in GBMs and its inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy for sensitization of GBM tumors to radiation (RAD) and/or temozolomide (TMZ). Our results indicate that conditional HK2 inhibition disrupts energy homeostasis and sensitizes GBMs to radiochemotherapy under hypoxia. In GBM xenografts, conditional HK2 loss sensitizes GBM tumors to concomitant RAD/TMZ and results in a significant survival benefit in the mice. Moreover, loss of HK2 resulted in GBM remodeling with HK2 knockdowns showing increased necrosis, hypoxia, inflammatory infiltration and reduced vascularization. We anticipate that targeting a key metabolic enzyme involved in the Warburg effect might improve the efficacy of current therapeutic regimen and provide a unique paradigm for the management of GBMs. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Albilia, Jonathan | Tenenbaum, Howard ||Clokie, Cameron | Serum BMP-2, 4, 7 and AHSG in Patients with Heterotopic Ossification Following Arthroplasty | Dentistry | 2010-12-14T16:25:48Z | Purpose: To determine whether reduced serum levels of AHSG and elevated levels of BMP-2, 4, 7 are associated with post-arthroplasty HO. Patients: Thirty arthroplasty patients were included, 15 with evidence of peri-articular HO and 15 without (NHO). Methods: Blood samples were collected from all patients ≥ 8 weeks after arthroplasty. Analytes were measured using ELISAs. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare serum analyte concentrations between HO and NHO groups, and between arthroplasty patients and healthy humans. Results: There is no difference in serum concentrations of AHSG, BMP-2, 4, 7 between HO and NHO patients. Arthroplasty patients showed significantly higher BMP-2 and BMP-4 and lower AHSG serum levels compared to healthy humans (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Baseline BMP-2, 4, 7 and AHSG serum levels are not markers of acquired HO. However, elevated baseline levels of BMP- 2, 4 and reduced levels of AHSG appear to be markers of severe inflammatory arthritis. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Alderman, Emilie | McCabe, Brenda||Hyatt, Douglas | Construction Safety Climate in Ontario: A Longitudinal Study | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | The aim of this paper is to document changes in the relationship between demographics, attitudes, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and accidents over time in the construction industry. This longitudinal study compares periodic measures of the construction safety climate in Ontario in 2004/6 and 2014. A total of 442 self-administered questionnaires were collected from 22 construction sites in 2014. The 2014 data were compared to 911 valid questionnaire responses obtained in 2004/06 from 84 construction sites across Ontario. The questionnaire contained 105 questions and took participants 15 minutes to complete. Demographic data remained consistent over time. The participants had an average experience level of 15 years, having spent a median of 2.5 years with their current employer. Considerable attitudinal improvements were observed in the areas of leadership, coworker perception, supervisor perception, management perception, and safety program perception. The prevalence and occurrence of physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and accidents decreased over time. | M.A.S. | worker; industr | 8, 9 |
| Aldossari, Alaa | Hayhoe, Ruth | Experience, Struggle and Change: Saudi Women Studying in a Canadian Context, under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-06 | This study will trace the impact of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program KASP on Saudi women currently studying in Canada, as well as the academic and socio-cultural complexities that participating in this scholarship program entails. In particular, issues of religion and gender are explored, with an emphasis on the experiences, struggles and changes elicited through the educative process. | M.A. | educat; gender; women | 4, 5 |
| Aleem, Idris Syed | Chau, Tom | Online Environmental Control of Multiple Devices using Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasonography | Biomedical Engineering | 2012-11-20 | Individuals with severe impairments may use brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies in order to interact with their external environment. One non-invasive brain-monitoring technology which may be suitable for this purpose is transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD). Previous research has shown that TCD is useful in detecting changes in cerebral blood flow velocities after the performance of cognitive tasks which are often lateralized towards a specific hemisphere of the brain. However, to date, TCD has not been used in a BCI system. This thesis first explores TCD in an offline study, showing that on average, accuracies of 80.0% are attainable with user-specific training data and 74.6% with user-independent training data. Furthermore, consecutive sequential lateralizations do not decrease classification accuracies. In a subsequent online experiment, a TCD-BCI system yielded an average accuracy of 61.4%, but revealed key findings about the effects of user motivation and error streaks in an online system. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Alexander Kowalewski, Dylan Jan | Thomson, Murray J||Tran, Honghi N | Emissions and Properties of Bio-oil and Natural Gas Co-combustion in a Pilot Stabilised Swirl Burner | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | Fast pyrolysis oil, or bio-oil, has been investigated to replace traditional fossil fuels in industrial burners. However, flame stability is a challenge due to its high water content. In order to address its instability, bio-oil was co-fired with natural gas in a lab scale 10kW swirl burner at energy ratios from 0% bio-oil to 80% bio-oil. To evaluate the combustion, flame shape, exhaust and particulate emissions, temperatures, as well as infrared emission were monitored. As the bio-oil energy fraction increased, NO emissions increased due to the nitrogen content of bio-oil. CO and particulate emissions increased likely due to carbonaceous residue exiting the combustion zone. Unburnt Hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions increased rapidly as combustion became poor at 60-80% bio-oil energy. The temperature and infrared output decreased with more bio-oil energy. The natural gas proved to be effective at anchoring the bio-oil flame to the nozzle, decreasing instances of extinction or blowout. | M.A.S. | water; energy; industr | 6, 7, 9 |
| Alexander, Emily | Alain, Claude | Speech-in-Noise Perception in Older Adults: Impact of Emotional Semantic Valence and Clinical Depression | Psychology | 2019-11 | Depression influences and can be influence by interpersonal interactions, which rely on speech-in-noise comprehension. The semantic emotional salience of words may influence listening abilities in noise. This study examined the effects of emotional valence and depression on speech-in-noise comprehension in older adults (OA). Participants were 28 older adults (Mage = 72.75, SD = 5.93) with current depression (n = 9), remitted depression (n = 9), or healthy controls (n = 10). In an experimental-word-in-noise task, participants heard spoken words that were neutral, positive, or negatively-valenced. It was hypothesized that older adults with depression would show a reduction in the expected positive bias observed in healthy older adults on speech comprehension. No group differences were found in speech-in-noise comprehension ability in older adults. Across groups, there were main effects of signal-to-noise ratio and valence on EWIN task accuracy. Findings partially support a positivity bias in older adults, regardless of depression status. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Alexander, Rachel | Ng, Roxana ||Sumner, Jennifer | Connecting with the Global Garment Industry: Can Ethical Consumption Promote Sustainability? | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-07-21T15:04:59Z | In the globalized garment industry (GGI) most clothing is involved in complex networks that exploit both people and the environment. This system is unsustainable yet supported by Canadian consumers, who have become disconnected from their clothing’s production and disposal processes as a result of the development of increasingly complex social and technological systems since the Industrial Revolution. Canadians currently learn about the industry from public portrayals in which the dominant messages are designed by corporations promoting consumption. Nevertheless, growing numbers of consumers are realizing that this system is unsustainable and attempting to take action. This study uses methods based on institutional ethnography to explore the challenges faced by Canadians trying to engage in ethical consumption. Promoting sustainability is seen as requiring broad structural change, which can be supported by individual Canadians seeking to learn about the industry and working with its global stakeholders to build the civil commons. | MAST | consum; industr | 9, 12 |
| Alexander, Sarah Mehta | Lee, Ian B. | Directors Duties under the CBCA:Shareholder Theory versus Stakeholder Theory Consideration of Stakeholder Theory's Legal and Moral Supremacy | Law | 2012-11-20 | Traditional scholarship on corporate law evidences the lack of analysis undertaken to understand the interconnectivity between businesses and the societies in which they operate where , scholarship and case law had favored shareholder primacy. However, an analysis of Section 122 of the Canadian Business Corporations Act (CBCA), reveals that the ambiguous language of director’s duties under the CBCA allows for the courts to continue modernize the law inclusive of stakeholder rights without requiring statutory amendments. Therefore, this thesis argues that courts have the flexibility to interpret that directors are within their duties to balance the rights of both shareholders and stakeholders. In fact, this thesis argues that stakeholder theory is superior to shareholder theory in consideration of law and morality. By concluding that stakeholder theory is the new accepted standard in Canadian Corporate law, this paper offers directors guidance on how to perform their role in accordance with the CBCA. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Alexander, Shea Basil | Roach, Kent | An Accountability Reality Check: Evaluating Key Review Mechanisms for Policing and Demonstrations | Law | 2014-11 | When a major incident occurs between police and demonstrators where there are questionable police and state actions, there are regularly calls for corresponding accountability. This thesis analyzes the realities of potentially using civil litigation and other non-court mechanisms to achieve such accountability, especially regarding how the mechanisms reinforce "conflict-solving" or "policy-implementing" tendencies. Injunctions are also specifically examined as they commonly occur in the context of demonstrations. It is suggested that property "rights" (as defined by Hohfeld) repeatedly trump the demonstrators' "privilege" of freedom of expression. As a result of the analysis, three solutions are proposed: 1) an independent body who can initiate comprehensive reviews for a major incident when needed; 2) incorporating an independent legal advisor into the planning and incident command structure for major events to help prevent the concerns from arising; and 3) courts conducting inquiry-like hearings that incorporate the best aspects of both "conflict-solving" and "policy-implementing" approaches. | LL.M. | rights | 16 |
| Alghamdi, Maryam | Allard, Johane P | Oral inflammatory load and salivary flow rate in morbidly obese patients: relationship with diabetes and effect of bariatric care protocol | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-11 | Obesity and diabetes promote periodontal disease (PD). The bariatric care protocol, which is a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) followed by bariatric surgery (BSx), is an effective treatment for obesity and diabetes but little is known about its effect on oral health. Study objectives are: 1) to assess PD prevalence in obese subjects using oral inflammatory load (OIL); 2) to determine the difference in OIL and salivary flow rate (SFR) between obese patients with and without diabetes; and 3) to assess the effects of VLCD, BSx and bariatric care protocol on OIL and SFR. Findings suggest that, based on OIL, PD prevalence is similar to that reported in the literature. Both VLCD and BSx improve glucose metabolism and weight but have no impact on oral parameters. However, patients with low SFR at baseline are more prone to increased OIL post-surgery, suggesting a higher risk of developing PD. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Alhadid, Kenda | Valiante, Taufik A | Cerebrovascular Reactivity (CVR) in mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (mTLE) | Medical Science | 2016-11 | Epilepsy surgery can achieve excellent outcomes with regards to seizure freedom in patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. This is contingent upon accurate pre-operative localization of the epileptogenic zone. Cerebrovascular reactivity refers to the blood vesselsâ response to vasoactive stimuli. We hypothesized that cerebral vasculature in epileptogenic tissue have impaired reactivity that can be detected with CVR imaging. Methods: we acquired fMRI images in unilateral mesial TLE patients (n=13) who had undergone pre-surgical investigations for seizure localization, while changes in arterial carbon dioxide were induced. CVR datasets for 12 healthy volunteers who had undergone an identical study protocol were retrieved from a pre-existing database. Results: We report significantly increased CVR in the epileptogenic posterior and middle cingulate cortices compared to the contralateral hemisphere within the patient group. Conclusions: Our data suggest that CVR is altered in regions ipsilateral to the epileptogenic zone. Impaired CVR in the PCC has significant implications for the interpretation of fMRI studies in TLE patients. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Alhussain, Ahmed | Azarpazhooh, Amir | Knowledge, Practices and Opinions of Ontario Dentists when Treating Patients Receiving Bisphosphonates | Dentistry | 2013-11-20 | Background: Bisphosphonate related osteonecrosis of the jaws (BRONJ) is a severe but extremely rare complication of prolonged treatment with bisphosphonates. Improper treatment or misdiagnosis can have serious repercussions. Objective: is to measure the awareness of Ontario dentists about BRONJ and to identify any gaps in their knowledge of the condition and its treatment. Material and Methods: A survey was sent to a random sample of dentists in Ontario, Canada. Information about their awareness of bisphosphonates, and their awareness of an established BRONJ guideline was collected. Results: 60% of responding Ontario dentists had good knowledge of BRONJ, only 23% followed the guideline when surgical treatment was indicated. However, about 50% of responding Ontario dentists are not comfortable treating BRONJ patients. Conclusion: The finding reveals that Ontario dentists have moderate knowledge about BRONJ, which suggest greater educational efforts should be made to promote their knowledge. | MAST | INNOVATION | 9 |
| Ali, Asma Maryam | Restoule, Jean-Paul | Islamic Environmental Stewardship through Aboriginal Spirtual Ecology: How Muslim Students can learn Stewardship through Aborginal Teachings | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-01-12 | This study investigates the challenges and opportunities of using the Aboriginal principles of “Respect,” “Reciprocity,” “Relationship,” and “Responsibility” (known as the “4 R’s”), Seventh Generation Stewardship, and an Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, to teach Muslim students in one Islamic elementary school setting about environmental stewardship. The research tracked the thoughts and emotional connections of students as they undertook to establish the Aboriginal circle of giving and receiving, with plants they planted for their science unit. Through lessons and practices around the 4 R’s, the majority of students demonstrated an increased emotional attachment to the plants in their respective circles, which was documented in journals. While establishing these practices, the students expressed a heightened awareness of the various ways in which they may enhance the practice of environmental stewardship mandated in traditional Islamic texts. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Ali, Ghulam | Fadel, Mohammad | Polygamy and the Nature of Marriage in Islam and the West | Law | 2012-11-20 | Section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada provides that polygamy is an indictable offence. In a recent reference to the Supreme Court of British Colombia, the court held that this section was constitutionally valid and did not infringe upon religious freedom because of the harm polygamous marriages caused to women, children, society and most importantly, “the institution of monogamous marriage”. This paper will revisit the court’s analysis of polygamy and discuss why it was considered harmful and preserved as a criminal act. The paper will canvas the underlying differences between the roles ascribed to marriage in Islam, as an example of a non-Western religio-legal tradition, and the collective liberal West. Ultimately, the paper will consider whether a balance can be struck between the measures required to protect women and children from harm, and preserving religious freedom, while remaining within the bounds of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. | MAST | women; rights | 5, 16 |
| Ali, Hiba | McCabe, Brenda | Site Logistics Planning for High Rise Building Construction on Congested Downtown Sites | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Construction planning for tall buildings becomes more complex with small land parcels in urban cores, fast-paced schedules and a growing number of domains involved in decision-making. This research consists of evaluating the literature regarding construction planning techniques, decision-making models, constraints in the current construction industry and holding interviews with domain experts to summarize their implicit knowledge regarding construction site logistics planning. It was found that there is no existing tool that adequately optimizes a construction site plan as all research is carried out in isolation, only optimizing a certain piece of equipment or operation. In this research, a multi-domain decision-making tool was developed to assist project planners in site planning on complex construction projects so multiple domain decisions and impacts are simultaneously realized, and a framework for construction site planning that can be applied to the industry was introduced. | M.A.S. | urban; buildings | 9, 11 |
| Ali, Mehrab | Greenblatt, Jack F. | Chemical Genetic Interactions for Antibiotics in Escherichia coli | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2012-07-24 | The discovery of penicillin ushered in the era of the mass use of antibiotics in clinical settings. Today the development of antibiotic resistance and lack of discoveries of new antibiotics have created a serious public health concern. Recently, new experimental tools, such as bacterial genome-wide deletion collections, have provided exciting new possibilities for studying biological networks in bacteria that could potentially also be exploited for antibiotic research. In this study, I used the Keio knockout collection of Escherichia coli (E.coli) strains, along with an in-house collection of hypomorphic alleles of essential genes, to study the effects of chemical perturbations by twenty-two antibiotics and four other chemicals on the biological pathways of E.coli. These experiments uncovered a set of mutants hypersensitive to drugs of different classes, information which could potentially be exploited for future antibiotic research. The results also shed light on how different classes of antibiotics behave with respect to their target pathways and the various functional modules with which they are associated. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ali, Mir Abbas | Wallace, James S | Study of Ignition in a Direct Injected, Compression Ignition Natural Gas Engine with Modified Hot Surfaces | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-03 | The ignition of direct injected natural gas coupled with modified glow plug ignition assist technologies was explored in a single cylinder, optically accessible, compression ignition engine. The geometric effects of injector nozzle tip and glow plug shield opening orientation were significant due to the presence of a small window of combinations that produce repeatable combustion. A novel diamond pattern glow plug shield design was implemented and compared to the standard single hole shield design on the basis of ignition delay and engine performance. The ignition delay for the new shield design was found to be longer than the standard shield design due to engine swirl momentum aggravating poor fuel jet impingement on the glow plug shield surface. The longer ignition delay caused combustion with the diamond pattern shield to occur at longer durations in the engine cycle, resulting in a reduced degree of work output and fuel conversion efficiency. | M.A.S. | energy | 8 |
| Ali, Mohamed | Zee, Robert E. | Design and Implementation of Ground Support Equipment for Characterizing the Performance of XPOD and CNAPS & Thermal Analysis of CNAPS Pressure Regulator Valve | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2009-12-14T20:40:31Z | As the potential uses of nanosatellites become apparent, their numbers keep increasing. This is evident at the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) located at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies which has seen a rapid growth in satellite missions in recent years. By leveraging the use of the Generic Nanosatellite Bus developed at SFL, satellites can be rapidly developed to carry science payloads or demonstrate the capabilities of new technologies on orbit. Testing satellite systems in an Earth environment is an important step in qualifying them for space. This thesis describes the development of ground support equipment for testing SFL’s nanosatellite separation system, XPOD, and characterizing the performance of the propulsion system, CNAPS. Also, the thermal behaviour of a pressure regulator valve on CNAPS is examined for various flow conditions. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Ali, Safa | Chen, Charles P. | A Self-determination Theory Perspective of the Work-life Adjustment of Professional Immigrants | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-06 | New professional immigrants, who are accepted to Canada explicitly because they have desirable skills and professional training, are often unable to find employment or are forced to accept employment below their skill level. This study was part of a larger Canada Research Chair project exploring the career experiences of new professional immigrants to Canada. Using a grounded theory approach, this current study examined the role of the fundamental psychological needs posited by Self Determination Theory (SDT), namely, autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and their influence on immigrants’ vocational motivation. Results indicated that when circumstances thwarted the satisfaction of these needs, immigrants experienced greater difficulty adapting to their work-life in Canada. However, immigrants also were able to find creative and self-determined ways of at least partially fulfilling these fundamental needs. These results have theoretical implications for career psychology, and practical implications for helping professional immigrants successfully adapt to the challenges they face. | M.A. | employment | 8 |
| Ali, Sana | Niyozov, Sarfaroz | The Experiences of Muslim Girls with Curriculum/Schooling in Public Secondary Schools in Ontario, Canada | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-28 | This study examines the experiences of nine hijabi and non-hijabi Muslim girls from diverse backgrounds with curriculum/schooling in public secondary schools in Ontario. The study uses individual interviews and a focus group discussion to delve into how Muslim girls understand their educational experiences. The participants were independent, thoughtful, and conscientious students who were evolving as individuals through their curriculum/schooling experiences. School was a forum where they questioned themselves, discovered their interests, and made sense of their multiple identities. The differences between a participant’s home and school life varied, and each girl had a unique manner in dealing with the various ideological and practical conflicts. As Muslim girls, they were confronted with certain challenges in school; however, this did not detract from the overall positive aspects of their public schooling experiences. My participants felt respected and validated as individuals in their schools and optimistic regarding their futures as Muslim Canadian females. | MAST | educat; girl | 4, 5 |
| Ali, Yaseen | Titchkosky, Tanya | Nourishing Hunger and Embodied Resistance: Men's Narratives of Eating Disorders | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2014-11 | This qualitative research study curates the voices of five male-identified subjects who experience or who have lived with anorexia nervosa. The purpose of this endeavour is to engage with a reading of anorexic embodiment that sidesteps the lenses of psychopathology and somatic abnormality in order to highlight the interpretations articulated by the men via their own vocabulary. Although this research does not discount anorexia's dangerous implications, it still asks us to consider what the willful practice of hunger does to our understandings of performed masculinity and "healthy" bodies. What emerges is a notion of anorexia as a form of alterity and resistance alongside normative, etiological interpretations of it as a disease/disorder. This complex rendering of subjectivation - both by and about the participants - may further inform researchers and practitioners in negotiating anorexia as a phenomenon of knotted intersections and meaningful manifestations as opposed to a strict medical problem that requires intervention-based solutions. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Aliaga, Brenda Polar | McDonald, Lynn | The Navigation of Non–English Speaking Elderly Hispanic Immigrants through the Service System | Social Work | 2011-08-25 | This qualitative study examined three areas of social service provision through the experiences of non-English speaking older Hispanic immigrants. These three areas included availability and accessibility of services and culturally competent practices of service providers. The qualitative approach of phenomenology was used to interview ten participants in order to explore their experiences with service provision. An analysis of the interviews pointed to the following themes: (a) experiences with services were deeply connected to issues of immigration and adaptation; (b) language barriers were especially difficult to overcome in services; (c) the role of families as primary supports needed to be reconsidered in order to offer better quality of services; and (d) culturally competent practices needed to be reinforced at the organizational level of workers, agencies and government in order to become more effective. From these themes, recommendations and implications for social work and services for non-English speaking elderly Hispanics are detailed. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Alimardani, Masoud | Kwon, Roy H. ||Melek, William W. | Stochastic Mixed-integer Programming for Financial Planning Problems using Network Flow Structure | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-03-17 | Portfolio design is one of the central topics in finance. The original attempt dates back to the mean-variance model developed for a single period portfolio selection. To have a more realistic approach, multi-period selections were developed in order to manage uncertainties associated with the financial markets. This thesis presents a multi-period financial model proposed on the basis of the network flow structure with many planning advantages. This approach comprises two main steps, dynamic portfolio selection, and dynamic portfolio monitoring and rebalancing throughout the investment horizon. To build a realistic yet practical model that can capture the real characteristics of a portfolio a set of proper constraints is designed including restrictions on the size of the portfolio as well as the number of transactions, and consequently the management costs. The model is solved for two-stage financial planning problems to demonstrate the main advantages as well as characteristics of the presented approach. | MAST | financial market | 10 |
| Alirezaee, Mina | Carter, Michael W. | Testing the Resource Allocation of Dialysis Center at Scarborough Health Network | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Nursing ratios are viewed as a significant contributor to the quality of care. They vary across health care facilities due to several factors, including patient numbers and workload policies. Identifying the optimal ratio holds the potential to improve both cost efficiency and patient experience. As home to the Central East Regional Nephrology Program, one of the highest demand communities in the province for nephrological care, it was felt that there might be a benefit in applying a pre-defined model at Scarborough Health Network, General Hospital. The model, which is tested on dialysis unit at Scarborough Health Network, deals with the nurses’ quantity in each timeslot; especially when complications arise with the patients (reactions to the treatment) or machines (technical issues). This model also optimizing patient schedules. The objective is to help dialysis units schedule their patients and minimize nursing costs while having enough nurses to maintain an adequate quality of service. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Alksnis, Anastasia Nicole | Mansoor, Barati | Kinetics of Roasting of Pyrrhotite | Materials Science and Engineering | 2019-11 | Pyrrhotite tailings are generated through the beneficiation of nickel ores in Canada, and are stored in shallow lakes where it presents serious environmental risks to the local environment. This thesis investigates the possibility of converting pyrrhotite into a valuable resource through the recovery of its Ni, Fe, and S content, specifically focusing on converting FeS to iron oxide through the application of a fluidized bed roaster. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed to study the kinetics of dead roasting pyrrhotite, determining that rate decreases with increasing particle size and increases with increasing PO2, correlating to a first order reaction. Bench scale fluidized bed roasting was determined to be a sufficient means of producing a low sulfur calcine, however, roasting time was found to be sensitive to particle size. In this set-up, pyrrhotite particles reacted following the unreacted shrinking core model. Lastly, a materials and energy balance was carried out to establish the basic parameters for roasting. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Allahyari, Nooshin | Fox, Mark S. | City Knowledge Patterns: A Standard for Smart City Knowledge Management | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-11 | The main focus of this dissertation is to identify the concepts required to represent municipal knowledge. Based on our analysis of Toronto 311 web pages, we were able to identify nine patterns of knowledge: service, permit, organization, infrastructure, public facility, citizen, education, complaint/compliment, and species. We then used these patterns to determine the extent to which four existing reference models and ontologies can represent municipal knowledge, as defined by the Toronto 311 KB. With these patterns, it is now possible to evaluate how well a reference model or ontology meets the need of a municipality. Finally, we provide a formal representation of these patterns using OWL. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Allalou, Amina | Wheeler, Michael B||Osborne, Lucy | Delineating a Metabolomic Signature for the Transition from Gestational Diabetes to Type 2 Diabetes | Medical Science | 2015-11 | Although gestational diabetes (GDM) is of a transient nature, up to 50% of women with GDM develop type 2 diabetes (T2D) within 5 years. Despite this extremely high risk, post-partum screening remains low. Here, we delineated a predictive metabolomic signature of disease transition. The study patients were part of the SWIFT Cohort, which follows 1010 GDM women, 109 of which developed T2D two years post-partum. Future cases were matched to future controls based on ethnicity, age and pre-pregnancy BMI. Hexoses, specific amino acids, specific sphingomyelin and specific phosphatidylcholine species associated with T2D. Through a J48 decision tree predictive modelling in the training set, future T2D incidence was predicted in an independent testing set with discriminative power 0.769 (P | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Allard, Stephanie Anne | Davies, Scott | Provincial Funding of Faith-based Schools in Ontario: Contemporary Framing Contests | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-06 | Ontario is the only province in Canada that continues to exclusively provide government funding to Catholic schools while not providing any funding to schools of other faiths. The research question asks; how do stakeholders, advocates for funding, and proponents of one public school system make their perspective persuasive? The project explores perspectives on how arguments about funding for faith-based schools have shifted over the past sixty years. Frame analysis is used as both a theoretical framework and a method to explore how participants frame their argument in today’s sociocultural climate. All participants were found to frame their arguments using social justice rhetoric - its themes, terms, imagery, and priorities - in some form. The use of social justice language represents a shift in framing of this topic from older styles that focused on multiculturalism (1990’s) and even older ones that saw religious instruction as a moral duty (pre 1980’s). The findings highlight that there are many tensions between advocates of social justice who are concerned with how faith groups will treat women and members of the LGBTQ+ community and advocates for funding faith-based schools who believe they face discrimination by their lack of funding. | M.Ed. | educat; women | 4, 5 |
| Allemang, Elizabeth Mae | Morgan, Cecilia | Alegal Midwives: Oral History Narratives of Ontario Pre-legislation Midwives | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2013-07-10 | This study examines the oral histories of midwives who practiced in Ontario without legal status in the two decades prior to the enactment of midwifery legislation on December 31, 1993. The following questions are answered: Who were Ontario’s pre-legislation midwives? What inspired and motivated them to take up practice on the margins of official health care? Current scholarship on late twentieth century Ontario midwifery focuses on a social scientific analysis of midwifery’s transition from a grassroots movement to a regulated profession. Pre-legislation midwives are commonly portrayed as a homogenous group of white, educated, middle class women practicing a “pure” midwifery unmediated by medicine and the law. Analysis of the oral history narratives of twenty-one “alegal” Ontario midwives reveals more complex and nuanced understandings of midwives and why they practiced during this period. The midwives’ oral histories make an important contribution to the growing historiography on modern Canadian midwifery. | MAST | women; health | 2, 5 |
| Allen, Brett Austin | Mandrak, Nicholas E | Effects of multiple stressors on historical changes in the fish communities of the Credit River watershed | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-11 | Watersheds in southern Ontario are of high conservation concern due to their diverse fish communities, productive environments, and threats from numerous anthropogenic stressors. The Credit River watershed, located west of the Greater Toronto Area, has 63 fish species and multiple stressors, including urbanization, climate change, and aquatic invasive species (AIS). This research examines fish community change in the Credit River watershed in relation to these multiple stressors. Historical fish datasets collected in the watershed from 1954 to present were analyzed to examine richness patterns and homogenization at the site and subwatershed levels. Richness and faunal homogenization increased at the site and subwatershed level over time. AIS and temperature were responsible for causing the most variation in the fish communities over time. The cumulative effects of AIS and temperature also caused increased variation in the communities over time. | M.Sc. | water; environment; fish | 13, 14 |
| Allen, Jeffrey J | Farber, Steven | Mapping Inequalities of Access to Employment and Quantifying Transport Poverty in Canadian Cities | Geography | 2018-11 | Millions of Canadians rely on public transportation to conduct daily activities and participate in the labour force. However, many are disadvantaged because existing public transit service does not provide sufficient access to destinations. Limited transit options, compounded with socioeconomic factors like not having a private vehicle, can result in transport poverty, limiting travel to important destinations, like employment opportunities. Accordingly, the objective of this thesis is to develop accurate measures of accessibility to examine the degree to which the Canadian urban population can reach employment opportunities via public transit. These measures are used to analyze inequalities in accessibility with respect to socioeconomic status and estimate where, and to what extent, Canadians are at risk of transport poverty. This knowledge is able to inform policy aimed to increase transit ridership, reduce inequalities of transit accessibility, and limit transport-related barriers to activity participation. | M.A. | poverty; socioeconomic; urban | 1, 11 |
| Allen, Sasha | Goldstein, Abby L | Emotion Regulation, Motives and Personality Risk for Cannibis Use Problems in Emerging Adulthood: A Person-centred Approach | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-11 | Legalization of cannabis in Canada and parts of the United States has created a need for additional research on factors that contribute to cannabis problems among vulnerable populations, including emerging adults (ages 18 to 29 years of age). There is substantial evidence pointing to cannabis use motives, personality, and emotion regulation difficulties as important correlates of cannabis-related problems, however, there is little research integrating these factors. This study sought to examine the combined effect of cannabis use motives, personality, and emotion dysregulation in a North American sample. Participants were 126 emerging adults (ages 19-29, 38.1 % women). Using latent profile analysis, a four-group solution was extracted. Two high risk groups were identified, suggesting that different patterns of motives for use, emotion dysregulation, and neuroticism might have greater combined risk than in isolation, and may be useful targets for future approaches to preventing or treating cannabis use problems in emerging adulthood. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Allen, Shannon | Gough, William A. | Changes in Extreme Temperature Trends in the Greater Toronto Area from 1971 to 2000 | Geography | 2011-12-01 | The impacts of extreme temperatures on human health and morbidity have been well documented in many studies. In literature, changes in the trends of extreme temperatures have been studied using percentiles, indicators and climate modeling. The aim of this study is to determine if the trend exhibited in the literature of statistically significant increases in extreme minimum temperatures, is also exhibited in the Greater Toronto Area during the 1971 to 2000 timeframe. A methodological approach using counts is the basis for the analysis. Statistical significance is determined through the use of Spearman’s Rank, Kendal-Tau and T-tests. A total of five stations are analysed, three being urban and two representing the surrounding suburban areas. The results indicate that statistically significant decline in extreme minimum temperature counts have occurred. In agreement with the literature, statistically significant increases in extreme maximum temperature counts can not be determined. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Allison, Riley May | Maguire, Jonathon L | Milk volume, milk fat and childhood fracture | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-11 | Background: Although cows' milk is believed to be an important dietary component for supporting bone health, limited research has addressed whether cows' milk consumption in childhood can reduce bone fracture risk. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of healthy urban children aged 1-10 years. Modified Poisson regression was used to test the association between milk volume and milk fat consumed between 1 and 3 years of age and risk of fracture between 3 and 10 years of age. Results: Among the 2466 children, 153 sustained at least one bone fracture. Participants drank on average 1.9 cups of cows' milk daily (2.5% average milk fat). Neither milk volume or milk fat consumed in early childhood were associated with fracture risk in later childhood. Conclusion: Cows' milk consumption in early childhood was not protective against fracture in later childhood. These findings do not support increasing cows' milk consumption for fracture prevention. | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Almokbel, Abeer Abdulaziz | Tomlinson, Christopher | Tryptophan Requirements in School Age Children Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method; Preliminary Results | Nutritional Sciences | 2016-06 | Background: The Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique has shown that amino acids requirements are underestimated. The current tryptophan requirements for healthy school age children are based on factorial method and have never been re-evaluated using IAAO. Objective: To determine tryptophan requirements in healthy school age children by measuring the oxidation of L-[1-13C]phenylalanine to 13CO2 in response to graded intakes of tryptophan. Design: Three healthy school age children participated in 14 study days. Each study day had a different tryptophan intake. Stable isotopes were used as tracer to determine the oxidation level. Breath and urine samples were taken to compare the oxidation level.. Conclusion: With our current data, we were not able to define tryptophan requirements in healthy school age children using the IAAO method. However, we observed a decrease in L-[1-13C]phenylalanine oxidation level in relation to increase intake of tryptophan. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Almuhaish, Jamal | Connelly, Christine D||Kerekes, Julie A | English Language and Identities in Qatari Educational Reform: Pedagogical and Social Implications | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-11 | There is a growing disconnect between learning English and the status of Arabic in Qatar. English is seen as an effective means to expose learners to Western culture and ideology; Arabic remains the only official state language in Qatar. Accordingly, English language education has become a site of cultural and linguistic imperialism, potentially causing linguistic and cultural deficits. To examine these processes, I first examined relevant policy documentation then used Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze the content and revisions made to one set of English textbook materials used in Qatarâ s independent schools, supplemented by a follow-up interview with a representative of the publishing company. The thesis identifies hegemonic processes associated with English language teaching materials in Qatar, adds to existing debates about the conflicting status of English and Arabic in Qatar, and initiates critical analysis of Qatarâ s education policies. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Alter, Guy | Voinigescu, Sorin | Low Power Building Blocks for a MM-wave Distance Sensor | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-03 | Recent advances in Silicon-Germanium BiCMOS technologies have made it possible to design power efficient millimeter-wave sensors. In days where power consumption is a critical design consideration, circuit designers are looking for alternative approaches in which they can gain a valuable function at a reduced overall power intake. This thesis proposes a 60 GHz low power distance sensor transceiver building blocks for short range distance measurements based on the Doppler frequency shift effect.The transceiver takes advantage of the 55nm SiGe BiCMOS technology to combine MOSFETs and HBTs on the 60 GHz signal and LO path and thus to obtain optimal functionality in terms of output power, number of receiving/transmitting channels, bandwidth, isolation, and minimal power dissipation.The sensor is intended for integration in a portable device capable of short range distance measurements with a precision of a few millimeters. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Altidor-Brooks, Alison Genevieve | Cumming, Alister | Citation Use and Identity Construction: Discourse Appropriation in Advanced Academic Literacy Practices | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | Using a case study approach, this research investigated the intersection between citation use and identity construction by examining, as examples of advanced academic literacy practices, referencing in the Discussion sections of 5 completed Masters' theses. To understand how the authors of the theses constructed their identities as educators and researchers, I analysed semi-structured interviews, identity questionnaires, and the Discussion sections of their Masters' theses. I interpreted the data using Ivanič's (1998) framework for the discoursal construction of identity to examine how citation choices contributed to identity formation in graduate students' thesis writing. Analyses revealed connections between citation practices and identity construction. Participants' responses were most frequent for the citation functions of support and alignment. These findings promote an understanding of the processes involved in using others' words and ideas to legitimize knowledge. Consequently, I call for the demystification of academic integrity and pedagogies that recognize the complexities of citation practices. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Altoijry, Abdulmajeed | Lindsay, Thomas | Vascular Injury Hospitalization Trends in Ontario: A Population-based Study | Medical Science | 2013-11 | A retrospective, population-based, cross-sectional time series analysis was performed utilizing Ontario’s administrative claims database to examine vascular injury temporal trends between 1991 and 2010. The overall trend in the annual rate of vascular injury-related hospitalizations in Ontario shows a slight but statistically significant decline over the study period (p<0.01). Vascular injury events were higher among young males and rural areas with low-income population. The upper limb was the most common site of injury. Transport associated vascular injuries accounted for only 22%, leaving the majority with other mechanisms of injury. However, hospital mortality was 5.5% for all vascular injury admissions with high rates among seniors with thoracic and abdomen blunt injuries. Vascular injuries were highest during June, July, and August in a regular pattern over the study period. Such findings provide a broad image with important preliminary and supplementary public health and clinical oriented implications for injury management and prevention strategies. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Alves Sobrinho, Pedro Henrique | Thorpe, Steven J | In-situ Electrochemical Characterization of Ni and Amorphous Ni-based Nanoparticles in an Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyser | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-06 | Alkaline water electrolysis has regained interest as a promising technology for converting renewable energy into H2 due to the recent developments in anion exchange membranes. In this study, an anion exchange membrane water electrolyser (AEMWE) was fabricated to study the in-situ electrocatalytic performance of Ni-based materials. Ni is of particular interest due to its wide availability and intrinsic activity. Commercial Ni and amorphous (Ni, Co)-Nb-Y nanoparticles (NPs) were applied to AEMWE as electrocatalysts showing promising performance. Amorphous (Ni, Co)-Nb-Y NPs were produced through a novel two-step ball milling process. Fabrication methods (i.e. membrane electrode assembly (MEA) hot-pressing and optimized ionomer content) were critical for improving cell performance. AEMWE operating conditions (i.e. temperature and MEA compression) were investigated to enhance activity. The concentration of a supporting electrolyte dramatically increased the cell performance. Electrochemical testing showed that Ni displayed higher in-situ activity than the amorphous alloys. Cycled amorphous catalyst layers were more stable. | M.A.S. | water; energy; renewable | 7, 14 |
| Alzahrani, Maha | Piccardo, Enrica | "I Got Accepted": Perceptions of Saudi Graduate Students on Factors influencing their Application Experience | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-03 | This qualitative study aims at examining a number of challenges faced by Saudi students in the process of learning English while studying in an anglophone country. Through the lens of gatekeeping scholarship, progressive educational theory and formal, non-formal and informal learning modalities, certain factors such as the students’ linguistic background and their current experience were explored in an effort to shed light on these challenges. This study sought to uncover lesser known factors which come into play when predicting the success of Saudi students who study overseas. I examined students’ perceptions about their English learning experience in Saudi Arabia and Canada and how prior learning facilitates acceptance into graduate programs. Discourse analysis was conducted on data collected mainly through semi-structured interviews and analysis of the students’ letters of intent and curriculum vitae. Barring special circumstances, the IELTS was found to be the defining factor in successful graduate applications. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Alzubairi, Fatemah | Roach, Kent | Kuwait and Bahrain’s Anti-terrorism Laws in Comparative and International Perspective | Law | 2011-12-01 | Counter terrorism is one of the contemporary issues that concerns both the international community and Arab states. A problematic issue in this regard is the lack of a definition, which allows states to criminalize “terrorism” based on the best interest of each individual state. This thesis examines the laws that deal with terrorism in Kuwait, which rely on Kuwait’s broad national security laws. Problems with these laws include the lack of the rule of law and violation of human rights. This thesis highlights Bahrain’s experience with counter terrorism and the human right violation during the February 2011 revolution. The thesis emphasises the importance of having an appropriate definition that coincides with the rule of law and human rights, by adhering to the international guidance provided by the 1999 ‘International Convention on Suppression of Terrorism Financing’ and the UN Security Council Resolution 1566 (2004) as a first serious step in combating terrorism. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Amador, Maby Boado | Zu, Jean W. | Study of Fluid-structure Interactions of Communication Antennas | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-12-05 | Large structures exposed to the environment such as the collinear omni and large panel communication antennas in this research suffer damage from cyclic wind, rain, hail, ice load and impacts from birds and stones. Stresses from self-weight, ice loading and wind gusts will produce deformations of the structure that will lead to performance deterioration of the antenna. In order to avoid such a case, it is important to understand the static, dynamic and aerodynamic behavior of these structures and thus optimization can be achieved. In this research the current fluid-structure interaction methods are used to model, simulate and analyze these communication antennas in order to assess whether failure would occur under service loads. The FEA models developed are verified against analytical models and/or experiments. Different antenna configurations are compared based on their capacity to minimize vibration effects, stress-induced deformations and aerodynamic loading effects. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Amin, Parthiv | Allen, Grant | Primary Sludge Addition for Enhanced Biosludge Dewatering | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2014-11 | Biosludge disposal is a costly challenge for pulp and paper mills. Primary sludge is often combined with biosludge, and while this is known to improve downstream dewatering, quantification of the effects of primary sludge addition is not well studied. Evaluation of sludge properties, including mechanical dewaterability, has shown that primary sludge improves biosludge dewaterability by a factor of 2-4 when combined with biosludge at levels as low as 20 wt%. The improvement follows a consistent pattern between different primary sludge types, however a model derived from filtration theory is unable to fully capture the trend. Primary sludge pretreatment is proposed as a means to improve primary sludge usage with regards to excess water and monovalent cations. Primary sludge pretreatment, particle size and nature, and field trials are areas recommended for further investigation in line with the objective of better understanding dewatering enhancement by primary sludge addition. | M.A.S. | water | 14 |
| Aminvaziri, Bahar | Tran, Honghi | Reduction of TRS Emissions from Lime Kilns | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2009-12-15T16:01:24Z | The pulp and paper industry has been struggling to meet the new and stringent TRS (Total Reduced Sulphur) emission compliance standards established in recent years. However, a new approach by some regulatory bodies gives intricate operational parameters a new and important role in achieving environmental compliance. TRS compounds that cause the distinctive pulp mill odour, originate from sodium sulphide in white liquor used in the kraft pulping process. Up to 20% of TRS emissions could originate from the lime kiln and lime mud solids content is one of the operational parameters that could help reduce the TRS emissions from the lime kiln. Residual sodium sulphide in the lime mud that results in TRS gases, is dissolved in the moisture content of the mud. Although efficient lime mud washing can remove most of the residual sodium sulphide, the remaining moisture content of the mud still contains some sodium sulphide. Therefore, improved lime mud dewatering can be effective in reducing the TRS emissions from the lime kiln. Data presented in this study confirms that as the lime mud solids content increases, TRS emissions from the lime kiln decrease. Data analysis demonstrates a negative linear correlation at 5% significance level between TRS emissions and lime mud solids. | MAST | environment; industr | 9, 13 |
| Amirchoupani, Ardavan | Hooton, Robert Douglas | Effect of Surface Finish on Concrete Properties | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-20 | The purpose of this project was to evaluate two types of concrete surfaces and analyze the effect of each finish on the air content, paste content, aggregate fraction and rate of absorption at various depths from the surface. For this project, nine concrete mixtures were evaluated with varying cement, water and air contents. Slabs were cast and two types of finishes were considered: a trowel-finished made with a magnesium trowel and a form-finished from the plywood molds used. Cores were taken from the slabs and tested at 0, 5, 10, and 20mm below the surface. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Amiri, Touraj | Watson, Jeanne | The Role of Personality and Emotion Regulation on Psychological Health among Trauma Survivors | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2012-11-28 | A growing body of literature is focusing on the influence of personality and emotion regulation on psychological health. Using archival data from an expressive writing project, the current study investigated the relationship between perfectionistic self-presentation and emotion regulation, and the influence of the interaction of these variables on psychological health among trauma survivors. The results indicate that both perfectionistic self-presentation and more difficulties in emotion regulation contribute to symptoms of distress. As well, higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were associated with more difficulties in emotion regulation. Further, emotion regulation mediated the relationship between perfectionistic self-presentation and psychological distress but not common physical complaints. More specifically, the non-acceptance subscale of emotion regulation was found to be significant in a test of multiple mediator model. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Amoroso, Bice | Kirsh, Bonnie ||Polatajko, Helene J. | Finding Meaning in Place: The Perspectives of People with Severe Mental Illness Living Long Term in a Psychiatric Hospital | Rehabilitation Science | 2012-07-24 | This study explored the perspectives on place of eight people with severe mental illness living, for one year or longer, in an urban psychiatric hospital. The research questions were: how do people with severe mental illness view the psychiatric hospital as place?; and how do they make meaning of the experience of living in hospital. The research employed a phenomenological approach, as described by Giorgi (1985). Using purposive sampling, one time, semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed and thematically coded using Giorgi’s (2005) method. The meanings of the participants’ experiences are captured by the meta-theme: this is not a home; it’s a hospital. Four additional major themes emerged; and each of the major themes also had sub-themes The findings of this study challenged commonly held assumptions on how people living long term in a psychiatric hospital view the hospital as place and on institutionalization. | MAST | health | 3 |
| An, Diana Ann | Miller, Fiona A | Nurses' Experiences with Providing Newborn Screening Education to Mothers in the Hospital: An Exploratory, Qualitative Research Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2014-11 | Newborn screening (NBS) parent education is an important component of a well-functioning NBS program. Postpartum nurses are in an important position to educate parents about NBS, but their experiences have not yet been captured in the literature. This qualitative study sought to explore nurses' experiences with providing NBS education to mothers on the postpartum unit by conducting one-on-one interviews with postpartum nurses and nursing leaders. An explanatory framework was developed which showed that although postpartum nurses were actively involved in providing both written and verbal information about NBS to mothers and viewed it as their responsibility, organizational factors and nurses' desire to be responsive to mothers' perceived preferences and needs limited the amount of time postpartum nurses spent on this education and the depth to which they provided it. This research illuminated the context in which NBS education occurred and suggests several research and policy implications. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Anderson, Kim | Lee, Douglas S. | Sex Differences in Health Care Utilization Preceding an Initial Heart Failure Hospitalization | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2019-11 | Timely diagnosis of HF is recognized as a challenge and there is a paucity of knowledge about health care utilization before HF is diagnosed. In a retrospective population-based study, health care contacts leading up to an incident HF hospitalization were examined and compared to two control groups: incident chronic pulmonary obstructive disease hospitalization and non-hospitalized matched population. Multivariable negative binomial regression models for repeated events were used to evaluate predictors of higher rate of health care contacts preceding incident hospitalization. A total of 55,743 adults were hospitalized with de novo HF. HF patients had a higher rate of health care contacts per 28-day period prior to hospitalization compared to controls. Sex was not a significant predictor of rate of health care contacts, but women had significantly less investigations performed. There are missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis and prevention of HF hospitalization in patients with de novo HF. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Anderson, Milo Taylor | Caraway, Brett | Bread or Circuses? Parsing Representative and Representational Democratic Discourse on U.S. Political Blogs | Information Studies | 2014-11 | This thesis finds empirical support for Jodi Dean's theory of declining symbolic efficiency through a qualitative content analysis of discourse concerning the 2013 U.S. government shutdown on political blogs. Themes of this thesis explore reflexivity, decontextualization, and an erosion of meaning brought about by changing media technologies and practices. Humanistic analyses of media and politics by scholars such as Benkler (2006) and McChesney (1999) are contrasted with works by Gitlin (1980), Postman (1985), and Dean (2010), who see media systems operating outside human control. This study's methodology relies upon Knight and Johnson's (2011) pragmatic justification for democratic institutions. The analysis uses a system of categories to describe statements about political strategy along four dimensions: operant; method of action; operand; and the consequence of the strategy. This study identifies important distinctions between textual descriptions of nominal and instrumental strategy; it is argued that nominal discourse represents the influence of symbolic inefficiency. | M.I.S. | institution | 16 |
| Anderson, Thomas | Farb, Norman | Personalizing the Training of Attention: Predicting Effectiveness of Meditation using Traits and Abilities | Psychology | 2016-11 | Precision medicine involves tailoring interventions to the individual, but superior health outcomes are only possible if individuals follow the advice of healthcare professionals. Current meditation interventions have high drop-out rates despite the great benefits continued practice offers. Secular meditation interventions have heretofore used somatosensory objects as the anchor of attention, but other less-studied modalities may be preferred by certain individuals. Investigating the influence of individual differences on preference of meditation modality is the purpose of this research. In this study I use personality traits and sensory discriminability to predict preferences among three modalities of meditation anchor: breath, phrase, and image. Results indicate that sensory discriminability predicts preference, as do incoming bias and motivation. These results imply multiple anchor modalities should be made accessible and that new meditators should be involved in anchor-selection. This study begins a line of research into personalizing meditation instruction and will allow more precise individualized recommendations. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Ang, Cheen Aik | Azimi, Gisele | Green Processing and Waste Valorization: Sulfur Removal and Hematite Recovery from High Pressure Acid Leach Residue for Steelmaking | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | The current study investigates a novel and environmentally friendly waste valorization process to refine hematite from the residue of the high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) of nickel laterite ore. The process consists of an alkaline leaching step utilizing sodium hydroxide to reduce the sulfur impurity content in the HPAL residue. This novel process is very efficient because it runs at room temperature with a significantly short residence time (10 min). The refined HPAL residue has a sulfur content below the threshold accepted by the steelmaking industry; hence, it can potentially be used as a raw material. The proposed waste valorization process has the double advantage of generating a commercially valuable product from a waste stream and simultaneously providing environmental benefits by reducing the amount of scrapped leach residue and costs associated with constructing and maintaining storage facilities. | M.A.S. | industr; waste; environment | 9, 12, 13 |
| Angaran, Paul | Lee, Douglas S | Association of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction with Mortality and Hospitalization in an Unselected Echocardiographic Cohort of both Ambulatory and Hospitalized Patients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-03 | The prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in a broad range of patients, including those hospitalized for cardiac or non-cardiac reasons and unselected ambulatory patients has not been fully evaluated. Echocardiography is the most commonly used imaging modality used to assess LVEF given its versatility and availability, however it does have limitations in accuracy. We sought to examine the association between an echocardiographic-derived LVEF and risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization in an unselected consecutive cohort of patients. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent echocardiography in three large-scale tertiary healthcare systems in Ontario, Canada between 2007 and 2013 using linked administrative databases. We found that an echocardiographic-derived LVEF was able to stratify risk of multiple outcomes across a diverse spectrum of patient profiles encountered in everyday clinical practice in both ambulatory and hospitalized patients, including those admitted for non-cardiac reasons. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Angel, Ben | Malcolm, Jay R. | Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management in the Northern Hardwood Forests of Central Ontario | Forestry | 2019-06 | Ecological sustainability is a priority in the management of Ontario’s northern hardwood forests. It is important to assess harvesting impacts, as well as the likelihood of recovery prior to the next harvest. In this thesis, I use carabid communities as indicators of forest management in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) dominated stands in Central Ontario to compare different partial harvesting systems within a recently cut experimental forest, as well as between old-growth and mature logged stands. Greater basal area removal resulted in greater deviations in carabid communities from uncut conditions among experimental treatments, while communities were similar between old-growth and mature logged sites, despite strong difference in forest structure. These findings suggest that pre-harvest conditions may sufficiently recover between partial harvests to support ecological sustainability over time. However, the ability to recover may depend on initial logging intensity and harvesting rotation length. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Ani, Vanesyan | Rodd, Helen ||Ryu, William | 3D Tracking of Anti-predator Behaviour in Guppies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2012-11 | Guppies from high- and low-predation habitats are well known for the differences in their anti-predator behaviours. However, little has been reported on the differences between social versus asocial stimulus responses. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of shoaling and other anti-predator behaviours of guppies from two populations, in pairs and as single fish, in three dimensions. Using custom programs in MATLAB, we quantify the behavioral responses before shoaling and during its dissipation. Our 3D reconstruction allowed us to track the inter-fish distance, velocity and orientation of both fish. Our results demonstrate a positive correlation between the relative orientation of the fish and the interfish distance, for pairs from the high-predation population. We also report that the anti-predator behaviour of guppies is comprised of the following sequence: freezing, darting/skittering, and recovery to pre-stimulus swimming behaviour. Upon repeated encounters with the stimulus, a reduced shoaling and anti-predator response was observed. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Annakkage, Udeesha Supundi | Lehn, Peter W | Hybrid LCC and Multi-terminal Full-bridge Modular Multilevel Converters for HVDC Transmission | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-11 | This thesis investigates the control and operation of an HVDC hybrid topology utilizing a line commutated converter (LCC) rectifier and a multi-terminal connection of modular multilevel converter (MMC) inverters. The hybrid LCC-MMC system leverage the features of both LCC and MMC technologies. The LCC is more economical, mature, and has a higher power capacity, while the MMC has a smaller footprint, reactive power control, no risk of commutation failure and can connect to weak AC systems. This thesis has four main objectives: (1) development of HVDC characteristic control curves for the proposed hybrid LCC-MMC system which describe operation under normal, DC fault, and AC three-phase-to-ground fault conditions, (2) manage current sharing amongst a multi-terminal connection of inverters, (3) define controls for FB-MMC operation, and (4) demonstrate operation of the proposed system through PSCAD/EMTDC simulations. The hybrid LCC-MMC topology represents a viable candidate to integrate remote energy sources to congested weak AC systems. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Anson-Cartwright, Majella | Hooton, Robert Douglas | Optimization of Aggregate Gradation Combinations to Improve Concrete Sustainability | Civil Engineering | 2011-12-01 | By optimizing the packing of the combined aggregate gradations, the cement paste content needed to make concrete can be reduced, improving sustainability, cost, performance, durability, and workability. Optimization can be achieved using theoretical and empirical techniques, or waste concrete material as an intermediate size fraction. However, the potential for improvement is currently limited by prescriptive grading specifications that require meeting individual requirements for fine and coarse aggregates. From this study, using various optimization techniques, it was found that by inclusion of an intermediate sized aggregate material, a reduction in cement paste up to 16% is possible for 35 MPa and 50 MPa mix designs typically used in Ontario bridge decks. The aggregate materials used were a natural sand, and two crushed limestones of 19.0 mm and 6.7 mm maximum size. From these findings, recommendations are made for improving the current Ontario Provincial Standard Specification (OPSS) 1002 used for concrete aggregates. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| Antoine, Jessica | Trebilcock, Michael | Recognizing a Sustainable Relationship between International Human Rights and International Trade Law in a Pursuit to have Human Rights Taken More Seriously: A Case Study of the People’s Republic of China and the WTO | Law | 2009-12-15T19:48:29Z | Acknowledging a relationship between international human rights and international trade law adds to the legitimacy of economic, social and cultural rights already enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the central institution for international trade law and it has demonstrated a commitment to enhance human rights. This commitment has been realized through WTO efforts to enhance human dignity and eradicate poverty. These WTO efforts ought to be fostered and used to promote human rights. The purpose of this study was two fold – first, demonstrate that a relationship between international trade law and international human rights exists; and second, that this relationship is useful in promoting economic, social and cultural rights. This relationship will be examined through WTO initiatives, case studies and the Accession of the Republic of China in 2001. | MAST | trade; institution; rights | 10, 16 |
| Antonacci, Patrick Adam | Bazylak, Aimy | X-ray and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Diagnostic Investigations of Liquid Water in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layers | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-03 | In this thesis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and synchrotron x-ray radiography were utilized to characterize the impact of liquid water distributions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) gas diffusion layers (GDLs) on fuel cell performance. These diagnostic techniques were used to quantify the effects of liquid water visualized on equivalent resistances measured through EIS. The effects of varying the thickness of the microporous layer (MPL) of GDLs were studied using these diagnostic techniques. In a first study on the feasibility of this methodology, two fuel cell cases with a 100 µm-thick and a 150 µm-thick MPL were compared under constant current density operation. In a second study with 10, 30, 50, and 100 µm-thick MPLs, the liquid water in the cathode substrate was demonstrated to affect mass transport resistance, while the liquid water content in the anode (from back diffusion) affected membrane hydration, evidenced through ohmic resistance measurements. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Antony-Newman, Max | Farmer, Diane | Social and Cultural Capital of Ukrainian University Students in Canada and their Educational Experience | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | This qualitative research involved semi-structured interviews with Ukrainian international and immigrant university students in Canada to get an insight into their educational experience using the concept of social and cultural capital put forward by Pierre Bourdieu. Ukrainian students constitute an under-researched group of diverse students in Canada and it is important to understand their specific attitude towards education, adaptation and achievement. I found that Ukrainian students possess high levels of social and cultural capital. Social capital showed low level of portability due to the weak ties between Ukrainian students and Ukrainian Canadian community. While more equal approach to the availability of print, access to extracurricular activities and enriched curriculum provided Ukrainian students with advantage in Canada, they experienced obstacles due to the lack of presentation skills and dissatisfaction with curriculum. These results will enable educators and administrators to get an insight into educational patterns and expectations typical of Ukrainian students. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Antze, Emily | Mundy, Karen | “They Should Stand on Their Own Feet”: Mothers’ Accounts of Education, School Choice and Their Children’s Uncertain Futures in Varanasi, India | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | The heavily privatized and socially stratified schooling system in Uttar Pradesh, India offers low income children limited opportunities for social mobility via education. In that context, this thesis presents the results of interviews with low-income mothers in the city of Varanasi, gathering their perspectives on the relationship between their children’s current schooling and anticipated adult futures. The results indicate that these mothers see education as an essential investment in both their boys’ and girls’ ability to “stand on their own feet” as independent adults. Study participants dream of a life for their children, especially their daughters, which differs dramatically from their own, and pursue this dream through strategizing to secure the highest quality education possible within their means. Alongside their strong commitment to education, mothers are filled with uncertainty about the adult futures their children will face, especially given the current climate of economic, educational and social change in India. | MAST | educat; girl | 4, 5 |
| Apostoli, Melissa Ashley | Careton, Terry J | Thirty to Fifty Years of Change in Forests of the Western Lake Ontario Region | Forestry | 2015-06 | The woody and herbaceous vegetation in forests of the increasingly urbanised western Lake Ontario region, first sampled 30 to 50 years ago, were resurveyed for an inter-decadal comparison with current forest vegetation. Using multivariate ordination techniques, this research aimed to: 1) explore change to two forest layers', overstory and understory, composition and structure with time; 2) determine the extent to which any changes can be interpreted in terms of progressive urbanisation. In the overstory, nearly half of forested stands are progressing through forest development but rural selective cutting has also strongly influenced forest structure. Significant losses to native understory species in protected areas, and the ubiquitous increase of an exotic species, garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), indicate that the understory layer has experienced a wave of damage over the 30 to 50 years. Much of this was linked to forest fragmentation and heavy browsing by deer. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Arakelian, Raphael Joseph Gregory | Allen, David G||Tran, Honghi N | A Comparative Study of the Electro-dewatering of Pulp and Paper Mill Biosludge | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11 | The activated sludge process, often used in pulp and paper mills, generates biosludge that requires dewatering. Wastewater treatment practices and upstream processes impact biosludge characteristics, including dewaterability. Electro-dewatering, compared to other dewatering methods, has a high dewatering potential while requiring low amounts of energy. The main objective of this study was to determine the variation in the characteristics of mill biosludge and its impact on electro-dewatering. Biosludge was sampled from four different wastewater treatment plants, including a municipal one as cross-reference, and characterized for various properties. Using a bench-scale electro-dewatering device, thickened biosludge was subjected to constant-voltage electro-dewatering at 20 V. Electro-dewatering successfully removed 68-74% of the water while consuming between 0.15 and 0.56 kWh/kg additional water removed. Overall, varying biosludge characteristics did not impact the total amount of water removed, but certain characteristics, particularly the electrical conductivity, dictated the routes of water removal (evaporation, filtration) and energy consumption. | M.A.S. | water; waste | 6, 12 |
| Aranguren van Egmond, Derek Alexandre | Hibbard, Glenn D||Hatton, Benjamin D | Designing for Disorder: The Mechanical Behaviour of Bioinspired, Stochastic Honeycomb Materials | Materials Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | In nature, structure, material and function are constantly evolving in tandem. This work employs polymer 3D printing to study new honeycomb materials inspired by disordered, hierarchical architectures in biomineralized organisms. The primary aim is to elucidate mechanical effects of structural order vs. disorder in natural cellular solids. New honeycomb materials are proposed with improved damage tolerance. A mathematical “regularity parameter” controls cell stochasticity. Uniaxial tension, compression and fracture experiments reveal significant crack path deviations and strain delocalization. These lead to enhancements in e.g. ductility and fracture toughness between 30-90% beyond periodic geometries. Optimal cell irregularities are suggested, revealing a relationship between damage tolerance and cell size. Conserving spatial density, hexagonal honeycombs composed of hierarchical micro-truss ligaments are also presented. Depending on design objective, 100% increase in compressive strength and three-fold energy absorption limits were achieved. These results comprise novel design spaces, where disorder and hierarchy are embraced as design variables. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Araujo, Michelle | Kant, Shashi | Forest Certification in Brazil: Choices and Impacts. | Forestry | 2008-07-30T19:04:21Z | The challenges faced by the Brazilian forest industry dealing with the natural forests and plantations have provided favourable ground for the establishment of forest certification. This study presents the first investigation of the two certification systems (FSC and Cerflor) in Brazil from the private sector perspective. Through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), market, learning, and signaling were validated as governance mechanisms of forest certification in Brazil. The results from the importance and performance analysis (IPA) indicated that companies did not see any return in terms of a better price for certified products; however, they demonstrated high satisfaction with the performances of non-economic benefits. Descriptive statistics revealed external pressures influencing companies to pursue forest certification and overall accomplishments of certification from economic, social and ecological points of view. Finally, suggestions for future research and conclusions are made in order to provide information for the industry, certification systems, and the Brazilian government. | MAST | governance; forest | 15, 16 |
| Aravossitas, Themistoklis | Trifonas, Peter | From Greek School to Greek's Cool: Heritage Language Education in Ontario and the Aristoteles Credit Program - Using Weblogs for Teaching the Greek Language in Canada | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-12-17T19:50:21Z | Heritage Language Education is considered the cornerstone of Canada’s multiculturalism policy. In Ontario, the mission to preserve the cultural capital of the various ethnic communities is carried out primarily by non-profit organizations and groups with limited official support. My thesis is the autobiographical inquiry of an internationally educated teacher who is involved in a Greek language credit program in Toronto. My commitment to understanding the needs of the new generation of learners guided me through a series of professional development initiatives and the creation of an educational blog which is currently used by students, parents and teachers of the Aristoteles Credit School. By presenting my experiences as I navigated the multidimensionality of HLE in Ontario, I hope to offer a case of a bottom-up reform attempt which is based on transformative pedagogy and brings heritage language education to the epicentre of community activity and educational change in the 21st century. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Archibald, Sarah Carlyle | Isaac, Marney E | From the Ground Up: Herbaceous Community Diversity and Management in Coffee Agroforestry Systems | Geography | 2019-06 | The herbaceous community (HC) is an understudied yet critical aspect of tropical agroecosystems. I measured the diversity and perceptions of the HC within organic coffee systems in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. The HC was taxonomically and functionally diverse; comprised of 39 species from 20 taxonomic groups. Farms below the regional mean size and those with canopy openness of 20-30% had higher HC functional diversity. Farmers perceived tall species with low SLA and LNC, but high height and LDMC to be undesirable, due to slow decomposition rates and management limitations. Farmers’ cognitive map complexity was positively related to HC functional richness, and negatively related to functional evenness and functional dissimilarity. All farmers placed higher emphasis on soil health and organic matter than coffee yield, which may be indicative of their role as land stewards. Workshops are needed to disseminate HC management information to optimize labour and ecosystem functioning. | M.Sc. | agriculture | 2 |
| Arefin, Muhsanah | Reilly, James A. | Cultivating an American Worldview: A Comparative Analysis of Perspectives of the Middle East, Arabs, and Muslims in US Public High School “World History” Curricula | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2018-11 | The institution of public education in democratic societies has been used as an effective tool for regulating national identity. In the last four decades, “World History” courses have become a fundamental part of mainstream American social studies. These courses offer a standardized narrative regarding the histories of non-Western regions. This study explores high school social studies curricula in Texas, New York, California,Virginia, and North Dakota focusing on how the frameworks address Islamic, Middle Eastern, and North African history. The analysis addresses the state frameworks’ ability to effectively present Islamic and Arab history within proper context and critiques various problematic paradigms rooted in modernization theory and orientalism. In critiquing the content of these frameworks and contextualizing policy in American public education, this paper intends to scrutinize the challenges of teaching the Middle East in the United States public high schools. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Arezoumand, Saeed | Leon-Garcia, Alberto | End to End Orchestration of Distributed Cloud Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2017-11 | Centralized management provides benefits for cloud providers in terms of efficient and simple management of their infrastructure. However, tenants who use these infrastructures to deliver a software service to the end-users, are handicapped by having to work with traditional network primitives. Current service orchestration tools can automate most of the service configuration and deployment process, but these do not yet include significant SDN capabilities. In this thesis, we propose and examine high-level abstraction models for the orchestration of distributed cloud applications over multiple network domains and multiple infrastructure providers. We provide cloud application developers with a set of useful network functionalities that require no programming effort to provision and use. Our design relies on Hyperexchange, a protocol-agnostic exchange point for peering of virtual networks, to enable orchestration among multiple virtual network providers. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Arh, Marisa Reese | Fullard, James H. | Foraging Ecology of a Bat Assemblage | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2009-12-15T20:52:38Z | Here I examine five non-migratory sympatric bat species that are similar in their morphology and general ecology: Eptesicus fuscus, three myotid bats, Myotis leibii, M. lucifugus, Myotis septentrionalis, and Pipistrellus (= Perimyotis) subflavus. By examining echolocation call structure, wing and jaw morphology and diet, I defined finer niche differences between species. M. lucifugus and M. septentrionalis differ in the relative abundance of moths in their diet. My results on skull morphology suggest M. lucifugus consumes harder insects than M. septentrionalis. Conversely, my data suggests M. leibii is not as efficient within a cluttered habitat but is capable of foraging in edge habitats. Eptesicus fuscus is capable of efficiently consuming larger insects whereas P. subflavus has echolocation and jaw characteristics that indicate specialization in smaller insects. Significant differences amongst these 5 species are evident based on my data of overall morphology and diet. | MAST | ecology | 15 |
| Ariano, Sarah Sydney | Brown, Laura C | An Investigation of Temperate Region Lake Ice in Central Ontario | Geography | 2017-11 | This study investigates ice formation for three lakes in central Ontario, detailing the climatological influences on the ice phenology for two seasons. This study also presents an investigation of the use of the Canadian Lake Ice Model (CLIMo) for simulating ice and snow cover for two of the study lakes during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 ice season. Field-based measurements combined with data collected from an on-shore automatic weather station, camera imagery during both seasons, as well as the addition of ice thickness from a Shallow Water Ice Profiler (SWIP) for the 2016-2017 ice year, form the basis of the results presented in this thesis. Snow cover, lake ice and climate interactions at lower latitudes have rarely been studied and the results of this thesis form the basis for further exploration of these interactions as lakes ice impacts climate, regional energy and water budgets, aquatic productivity, and socioeconomic activities. | M.Sc. | climate; weather | 13 |
| Arjomand, Shalini Lydia | Levin, Ben | Research Use and its Impact on Secondary Education: Take-up of Different Knowledge Mobilization Strategies | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2010-12-17T20:12:53Z | This project is based on a study supported by the Canadian Education Association. The project examines how research activities have been implemented and carried out in nine secondary school districts across Canada. The main research questions are to understand how school districts organize to embed knowledge from external research in their secondary schools and to understand the impacts of small-scale interventions intended to increase the use of research in secondary schools and districts. This thesis documents a part of the greater project with a focus on educators’ knowledge about two main areas related to secondary school improvement: success factors for students and student pathways/trajectories. Data were collected through questionnaires, teleconference calls and individual communication with district leaders. The study concludes that it is difficult to know the impact of the interventions; impact seems modest but a few key elements have been identified that facilitate take-up of the research activities. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Armes, Cori | Basiliko, Nathan | Methane Production, Oxidation, and Emissions under Simulated Enhanced Nutrient Deposition in a Northern Peat Bog | Geography | 2009-12-15T19:32:49Z | Northern peatlands play a significant role in the global carbon (C) cycle by functioning as sources of atmospheric methane (CH4). Peatlands are becoming polluted as a result of nitrogen (N) deposition, which is likely to impact CH4 dynamics. This thesis presents research at the Mer Bleue bog (Ottawa, Canada) in the longest known simulated atmospheric nutrient deposition experiment. After 8 years of simulated N (and other nutrient) deposition, activities of microbial communities involved in CH4 cycling have been analyzed in the laboratory and CH4 fluxes measured using chamber techniques in the field. High rates (>10 times ambient deposition) of simulated N deposition decreased CH4 production, and enhanced CH4 oxidation in vitro. However, in situ CH4¬ emissions were greater in the high N plots. I hypothesize that CH4 production is therefore driven by short-lived root exudates in the field, consistent with increased shrub biomass that occurs concomitantly with high N deposition. | MAST | pollut | 14 |
| Armioun, Shaghayegh | Farnood, Ramin ||Wolfaardt, Gideon | Understanding the Effect of Wastewater Flocs Properties on UV Disinfection Kinetics | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-11-20 | Wastewater microbial flocs can protect microorganisms from inactivation by UV light. This effect is detected as tailing at high UV doses in the UV dose response curve. A double-layer structure composed of an inner compact core surrounded by a loose outer layer was proposed by earlier studies to describe UV resistance of microbial flocs. Due to limited oxygen diffusion into the compact cores, the UV inactivation of compact cores and microbial flocs under anaerobic conditions needed to be addressed. The UV disinfection kinetics under anaerobic culturing condition was nearly identical to that of the aerobic study. Moreover, the role of iron concentration on the differences in the UV inactivation kinetics of flocs and cores was assessed. The increase in UV absorbance of floc material due to iron addition could dominate the UV disinfection kinetics of flocs and cores such that they exhibited similar UV disinfection kinetics. | MAST | water; waste | 6, 12 |
| Arnason, Liza | Olson, Paul | The Trimentoring Program: A study of a Unique Mentoring Program to Engage Students | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-07-21T15:26:42Z | This research project explores the Tri-mentoring Program’s impact on enhancing the student experience, specifically for the new emerging population of racialized and first generation undergraduate students in a Canadian urban university. The study examines how the TMP model attempts to address these students’ unique challenges by creating a holistic student experience, that acknowledges and addresses their lived experiences; encourages them to retain their racial/cultural identities (and values) and external community commitments and beliefs; and facilitates them becoming more empowered and engaged on campus. This research also contributes to the production of knowledge in the area of student engagement. This study introduces and validates the voices and lived experiences of racialized students into the literature, which will be valuable in the future development of new models of student engagement where power is shared and indigenous knowledge and epistemologies are valued- leading to a more engaged and successful student experience. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Arnold, Samuel | Thomson, Murray | Steelmaking Process Control using Remote Ultraviolet Atomic Emission Spectroscopy | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | Steelmaking in North America is a multi-billion dollar industry that has faced tremendous economic and environmental pressure over the past few decades. Fierce competition has driven steel manufacturers to improve process efficiency through the development of real-time sensors to reduce operating costs. In particular, much attention has been focused on end point detection through furnace off gas analysis. Typically, off-gas analysis is done with extractive sampling and gas analyzers such as Non-dispersive Infrared Sensors (NDIR). Passive emission spectroscopy offers a more attractive approach to end point detection as the equipment can be setup remotely. Using high resolution UV spectroscopy and applying sophisticated emission line detection software, a correlation was observed between metal emissions and the process end point during field trials. This correlation indicates a relationship between the metal emissions and the status of a steelmaking melt which can be used to improve overall process efficiency. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Arsenault, Eric | Ozin, Geoffrey Alan | Three-dimensional Transparent Conducting Oxide Based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells | Chemistry | 2011-08-11 | Electron transport and recombination are two competing factors within Dye-Sensitized Solar-Cells (DSSCs) which have a great influence on their performance. By drastically increasing the speed of electron transport to the electrode, it is believed that these cells could reach new record efficiencies. To achieve this result, an all-in-one integrated DSSC was attempted, in which the electrode material is extended into the active area of the solar cell material. The research conducted can be separated into two stages. The first stage is the production of a three-dimensional macroporous electrode. The second stage is the production of an all-in-one DSSC by a simplified co-casting technique. The structures and materials presented were examined using electron microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, 4-point and 2-point probe electrical measurements as well as experimentally by the testing of solar cells. The methods of fabrication, characterization, experimental results and future directions are also presented. | MAST | solar | 8 |
| Arthur, Christopher | Norris, Trevor | Financial Literacy: Neoliberalism, the Consumer and the Citizen | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | This thesis argues that consumer financial literacy is not a solution but a tool that mystifies and supports the very problems it could help solve: exploitation, economic crises, the spread of neoliberalism, alienation and the further disempowerment of the citizen. The characterization and implementation of financial literacy programs influence the resources and subjectivities that we use to act, see, reflect, create the world and create ourselves, resources and subjectivities that should support our free actions and enable us to do more than conform to the dictates of capital and be more than neoliberal entrepreneurial consumers. In the place of consumer financial literacy, we need a critical financial literacy that supports active citizens. The citizen is not the alienated investor or consumer who can only choose what the market provides; instead, he or she can assist in altering or abolishing the market to create a new economic system that offers better choices. A critical financial literacy would encourage citizens to reflect on and transform the social relations of production in order to create a world, free from capital’s dictates, in which individuals are as free from necessity as possible and better able to develop their human capacities to the fullest. | MAST | consum; financial market | 10, 12 |
| Arulananthan, Niroja | Quarter, Jack | An Evaluation of the Ethic of Neutrality in the Ontario Public Service | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-06 | Work of Ontario Public Servants is determined in part by the government of the day as they set their priorities. This commitment to serve the government, regardless of individual affiliation or support, is built on the ethic of neutrality – a value that can shape the personal lives of public servants. This study sheds light on how workplace ethical values impact the personal political participation decisions of public servants. What measures does the employer take, if any, to reduce any ambiguity or burden posed by the ethic of neutrality? This research examines the measures, if any, that the employer takes to reduce any ambiguity or burden posed by the ethic of neutrality. This is important as it provides a window into the employer’s motivation to help strengthen the health of the democracy, and thereby the public service, and the employer’s motivation to support public servants through the conflict of interest process. | M.A. | governance | 16 |
| Arumugam, Palaniappan | Park, Chul Bun | Understanding the Fundamental Mechanisms of a Dynamic Micro-bubble Generator for Water Processing and Cleaning Applications | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | The micro-bubble technology in water is widely known and effectively used, but the fundamental mechanisms of the micro-bubble generation and characteristics are not clearly established. To better the understanding, extensive literature survey coupled with theoretical and experimental bubble size estimations and volumetric mass transfer rate calculations were carried out. Observed multitude of increase in the volumetric mass transfer rate is essentially due to the specific interfacial area rather than the liquid mass transfer co-efficient. This signifies the effectiveness of pressurized dissolution type over its counterparts. A second set of experiments were focussed on particle size analysis using Bluewave particle size analyzer. Measurements for bubble size distribution were made alongside two cases of surfactant addition, tween20 at concentrations of 10mM and 1mM. The effect of surfactant on bubble dynamics and stabilization is interpreted and the axial rise distance hence the rise velocity are computed for both experimental and theoretical data. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Ascanio Graffeo, Doug Francesco | Mollett, Sharlene||Roberts, David | Non-binary Belongings in Toronto: Problematizing the Gay-friendly City | Geography | 2019-06 | This thesis examines the experiences of non-binary transgender people in the city of Toronto through the use of photovoice and semi-structured interviews. It is concerned with the ways such individuals articulate their sense of belonging towards Toronto itself as well as the LGBTQ+ spaces of the city. This thesis argues that the ongoing gentrification of Toronto, the persistence of transphobic discrimination, and the prevalence of right-wing politics in the region marginalize non-binary individuals and challenge their ability to belong in spaces throughout the city. While participants particularly identified LGBTQ+ spaces in Toronto as important sites of belonging, networking, and ontological security, these positive experiences stand in contrast with the number of homo- and transnormativities at play within these sites, further cementing the exclusion of non-binary individuals. Therefore, I argue that the envisioning of non-binary inclusive, transgender-friendly urban spaces is a utopian endeavour as it requires a radical rethinking of social, political, and economic structures and hierarchies. | M.A. | inclusive; gender | 4, 5 |
| Ashdown-Franks, Garcia | Sabiston, Catherine M | From Intervention to Evaluation: Assessing the Effectiveness, Acceptability and Feasibility of a Physical Activity Intervention for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness | Exercise Sciences | 2018-11 | Individuals with serious mental illness experience physical health comorbidities and report a lower quality of life. Physical activity may be one way to target both the mental and physical health of this population. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a PA intervention with a local mental health housing organization. Program effectiveness was measured through changes in mental health, quality of life, and physical activity from pre- to post intervention. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance and effect sizes were used to compare changes between intervention (N=5) and control (N=5) groups, while deductive thematic analysis was used to analyze interview responses. There were no significant group effects on the outcomes; there was a significant effect of time on total mental health scores, as well as anxiety and depression subscales. Participants, trainers and a key organizational stakeholder viewed the program as acceptable and feasible, and provided suggestions to improve future programs. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ashraf, Tanjin | Bascia, Nina | The Voices of Teachers on Mandated Changes to Math Curriculum and Policy | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | This study explores the issue of teacher underrepresentation in curriculum and policy development. The specific focus is on elementary public-school teachers in Ontario and their experiences with mandated changes to math curriculum and policy. Eight teachers were interviewed on this topic and a document analysis was conducted of curriculum, policies, and guides that are related to math education. The findings from the interviews and documents were triangulated through a conceptual framework that integrates sensemaking and contingency theories, to explore the relationship between individual responses to change and the constituents of an organization. Results from the analysis indicate that teachers are currently underrepresented in math curriculum and policy change processes even though they directly impact those changes. The findings carry significant implications for teacher roles and curriculum and policy development outcomes, emphasizing the need for congruent alignment between teachers’ voices and how the education system is structured. | M.Ed. | educat | 4 |
| Ashtar, Reuven | Drassinower, Abraham | Generation, Yes? Digital Rights Management and Licensing, from the Advent of the Web to the iPad | Law | 2012-12-03 | The Article discusses digital-era courts’ distortion of (para)copyright principles, deeming it borne of jumbled underlying legislation and a misplaced predilection for adopting licensing terms—even at the expense of recognized use exceptions. Common law evolutionary principles, it is shown, have been abandoned just when they are most needed: the ethereal rightsholder-user balance is increasingly disturbed, and the incipient “generative consumer” is in thrall, not liberated. Finally, the Article puts forth a proposal for the reestablishment of the principle of substantially noninfringing use, showing it to be in the interests of innovation, democracy, and the greater public interest. | MAST | innovation; consum | 9, 12 |
| Asi, Navdeep Singh | Fullard, James H. | Coding of Bat-like Auditory Features in the AN2 Interneuron of the Pacific Field Cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus and its Relation to Decreasing the Conspicuousness of Synthetic Bat Echolocation Calls | Cell and Systems Biology | 2010-12-14T17:54:02Z | Many insects have auditory systems capable of detecting the ultrasonic calls of insectivorous bats and use these cues to evade capture. I tested the hypothesis that bats can decrease the conspicuousness of their echolocation calls by varying three call features: duration, repetition rate and ramp times. This was done by examining the AN2 command interneuron’s response to these features in the cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus, after describing the firing pattern necessary for evasive behaviour. Past studies on duration and repetition rate suggest increased thresholds for short durations and low repetition rates. Measurements of the AN2 response, which controls evasive behaviour, indicated that increased thresholds were a result of a decrease in bursting, raw spike numbers and an increase in latencies in the AN2. Results suggest that there is pressure on bats to evade early detection and that this can be done by employing large ramp times in search phase echolocation calls. | MAST | ocean | 14 |
| Asiedu-Akrofi, Harvey | Trebilcock, Michael | Chinese Influence on the African “Resource Curse” | Law | 2011-12-01 | This thesis explores the impact that Chinese aid and investment has on the political economy of resource-rich African countries. In particular, it examines the effects of Chinese resource-for-infrastructure agreements on the political economy of the resource curse. Using Ghana as a case study, this thesis highlights the peculiar obstacles that countries face with regard to managing their resources. In turn, it argues that general prescriptions against the resource curse, such as resource revenue transparency initiatives, like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, are insufficient. As a result, African recipients of Chinese aid require specific institutional arrangements that accurately reflect the specific “rules of the game” that exist under their respective political economies. In the case of Ghana, this thesis argues that vetting Chinese resource-for-infrastructure agreements through the Public Procurement Act serves that need. | MAST | infrastructure; industr | 9 |
| Asik, Christine Rose | El-Sohemy, Ahmed | Genetic Variation in Bitter Taste Perception, Food Preference and Dietary Intake | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-03-20 | The role of variation in the TAS2R50 bitter taste receptor gene is unknown, but may influence taste perception and dietary habits. Individuals (n=1171) aged 20 to 29, from the Toronto Nutrigenomics and Health Study, completed a food preference checklist and a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess their preference and intake of potentially bitter foods and beverages. DNA was isolated from blood and genotyped for 3 polymorphisms in the TAS2R50 gene (rs2900554 A>C; rs10772397 A>G; rs1376251 A>G). Taste intensity was examined using taste strips infused with 3µg of naringin. The rs2900554 SNP was associated with naringin taste intensity, grapefruit preference and grapefruit intake in females. Homozygotes for the C allele reported the highest frequency of experiencing a high naringin taste intensity, disliking grapefruit and not consuming grapefruit. The rs10772397 and rs1376251 SNPs were associated with disliking grapefruit. These results suggest that naringin may be a ligand for the T2R50 receptor. | MAST | food; health | 2, 3 |
| Aslam, Jabeen | Wane, Njoki Nathani | Why are you “Active”? - Voices of Young Muslim Women Post-9/11 | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Contributing to the literature on the Muslim experience post-9/11, the purpose of this study was to engage with a group that is often talked about, but not with: Muslim youth. Using an integrative anti-racist and anti-colonial approach with an emphasis on a spiritual way of knowing, this study gives voice to young Muslim activists in Toronto who have made the choice to “do something”. The study aims to understand what motivates these young activists, particularly in the context of post-9/11 Islamophobia, with the goal being to challenge stereotypical perceptions of Muslims, while contributing to the body of knowledge that aims to disrupt dominant notions of what “Canadian” identity is. The following analysis helps answer this question, which includes the role of spirituality, the attachment to Canadian identity and the desire to educate. Key challenges and what these youth prescribe for Canada’s future are also discussed. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Aslam, Mariam | Dietsche, Peter | Muslim Pakistani-Canadian Women's Experiences in Canadian Higher Education: A Case Study at One Ontario University Campus | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Seven women that identify as Muslim, Pakistani and Canadian in varying capacities participated in this qualitative research to discuss how their cultural and/or religious norms shaped their educational and career aspirations and overall decision-making. Areas of discussion included identity formation, understandings of culture and religion, familial influences on educational and career pursuits and overall experiences and interactions with faculty, peers and student service providers. This research brings together Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) Theory of Identity Development and feminist critical understandings of intersectionality (Collins, 1990; Knudson, 2005) and Orientalism (Said, 1978) in order to theoretically frame the students’ experiences. The research constitutes a major contribution from the Canadian perspective in terms of theory development as well as practical implications for faculty and campus services to ensure that students experience a learning environment that is supportive and inclusive. | MAST | educat; inclusive; women | 4, 5 |
| Assia, Dor | Vieta, Marcelo A||Ryan, Sherida | From Clients to Service Providers: The Workplace Learning Experience of Young Adult Peer-support Workers | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2020-03 | Despite the known and documented benefits of peer-support work in young adult mental health services, there is a limited understanding of the learning and development processes that young adults in these roles experience. This study explores the workplace learning experience of young adult peer-support workers in community-based mental health organizations in Toronto, Canada. Self-Determination and Situated Learning Theories guided the research design and analysis. Five semi-structured interviews with young adult peer-support workers were conducted and the data was thematically analyzed. The findings illustrate that young adults who work as peer-support workers are autonomously motivated to take on the role, learning is common through participation in communities of practice, and they develop a unique professional identity through the work. Recommendations for practice and future research are made based on these findings. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Athanasiu, Eva Marie | Caraway, Brett||Shade, Leslie | Survivance Stories: Indigenous Resistance and Cultural Labour in Canada | Information Studies | 2016-11 | How do Indigenous cultural workers, practicing in Canada, think about their labour? Cultural work includes a broad array of activities: making art, writing, teaching, organizing programs, and other community projects. In this thesis, literature by Indigenous authors foregrounds ways of thinking about the meaning and function of cultural contributions, with support from complementary non-Indigenous scholarship. Interviews with three cultural workers and thematic analyses of transcripts and pre-existing texts show how cultural workers create living archives; by giving to their communities through multifaceted practices, they imagine and will Indigenously-determined paths into the future. Findings are organized into three themes, representing three practices of cultural work: contribute, gather, and proclaim. | M.I.S. | inclusive; worker | 4, 8 |
| Atkins, Lindsey | Kosnik, Clare | Being on the Inside of a Professional Learning Community: A Reflection-on-practice | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | This qualitative inquiry used a reflection-on-practice to examine my experiences facilitating professional learning within an Ontario public elementary school. My research revealed that my non-traditional approach to teacher professional development might constitute a form of Professional Learning Community (PLC). The data show that as a facilitator I found myself both inside and outside the communities I tried to form and support. Further, this inquiry exemplifies the ways I both nurtured and impeded professional learning as a result of my facilitation. I hope that the information and insights gleamed from this study may be broadened to include professional learning as it relates to occupations outside the realm of education. As a result, this thesis offers approaches to facilitation that might be able to transform professional practice through PD and consequently, improve student success. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Au-Yeung, Rodney | Vuksan, Vladimir | The Effect of Konjac Glucomannan Fibre Gel on Satiety and Energy Intake | Nutritional Sciences | 2016-11 | Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a viscous dietary fibre that forms a firm, low-energy gel (KGM-gel) with shapes resembling common food staples. Despite a history of use in Asia, no study to date as assessed the effect of replacing energy-dense foods with KGM-gel foods. Therefore, we conducted two acute, randomized, controlled, crossover trials in healthy individuals to assess KGM-gel food substitution at a moderate and high level in single and repeated meals on appetite and energy intake. In both studies, KGM-gel substitution proportionally reduced the energy content of test meals compared to control. While high substitution lowered satiety, moderate substitution did not reduce satiety and cumulative energy intake was inversely proportional KGM-gel substitution. KGM-gel foods may assist in reducing energy intake without increasing appetite when replacing a modest amount of energy-rich foods. These results may have relevance in weight loss regimes and should be evaluated in overweight or obese populations. | M.Sc. | food; health; energy | 2, 3, 7 |
| Aucoin, Robin Joseph | Zee, Robert E | Development of a Geolocation and Tip-and-cue Observation System for the DEFIANT Platform | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2019-11 | Surveillance capabilities in remote regions are currently limited by the low availability of permanent ground-based infrastructure. The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory’s next-generation DEFIANT-class spacecraft offers a solution to this problem through spaceborne monitoring. It features a wide suite of payloads to enable geolocation and autonomously cued observation of targets of interest. This work will detail the author’s efforts to develop this spaceborne surveillance system, with particular focus on the design of the attitude control system, the development of an algorithm for geolocation of radio-frequency-signal-emitting targets, and the formulation of an attitude path-planning algorithm to enable target observation and rapid spacecraft reorientation under a variety of dynamic and kinematic constraints. The developed concepts are validated through simulation and testing with reference to a hypothetical sample mission involving a controlled formation of DEFIANT spacecraft. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Audrain, Samantha | McAndrews, Mary Pat | Investigating Accelerated Long-term Forgetting: The Effects of Associative and Item Memory, and Semantic Relatedness on Long-term Retention | Psychology | 2015-11 | We sought to create a test that could delineate memory for semantically related and unrelated associative and item information, for future use with patients with temporal lobe epilepsy in the study of accelerated long-term forgetting. Healthy participants studied semantically related and unrelated object-scene pairs and completed forced-choice recognition tasks for item and associative memory over variable delays. Participants recognized significantly less associative than item stimuli by 6-hours post-study due to degraded memory for associative stimuli. While item memory remained stable, memory was boosted for associative stimuli after a night of sleep but continued to decline thereafter. These effects were particularly robust for pairs that were semantically unrelated, as semantically related pairs demonstrated superior memory across the delays with relatively minimal decay over time. Possible neurobiological correlates of forgetting for the different types of stimuli in the context of current theories of consolidation are discussed, and implications for the phase II patient study are explored. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Augustinavicius, Jura | Shapiro, Colin M. | Sleep and Circadian Markers for Depression in Adolescence | Cell and Systems Biology | 2013-11-20 | Early-onset major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with significant morbidity in adolescence. The interview-dependent diagnostic process used in psychiatry leaves a subset of adolescents with MDD undiagnosed. Sleep disturbances are a central feature of depression and adolescence is a period of rapid change in sleep physiology. The aim of this study was to test physiological features of sleep and circadian rhythms as markers of adolescent MDD. Adolescents completed a two-week protocol that included a formal psychiatric interview, polysomnographic (PSG) assessment, actigraphy, salivary melatonin sampling, and holter monitoring. Depressed adolescents (n = 18) differed from controls (n = 15) on features of sleep macroarchitecture measured by PSG, and on autonomic nervous system functioning measured by 24-hour heart rate variability. Depressed adolescents had shorter REM latency and decreased stage 4 sleep. Adolescents with MDD also showed decreased parasympathetic activity over 24-hours and during the day, and decreased sympathetic activity during the night. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Avila, Ruben Sergio | Olson, Paul | Transgressing Heteronormativity in Militarism: Sexual Diversity in the Canadian Forces | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2014-06 | This intent of this thesis is to probe deep into hidden and rigid structures, which regulate gender and sexual minorities in the Canadian Forces. We will see the development of hegemonic military masculinity from its early stages in nation building to its currant gender and sexual structures in a post-911 era. My personal narrative experiences as a radicalised, sexual minority in the Canadian Forces provided me a point of departure in understanding the underlying lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) service members. In preparing this thesis current serving members, Defence offices, and leading academics were investigated, LGBTQ legislation and military policies were researched, and case study interviews were conducted in order to understand the key and underlining structures, which regulate gender and sexual identity in the Canadian Forces. | M.A. | gender; queer | 5 |
| Awad-Dosen, Jacqueline | Raboy, Becky E||Fortin, Marie-Josee | Restoration Strategies to Improve Animal Movement in the Atlantic Forest | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-06 | Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of biodiversity decline worldwide. Animals sensitive to fragmentation suffer from decreased dispersal, breeding opportunities, and genetic diversity, making them vulnerable to extinction. Over the last decades the Atlantic Forest of Brazil has been extremely fragmented, with only 11-16% of forest remaining. Fortunately, ecological restoration is occurring throughout Brazil. Using computer modelling, I investigated how alternative restoration strategies improve the functional connectivity of the landscape. I used lion-tamarins of Southern Bahia, Brazil as a case study. I imposed three restoration strategies, Landowner Focused, Biodiversity Focused, and Random, on each of six sample landscapes, and five amounts of restoration (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%). I found both restoration strategy and amount had a significant effect on connectivity. Landowner and Biodiversity Focused strategies were significantly better at increasing connectivity than the Random strategy, and greater restoration amounts resulted in greater connectivity. | M.Sc. | biodiversity; forest | 15 |
| Ayanian, Tsoleen | Carter, Michael W | Health Human Resource Planning of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists in Newfoundland and Labrador | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-06 | This research seeks to substantiate the gap between demand and supply of physiotherapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) in Newfoundland and Labrador through the development of a system dynamics (SD) model. The model was used to test "what-if" scenarios by exploring various school sizes at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). A needs-based modeling approach was used to define the population's requirement for PTs and OTs. Data obtained from Newfoundland Centre for Health Information was used to populate the demand model, and the workforce data obtained through Canadian Institute for Health Information was used to populate the SD supply model; both demand and supply were projected to the year 2055. The results show a shortage of PTs and OTs, with this gap expected to increase over time. It is recommended that schools with eventual sizes of 90 PT and 34 OT students be opened at MUN to gradually close the gap. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Ayliffe, Brett William | Bressmann, Tim | Evaluation of the Toronto Palatal Lift Prosthesis for Patients with Hypernasal Resonance Disorders | Dentistry | 2013-07-11 | Statement of the problem. Hypernasality resulting from velopharyngeal insufficiency or incompetency is a resonance disorder that has negative consequences for speech production and intelligibility of afflicted individuals. Purpose. The purpose of this prospective study is to ascertain if a palatal lift prosthesis with a generic silicon velar lamina, termed the Toronto Palatal Lift Prosthesis (TPLP), can assist velopharyngeal valve function to reduce hypernasality in patients. Methods. A prospective study of six patients treated with the TPLP was compared by the outcome measures of nasalance scores, perceptual evaluations, and patient satisfaction to those obtained using a contemporary acrylic palatal lift prosthesis. Results. The six patients had varying degrees of reduction in hypernasality and acceptance of the TPLP. Conclusion. On the basis of this preliminary study on the TPLP it is possible to fabricate a palatal lift prosthesis with a generic silicon velar lamina that reduces hypernasality in select patients. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ayoub, Mariam | Stewart, Suzanne||Moodley, Roy | Successes and Challenges for Two-spirit Youth in the Workplace | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-03 | Abstract The unemployment rate of Indigenous youth is significantly higher than non-Indigenous youth. Two-spirit youth are at an even greater disadvantage due to barriers such as lack of education, poverty, discrimination, and intergenerational trauma. Additionally, Two-Spirit youth report feeling a disconnect between their ethnic and sexual identities. This feeling of incongruence contributes to a heightened risk of street involvement, drug or alcohol misuse, and homelessness. This study utilizes a community-based, narrative approach, operating within an intersectional framework. The research question is: What are the intersections of cultural identity, LGBTQ identity, and work-life experiences for Two-Spirit youth as they relate to employment outcomes? Two-Spirit youth, living in the Greater Toronto Area were interviewed to explore their employment experiences in relation to their intersecting identities. This research is significant as there is minimal research investigating the intersection of Two-Spirit youth and employment, particularly from the perspective of the youth, themselves. | M.A. | poverty; educat; employment | 1, 4, 8 |
| Azzam, Abdullah | Lavoie, Philippe | On the Generation of Unsteady Mean and Turbulent Flows in a Wind Tunnel using an Active Grid | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | Unsteady flows are pervasive in nature and engineering applications such as UAVs. Simulating these flows in an experimental setting is key to avoiding detrimental changes in the performance of such applications. This study explores the capabilities of an active grid in producing unsteady flows in a recirculating wind tunnel. The grid is operated in different modes that allow control over the flow frequency, amplitude and turbulence intensity. Hot-wire measurements demonstrate the grid's capabilities in generating flows typical of those used in experiments of unsteady aerodynamics. Mean grid blockage, freestream speed and tunnel size were all found to be factors influencing the resulting flow. The response of turbulence to the oscillating flow was also investigated and results showed a modulation of the turbulence intensity and dissipation rate that is dependent on the frequency of the imposed oscillations. A change in the scaling behaviour of the dissipation rate was also noted. | M.A.S. | wind | 8 |
| Azzam, Raneem | Razack, Sherene | Teaching Civility: How Teachers Negotiate Race, Culture and Citizenship in the Multicultural School | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | In this project, I ask: How do Ontario public schools participate in the construction and perpetuation of a racial hierarchy of Canadian citizenship? I argue that the discourse of white civility produces and organizes a governable Canadian populace that serves to legitimize the nation-state. Employing a critical anti-colonial, anti-racist framework, I analyze the narratives of teachers as they relate to the notions of citizenship, multiculturalism and professionalism. I aim to shed light on the role of the teacher within the circuits of power that serve to regulate ‘Canadian-ness’ and respectability. Through a discourse analysis of the statements of educators working with newcomer students, I illustrate some of the obstacles to equitable praxis. I conclude by challenging teachers to consider their investments in the systems that perpetuate oppression. | MAST | educat; equitable | 4 |
| Azzopardi, Paul John | Hayeems, Robin | Health Care Providers' Perspectives of Uncertainty in Newborn Screening | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | There is a paucity of research exploring the issues of uncertainty in the context of newborn screening and metabolic care. This work explores these issues of uncertainty through qualitative description. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with health care providers at specialized metabolic centers across Canada. Data was coded and thematically analyzed. This study found that health care providers experience personal, practical, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic issues of uncertainty when managing the care of patients affected by mild hyperphenylalaninemia (MHP), very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency, medium chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency, and partial biotinidase deficiency. Heath care providers described nosological inadequacy as a source of uncertainty when managing 3-methylcrotonyl CoA (3-MCC) deficiency. Participants emphasized caution, while avoiding overmedicalization, when managing medical uncertainty. Providers indicated that greater communication and consensus is required across care centers, which may open a dialogue for a pan-Canadian newborn screening strategy. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ba, Qing | Guenther, Axel | Microfluidic Bioprinter for Hydrogel Sheet Formation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-11 | We present a microfluidic bioprinter that is compatible with a wide range of biopolymers and is able to continuously or periodically produce intact homogeneous or heterogeneous hydrogel sheets in Couette flow condition with different throughputs through different cross-linking mechanisms with control over the sheet geometries and mechanical properties. The printer includes a movable platform to achieve the automated production, collection and transportation of the hydrogel sheets, a microfabricated printing device that defines the geometry and composition of the printed hydrogel sheets, pressure controls upstream for introducing biomaterials with different flow rates, and temperature features to fulfill the thermal requirement during the material processing. According features can be enabled for different gelation mechanisms including ionic cross-linking gelation and thermal gelation. Using the concept of Couette flow with controls over printing parameters, homogenous and heterogeneous hydrogel sheets with different geometries and mechanical properties can be produced as predicted using the theoretical model. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Babayants, Artem | Kerekes, Julie | Acting and Second Language Pragmatics: Pedagogical Intersections | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-03-20 | The study sheds light on the interrelations between interlanguage pragmatics and the use of a popular acting method, the Stanislavsky System, for second language (L2) acquisition. The theoretical investigation explores various uses of acting in second language education. The empirical enquiry represents an exploratory case-study of two adult EFL learners attending a theatre course in English. Through teacher journals, interviews, and the analysis of the students’ pragmatic performance as captured by a video camera, the researcher hypothesizes that the pragmatic development of the students involved in drama comes from three main sources: the script, the acting exercises, and the necessity to communicate in English during the theatre course. In all three cases, the zone of proximal development in relation to pragmatic competence emerged as a result of a teacher-generated impetus to use L2, numerous opportunities for imitation and repetition, continuous peer-support, and the collaborative spirit created in the classroom. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Babier, Aaron | Chan, Timothy C. Y. | Knowledge-Based Automated Planning for Oropharyngeal Cancer | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | We automatically generate intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans for oropharyngeal cancer by combining knowledge-based planning (KBP) predictions with an inverse optimization (IO) pipeline into a single automated treatment planning pipeline. We extended two existing KBP methods, which use patients' anatomical geometry to predict achievable dose volume histograms (DVHs), and developed the first IO method that takes DVHs as direct inputs. The DVH predictions from KBP are put into the IO pipeline to automatically generate treatment plans via an intermediate step using objective function weights and an inverse planning problem. This step enables our automated planning pipeline to seamlessly fuse with the current treatment planning paradigm to increase its efficiency. Our automated pipeline can replicate, and often improve upon the clinical treatment plans by reducing the dose to healthy tissue and increasing primary target coverage. These results have been validated using a large cohort of 217 oropharyngeal cancer patients. | M.A.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Bach, Yvonne | Horlick, Eric | Functional Moderate to Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation in Adults undergoing Transcatheter Atrial Septal Defect Closure | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Background: A large proportion of patients continues to have moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) after transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure. Objective: To determine the clinical significance of functional TR in ASD patients and identify the baseline predictors of persistent TR after ASD closure. Methods: Clinical data were collected from hard-copy and electronic records at the University Health Network (UHN), Toronto, Canada. The clinical registry was linked to Ontario population-based health administrative databases. Results: Age ≥65 years, severe TR, and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) were independent baseline predictors of persistent TR. ICES analyses showed patients with baseline moderate to severe TR (n=750) were not associated with higher cardiovascular mortality compared to patients with baseline mild/no TR (n=199) after adjust for cardiovascular co-morbidities. Conclusions: Perhaps offering early ASD closure or concomitant tricuspid valve intervention may be of benefit to patients at risk for persistent TR. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Baczynskyj, Anastasia | Troper, Harold M. | Learning How to Be Ukrainian: Ukrainian Schools in Toronto and the Formation of Identity, 1947-2009 | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T21:06:47Z | This thesis follows the development of the Ukrainian identity in Toronto since World War II. It explores the formation of collective memory by the Third Wave of Ukrainian immigration who arrived in Toronto in the early 1950s and the crystallization of a particular Ukrainian identity within this community. In particular, it looks at the role of the Ukrainian schooling system as an important institution shaping the community’s understanding of Ukrainian identity. It also discusses the challenges to that identity since the arrival of the Fourth Wave of Ukrainian immigration which began in 1991. It charts the intra-group tensions which arose in the community due to different understandings of what it means to be Ukrainian and describes how competing Ukrainian identities found within the Fourth Wave of immigration have shifted the dynamic in the Ukrainian community, explaining low involvement of Fourth Wave members within community institutions such as the Ukrainian school. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Badr, Mario | Jerger, Natalie Enright | Synthetic Traffic Models that Capture Cache Coherent Behaviour | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-06-24 | Modern and future many-core systems represent large and complex architectures. The communication fabrics in these large systems play an important role in their performance and power consumption. Current simulation methodologies for evaluating networks-on-chip (NoCs) are not keeping pace with the increased complexity of our systems; architects often want to explore many different design knobs quickly. Methodologies that trade-off some accuracy but maintain important workload trends for faster simulation times are highly beneficial at early stages of architectural exploration. We propose a synthetic traffic generation methodology that captures both application behaviour and cache coherence traffic to rapidly evaluate NoCs. This allows designers to quickly indulge in detailed performance simulations without the cost of long-running full system simulation but still capture a full range of application and coherence behaviour. Our methodology has an average (geometric) error of 10.9% relative to full system simulation, and provides 50x speedup on average over full system simulation. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Bae, Koeun | Bruce, Ashley | Analysis of Yolk Cell Microtubule Network Dynamics and Organization during Zebrafish Epiboly | Cell and Systems Biology | 2015-11 | Epiboly, the first morphogenetic event in zebrafish development, is a coordinated process of the blastoderm and yolk syncytial layer spreading over the yolk cell. In the yolk cell, microtubule arrays extend longitudinally and their dynamics have been suggested to be important for normal epiboly. Despite these findings, the function of the yolk cell microtubules remains unclear. Live imaging of EB3-GFP, a microtubule plus-end tracking protein, revealed a change from active microtubule growth during early epiboly to a non-growing state during late epiboly. Antibody staining for tyrosinated and detyrosinated tubulin, markers of dynamic and stabilized microtubules respectively, revealed the presence of stable microtubules during late epiboly but not during early epiboly. The yolk microtubule network also appeared to be more resistant to the microtubule depolymerizing agent nocodazole at late epiboly stages. For the first time, I report a change in microtubule dynamics and suggest different roles of microtubules throughout epiboly phases. | M.Sc. | fish | 14 |
| Baek, Sun Hwa | Geva, Esther | L1 and L2 Narrative Development in Emergent Bilinguals | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-06 | This study investigated the development of oral narrative production in L1 and L2 in English-Hebrew emergent bilingual children and the associations between narrative abilities in both languages. Participants included 33 younger cohort in JK and 24 older cohort in SK. The children's scripts (general descriptions about events) were elicited at two time points over one year. The study included various measures of macro and micro dimensions of narratives that reveal cognitive and linguistic development. Children were able to produce generalized scripts in both languages. L1 narratives have been developing on various complexity indices of macro and micro dimensions, while emergent L2 has been developing on narrative productivity. A cross-linguistic association was noted at the end of grade1 with increased Hebrew language proficiency. The findings suggest that cross-linguistic relations may be independent of linguistic distance. Educational and clinical implications were discussed. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Bagchi, Raunaq | Lian, Keryn K. | Modified Biomass Carbons for Electrochemical Capacitor Electrodes | Materials Science and Engineering | 2020-03 | The demand for energy storage devices has led to the increased development of cost-effective and sustainable electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors (ECs). This project investigated low-cost biomass waste pinecone to produce activated carbon (AC) and biochar in comparison with commercial coconut shell-based AC (YP-50F) as EC electrode materials. Pinecone-based AC produced via KOH chemical activation demonstrated a gravimetric capacitance of 214 F g-1¬ (at 50 mV s-1 in acidic media). Biochar (Flashed pinecone) synthesized without KOH showed a good capacitive performance at the same rate. Nitrogen doping was used to introduce pseudocapacitance in both ACs and led to an improvement in gravimetric capacitance at 50 mV s-1 for doped YP-50F (154 F g-1). Good rate capacitance retention was achieved in doped YP-50F (62.5 %), doped pinecone-based AC (60.0 %), and Flashed PC (78.1 %). This showed the promise of pinecone as a feedstock for low-cost, sustainable electrode materials. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Baharvandy, Mohammad | Fernie, Geoff | Safety of a Fully Powered Mechanical Patient Lift for Bariatric Patients | Biomedical Engineering | 2009-12-16T16:45:04Z | The work in this thesis was concerned with the safety evaluation of a fully powered mechanical patient lift for bariatric patients. A working prototype of this system, called RoboNurse, was designed and manufactured at iDAPT technology team at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. There are currently no lifting technologies similar to RoboNurse in the healthcare industry. The methods that are used to evaluate the system included: 1) Series of mechanical tests to evaluate the static strength and stability of the design 2) Computer simulations to evaluate the dynamic stability of the system and 3) Failure mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) as risk analysis tools. These techniques helped to perform thorough and systematic evaluations on the system and its components. This study significantly assisted in understanding the problems associated with the current design prototype and provided the necessary resources and guidelines for the future generations of this technology. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Bai, Ji Dong K. | Wen, Xiao-Yan | Novel Gluconeogenesis Regulators for Anti-diabetic Drug Repurposing using Transgenic Zebrafish pck1 Reporters | Medical Science | 2015-11 | Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase is an enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step of gluconeogenesis and is encoded by the pck1 gene. High levels of pck1 gene expression are associated with type 2 diabetes. The main goal of the present study is to identify compounds that can modulate pck1 expression. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from this study can streamline the process of identifying regulators by high-throughput screening in the future. A luminescent zebrafish reporter Tg(pck1:luc2) was used to screen the NIH Clinical Collections library containing 727 small molecules. Four leads were identified and validated using the fluorescence reporters Tg(pck1:Venus) and Tg(pck1:eGFP) as well as endogenous pck1 expression using quantitative PCR, where they down-regulated pck1 expression in larval zebrafish. One of the validated compounds (levofloxacin) altered glucose metabolism in adult zebrafish as determined by glucose tolerance tests. Methods were also established for efficient screening of future chemical libraries to identify novel anti-diabetic therapeutics. | M.Sc. | fish | 14 |
| Baia Medeiros, Deyvison Talmo Baia | Carter, Michael W | Improving Timely Access to Emergency Diagnostic Imaging via Data Analysis and Discrete Event Simulation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | As one of its initiatives to improve timely access to diagnostic imaging and expedite care in the emergency department (ED), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre implemented a 24/7 in-house attending radiologist coverage model to service its ED in 2017. This thesis initially describes how this new coverage model impacted imaging report turnaround times (TAT), it then discusses how a discrete event simulation was used to evaluate the impact of process changes on emergency computed tomography (CT) overall TAT. The 24/7 coverage evaluation indicated that the new model led to significant reductions in report TAT for almost all imaging modalities; and the scenarios tested with simulation model showed that simplifying exam protocols, changing staff schedules, and improving exam booking processes can considerably shorten CT overall TAT and likely contribute to enhanced patient care. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Baines, Beatrice Celina | Rowe, Locke | The Effects of Food Availability on Body Condition and Dispersal in the Backswimmer, Notonecta undulata | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-11 | Dispersal is the movement of organisms across space that has the potential to cause gene flow. It therefore has important implications for ecological and evolutionary processes. Previous studies have demonstrated that dispersal is influenced by body condition; however, the results of these studies have been inconsistent with respect to the direction of this relationship. I asked whether predation risk interacts with condition to cause variable effects on dispersal. I tested this by imposing diet treatments on backswimmers (Notonecta undulata) in the laboratory. I measured the effects of food availability on condition. I then measured the effects of condition and predators on dispersal in a field experiment. I found that dispersal was a positive function of both body condition and predation risk. However, their effects were additive, not interactive.Therefore, the interaction between condition and predation risk is likely not contributing to the inconsistency in the results of condition-dependent dispersal studies. | M.Sc. | food | 2 |
| Baird, Katherine Melanie | Puric-Mladenovic, Danijela | Floristic Quality as an Indicator to Inform Natural Areas Management in Lake Simcoe Watershed | Forestry | 2020-06 | Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) is used to describe the quality of natural areas based on plant species composition. Despite widespread application of FQA in the USA, less research exists in Ontario. To better understand FQA’s monitoring, reporting, and management relevance to southern Ontario I investigated: (1) performance of FQA against a composite disturbance gradient; and, (2) differences in FQA between different vegetation communities and successional stages. My work utilized monitoring data from 422 Vegetation Sampling Protocol plots sampled throughout Lake Simcoe watershed. FQA indices were found to significantly decrease in response to increasing disturbance, outperforming native species richness and percent exotic species as indicators of disturbance. Values of FQA indices differed among vegetation communities and successional stages, indicating comparisons should not be made across natural area classes. I demonstrate FQA as an effective tool for assessing natural cover quality; however, appropriate interpretation and management application require understanding FQA’s properties. | M.Sc. | water; forest | 6, 15 |
| Bak, Katarzyna | Dobrow, Mark | Factors Affecting the Implementation of Complex and Evolving Techniques: A Multiple Case Study of Intensity-modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in Ontario. | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2009-12-16T16:48:22Z | Background: Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is a method of delivering high-dose radiation to tumours while sparing surrounding healthy tissues. Despite its wide availability IMRT utilization varies across Ontario. The study’s objective was to examine key steps in the implementation process and identify factors that facilitate or impede IMRT implementation. Research Methods: An embedded multiple case study design, utilizing document analysis and key-informant interviews, was employed. Four cancer centres were selected and key-informant interviews were conducted with radiation oncologists, physicists, radiation therapists, and administrators. Results: Eighteen of 21 invited key-informants participated (86% participation rate) providing a range of insights on the factors influencing IMRT implementation. Overall, three cases made progress in the implementation of IMRT, while one case had limited implementation over the same time period. Conclusion: These findings help explain the observed variation in IMRT implementation across Ontario, which is multifaceted and reflects ongoing processes of change and reinvention. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Baker, Sydney | Maclaren, Virginia||Kepe, Thembela | Exploring Extended Producer Responsibility: Waste Tyres as a Resource for Job Creation in South Africa? | Geography | 2018-11 | Extended producer responsibility (EPR) has emerged globally as a means to shift the increasing costs of waste management of end-of-life products onto the producer. This research focused on an EPR scheme for waste tyres that was legislated by the South African government in 2012. While sharing many similarities with other EPR schemes, the South African program was unique in its focus on creating employment. More specifically, in response to the injustices of South Africa’s apartheid there was a focus on the upliftment of previously disadvantaged individuals. Based on semi-structured interviews with actors from various roles in the waste tyre system, this research investigated how the EPR affected employment and whether EPR can be used to create jobs. The EPR scheme for waste tyres in South Africa was found to have increased employment, however, potential challenges with using EPR as a tool for job creation were identified. | M.A. | employment; waste | 8, 12 |
| Bakhsh, Manar Abduljalil | Tomlinson, Christopher||Pencharz, Paul | Body Composition of Infants with Gastroschisis Assessed by Air Displacement Plethysmography | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-06 | Background: Measuring body composition (BC) in infants enables monitoring their growth pattern. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP), a BC technique that is practical for infants, but has not been adequately assessed in different infant populations. Objective: To demonstrate the suitability of the ADP in a high-risk population and to evaluate their BC. Methodology: The study was observational; subjects were recruited from the Hospital for Sick Children. A total of 12 Infants â Ľ 33 weeks corrected gestational age at birth, diagnosed with gastroschisis, were studied. BC was measured post-surgery and a month thereafter. Results: fat mass (FM) did not show a significant difference in our study group compared to healthy infants at both measurements. However, fat free mass (FFM) was significantly lower in our study group than healthy infants at both measurements. Conclusion: There were no procedure-related complications. A smaller gain in FFM than expected was shown in this group of patients. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bakkelund, Aleesha | Porter, Trevor J | Holocene Perspectives on Hydrogen Isotope Ratios of Boreal Plant Waxes in Northwestern Canada | Geography | 2018-11 | This thesis provides novel insights into plant wax characteristics and fractionation in high latitude boreal forests in the Holocene. The isotopic composition of precipitation is a tracer for climatic changes. The hydrogen isotopic composition of plant waxes (δDwax) in sediments is a proxy for precipitation δD and paleoclimate but is offset from δDprecip due to a large net fractionation from several biotic and abiotic factors. The net fractionation is constrained for the northern boreal forest based on topsoils from a 13-site network in NW Canada. This will help future studies quantitatively reconstruct δDprecip from plant waxes. This thesis also presents the first δDwax record that extends through the full Holocene in Eastern Beringia from a lake sediment core in SW Yukon. Good coherence with other isotope proxies in the region suggests that this record accurately reconstructs variability in δDprecip and is likely driven by changes in atmospheric circulation and aridity. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Balata, Lena | Waterman, Stephanie | Closing the Gap: Comparing Reconciliation and Indigenismo Policies in Higher Education | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-06 | Education is a critical human right, yet Indigenous groups globally face a crisis in higher education (HE) systems. Colonial processes have intentionally and systematically used HE for assimilation which has disrupted cultural connection and economic benefits to Indigenous communities. Drawing on Postcolonial Theory (Loomba, 2002) and the Theory of Justice (Fraser, 2003), this policy review explores factors that have contributed to the pattern of HE exclusion and comparatively poorer outcomes for Indigenous groups in Canada and Mexico. These frameworks will be used to evaluate a range of policies that aim to remedy these gaps. The results indicate that there was a considerable attempt to adopt the principles of Reconciliation and Indigenismo when responding to the needs of Indigenous students. However, the policies do little to redress the racist constructs that are inherent to colonial education, impacting chances for transformative change for Indigenous students. | M.A. | educat; justice | 4, 16 |
| Baldo, Amanda Nicole | Wilson, Kathleen | Urban to Rural Migration for Employment Reasons: An Examination of Immigrant Settlement Needs in Rural Ontario | Geography | 2019-03 | Canada depends on immigration to contribute to the growing economy and to stabilize the population. Although the majority of immigrants to Canada are highly skilled and educated, they experience high rates of unemployment and underemployment, typically in urban areas. Meanwhile, small towns and rural areas require more skilled labour to satisfy economic and demographic declines. Working in partnership with the Newcomer Centre of Peel (NCP), this research examines the potential of NCP’s Rural Employment Initiative, which seeks to connect talented newcomers with employment opportunities in rural areas of Ontario. Using focus groups with 50 skilled newcomers interested in urban to rural relocation, this research examines perceived newcomer settlement and integration needs and challenges to be faced in rural areas. Findings show employment and welcoming communities are fundamental to newcomer integration, and collaboration between stakeholders is necessary to ensure that these economic and socio-cultural integration needs of newcomers are met. | M.A. | employment; rural; labour; urban | 8, 11 |
| Balfour, Cameron | Walks, R. Alan | Inclusionary Zoning, Brownfield Development and Urban Governance: Understanding Affordable Housing Production in Concord's City Place and Pacific Place Developments | Geography | 2010-04-06T13:30:06Z | Maintaining affordable housing in Canadian cities remains a challenge for municipal governments. With few political and financial resources, local governments often turn to zoning bylaws to protect affordable housing opportunities. This research focuses on the development and implementation of inclusionary zoning programs in Toronto and Vancouver. In order to understand the value of these policies, this research asks how planners implemented inclusionary zoning and with what outcomes. Interviews with key actors in the public and private sector form the basis of an account that details the implementation of affordable housing requirements negotiated at two new-build gentrification sites in Toronto and Vancouver. The findings from this research show mixed results and highlight the barriers to the successful implementation of inclusionary zoning. While capable of securing subsidized units in gentrifying neighbourhoods, the poor results of these policies demonstrates the difficulty of managing gentrification unleashed by the state. | MAST | cities | 11 |
| Balouchestani Asli, Narges | Behdinan, Kamran | Team Level Factors Affecting Innovation in Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Course | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-11 | Multidisciplinary capstones form student teams from different engineering disciplines to design, build, and test proof of concepts for an industry based project. To provide insight on multidisciplinary capstone’s performance and innovative outcomes, we explored innovation and factors related to innovation in both multidisciplinary and monodisciplinary capstones at the University of Toronto. Our investigation includes self-reported data and data from external assessments. We conducted both quantitative and qualitative research by collecting data from surveys, interviews, and video-recordings. External examiner’s and self-reported data show that multidisciplinary students are more innovative than mono-disciplinary ones. Our results show correlation between innovation and psychological safety, collaborative learning, internal and external communication, support for innovation from all parties, vision and feedback. Our research shows that aside from team’s diversity, support for innovation and culture of innovation is essential to realization of student’s creativity potential. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Balsam, Corey | Nestel, Sheryl | The Appeal of Israel: Whiteness, Anti-Semitism, and the Roots of Diaspora Zionism in Canada | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-08-09 | This thesis explores the appeal of Israel and Zionism for Ashkenazi Jews in Canada. The origins of Diaspora Zionism are examined using a genealogical methodology and analyzed through a bricolage of theoretical lenses including post-structuralism, psychoanalysis, and critical race theory. The active maintenance of Zionist hegemony in Canada is also explored through a discourse analysis of several Jewish-Zionist educational programs. The discursive practices of the Jewish National Fund and Taglit Birthright Israel are analyzed in light of some of the factors that have historically attracted Jews to Israel and Zionism. The desire to inhabit an alternative Jewish subject position in line with normative European ideals of whiteness is identified as a significant component of this attraction. It is nevertheless suggested that the appeal of Israel and Zionism is by no means immutable and that Jewish opposition to Zionism is likely to only increase in the coming years. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Balsamo, Antonina Maria | Piccardo, Enrica | Effects of Self-regulated Strategy Development on the Writing Performance and Sense of Self-efficacy of Postsecondary English Language Learners | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-06 | English language learners (ELLs) comprise a growing contingent in North American postsecondary institutions. However, success in postsecondary requires competence in written expression, a taxing activity for most ELLs. To foster writing development, this study adapted the strategy instruction model of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD; Graham Harris, 1996) to teach strategies for research writing and vocabulary expansion. Six postsecondary ELLs received 36 hours of instruction over six weeks. Collecting data through a mixed methods design, the study measured performance gains as high as 10%, which, though moderate, contribute to growing evidence for the effectiveness of SRSD among postsecondary ELLs. Participants also reported positive transformations in their sense of self-efficacy alongside elevated confidence and lowered anxiety and stress. The study highlights the importance of guiding postsecondary ELLs through the framework of writing strategy instruction and suggests that SRSD may benefit writers by both teaching new strategies and validating existing writing practices. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Baltzer, Heather Lucretia | Krahn, Murray | The Health Burden and Direct Health Care Costs of Acute Isolated Upper Extremity Trauma in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-03 | Acute hand and wrist trauma, a top reason for emergency department (ED) visits internationally, is an understudied public health issue in Canada. This research sought to characterize the burden of isolated hand, wrist and specific proximal upper extremity trauma (UET) in Ontario, Canada using linked administrative healthcare data between 2006-2016. Study one identified that UET in adults age 18-65 is the most common reason for ED visits (incidence rate: 211/10,000 person-years). Repeated episodes represented 24.8% of all ED visits, creating a large burden of preventable visits. Study two estimated the three year attributable cost (AC) of surgical UET using an incidence-based propensity score matched cohort study. The estimated AC of severe UET was $7519.80 and $8528.90 at one and three years, respectively. The AC translates into approximately $36 million annually for surgical UET, which accounts for only 2.5% of all episodes, indicating a substantial burden created by the entire cohort. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bance, Sheena | Links, Paul | Evaluation of an Educational Intervention for Employees Exposed to Workplace Trauma | Medical Science | 2011-05-27T17:57:19Z | Introduction: This thesis evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention for Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) employees exposed to a traumatic event at work. Methods: This study used a sequential mixed methods design. The primary outcome was the proportion seeking mental health treatment after an educational intervention (BPI) compared to a group not receiving an educational intervention (TAU). Qualitative interviews aimed to understand what compelled participants to seek help and perceptions of the educational intervention. Results: 60 TAU and 50 BPI participants were recruited. A larger proportion of BPI participants sought specialty mental health treatment compared to the TAU (p=0.034). Reasons for seeking treatment were varied and we found overall positive responses to the educational intervention, particularly normalization of reactions. Conclusions: A greater proportion of those receiving the educational intervention sought help. However, the interviews showed that although the educational intervention was helpful, it was not central to this decision. | MAST | health; | 3 |
| Banerjee, David | Trifonas, Peter | Ideology and Reality: Putting Belief and Behaviour in Context | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-12-17T20:15:26Z | This paper investigates how belief, social power, and ideology work together to create the subjectivities and social structures that guide our behaviour. Phenomena such as cognitive shortcuts, memory, bias, empathy, and dissonance are used to trace the effects of power and ideology on social construction and role-taking behaviour. Research on mass opinion in the United States is then used to identify the effects of information and salience on construction. Different conceptions of ideology and interest, drawn from the work of Hume, Marx, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault, and others were referenced to explore the larger social dynamics of ideas and structures. Academic, ethical, and democratic implications are investigated at different points. The paper concludes by connecting parenting style to moral development in order to find strategies for resisting the tendency towards institutional behaviour. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Banjo, Yetunde | Mirchandani, Kiran | Welcome to Canada! An Inquiry into the Choice of Nursing as a Career among Immigrant Women of Nigerian Origin | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | This thesis investigated the choice of nursing among immigrant women from Nigeria in Canada. I sought to understand why increasing numbers of immigrant women from Nigeria with degrees and professional backgrounds are opting for careers in nursing. The study was conducted through an antiracist feminist lens and uncovered the many dimensions in which African immigrant women encounter marginalization and discrimination in the Canadian labour market, resulting from entrenched norms and values. I placed centre stage the voices of the Nigerian women, and through their narratives found that the decision to change careers was based on barriers they faced, the availability of jobs within nursing, as well as personal perceptions and interactions with other Nigerian women who had successfully changed careers. The conclusion reached is that despite the structural barriers faced, the choice of nursing had overall benefited the women, elevating their status and improving their economic situation. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Banka, John | Karney, Bryan | A RESEARCH PLAN FOR ASSESSING THE POWER AND ENERGY CAPABILITY OF A RIVER NETWORK UNDER AN INTEGRATED WIND/HYDRO–ELECTRIC DISPATCHABLE RÉGIME | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | The world strives for more clean and renewable energy, but the amount of dispatchable energy in river networks is not accurately known and difficult to assess. When wind is integrated with water, the dispatchable yield can be greatly increased, but the uncertainty of the wind further degrades predictability. This thesis demonstrates how simulating the flows is a river network integrated with wind over a long time domain yields a solution. Time-shifting the freshet and pumped storage will ameliorate the seasonal summer drought; the risk of ice jams and uncontrolled flooding is reduced. An artificial market eliminates the issue of surplus energy from wind at night. Furthermore, this thesis shows how the necessary infrastructure can be built to accomplish the goals of the intended research. While specific to Northern Ontario and sensitive to the lives of the Native peoples living there, it indicates where the research might be applicable elsewhere in the world. | M.A.S. | infrastructure; renewable; water; energy | 6, 7, 9 |
| Bannister, Louise | McCrindle, W Brian | Role of Nutrition Support in Energy Delivery and Growth in Children Requiring Heart Transplantation: A Pilot Study | Nutritional Sciences | 2014-11 | Heart transplantation is indicated for children with cardiac disease that is not amenable to medical or surgical interventions. These children are vulnerable to nutritional challenges, yet energy requirements and the role of nutritional interventions are unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate trends in growth, determine energy requirements and identify associations with nutrition support. METHODS: This pilot study followed children from listing for transplant to 6 months posttransplant. RESULTS: 22 subjects (36% male) were enrolled. Of the 14 (64%) transplanted, weight-for-age z-scores improved from listing to endpoint (EST: +0.74 (+0.11; +1.38), p=0.03). Percent predicted resting energy expenditure was not significantly different pre vs. posttransplant. At listing, 68% were tube feeding but oral feeding increased to endpoint (EST: 2.18 [0.97], p=0.02). CONCLUSION: Pretransplant tube feeding is prevalent but catch-up in weight-for-age and transition to oral feeding are achievable posttransplant. Medical complexity impacts growth and energy delivery; however, nutrient and energy requirements require further investigation. | M.Sc. | nutrition; | 2 |
| Bansal, Aiyush | Daskalakis, Zafiris J||Wong, Willy | Pre-TMS Phase of Ongoing EEG Oscillations Modulates Cortical Activity Response at the Prefrontal Cortex | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11 | Background Rhythmic brain activity and its influence on the brain, remains to be elucidated. Our study aimed to evaluate the influence of pre-TMS phase of different rhythms in the brain on the TMS-induced potential (TIP) through TMS-EEG at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Objective To investigate the relationship between pre-TMS phase and TIP. Methods This study involved 19 healthy controls who underwent single pulse TMS at the DLPFC and M1. Alpha (8-13 Hz), beta (14-30 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), and delta (1-3 Hz) were analyzed. Normalized TIP amplitudes were compared at the positive peak (0±30°), negative peak (180±30°), and random phase. Results At the DLPFC, a significant increase was found in AUC25-250 at the peak of the delta rhythm (Mdn=105.6%) compared to the negative peak (Mdn=93.06%), z=3.99, p | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Bansod, Vinita A. | Jaglal, Susan B. | Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARiHS) Framework: Application to the Fracture Fighters Program | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2009-12-16T18:07:40Z | The purpose of this thesis is to apply the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARiHS) framework to a provincial osteoporosis management program to describe unit level factors that may have influenced implementation among participating inpatient rehabilitation units. A toolbox of measures was proposed to operationalize the frameworks elements of evidence, context and facilitation. A cross-sectional survey was completed with clinicians responsible for championing the program and their managers. Results demonstrated that leadership behaviours, organizational climate traits and champion behaviours varied among practice environments indicating that attention to unit level factors outlined by the PARiHS framework could increase the uptake of research evidence in practice. The proposed toolbox could be utilized as a diagnostic and prescriptive tool to identify potential implementation barriers, and guide the selection of appropriate tools/strategies to overcome them. Furthermore, it will enable future studies to provide further empirical support for the PARiHS framework | MAST | health | 3 |
| Barbato, Giuseppina | Perovic, Doug ||Newman, Roger C. | Electrodeposition of Tantalum and Niobium Using Ionic Liquid | Materials Science and Engineering | 2009-12-16T18:13:40Z | Ionic liquids are molten salts with melting points below 100 °C and they consist entirely of cations and anions. The development of ionic liquids, especially air and water stable types, has attracted extensive attention since they have outstanding physical properties. Part I of the study focused on the pre-electrolysis process performed to remove impurities from the ionic liquid, 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium bis(tri-fluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, ([BMP]Tf2N). Part II investigated the electroreduction of TaF5 and NbF5 from room temperature ionic liquid at 100 °C at a wide range of potentials and different time durations for the purpose of determining the optimal conditions for the electrodeposition of tantalum. The study was carried out using potentiostatic polarization for the pre-electrolysis treatments and electrodeposition and cyclic voltammetry to study the behaviour of the liquid at various stages. Potentiostatic depositions were complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy-dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) for characterization of the electrodeposits. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Barchet, David Karl | Kherani, Nazir P | Low-Temperature Ozone Native Oxide – Silicon Nitride Bilayer Passivation of the Silicon Surface | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-11 | Passivation of crystalline silicon is critical for the development of high efficiency, low cost solar cells. The objective of this project is to advance low temperature passivation of silicon substrates for use in photovoltaics and in particular to investigate the recently reported native oxide – silicon nitride bilayer passivation scheme. Specifically, we report on the passivation of silicon using an ozone ambient native oxide – silicon nitride bilayer where the nanometer thin ozone native oxide layer is grown at low temperatures while the silicon nitride layer is deposited at 400oC. Further, we investigate the chemical composition across the crystalline silicon interface. Advanced ion spectroscopy techniques including medium energy ion spectroscopy (MEIS), elastic recoil detection (ERD), and Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) are used to determine the resulting compositional layers on the silicon surface as well as the hydrogen concentration in both the film and underlying crystalline silicon substrate. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Bardon, Emma | Magnusson, Jamie Lynn | Career Goals and Decisions: An Intersectionality Approach | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2013-11-20 | This project explores the career paths to date of seven graduates of the University of Waterloo’s Mechanical Engineering program, and examines the influences that led them to choose their university program. I particularly considered the participants’ status as members of underrepresented or overrepresented groups, using the contexts of the history of the profession of Mechanical Engineering and prior research on underrepresentation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields. I used semi-structured interviews and an intersectionality framework to investigate aspects of identity, interests, and career influences. I found three key themes among the participants: human influences, including information sources, role models, and mentors; influences of educational and outreach activities; and personal interests and aptitudes. I use the uncovered themes to recommend a combination of future studies and outreach programs. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Baril, Jonathan-F. | Cafazzo, Joseph A | The Use of Activity Monitoring and Machine Learning for the Functional Classification of Heart Failure | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-11 | Background: Assessing the functional status of a heart failure patient is a highly subjective task. Objective: This thesis aimed to find an accessible, objective means of assessing the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification (FC) of a patient by leveraging modern machine learning techniques. Methods: We first identified relevant quantitative data and upgraded Medly, a remote patient monitoring system (RPMS), to support data collection. We then proceeded to build six different machine learning classifiers including hidden Markov model, Generalized Linear Model (GLM), random forest and neural network based classifiers. Results: The best overall classifier was found to be a boosted GLM, which achieved a classification performance (Cohen’s Kappa statistic κ=0.73, balanced accuracy=85%) comparable to human level performance (κ=0.75). Conclusions: Although the investigated classifiers are not ready for implementation into a real RPMS, they show promise for making the evaluation of NYHA FC more universally consistent and reliable. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Barkley, Erica Patricia | Smith, Sandy | Insect Communities and Multicohort Stand Structure in Boreal Mixedwood Forests of Northeastern Ontario | Forestry | 2009-12-16T20:34:24Z | Current forest management in boreal northeastern Ontario results in young, even-aged forests; however, fire history research has found old stands with multiple cohorts of trees are common, supporting the value of Multi-cohort Management. I investigated relationships between insect communities and stand live-tree diameter distribution, cohort class and structure. Results showed that variation in abundances of Carabidae, Diapriidae, Diptera and Hymenoptera were not strongly predicted by cohort class. The concept showed greater strength when parameters of live-tree diameter distributions were used. Forest structure, not age, was important for all communities, including heterogeneity of understory and/or overstory vegetation. Trap height was a strong predictor of aerial insect community structure, with insect abundance higher in the understory than in the canopy. In summary, a more diversified classification approach which includes important habitat features in addition to simple characterization of diameter distributions should be considered to better assess forest structural variation and management. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Barnes, Julia Clare | MacDonald, Kenneth | The Fiction of Globally Important Biodiversity: The Production of Scale through the Global Environment Facility’s Biodiversity Policy and Programming | Geography | 2010-12-14T21:01:41Z | The gap observed between the rhetoric and reality of biodiversity conservation draws critical attention to the discourse of conservation and to claims that local and global interests can be balanced. In this work, I suggest that the spatial framing of organized biodiversity conservation inhibits attempts to produce such 'balance'. I examine the processes by which biodiversity conservation projects are brought into being through the discursive production of scale within the institutional framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Using five case studies of projects proposed under the GEF’s operational program for agrobiodiversity, I analyze how the GEF brings actors and sites into relation and engages them in the reproduction of articulations of scale through the GEF project cycle. In so doing, I reveal how the mechanisms that structure conservation projects around global goals systematically undermine the claims of situated resource users and prevent questions of justice from being raised. | MAST | production; environment; conserv; biodiversity; institution; justice | 12, 13, 15, 16 |
| Barr, Caolan | Farish, Matt||Ekers, Michael | Developing Dispossession: Infrastructure, Cultural Production and Legal Discourse in Treaty 3 | Geography | 2018-11 | This thesis examines how dispossession was produced for Anishinaabeg communities of Treaty 3 through interlocking processes of legal discourse, cultural production and development. It traces the genealogical origins of infrastructure through a series of dams built across Northwestern Ontario from 1871 until 1926. In Treaty 3, the discursive foundations for infrastructure and development were laid through a series of expeditions and legal decisions that justified and facilitated settler expansion. Likewise, development involved a set of mutually constitutive and reciprocal forms of epistemic, ontological, symbolic and material violence. In this work, I argue that dispossession is structural to settler colonialism and the defining feature which ties a set of seemingly disparate histories and processes together in Treaty 3. Recognizing gaps in the literature and colonial archive, I call for the development of new practices of inquiry that allow us to provincialize and unsettle the normativity of colonial violence and narratives. | M.A. | production; infrastructure | 9 |
| Barr, Graham Andrew Burch | Lemmens, Trudo | Disingenuous or Novel? An Examination of Apology Legislation in Canada | Law | 2009-12-16T18:19:18Z | This Thesis provides an analysis of Apology Legislation in Canada, more specifically focusing on its influence on Canadian Courts & Contracts of Insurance. Apology legislation, as an amendment to the Evidence Act of a province or a stand-alone piece of legislation, was created to restrict the admissibility of acts or words of remorse or benevolence given by one person to another. Apology Legislation in Canada is said to be a positive measure on the road to making the justice system more accessible, affordable and effective. This piece will explore the framework of Apology Legislation in several common law jurisdictions, leading to an examination of the socio-economic and legal benefits it is purported to confer. This Thesis will also consider legal and policy changes that could help to alleviate the burden on the judicial system while contributing to the creation of a safer and more sustainable health care system in Canada. | MAST | health; justice | 3, 16 |
| Barrero Jaramillo, Diana Michelle | Gaztambide-Fernández, Rubén A | Gap-Talk: How the “Achievement Gap” Reproduces Settler Colonial Constructions of Race within the Ontario Public School System | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-06 | The purpose of this study is to explore how the discourse of “achievement gaps” operates within settler colonialism. This study approached critical policy analysis (CPA) through a settler colonial theoretical lens and Critical Race Theory. Together, these theoretical frameworks provide a more comprehensive understanding of the ways in which racism and settler colonialism operate within schools and education institutions. By using critical discourse analysis (CDA), I looked at documents from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) addressing the achievement and opportunity gaps. This analysis shows how these documents construct the notion of achievement as racialized in a way that upholds white settler property rights. The discourse of achievement gaps functions as a settler technology to include/exclude individuals simultaneously into the settler sector of the population. These findings have significant implications for those in educational policy research and practice interested in examining and addressing issues of power and inequality. | M.A. | educat; equality; inequality; institution; rights | 4, 5, 16 |
| Barter, Corina Hillary | Wakefield, Sarah | Slaughterhouse Rules: Declining Abattoirs and the Politics of Food Safety Regulation in Ontario | Geography | 2014-11 | In Ontario, farmers wishing to sell their meat locally must have their livestock slaughtered at a provincially-inspected abattoir. While this type of infrastructure plays an essential role in local food supply chains, its significance is often overlooked. Large numbers of these slaughterhouses have been closing in recent years. This thesis investigates this trend by conducting a series of in-depth interviews with stakeholders in order to determine why abattoirs have been closing so rapidly. It reveals that a variety of factors contribute to abattoir decline, including provincial regulation designed to ensure food safety. The food safety rules, which are increasingly aligned with global standards, tend to present a significant financial burden for these businesses. This research concludes that efforts to address this decline could be more effective if the scope of risk analysis were broadened so as to incorporate other values, including those associated with localized food systems. | M.A. | infrastructure; food | 2, 9 |
| Barth, Lauren Emily | Sprules, William Gary | Surface Winds Affect the Movement of Water Currents and Entrained Zooplankton in a Depth Specific Manner | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-06-24 | We deployed depth-specific drifters in the western and eastern parts of the South Arm basin of Lake Opeongo and collected zooplankton samples at west and east fixed stations and at additional up- and downwind locations at three depths of the epilimnion under a range of wind conditions. Water currents had highest association with the immediate wind direction and the direction they travelled was dependent on wind strength. Along the main west-east fetch large zooplankton resided high in the epilimnion and were transported eastwards by strong surface currents where they accumulated. Small zooplankton were more uniformly distributed with depth and their accumulation patterns and transport mechanisms are less clear. Along shorter fetches oriented off-angle with the main one accumulations of zooplankton occurred at all downwind locations under heavy winds although the patterns are more variable and complex. These downwind accumulations likely create high quality habitat for warm water fish. | MAST | water; wind; fish | 6, 7, 14 |
| Bartlett, Mackenzie Cole | Krkosek, Martin | Minihumps: Characterizing a Coastal British Columbia Kokanee Population Recently Derived due to Anthropogenic Environmental Change | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-11 | Sockeye Salmon have high levels of intraspecific diversity exhibiting multiple life histories and forms that allow it to make use of diverse and dynamic environments. Kokanee is the freshwater resident form of Sockeye Salmon. The Mini Hump Creek kokanee population, which inhabits a coastal lake in British Columbia, shares morphological features similar to the unique Black kokanee ecotype found in three populations from Japan and British Columbia. Unlike black kokanee, Mini Hump Creek kokanee spawn in shallow creeks. The evolution of the Mini Hump kokanee life history and morphological traits are potentially a response to environmental changes including water level changes and barriers to migration, which originated with logging and dam building in the 20th century. Genetic analysis using microsatellites confirms that the population clusters with other coastal kokanee in British Columbia, yet is genetically distinct from the coastal kokanee populations and is independent from other black kokanee populations. | M.Sc. | environment; water | 6, 13 |
| Bartlett, Tiffany Anne | Feuerverger, Grace | Teaching Teachers to Teach Peace: A Reflective Pre-service Case Study | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2009-12-14T15:52:56Z | This thesis explores the relationships between pre-service teacher training, peace education, anti-racism education, gender equity education and conflict resolution. Specifically, this study investigates the mandatory School and Society course within the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, to explore peace education training within the pre-service teacher education program. The methodology employed involves the combination of a curriculum analysis and reflective case study; both are utilized to illustrate the author’s experiences as a pre-service student, and the training received during this program. The findings illustrate that components of a peace education curriculum are observable in the Initial Teacher Education program. There is however, no formal requirement for delivering peace education within the program. As a result, this thesis offers recommendations for the development of formal peace education training in OISE/UT’s pre-service program. | MAST | educat; gender; | 4, 5 |
| Bartosik, Anna Maria | GagnĂŠ, Antoinette | International Students' Perceptions of Factors Affecting Academic Success in Post-Secondary Studies | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-11 | This multiple case study examines international students’ perceptions of factors affecting academic success in post-secondary institutions in southern Ontario. The study used snowball sampling and a semi-structured interview format. Various factors in the literature, which are used as a framework for this thesis, demonstrate an influence on international students’ academic preparedness and success. They include: proficiency tests, length of time in host country, prior learning experience, acculturation, tolerance of ambiguity, and motivation. Other factors influencing students’ academic success are EAP programs, faculty and students’ own perceptions of academic preparedness and needs, international student centres, communication with domestic students, and immigration plans. The study revealed that, in addition to the listed factors, participants also identified mental health and identity as influencing factors. The study addresses the gap in existing research by providing a college setting for international students from various nationalities, in a Canadian context, studying in a range of post-secondary programs. | M.A. | EDUCAT | 4 |
| Basheir, Andre | Walcott, Rinaldo | Indo-Caribbean African-isms: Blackness in Guyana and South Africa | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2013-07-10 | In an attempt to close the gaps between diaspora and regional studies an Afro-Asian comparative perspective on African and Indian identity will be explored in the countries of Guyana and South Africa. The overlying aim of the ethnographic research will be to see whether blackness can be used as a unifier to those belonging to enslaved and indentured diasporas. Comparisons will be made between the two race models of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean worlds. A substantial portion will be set aside for a critique of the concept of Coolitude including commentary on V.S. Naipaul. Further, mixing, creolization, spirituality and the cultural politics of Black Consciousness, multiculturalism, and dreadlocks will be exemplified as AfroAsian encounters. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Bashir, Nadia Yasmine | Lockwood, Penelope ||Chasteen, Alison L. | "Green" Doesn't Always Make Good Impressions: Evaluations of Different Types of Environmentalists | Psychology | 2012-12-03 | In the present research, I examined individuals' evaluative responses toward traditional representations of environmentalists (e.g., tree-huggers and radical activists) as well as less typical but more mainstream environmentalists. Undergraduate students read about one of three types of environmentalists (i.e., radical activist, tree-hugger, or mainstream environmentalist). Participants then rated the extent to which they liked the individual they read about. Results revealed that participants evaluated the tree-hugger and radical activist less favourably than a typical student. In contrast, participants responded as favourably toward the mainstream environmentalist as they did toward a typical student. These findings indicate that individuals have distinct impressions of different types of environmentalists: Whereas mainstream environmentalists may receive favourable evaluations from individuals, stereotypical environmentalists may elicit negative reactions and even alienate members of the public. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Bashiri, Amir | Ng, Dominic | Cholesterol Plays a Crucial Role in High-fat-diet Induced ER stress and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease | Physiology | 2014-11 | By comparing C57 mice with two dyslipidemic models, LDL-receptor null (LDLR-/-) and LCAT/LDL-receptor null mice (LCAT-/-xLDLR-/-), our lab showed an observation of ER-membrane cholesterol being necessary to modulate ER-stress in a high-cholesterol-diet feeding paradigm. Here, we hypothesized that hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis plays an important role in mediating high-fat-diet-induced hepatic ER stress and NAFLD. In vivo, we fed C57, LDLR-/-, LCAT-/-xLDLR-/- mice a high-fat-diet for 16 weeks. Markers for hepatic ER-stress, cholesterol biosynthesis, ER-cholesterol, NAFLD and inflammasome were measured. High-fat-diet feeding induced ER-stress, NAFLD, cholesterol biosynthesis, NLRP3 activation and ER-membrane cholesterol accumulation in both C57 and LDLR-/- mice, while LCAT-/-xLDLR-/- mice were protected. In vitro, HepG2 cells were treated with palmitate overnight with/without zaragozic acid (ZA), to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis. Treatment with palmitate induced ER-stress, cholesterol biosynthesis and NLRP3 activation, which were abrogated by ZA treatment. These findings implicate the role of cholesterol in nutritional excess-induced hepatic metabolic complications. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Basic, Goran Jurisa | Barfoot, Timothy D. | Power-scavenging Tumbleweed Rover | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2010-12-14T21:15:17Z | Most current space robotics vehicles use solar energy as their prime energy source. In spherical robotic vehicles the use of solar cells is very restricted. Focusing on the particular problem, an improved method to generate electrical power will be developed; the innovation is the use of an internal pendulum-generator mechanism to generate electrical power while the ball is rolling. This concept will enable spherical robots on future long-duration planetary exploration missions. Through a developed proof-of-concept prototype, inspired by the Russian thistle plant, or tumbleweed, this thesis will demonstrate power generation capabilities of such a mechanism. Furthermore, it will also present and validate a parametric analytical model that can be used in future developments as a design tool to quantify power and define design parameters. The same model was used to define the design parameters and power generation capabilities of such a system in Martian environment. | MAST | energy; solar; innovation; | 7, 9 |
| Baskaran, Sivani | Wania, Frank | Model-based Exploration of the Variability in Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) BAFs caused by Physiology and Trophic Relationships | Chemistry | 2018-06 | Because eating fish is often a major vector of human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), much effort is directed towards a quantitative understanding of fish bioaccumulation using mechanistic models. Many such models fail to consider how uptake and loss rate constants relate to fish physiology. Here, we calculate the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of hypothetical POPs, with octanol-water partition coefficients values ranging from 104.5 to 108.5, in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), with a food web bioaccumulation model that uses bioenergetics to ensure that physiological parameters applied to a species are internally consistent and energetically balanced. Fish in six Canadian lakes were modelled to understand what causes the BAFs of differently sized lake trout to vary between and within lakes. Lake trout activity, diet composition, prey contamination levels and the fraction of the total energy intake spent on growth were found to affect the bioaccumulation potential of chemicals. | M.Sc. | fish; pollut; energy; water; food | 2, 14 |
| Bastawrous, Marina | Cameron, Jill | When Daughters become Caregivers to a Parent who has Suffered a Stroke: A Qualitative Exploration of how the Parent-to-child Relationship is Associated with Caregiver Well Being | Rehabilitation Science | 2011-12-01 | Rationale: Many community-dwelling stroke survivors receive care from their family, often daughters. However, we lack in-depth information on the caregiver/care-recipient relationship and its impact on adult daughter caregivers (ADCs). Objective: To systematically review the caregiving literature and qualitatively explore the pre-and post-stroke parent-to-child relationship and its association with ADCs’ well being. Method: A qualitative descriptive methodology used in-depth interviews of 23 ADCs. Analyses generated themes. Findings: Four themes were revealed: 1) The pre-stroke ADC-to-parent relationship is associated with the decision to take on the caregiving role; 2) Changes in the parent-to-child relationship occur as a result of providing care; 3) Changes to an ADC’s relationships with others arises from providing care to a parent and 4) Changes to caregiver lifestyle, outlook and physical and emotional well being arise from caregiving. Conclusion: There is a need for interventions that focus on role strains and issues related to relationship loss. | MAST | well being | 3 |
| Bastidas, Ruth Daniela Mantilla | Gérin-Lajoie, Diane | A Critical Exploration of Parent Involvement in Latin American Parents in Toronto | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-08-11 | This study explores the conceptions and practices of parent involvement in education that exist among Latin American families with students in Toronto Schools. The individual and collective life histories of 3 immigrant families from Latin America were collected in order to understand how parents and students conceive of parents’ role the education of their children. The findings of this research demonstrate that families’ conceptions are much broader and expansive than what is currently defined as parent involvement within policy and practice in Ontario and are informed by their educational trajectory in their home country and throughout the migration process and their ideas on education. This research serves to shed light on the experiences of Latin American families in their interactions with educational institutions and gives voice to their experiences, ideas and aspirations in their new home. | MAST | educat; | 4 |
| Bastien, Véronique | Trebilcock, Michael | Developing Countries and Challenges of Climate Change-related PPMs within WTO Institutions | Law | 2013-11-21 | I present the current state of the debate surrounding processes and production methods (PPMs) related to climate change in the context of developing countries and their relationship with the WTO institutions, both the dispute settlement bodies and the committees. The analysis first outlines a topography of PPMs and three interconnected features: their economic feature, their public policy objectives and their extraterritorial nature. It then examines the consistency of PPMs with the principle of national treatment under WTO law and assesses how the WTO institutions have dealt with the conflictual nexus of climate change and trade as reflected in PPMs. Using three contemporary case studies of climate change related PPMs, I illustrate the effectiveness, and lack thereof, of the WTO institutions on this matter. Lastly, I explore developing countries’ participation in the WTO institutions in regard to climate change PPMs. | MAST | institution; climate; production; trade | 8, 10, 13, 16 |
| Batsos, Constantine | Quiñonez, Carlos | Dental Treatment Workload and Cost of Newly Enrolled Personnel in the Canadian Forces | Dentistry | 2010-12-14T21:16:35Z | Aim: To describe and analyze the demographic profile and the dental treatment needs, workload and costs of the 2007 and 2008 CF recruit population (N=10,641). Method: Treatment procedures and costs were aggregated and calculated, beginning from the date of a member’s enrolment, over a period that ranged between 13 to 36 months. Associations between treatment services and the demographic variables were tested using one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests. Independent samples T-test was used to compare means. Linear regression models were used to determine the influence of demographic variables on treatment cost. Results: Treatment needs and costs varied with recruit age, gender, rank, first language (French/English), birthplace (Canada/Foreign), tobacco use, province and census tract. The cost of treatment for the entire population was $13.9M. Mean cost per recruit was $1224 over an average period of 26 months. Outsource costs ($2.9M) were driven by referrals for restorative, endodontic and oral surgery procedures. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Battram, Nicholas | Simpson, Myrna J. | Organic Matter Biomarker Fingerprinting of Glacial Deposits | Chemistry | 2013-07-11 | The goal of this thesis was to test the applicability of biomarker analyses to better understand the glacial stratigraphic record of the Hudson Bay Lowlands and Oak Ridges Moraine. A biomarker analysis conducted on three geologic deposits from the Hudson Bay Lowlands showed that they can be differentiated based on organic matter (OM) inputs and stage of diagenesis, relating to paleoclimate and depositional environments. In the second study, a biomarker analysis was applied to samples from ten deposits in the Oak Ridges Moraine. These deposits were differentiated based on OM inputs relating to paleovegetation. Additionally, reincorporation and post-deposition alteration led to sample heterogeneity confirming the current understanding of glacial depositional processes and environments. This thesis shows that biomarker analyses can effectively differentiate and contextualize geologic deposits based on OM inputs and stage of diagenesis. This in turn will provide a more robust understanding of the stratigraphic record. | MAST | climate; environment | 13 |
| Bautista, Jennifer Anne | Novak, Alison C | The Effect of Walkway Incline Angle on Balance Control in Healthy Older Adults and Ankle Foot Orthosis Wearers with Lower Motor Neuron Pathologies | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-11 | Navigating a slope carries additional demands compared to level ground, that may be amplified in older adults or individuals with mobility impairments. This study intends to understand the effect of walkway incline angle on balance control in healthy older adults and ankle foot orthosis (AFO) wearers. Twelve healthy older adults (>60 years of age) and four AFO wearers (>60 years of age) ascended and descended slopes ranging from 0° to 8°. AFO wearers completed the protocol with and without their AFOs. Older adults and AFO wearers had a minimum margin of stability that was larger during descent and less during ascent. AFO wearers walked more cautiously, with a wider stance and larger margin of stability in the anterior direction. The results may provide clinicians with information on how orthosis use affects dynamic balance during sloped gait and provides a basis for future work informing environmental design. | M.Sc. | innovation | 9 |
| Baxter, Jo-Anna Bernadette | Zlotkin, Stanley||Roth, Daniel | Preference and Acceptability of Alternative Delivery Vehicles for Prenatal Calcium Supplementation among Pregnant Women in Bangladesh | Nutritional Sciences | 2013-11 | In populations with low dietary calcium intake, prenatal calcium supplementation is recommended by the WHO to decrease the risk of hypertensive diseases of pregnancy. This study evaluated preference and acceptability for four different calcium delivery vehicles (conventional tablets, chewable tablets, unflavoured powder, and flavoured powder) among pregnant women in urban Bangladesh. Participants (n=132) completed a 4-day run-in period in which each vehicle was sampled once, followed by a 21-day selection period during which participants were free to select a vehicle of their choice on each day. The probability that participants selected the conventional tablets was greatest (62%), followed by chewable tablets (19%), flavoured powder (12%), unflavoured powder (5%), and no delivery vehicle (2%). The present assessment of participants’ actual supplement use and expressed perceptions of acceptability suggested that a tablet formulation is likely to be the most appropriate calcium delivery vehicle for future use in field studies and scale-up planning. | MAST | health; WOMEN | 3, 5 |
| Baxter, Matthew | Acosta, Edgar | Surfactant and Adhesive Formulations from Alkaline Biomass Extracts | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-11-15 | This work studies the ability to produce effective surfactant and adhesive formulations using surface active biological material extracted from different biomass sources using alkaline extraction methods. Two urban waste biomass sources were used to produce surfactants, Return Activated Sludge (RAS), and solid Urban Refuse (UR). The third biomass source investigated was isolated mustard protein (MP). RAS and MP extracts were investigated for adhesive production. The results indicate that extracts from the waste biomass sources, RAS and UR, can be combined with a commercial surfactant, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT), to produce surfactants with low interfacial tensions against various oils. These highly surface-active formulations were shown to be useful in the removal of bitumen from contaminated sand. RAS and MP showed potential as protein-based wood adhesives. These sources were used in adhesive formulations to produce a strong bond strength under low-pressure, ambient pressing conditions. | MAST | waste; ; urban | 12, 13 |
| Baykara, Yuce | Dubber, Markus | Aquitted with an Asterisk: Implementing the "New Double Jeopardy" Exception into Canadian Law | Law | 2012-11-20 | Since the end of the 20th century the protection better known to all as double jeopardy has been under attack. With public pressure put on the United Kingdom government to address individuals who had been acquitted of violent crimes, the Labour government implemented a radical overhaul of common law criminal procedural protections. The reform created an exception to double jeopardy, allowing re-prosecution of acquitted individuals. Many of the commonwealth countries starting with Australia took the U.K. exceptions and adopted them into their own criminal justice systems. This paper is going to look at the exception created, and the factors that lead to the bypass of such a critical legal protection throughout the commonwealth nations. Then analyze the current state of double jeopardy in Canada to determine if such and exception is needed; or if any factors from the exception can be adapted to strengthen the Canadian criminal justice system. | MAST | labour; justice | 8, 16 |
| Beaulieu, Teresa | Stewart, Suzanne | Exploring Indigenous and Western therapeutic integration: Perspectives and experiences of Indigenous Elders | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-08-11 | The purpose of this study was to document the perspectives and experiences of five Indigenous Elders on the potential for Indigenous and Western healing paradigms and practices to be integrated in mental health service delivery for Indigenous peoples. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with each participant, and a narrative analysis was used to generate research themes and findings. Results indicated that all five Elders perceived a potential for Indigenous and Western approaches and practitioners to work collaboratively together in the future, and Elders reported varying levels of experience with integrated healthcare delivery. However, all five Elders identified numerous issues requiring attention and steps to be taken prior to integrated practice taking place. These included the need to reclaim Indigenous knowledge, an acceptance and respect for Indigenous knowledge and practices by the Western healthcare system, and the need for increased and formalized education related to Indigenous knowledge and healing approaches. | MAST | educat; health | 3, 4 |
| Beca, Jaclyn | Hoch, Jeffrey ||Khan, Kamran | Should Hepatitis B Screening Be Added to the United States Immigration Medical Exam? A Cost-utility Model | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-12-14T21:20:40Z | Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global leading cause of death as a result of its role in the development of cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In industrialized nations such as the United States, chronic hepatitis B infection represents a significant and disproportionate disease burden among the foreign-born population. A Markov cohort decision model was developed to determine the cost-effectiveness of HBV screening among new immigrants for the purposes of early detection and treatment, as compared to usual care. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for the screening strategy was $45,570 per quality adjusted life year saved. Given the potential for health gains for the immigrant cohort as well as the economic attractiveness of the intervention, some consideration should be given to the addition of a universal HBV screening program to U.S. immigration policy. | MAST | health; industr | 3, 9 |
| Bechard, Lauren Elizabeth | Black, Sandra E | Physical Activity Participation in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease. | Rehabilitation Science | 2017-11 | This document explores how older adults with cognitive impairment and their caregivers experience and perceive physical activity (PA) and their health beliefs concerning PA. Ten care dyads, consisting of one community-dwelling adult aged 65 years or older diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild-to-moderate Alzheimerâ s Disease (AD) and one familial caregiver, were selected to participate in this qualitative study. Information on weekly PA levels, apathy, and apathy-associated distress were collected using questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the PA experiences, beliefs, and perceptions of dyad members. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts yielded four emergent themes: (1) PA as a meaningful activity, (2) Feeling is more important than thinking, (3) Participation is possible despite dementia, and (4) Caregivers as enablers. Findings from this thesis address a current gap in the literature concerning the value and use of PA for health promotion by older adults with cognitive impairment. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Beck, Kristen K. | Finkelstein, Sarah A. | A Holocene Paleolimnological Record from the Turkey Lakes Watershed Long-term Monitoring Site in Central Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2013-07-11 | A Holocene lake sediment record spanning 7300 years from Wishart Lake, in the Turkey Lakes Watershed central Ontario, was produced to determine the main drivers of long-term change in the lake ecosystem. The mid-Holocene sediments are dominated by benthic diatoms, around 4000 yrs BP, diatoms in the genera Cyclotella and Tabellaria increase. Comparisons with nearby pollen records show that changes in local vegetation and diatom assemblages occurred synchronously, suggesting a response to nutrient changes caused by vegetation succession. The most recent sediments, dated using activity of 210Pb and the Ambrosia pollen rise, show increases in planktonic Cyclotella spp., particularly around the Ambrosia rise (1880 AD). Thus, the diatom changes in the recent sediments suggest a response to multiple stressors. However, due to some buffering capacity in watershed soil, recent acidification of the lake has not taken place despite nearby industrial air pollution, tracked since 1980 by an on-site monitoring program. | MAST | water; industr; pollut | 6, 9, 12 |
| Becker, Alexander | Kronzucker, Herbert | The Involvement of Aquaporins in Ammonia/Ammonium Transport across Root Cell Membranes of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2011-05-27T18:52:04Z | Using the short-lived radiotracer 13N, we examined the hypothesis that toxic, futile ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+) fluxes at high external concentrations are mediated by ammonia-transporting aquaporins in roots of intact barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants. Effects of the aquaporin inhibitors zinc, copper, mercury, gold, silver, hydrogen peroxide, propionic acid, and nitrogen gas supported this hypothesis. Further tests with these inhibitors showed that changes in plant water potential and water content could be linked to NH3/NH4+ fluxes. An increase in external pH, causing an increase of NH3 in the nutrient solution, resulted in large increases of 13N influx, which can only be explained in energetic terms if the transported solute is neutrally charged. Taken together, the evidence here strongly supports the proposed hypothesis. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Becker, Sarah | Dubber, Markus | A Glimpse into the Future? The Current, Potential, and Appropriate Role of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Evidence as a Predictor of Dangerousness in the American Criminal Sentencing Context | Law | 2013-11-21 | Research suggests there are neurological predictors of violence, such as brain function abnormalities most frequently displayed by violent offenders who may suffer from a psychological phenomenon termed “psychopathy.” Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can detect signs of some of these brain abnormalities. Neurological markers of violence, evident in a convicted individual’s fMRI results, could speak to that offender’s tendency to act violently in the future. Can fMRI play a meaningful role in estimating recidivism rates and in sentencing? Even if fMRI evidence meets legal thresholds for use in sentencing, should it be employed in light of many concerns, such as reliability, as the implications of predicting an individual’s dangerousness based on fMRI evidence are substantial, especially in the context of defendant rights. Moreover, neurological indicators of violence may undermine a holistic approach to sentencing that considers the convicted individual’s particular story. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Begaliyev, Rinat | Alarie, Benjamin | Income Tax Treatment of Credit Swaps in Canada: Enhancing Tax Neutrality | Law | 2009-12-16T18:24:13Z | This study examines the issue of tax neutrality of the income tax treatment of credit swaps in Canada in domestic context. It analyzes the applicable tax regime consisting of rules on tax characterization, timing and tax rates through the lenses of symmetry, consistency and certainty approaches. The study argues that the Canadian tax policy focuses on achieving symmetry in income tax treatment, rather than consistency. This is because introducing consistency would contradict the fundamental principles of the Canadian law. The study finds that the current tax regime is only partially neutral because symmetry has not been achieved in respect to credit swaps entered between non-financial organizations. To enhance symmetry, the study proposes to adopt a mandatory mark-to-market basis of taxation of credit swaps for the non-financial organizations. Further, to make income tax treatment more certain, the study proposes that the CRA should issue a non-binding guidance on credit swaps. | MAST | taxation | 10 |
| Behdinan, Tina | Voineskos, Aristotle N | Dissecting Shared and Unique Neural Circuitry Underlying Negative Symptoms, Social Cognition, and Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia | Medical Science | 2015-11 | Schizophrenia is a devastating illness with significant disability and poor long-term clinical and functional outcome. Negative symptoms and social cognitive impairments are two key symptom domains that affect functional outcome in schizophrenia. This thesis explores the shared and unique neural circuitry related to negative symptoms, social cognition, and functional outcome in schizophrenia. In study one, the relationship between white matter fractional anisotropy, negative symptoms, and functional outcome in schizophrenia participants was investigated. Study two includes a broad sample of patient and healthy control populations, which is in line with the RDoC methodology. In this study, the relationship between white matter tracts implicated in functional outcome and social cognitive domains was investigated in a sample of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and healthy control participants on a continuum of social cognitive performance. Taken together, these studies elucidate circuitry that may be impaired in schizophrenia, and may represent neurobiological correlates of negative symptoms, social cognition, and functional outcome. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Behrooz, Elahe | Chvartszaid, David||Azarpazhooh, Amir | A Retrospective Analysis of Multiple Dental Implant Failures | Dentistry | 2019-11 | Purpose: To identify and compare possible risk indicators associated with failure of multiple versus single dental implants Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with more than one implant who had experienced biological failure of one or more implants at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (January 1979 to June 2018). Data was used to identify possible factors associated with multiple dental implant failures and compare these factors between individuals with single and multiple implant failures. Associations between various factors and multiple implant failure were reported. Results: Excluding history of implant failure, the following factors were found to be associated with MIF: machined surfaces, post-operative infections, presence of certain prostheses opposing the implant, periodontitis, alcohol consumption, history of chemotherapy, and use of antidepressants. Conclusions: Provision of implant-based care for patients presenting with factors associated with multiple implant failure should be undertaken with caution. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bell, Andrew James Stewart Blaney | Thomson, Murray J. | Design of a Catalytic Combustor for Pure Methanol and HTPEM Fuel Cell Anode Waste Gas | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-07-24 | Transportation sector CO2 emissions contribute to global warming. Methanol generated from clean energy sources has been proposed as a transportation fuel as an alternative to gasoline or diesel to reduce emissions. Catalytic methanol-steam reformers can be combined with high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (HTPEM) fuel cell systems to create compact electrical power modules which run on liquid methanol. These modules combine the efficiency of a fuel cell system with the convenience of using a traditional, liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Catalytic methanol-steam reformers require a heat source as the methanol-steam reforming process is endothermic. The heat source for this system will initially be from the catalytic combustion of either pure methanol, during startup, or from HTPEM fuel cell anode waste gas during system operation. Efficient use of catalyst requires effective premixing of the fuel and air. This study will investigate parameters affecting premixing and their effect on temperature distributions and emissions. | MAST | energy; waste; global warming | 7, 12, 13 |
| Bellin, Ashley R. | Gilbert, Richard E | The Impact of Catalytically Inactive Sirt1 on Age-Associated Cardio-Renal Dysfunction | Medical Science | 2017-11 | Aging is one key risk factor that leads to kidney and cardiovascular disease; however, little is known about the pathogenesis of these age-related disorders. One potential target is the Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) enzyme, which has been shown to mediate health span extension. While Sirt1 activation may attenuate the aging process, we hypothesized that a reduction in Sirt1 activity will accelerate age-related cardio-renal disease. Wild type mice were compared with Sirt1Y/Y mice, known to have undetectable Sirt1 catalytic activity, at 4 weeks and 14 months of age. Compared to their wild type counterparts, Sirt1Y/Y mice had lower glomerular filtration rates, fewer glomeruli, and abnormal measures of cardiac contractility. Interestingly, diminished Sirt1 activity during development plays a role in glomerular endowment. These catalytically inactive Sirt1 mice also provide a model of cardiac aging. Therefore, strategies that increase Sirt1 activity may provide a new approach to treating cardio-renal disease. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Belore, Melanie | Kidd, Bruce ||Donnelly, Peter | "Young Women Growing Graciously": Considering Sport, Gender and Development in Diasporic Space | Exercise Sciences | 2011-12-01 | This thesis aims to expand our understanding of the relationship between gender, sport and development. Specifically, it asks 1) how a sport, gender and development program is conceptualized and deployed by members of a young Somali-Canadian women’s group in Toronto, Canada and 2) if female participation in sport is thought to contribute to new gender norms, roles and relationships within such a diaspora community. Working within a postcolonial/transnational feminist framework, the thesis utilizes focus group interviews and engages with issues of power, representation and knowledge production. The findings shed light on the influences that have both informed and constrained this particular community initiative, as well as the possibilities and limitations of using sport to negotiate new gender norms, roles and relationships within the Somali diaspora. In conclusion, several recommendations are made to researchers and practitioners invested in the burgeoning field of international sport for development. | MAST | gender; women; | 5 |
| Beltempo, Christopher André | Hansen, Jorn S. | Cost Based Design Optimization of a Laminated Plate | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2009-02-24T15:07:22Z | The focus of this thesis is to introduce a proof-of-concept illustrating the integration of cost and performance as primary design drivers for structural design. Of particular interest to the aerospace industry is laminated structural design, therefore an example problem of a laminated plate structure is selected. This problem presents two primary challenges: linking cost in as general a way as possible to the design variables, and dealing with the many discrete design options available in a laminated plate. The first issue is examined by using a theoretical cost model for advanced composite fabrication and using a Direct Operating Cost model. The second issue is addressed using a gradient based optimization algorithm and a Discrete Material Optimization (DMO) method, which is typically used in topology optimization of structures. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Bemby, Spandan | Leon-Garcia, Alberto | Orchestration over Heterogeneous Infrastructures | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | The future cloud ecosystem will be very diverse. On account of differences in offerings, prices, and locations, resource allocations may span multiple public cloud providers and include private resource pools in the form of virtual customer premise edges. Additionally,future applications will require more powerful networking paradigms like software-defined networking (SDN), which provide a centralized and fine-grained view of the network. When considering private resource pools, we must extend the notion of SDN to other resource types and consider software-defined infrastructure (SDI)- a resource management approach that converges the management of heterogeneous resource types and provides a centralized view over all resources. This work proposes Vino, a system for managing resources in heterogeneous domains (public and private clouds) as well as orchestration over these heterogeneous infrastructures. Additionally, Vino enables SDI capabilities on arbitrary clouds by leveraging overlay networks. We design, prototype and evaluate the Vino system, capable of handling the aforementioned tasks. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Benedikt, Dahlia | Simon, Robert | Shomeric Islands: Youth Forming Critical Pedagogies in the New Millennium | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-06 | This research engages Toronto youth in explorative discussions on the educational community framework of the Hashomer Hatzair socialist Jewish youth movement, as an approach to critical pedagogy conducted by and for young people. Employing a practitioner inquiry methodology, the study positions movement members as insiders and knowledgeable practitioners of their common context who engage with central questions related to education and social organization, including raising critically equipped leaders with a drive to incite change. Presented as a multilayered narrative that weaves together community dialogues, the study begins with an illustration of the movement’s modal features, and subsequently documents reflections among Hashomer Hatzair youth educators on their work to move beyond existing arrangements of educational practice in the modern neoliberal era. Findings reveal the significance of centring youth and others from the periphery as seasoned critical partners in fostering local change and resistance. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Beniwal, Divyam | Andrews, Robert C | Ozone/Peroxide Advanced Oxidation in Combination with Biofiltration for Taste and Odour Control and Organics Removal | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Ozone (O3) prior to biofiltration can be an effective treatment strategy to achieve multiple drinking water quality goals. These goals include primary disinfection, improved removal of biodegradable organic carbon (generated as a result of ozonation), and oxidation of geosmin and MIB. However, O3 efficiency is dependent on source water characteristics, which impacts performance. This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of advanced oxidation incorporating O3 and hydrogen peroxide/ozone (H2O2/O3) with biofiltration (containing biologically active carbon (BAC) and anthracite) for geosmin and MIB control and disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor reduction. Application of 0.2 H2O2/O3 (mg/mg) prior to BAC resulted in optimal MIB and geosmin removal, especially in cold-water conditions (T = 10°C). In warmer temperatures (22°C), BAC alone was a suitable treatment technology for both geosmin and MIB. In terms of DBP precursor reduction, 0.1 H2O2/O3 (mg/mg) in combination with BAC was found to be the most effective treatment strategy with 37% THM and 10% HAA precursor reductions. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Bennett, Sarah | McDougall, Douglas | Benefits and Challenges of Teacher Professional Learning in a Mathematics Intervention Study in the Early Years (JK-Grade 2) | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | Research shows spatial reasoning and an early start to mathematics are key predictors of later school success. This thesis explores educator learning in a professional learning intervention study, focusing on spatial reasoning tasks. A team of JK-Grade 2 teachers, early childhood educators and a math coach spent time implementing a series of playful, research-developed spatial reasoning tasks in mathematics. Educator learning throughout this process was considered, with particular focus on two cases: a kindergarten teacher and a math coach. Results indicate several benefits to educator learning, including learning by observing children, through implementation of research-developed tasks, about mathematics content, and through personal reflection. The co-creation of tasks was highlighted as extremely important for educator learning. It is important for educators to co-create tasks instead of simply implementing existing ones. This intervention study also highlighted some challenges of teacher professional learning, including time, administrator support, educator perceptions and implementation of tasks. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Benoit, Anita | Loutfy, Mona | Association between Stress and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among Women Living with HIV in Toronto, Ontario: Assessment of Correlates, Mediation and Moderation | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-03 | This cross-sectional study sought to: "Determine the association between stress, depression and ART adherence among women living with and accessing care for HIV in Toronto, Ontario, between 2007 and 2012". Using OCS data, logistic regression models were used to identify covariates of (≥95%) adequate adherence and mediators and moderators in the association between stress and adherence. Among 307 women, 34.5% and 65.5% had poor and adequate adherence, respectively. Women with poor versus adequate adherence had more reports of hazardous alcohol use, stress events and depressive symptoms. No hazardous alcohol use (aOR=2.20, 95%CI:1.12-4.32) and fewer stress events (aOR=0.56, 95%CI:0.33-0.94) were associated with increased odds of adequate adherence. The association between environmental stress and adequate adherence was attenuated among women ≤35 years (aOR=0.73, 95%CI:0.56-0.94) versus ≥45 years (aOR=0.51, 95%CI:0.34-0.77). Interventions to improve adherence and ensure levels ≥95% must address stress and promote adaptive coping strategies to reduce or eliminate hazardous alcohol use. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Bensimon, Kira | Lanctôt, Krista | The Inflammatory and Neuroanatomical Factors Involved in Post-stroke Depression | Pharmacology | 2013-11-21 | This cross-sectional study examined neurobiologic correlates of depression in ischemic stroke patients. Depression severity was measured with a standardized scale (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; CES-D). Eighty-two patients (53.1% male, mean (± SD) age 71.9 ± 14.2 years, mean (± SD) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 4.6±4.7, mean (± SD) CES-D score 12.6 ± 10.8) were recruited. A linear regression controlling for age and stroke severity (NIHSS) determined that the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (β= -0.105, p=0.369) was not significantly associated with CES-D (primary hypothesis) (overall model R2=0.069, F3,73=1.805, p=0.154). Secondary analyses suggested one instance of cytokines favouring inflammatory states in mild depressive symptomatology; IFN-Ɣ/IL-10 (OR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.02-4.64, p=0.045). For the most part however, inclusion of cytokines and neuroimaging correlates such as atrophy, lesion location and white matter changes were non-significant. Longitudinal studies are necessary to identify the possible neurobiologic correlates of depressive symptoms post-stroke. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Bent, Margaret | Bencze, Larry | A Peaceful Partnership? A Qualitative Case Study of Three IB English A1 Teachers' Conceptions of Peace Education at an IB World School in Peru | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2009-12-14T15:54:22Z | The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, renowned for its academic rigor, is also committed to forwarding the larger organization’s mission of creating “a better and more peaceful world” through education. This qualitative case study explores the conceptions of peace education held by three IB Diploma English A1 teachers, the factors that shaped those conceptions, and possible obstacles to teaching for peace in an international school. A framework of peace education as distilled from an extensive literature review and Johan Galtung’s definitions of peace provide the study’s theoretical foundation. Using observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, this study examines teachers’ concepts of peace, pedagogical practices, and approaches to peace education within the context of an A1 classroom and an IB World School. The findings conclude that teachers’ conceptions of peace education are shaped by personal factors such as prior experiences and pedagogical content knowledge, and not by official IB documents. | MAST | educat; peace | 4, 16 |
| Bereza, Basil G. | Einarson, Thomas Ray | A Cost of Illness Study of Generalized Anxiety DisorderI in Canada | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2010-12-14T21:34:17Z | Background: Economic evaluations of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been limited to ≤18 months. A decision model was developed; quantifying the lifetime cost-of-illness (COI) of GAD. Methods: An incidence-based Markov-model was developed using TreeAge® software, reflecting 9 health-states (HS): physician-assessed patients (3HS), maintenance therapies(4HS), discontinuation(1HS) and death(1HS). Onset probability (ages 18-80) determined model entry. Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) guidelines determined pharmaco-therapy, with revisions/validation by an expert panel. Response, remission based on pooled-analysis of CPA-cited evidence. Remaining clinical rates, absenteeism and hospitalization retrieved from literature. Direct (clinician, pharmacotherapy, hospitalization) and indirect costs (wage rate) retrieved from government publications. Results discounted at 5%. Results: The mean COI was 2008 Canadian $31,213(SD=$9,100)/patient; 96% attributed to absenteeism. Mean age=31years, discontinued treatment=85% by 2nd year, treatment discontinuation duration, 14(SD=9) years. CONCLUSION: GAD is a costly disease with a lifetime COI<$32k/patient; absenteeism exerts a significant impact. Limited prospective data contributes to uncertainty of estimate. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Berezuk, Courtney Jane | Zakzanis, Konstantine K | On the Nature of Functional Reserve: Experience in Activities of Daily Living may be Associated with Sex Differences and Delayed Functional Impairment | Psychological Clinical Science | 2017-11 | Given the limited research comparing men and women in terms of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), this research examined sex differences cross-sectionally and longitudinally with data from the Alzheimerâ s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Furthermore, the influence of IADL experience was included as a proxy measure of functional reserve. All participants had mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at baseline. Linear regression, mixed-effects modeling, and chi-square analyses were conducted. Female sex was associated with superior IADL functioning at baseline, although no sex difference was found in the rate of decline. However, once IADL experience was included in regression analysis, this baseline sex difference was no longer significant. Furthermore, IADL experience was associated with superior functioning at baseline and a slower decline longitudinally. Moreover, experience within specific IADLs was associated with independence in other, unrelated activities. This research supports the notion that performing IADLs may have a protective influence on functioning with neurodegeneration. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Berger, Ivona | Kirsh, Bonnie | Exploring the Needs of Cancer Survivors When Returning to or Staying in the Workforce | Rehabilitation Science | 2018-11 | Cancer survivors have strong personal desires to resume work to feel productive and meet financial needs. However, they may be faced with physical and psychological challenges. This research aims to: examine cancer survivors’ perspectives on supports needed when returning to work; investigate sex and gender differences when returning to work; and explore demographic and employment factors that may influence this process. An exploratory qualitative design was used. The study had two phases: focus groups and one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The total sample includes 15 participants, 87% female and 13% male. Key themes include: changing perspectives on self and work; managing work and social systems; determining disclosure and accommodation; and the importance of supports for return to work and daily life. This study informs cancer rehabilitation research by developing an understanding of the supports needed to help cancer survivors return to work successfully. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Berkel, Samuel van | Pressnail, D Kim | Residential Ventilation: A Review of Established Systems and a Laboratory Investigation of the Fine Wire Heat Recovery Ventilator | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | The fine wire HRV is a novel concept for decentralized residential ventilation heat recovery using thin copper wires to transfer sensible energy between supply and exhaust airstreams. The HRV can be incorporated into the building envelope, in effect creating a "breathing wall" ideally suited to demand controlled ventilation.Performance testing conducted in the laboratory indicates that fan electricity consumption was as low as 1.1 W per L/s, while sensible heat recovery efficiency was as high as 82%. Overall, the fine wire HRV is comparable to the top 5% of HRVs available in North America. When used in conjunction with demand controlled ventilation, the modeled ventilation heating load was reduced by 61% and the total heating load was reduced by 17%. Fan electricity consumption was also reduced by 61%, corresponding to a reduction in household electricity use of roughly 5%. Additional modeling and field installations are recommended. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Bernknopf, Bailey | Simmons, Craig A | Characterization of Sex Differences in Aortic Valve Disease in Mice | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11 | Aortic valve disease has recently been shown to have sex-specific pathobiology, where female valves experience more fibrosis and less calcification than male valves despite similar levels of stenosis. To investigate whether these differences were mirrored in a mouse model, six-week old male and female Ldlr-/-;ApoB100/100 mice were fed high fat diet to induce valve disease. After four or eight months on diet, blood lipid and sex hormone levels were measured, valve function was assessed by echocardiography, and valve leaflet tissues were analyzed (immuno)histochemically and by polarized light microscopy to assess valve morphology and content. Males on high fat diet for eight months had more valvular dysfunction than females on diet, however male and female valve leaflets did not differ in size, thickness, or collagen content. However, polarized microscopy indicated more collagen remodelling in the base of the male leaflets compared to females, which could affect healthy valve mechanics. This study provides the first characterization of sex differences in a mouse model and sex-specific structural differences that relate to level of valve dysfunction. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Berry, Debra | Stiegelbauer, Suzanne | How has Character Education been Implemented at the School Level at an Ontario Sample School Board? | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T21:08:02Z | This paper explores character educations policy documents from two Ontario school boards as well as several published articles that report on results from research related to implementation of character education programs in Ontario and the United States. This paper examines the connection between school board documents of two school boards with the Ontario Ministry of Education character education initiative that was put in place during the 2008-09 school year. It also includes interviews with three principals at one school-board as to how they approached implementation of character education and its relationship to the goal of the school and provincial policy directives. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Bertoia, Corinne Elizabeth | Andrews, Susan||Andrews, Robert | Removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Precursors During Drinking Water Treatment | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | Technologies that are effective for natural organic matter and contaminant removal (i.e., coagulation) have been largely unsuccessful for the removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and its precursors. A growing number of drinking water treatment plants that use chloramines for secondary disinfection have reported NDMA in finished water due to the reaction of chloramines with small nitrogen-containing molecules such as dimethylamine (DMA). This research examined the impact of pilot-scale biofilter operation on NDMA formation potential. The results of this study suggest that the use of biofiltration provides removal of NDMA precursors, regardless of filter operation. Ranitidine was also spiked at pilot scale to evaluate the ability of biofilters to remove a specific NDMA precursor and to confirm results using ambient influent waters. No significant difference (α = 0.05) was found in terms of NDMA FP removal due to filter operation strategy or empty bed contact time (EBCT). | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Bessho, Yuko | Coloma, Roland Sintos ||Kathy, Bickmore | Japan's Colonized Other: A Case Study of the Media Representations on the Deportation of a Filipino Family | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-07-21T19:49:22Z | This research investigates Japanese society's gaze towards those former colonized subjects, who now reside in Japan as foreign residents. More specifically, it explores the representations, in two leading Japanese newspapers and a popular internet discussion board, of a Filipino family facing deportation in 2009. Using Foucault's archaeology of knowledge as the main analytical framework, it examines emergent and silenced discourses in each media. While the newspapers generally reported in favour of the family, they often unintentionally constructed the child as innocent, and the parents as illegal. The internet discussion board tended to depict the family as criminals. By silencing the colonial history between the Philippines and Japan, both media outlets have failed to address the continuing neo-colonial relationships between the two nations. In conclusion, the various implications of this research on the strategies advocating citizenship rights of irregular residents are examined, by applying anti-oppressive education frameworks to the research findings. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Bevilacqua, Victoria | Adeli, Khosrow | Pediatric Population Reference Value Distributions for Cancer Biomarkers: A CALIPER Study of Healthy Community Children | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2014-11 | As part of CALIPER program, a national research initiative aimed at closing the gaps in pediatric reference intervals, I sought to develop a database of covariate-stratified reference intervals in children for 11 circulating tumor markers in accordance with CLSI C28-A3 guidelines. Healthy children from birth to 18 years were recruited to participate in CALIPER and serum samples from 400-700 subjects were analyzed on the Abbott Architect ci4100 TM. Significant fluctuations in biomarker concentrations by age and/or gender were observed in 10 of 11 biomarkers. Age partitioning was required for CA 15-3, CA 125, CA 19-9, CEA, SCC, ProGRP, Total Free PSA, HE4 and AFP, and gender partitioning was required for CA 125, CA 19-9, Total Free PSA. The establishment of these reference intervals will aid in harnessing the full potential of tumor markers in a pediatric population and in research aimed at determining the clinical value of these markers. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Beyene, Menilek Sisay | Cadotte, Marc W | Exploring the Urban Forest: Evidence of Tree Condition Change across Toronto’s Environmental Gradient | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06 | Increasing urbanization creates environmental impacts on flora, fauna, and human populations. Urban trees provide mitigating services that may be maximized by understanding environmental stressors that impact tree health. I explored the relationship between tree condition and urban landcover as evidence of urban stressors. Tree morphology, canopy condition, and insect abundance were expected to vary across an urban land cover gradient, at different spatial scales, and between native/exotic species. These responses were explored in Tilia americana, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides and Acer saccharnium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Specific spatial scales and environmental variables better explained changes in tree response variables. My results suggest Tilia species were more tolerant of urban conditions. Differences between species were described by genera suggesting species trait similarity may determine environmental suitability. Maximizing service provision requires interspecific stress expression consideration. Further research will explore soil conditions, socio-economic factors, and environmental remote sensing in urban tree condition modelling. | M.Sc. | environment; urban | 11, 13 |
| Bhandari, Apoorva | Blumberger, Daniel M | Evaluating the Neurophysiological Effects of Late-life Depression using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation | Medical Science | 2016-11 | Background: Depression is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders in adults aged 60 and over. Young depressed adults demonstrate dysfunctional GABAergic neurotransmission and impaired neuroplasticity. However, an understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying late-life depression (LLD) is lacking. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures of cortical inhibition, excitation, and neuroplasticity in 67 LLD patients and 39 healthy non-psychiatric controls aged 60 and over. Results: No differences were found for cortical inhibition or excitation between depressed patients and controls. LLD patients demonstrated impaired neuroplasticity induction compared to a baseline value of 1mV; however, when compared to controls depressed patients showed no significant plasticity deficits. Conclusions: Our findings provide indirect support for the age-by-disease hypothesis for LLD, which posits that with age the brain advances into a physiological state that promotes susceptibility to LLD. Further research is required to understand the pathophysiology of LLD. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bhaskaran, Ganesh | Newman, Roger C. | Prediciting the corrosion and stress corrosion performance of copper in anaerobic sulfide solution | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-12-14T21:45:07Z | Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of the phosphorus de-oxidized copper has been evaluated in synthetic seawater polluted by sulfides using slow strain rate test (SSRT). The effect of concentration of sulfide, temperature, and applied cathodic and anodic potentials on the final strain values and maximum stress were also studied. No cracks were found under the tested conditions. The final strain and maximum stress values decreased but not significantly, with increase in the temperature, applied anodic potential and sulfide concentration. The observed effect is due to the section reduction by uniform corrosion. Lateral cross section and microscopic examination of the fractured specimen ruled out the existence of the localized corrosion. Electrochemical measurements showed that the Cu2S film is not a protective film and also exhibits a mass transfer limitation to the inward diffusion of the sulfides. Based on these results the reasons for the absence of cracking are also discussed. | MAST | pollut | 15 |
| Bhutani Vij, Asmita | Mirchandani, Kiran | Dispossession and Violence: A Textual Analysis of State Repression of Indigenous Women in Central India | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | The thesis is an exploration of the relationship between institutional violence against women in Central India and the agenda of land dispossession. I focus on these connections within the state while paying attention to the social relations between the neoliberal- capitalist class to understand the political economy of the state that enacts the land acquisition and the subsequent land dispossession of its indigenous inhabitants. I further examine the gendered impact of this process and how the state apparatus reproduces the patriarchal structures to create a system of oppression of the indigenous women. I explain that a necessary strategy of such expansion of the state is violence against Adivasi women. The study is a textual analysis and adopts a Marxist feminist framework of analysis to study the complex relationship of state repression through sexual violence against women. I intend to inform activist agendas and academic scholarship on violence against women. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Bian, Huimin | Zhu, Jianwen | Placement By Marriage | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2008-07-30T19:11:14Z | As the field programmable gate array (FPGA) industry grows device capacity with Moore's law and expands its market to high performance computing, scalability of its key CAD algorithms emerges as a new priority to deliver a user experience competitive to parallel processors. Among the many walls to overcome, placement stands out due to its critical impact on both frontend synthesis and backend routing. To construct a scalable placement flow, we present three innovations in detailed placement: a legalizer that works well under low whitespace; a wirelength optimizer based on bipartite matching; and a cache-aware annealer. When applied to the hundred-thousand cell IBM benchmark suite, our detailed placer can achieve 27% better wirelength and 8X faster runtime against FastDP, the fastest academic detailed placer reported, and our full placement flow can achieve 101X faster runtime, with 5% wirelength overhead, against VPR, the de facto standard in FPGA placements. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Bian, Qian | Mitchell, Jane||Grynpas, Marc | Vitamin D Insufficiency in Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy | Pharmacology | 2017-03 | Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked condition caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, resulting in muscle function loss. Children with DMD are at risk for compromised bone health due to loss of ambulation and corticosteroid treatment. A retrospective study was conducted to determine if vitamin D levels were reduced in this population. The serum 25-OHD and 25-OHD standardized per unit of vitamin D supplementation in DMD patients were both lower than another cohort of patients with disability (Ostegenesis Imperfecta), and a cohort treated with glucocorticoids (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus). Controlling for the season, the significant determinants of serum 25-OHD as well as serum 25-OHD per unit of supplementation were the childâ s underlying condition, disease duration, and weight Z-scores. Our study suggests that children with DMD have on average lower serum 25-OHD despite high levels of supplementation in comparison to a glucocorticoid treated population, and a population with disability. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bianchi, Cristina | Volpe, Richard | A Preliminary Exploration of Students' Perceptions of Their Own Learning | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-06 | Students acquire knowledge in the classroom from a variety of sources, such as the teacher, learning activities and the academic environment. Yet, there is limited research on student perceptions of their own learning in the classroom. This study is a preliminary investigation of how students aged 8 to 12 think they learn best in the classroom. A sample of 229 students answered the question 'how do you learn best at school?' Out of the 229 responses, 210 responses were used. Thematic analysis was used to examine student answers. The results demonstrated that students were able to recognize different relationships within the classroom that help them learn best. Areas defined include classroom tools, classroom management, and student readiness. Findings support that students were aware of their classroom environment and how it can affect their learning, whether it be in a positive or negative manner. | M.A. | EDUCAT | 4 |
| Bianchi, Lisa-Marie | Volpe, Richard | A Family's Perception of Childhood Cancer Survivorship: A Case Study in Resilience | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-06 | Research on families experiencing childhood cancer and life in remission has focused on negative outcomes and variables. Few studies have explored the process of family resilience through this type of adversity. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe the experiences of a family who has survived a paediatric cancer. The central question that informed the study is: What are the accounts of members of a family in dealing with childhood cancer and life in survivorship? One family was interviewed over several months and continued to assist in the data analysis and creation of the findings for this study. It was found that cancer subculture and online community support promoted resilience and adaptation for the family as they dealt with the demands and stress of childhood cancer and remission. Recommendations to the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment, and Adaptation, healthcare professionals, and further research were discussed. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Biazar, Bahar | Mojab, Shahrzad | Learning and Activism: Iranian Women in Diaspora | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:01:09Z | This qualitative study looks at the learning that takes place during activism. Throughout this work, learning is conceptualized as the ongoing formation of critical consciousness rather than the acuqisition of skills for the purpose of securing menial employment. Furthermore, critical consciousness is seen to develop through the nonlinear interplay of thoughts and actions. This investigation uses the life history method to explore the learning of five Iranian women throughout decades of struggle against repressive social structures. It focuses on questions of motivation for activism, formation of critical consciousness, and activism in diaspora. At the theoretical level, this study criticizes current learning theories while its educational implications place critical consciousness as the goal of radical adult education. On a practical level, this investigation records successful political study groups and suggests such groups as models for sites of radical adult education. | MAST | educat; women | 4, 5 |
| Biback, Candice | Zack, Martin | Empathy and the Subjective-behavioural Effects of D1 and D2 Receptor Blockade in Pathological Gamblers | Pharmacology | 2015-11 | This study assessed the relationship between Empathy and reinforcing effects of gambling and a psychostimulant drug, in 30 otherwise healthy pathological gamblers (PGs). To explore the roles of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in these relationships, subjects received either: D2 antagonist, haloperidol (3-mg) or D1-D2 antagonist, fluphenazine (3-mg), in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced design. On separate sessions, subjects played a 15-minute slot machine game and received d-amphetamine (AMPH; 20-mg, oral). Under placebo, Empathy correlated positively with Desire to Gamble (DTG) at all time-points in both groups. Haloperidol negated, whereas fluphenazine enhanced, the correlation between Empathy and pleasurable effects of the slot machine. Haloperidol enhanced, whereas fluphenazine attenuated, the correlation between Empathy and DTG under AMPH. Results suggest post- synaptic D2 receptors may mediate Empathy-related differences in Liking of gambling; D1 receptors may mediate Empathy-related differences in Wanting to gamble under AMPH in PGs. Low statistical power and restricted generalizability were limitations. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bickford, Robert | Restoule, Jean-Paul | In Relationship: Expressive Writing as a Decolonizing Adult Learning Praxis | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2015-06 | The central argument is that the traditional academic essay format, coerced into cognitivist conventions by the fear of appearing uncritical, preserves the hegemonic colonial mindset when it suppresses the clear, direct, and relatable voice of the student or scholar. Inspired by Dr. Marie Battiste's use of four directions in First Nations Education in Canada: The Circle Unfolds (1995), the thesis is organized into 4 sections, East, South, West, North, representing research directions into the expressive potential of a decolonizing adult learning praxis and offering possible approaches to writing that can be allied with Indigenous scholars. I focus on praxis, the reflexive prompts of non-verbal image communication, historical origins of the cognitivist essay, and existing Indigenous viewpoints on the changing dimension of words used in academic contexts. Decolonized writing forms critical pathways by acknowledging the dialectics of colonialism and honouring the community surrounding the scholar that informs and buoys the research process. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Biggar, Beverley | Labrie, Normand | French as a Second Language: A Publisher's Perspective | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-04-05T19:16:57Z | This study examines French-as-a-second-language (FSL) learning in Canada through the lens of an educational publisher. The fields of language and policy planning, second language learning, and educational publishing provide a focus for the study. The principal purpose of this thesis is to identify key stakeholders in second language learning and to analyze the impact of their actions on the development of FSL resources in Canada. Through qualitative field research with representatives from significant Canadian publishing companies, this analysis of relationships and roles will assist future Canadian second language stakeholders in better understanding the impact of their decisions on the field of publishing, on educational resources, and ultimately, on FSL students in classrooms across the country. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Bilan, Yaroslav | Panesar, Daman | Effect of Relative Humidity and CO2 Concentration on the Properties of Carbonated Reactive MgO Cement Based Materials | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | Sustainability of modern concrete industry recently has become an important topic of scientific discussion, and consequently there is an effort to study the potential of the emerging new supplementary cementitious materials. This study has a purpose to investigate the effect of reactive magnesia (reactive MgO) as a replacement for general use (GU) Portland Cements and the effect of environmental factors (CO2 concentrations and relative humidity) on accelerated carbonation curing results. The findings of this study revealed that improvement of physical properties is related directly to the increase in CO2 concentrations and inversely to the increase in relative humidity and also depends much on %MgO in the mixture. The conclusions of this study helped to clarify the effect of variable environmental factors and the material replacement range on carbonation of reactive magnesia concrete materials, as well as providing an assessment of the optimal conditions for the effective usage of the material. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Bilas, Patrick | Buliung, Ronald | Childhood Disability and School Travel | Geography | 2019-06 | There has been little research on children living with disabilities that use school boards’ accessible bus services, and no attention has been paid to their differences in excess travel compared to their non-disabled peers. This thesis explores the literature on childhood disability and school travel in order to identify current knowledge gaps and provide potential future research recommendations. In addition to, examining whether or not children with disabilities experience greater excess travel than their non-disabled peers when using accessible school buses and why? The results indicate that children with disabilities are experiencing significant inequalities in their school trips due to the much higher amounts of wasteful travel they encounter than non-disabled children. The findings also suggest there are numerous issues of ableism and disablism within educational settings that may have substantial influence on education access and school mobility for disabled children with potential long-term impacts. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Binder, Justin | Christopoulos, Constantin | Seismic Performance of New Hybrid Ductile-rocking Braced Frame System | Civil Engineering | 2016-06 | A new hybrid ductile-rocking (HDR) seismic-resistant system is proposed which consists of a code-designed buckling-restrained braced frame (BRBF) that is free to rock on its foundation. The goal of this system is to reduce the disadvantages associated with BRBFs, such as excessive drift concentrations and residual deformations, while maintaining their reliable limit on forces and accelerations. A lockup device ensures the full code-compliant strength at a predetermined column uplift, and supplemental energy dissipation elements reduce the overall response. Buildings of 2, 4, and 6-storeys in height were designed for Los Angeles, California, and studies were performed to investigate how the energy dissipation strength, lockup base rotation, and vertical mass modelling choices affected the system's performance and dynamic response. An example detail was developed that included a cast steel energy dissipating device. These studies showed that the HDR system achieved a significant reduction in brace damage over conventional BRBF structures. | M.A.S. | energy; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Bing, Alex Chenyu | Sandwell, Ruth | Pedagogical Progressivism and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education: A Shared Historical Landscape, 1870-1970 | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-03 | This thesis is part of a larger project to sketch a history of how the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects were structured in Ontario public schools. The thesis begins by studying the longstanding forces that have demarcated science from other subjects from the 1870s to the 1960s. It then examines the 1960s as a pivotal decade when the effects of school guidance counsellors, economic imperatives, and the preoccupation with human selection accentuated those longstanding divisive forces in public education. These developments culminated in an institutional entrenchment of disciplinary gulfs within the schooling system, opened the door to a constructed embodiment of subject-specific talents inside the child, and alienated math-related subjects from pedagogically progressive visions of education. The guidance movement and the reforms in mathematics during the 1960s were scrutinized in detail. The role of progressive education in its own marginalization from STEM subjects is also examined. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Binkley, Clarissa | Pressnail, Kim D. | Energy Consumption Tends of Multi-unit Residential Buildings in the City of Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-21 | The purpose of this research is to determine the average energy intensity of multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) in Toronto, and evaluate whether certain building characteristics influence energy intensity. This information is particularly important in the Toronto market. Relative to the city’s population, Toronto has an unusually high proportion of MURBs with more than half of residential dwellings in apartment buildings. Additionally, Toronto MURBs are significant consumers of energy and produce an estimated 1.3M tonnes of CO2e each year. The ultimate goal is to assess the most efficient building retrofit measures. Energy consumption data for Toronto MURBs were collected and weather normalized. Correlations between the energy data and the building characteristics were examined. Window characteristics and heating system type were found to have the most significant influence on energy intensity. Establishing energy consumption characteristics of MURBs is the first step towards improving the energy efficiency of Toronto’s MURBs stock. | MAST | energy; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Binnington, Taylor | Harvey, L. D. Danny | Optimal Siting of Distributed Wind Farms in Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2013-03-18 | Increasing wind penetration adds to the importance of enhancing the reliability of wind, to mitigate the magnitude and frequency of changes in electricity generation. This work addresses how improvements can be made to reliability through the geographic dispersal of wind farms in Ontario, Canada, using modeled North American Regional Reanalysis data. Optimal configurations of wind farm locations are determined according to two criteria. The first selects combinations of wind farms that follow temporal demand patterns, by maximizing the difference between the energy price and the cost of electricity. The second attempts to select combinations of wind farms that minimize the coefficient of variation in the aggregate output. It is found that there are no wind regimes in Ontario that match demand sufficiently for a viable development strategy, but that combinations of as few as three locations can reduce the coefficient of variation by over 30%, compared to a single region. | MAST | energy; wind | 7 |
| Biskey, Laura | Rhind, Shawn G||Locke, Marius | Effects of High Intensity Interval Training on Hemostasis and Fibrinolysis in Healthy Males: Relationship to Sympathetic Nervous System Activation | Exercise Sciences | 2015-06 | The hemostatic response to stress is related to sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation, affecting both coagulation and fibrinolysis pathways. This study measured hemostatic and SNS responses to acute high intensity interval training (HIIT), to assess if these systems are altered by repeated HIIT at 100% peak-power output. Sixteen healthy males performed HIIT once and eight performed HIIT six times over two weeks. Viscoelastic hemostatic assays, thromboelastography and rotational thromboelastometry, showed post-exercise hypercoagulability (P | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bissonnette, Laura | Wilson, Kathi | Access to Primary Health Care: Does Neighbourhood of Residence Matter? | Geography | 2009-12-16T18:31:04Z | Access to primary health care is an important determinant of health. Within current research there has been limited examination of neighbourhood level variations in access to care, despite knowledge that local contexts shape health. The objective of this research is to examine neighbourhood-level access to primary health care in the city of Mississauga, Ontario. Street address locations of primary care physicians were obtained from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) website and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS). A 'Three Step Floating Catchment Area' (3SFCA) method was derived and used to measure multiple dimensions of access for the population as a whole, for specific linguistic groups and for recent immigrants. This research identifies significant neighbourhood-level variations in access to care for each dimension of access and population subgroup studied. The research findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of neighbourhood-level variability in access to health care. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Black-Allen, Jesse | Jang, Eunice | Validity and Fairness in Accommodations, Special Provisions, and Participation Decisions on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-05-24T19:35:41Z | Policy guidelines of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) state that accommodations and participation decisions on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) do not threaten validity. However, these issues are contentious in American large-scale testing. New approaches integrate test access, administration, accommodation and participation within a unified fairness and validity construct. The current study, based on demographic and outcome data for the entire population of OSSLT-eligible students from 2006 to 2009, demonstrates changing patterns in accommodations and participation decisions across schools and years. In particular, English language learners are found to be considerably underrepresented among students receiving special needs accommodations. This has implications for the valid interpretation and fair use of test scores. Recommendations are proposed for improving fairness, consistency, and validity in administering accommodations and participation. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Blackwell-Hardie, Victoria | Gillis, Joseph Roy | A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Contributing to Increased HIV Incidence for Gay and Bisexual Men: Implications for Prevention | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:02:17Z | HIV incidence continues to rise in the population of gay and bisexual men (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, 2008), a high-risk group due to the complexity of promoting sexual behavior change on an enduring basis. In the present study, interview data from fifteen self-identified gay or bisexual men living in an urban Canadian city was analyzed in order to determine the most salient psychosocial factors in decision-making leading to safe sexual choices, and the psychological implications of these factors for the mental health and well-being of participants. Results suggest three core factors are most relevant to sexual decision-making for gay/bisexual men: self-efficacy, sexual communication and/or negotiation, and individual assessment of risk. A conceptual model of factors influencing sexual decision-making is presented. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for future HIV prevention interventions and the clinical practice of counselling psychology with gay and bisexual male clients. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Blain, Michael David | Farnood, Ramin R | Evaluation and Optimization of Cellulose and PVDF Membranes for Application in Membrane Bioreactors and Vacuum Membrane Distillation for Water and Wastewater Treatment | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-11 | As water sources around the world are depleted, there is an increasing need for advanced treatment systems that can produce high-quality effluent for discharge or reuse. In this thesis, cellulose membranes were used in a bench-scale membrane bioreactor with the intention of developing a membrane that is inexpensive and made from renewable resources. The cellulose membranes were able to remove suspended solids during multi-day filtrations, but suffered from severe fouling. The membranes developed in this study are unique, as they are manufactured using a papermaking process instead of conventional casting processes. Next, a bench-scale vacuum membrane distillation system was tested using salt solutions, surface water, and MBR effluent as feed solutions. With all feed solutions, this system could produce a permeate with low conductivity and dissolved solids, and free of coliforms. Combining these two systems provides an option for water reuse which has not been previously studied. | M.A.S. | water; renewable | 6, 7 |
| Blankstein, Udi | Davis, Karen | Structural MR Imaging of Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Medical Science | 2009-12-16T18:32:51Z | Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder. Cortical thinning of the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (aMCC) and insula has been previously reported in IBS (Davis et al., 2008). The aim of the present study was to examine cortical and subcortical structural gray matter integrity in IBS with particular attention to individual disease symptoms and personality characteristics such as pain catastrophizing. Eleven IBS patients and 16 age-matched healthy subjects (female, right-handed) underwent structural MRI. Voxel Based Morphometry and Cortical Thickness Analysis revealed that the IBS group had increased gray matter density in the hypothalamus, cortical thinning in the aMCC, strong (r = -66; p=0.015), a negative correlation between dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and pain catastrophizing and anterior insula thickness was positively correlated to pain duration (r = 0.77, p=0.003) when controlling for age. These abnormalities may contribute to chronic pain in IBS. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Bliumkin, Liora | Simpson, André J | The Development of In-situ NMR Photoreactors and Analysis of Photochemical Processes in the Environment | Chemistry | 2016-03 | Photolysis is a major abiotic process in the environment. Current understanding of environmental photolytic processes is limited due to restricted information offered by conventional analytical techniques and lack of in-situ studies. In-situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) photoreactors were developed to directly integrate light sources with NMR spectroscopy to probe into environmental photochemistry in a non-invasive manner. They were applied to a series of environmental systems including an atmospheric pollutant, crude oil extracts, groundwater (at natural abundance), and dissolve organic matter (DOM). Intermediates and degradation products were identified along with kinetic profiles of specific compounds in complex environmental mixtures. It was also shown to be a great non-invasive chromatographic tool to investigate the phototransformation of DOM. Also, two dimensional (2D) NMR experiments were used to characterize and quantify components in DOM. Overall, the work demonstrates that in-situ NMR spectroscopy is an important analytical tool in unraveling complex environmental photolytic processes. | M.Sc. | water; environment; pollu | 6, 13, 14 |
| Blom, Kimberly | Tobe, Sheldon ||Nolan, Robert | Evaluating Psychosocial Variables and their Link to Hypertension Using Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction | Medical Science | 2013-07-11 | Previous research has reported positive associations between anger, perceived stress and blood pressure. These associations have largely been based on cross-sectional data and a small number of longitudinal works. Using a prospective longitudinal cohort design, this study more directly tested the relationships between anger, perceived stress and blood pressure by using a psychological therapeutic intervention (mindfulness-based stress reduction) to manipulate anger and perceived stress. Anger and perceived stress were in turn evaluated for association with blood pressure. Despite improvements in psychosocial functioning and reductions in blood pressure, findings from this study failed to demonstrate an association between change in anger or perceived stress with change in daytime or 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. A model where these variables interact indirectly via stress coping mechanisms or health behaviours may be the linking mechanism in this study. Results from this thesis have contributed evidence to a divided field dominated by cross-sectional research. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Blumenthal, Jenna | Chignell, Mark | A Mobile Application for Dual-task Gait Assessment of Cognitive Status | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-06 | Disturbances in gait during dual-task walking is a promising and well-researched indicator that can be recognized in early stages of cognitive impairment. Changes in gait in the dual-task condition have been shown to be associated with increased incidence of dementia, as well as the risk of falling in older adults. As well, advances in consumer electronics have enabled the use of body-fixed sensor systems to quantify gait features, allowing for simple and objective gait measurement in clinical settings. To date, there appears to be no tool that allows for the administration, evaluation and longitudinal study of dual-task gait. In this thesis, I combine recent efforts in both dual-task gait research and consumer wearable devices to develop a smartphone-based system for dual-task gait evaluation in the context of cognitive assessment. I also explore the barriers and facilitators that influence healthcare provider's perception of mobile and wearable technologies in their practice. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Blundell, Caitlin | Hess, Paul M. ||Boyes, Don ||Wolff, Jane | 'Artificial' Land and 'Natural' Disaster: Hazard and Vulnerability on Created Urban Land | Geography | 2011-12-01 | During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, waterfront cities expanded over wetlands and shallow water by building land on which to build the city. Today, this artificial land is threatened by a range of environmental hazards. This increases the risk of natural disaster for people occupying the area. A framework for risk analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create maps based on the formula: ‘Risk = Hazard + Vulnerability’ is proposed. This methodology is demonstrated in four case study cities - Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay (Port Lands), Boston’s Back Bay, New Orleans’ Lakefront and Montreal’s Point St. Charles (Technoparc) – to show that census tracts that are both socially and environmentally vulnerable ought to take precedence in disaster prevention and relief efforts. Created land is inherently more hazardous than the adjacent natural land and requires planning focused on targeting and responding to the documented hazards. | MAST | water; cities; environment | 6, 9, 13 |
| Boban, Jaan | Katz, Ariel | International Commercial Arbitration and Technology Transfer Disputes | Law | 2012-11-21 | The thesis explores the concept of International Arbitration, an alternative to litigation. It argues the benefits and the inherent limitations parties are likely to face while resorting to this instrument to resolve Transfer of Technology and Intellectual Property related disputes. The paper further explains how Arbitrability limitations can be taken care of in relation to transfer of technology disputes. Emphasis is placed on the institutional role of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Arbitration and Mediation Center as an appropriate arbitration forum to deal with complex technological and Intellectual Property related disputes. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Bodagh, Reta R | Beharry, Andrew | Activatable Probes for Anti-Cancer Therapy | Chemistry | 2019-11 | Light is an external control tool that is therapeutically useful. One application is the photocaging of cancer drugs whereby a light responsive group (photocage) renders the drug inactive initially and active upon light irradiation allowing for spatial and temporal control of the drugs release. This work highlights the utilization of photocages for the development of light-activatable inhibitors for O6-Methylguanine DNA Methyltransferase, an enzyme that confers cancer cells resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Another application of light is in photodynamic therapy whereby light is used to activate a drug, called a photosensitizer, allowing its reaction with local oxygen to produce toxic oxygen species. In particular, this work highlights the hypoxia-induced activation of a photosensitizer in cancer cells. This photosensitizer is activated by a Nitroreductase, an enzyme that is only functional under low oxygen conditions, thereby limiting its cytotoxic effects to hypoxic cells without inducing damage to surrounding healthy cells. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bogutskiy, Gennadiy | Audrey, Macklin | Improving Extradition Procedure through Strengthening the Legal Status of an Individual and Transferring the Decision Making Right from the Executive to Judiciary Branch of Power | Law | 2012-11-21 | A special role amongst various efforts to combat transnational criminal activity belongs to extradition, which has transformed into a form of international cooperation and became an indispensable tool for ensuring criminal responsibility in any part of the world. However, for a long period of time, an individual in the process of extradition has been treated as a passive object of intergovernmental relations which have a significant political component. In this thesis, the claim is that treatment of an individual as a rights bearer and an active subject of legal relationships among other parties of the process, combined with transfer of final decision-making right from the executive to judiciary branch of power, is capable to enable application of the Rule of law principles to particular extradition cases, limit broad discretion of decision makers and minimize political component of extradition. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Boisvert, Marie-Claude | Brunnee, Jutta | Establishment of High Seas Marine Protected Areas: Towards an Implementing Agreement? | Law | 2009-12-16T20:17:03Z | Although international law requires States to protect the marine environment and conserve marine living resources, human activities are still threatening marine species and its survival. In view of limited scientific knowledge of marine ecosystems, fragility of ecosystems and insufficient mechanisms of protection, marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction is at risk. Increasing attention has been given to the need to conserve this important and vulnerable biodiversity. The international community has begun to recognize the importance of marine protected areas (MPAs) as key tool to ensure sustainable use and preservation of biodiversity. However, the adequacy of the current legal framework related to the conservation of marine biodiversity through the establishing of high seas MPAs raises debates. Disagreements about the existence of inadequacies and need for an implementing agreement remain. My study seeks to determine whether the international legal framework is adequate for the establishment of MPAs or whether further measures are required. | MAST | environment; marine; biodiversity; rights | 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| Bojin, Kate | Miles, Angela | "All Our Work is Political": Men's Experience in Pro-feminist Organizing | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | This research project examines the personal and political experiences of five men engaged in pro-feminist organizing. Their experiences are explored in the context of the emergence of anti- feminist groups, and an increasingly volatile funding environment whereby women’s rights organizations are seeing their financial resources threatened. Using a critical and sociological approach to masculinities, significant challenges at the personal level for these pro-feminist men are examined and are shown to compound engagement with women feminists, and the potential of cross gender partnerships. A people-oriented qualitative approach is employed to capture men’s personal journeys and how they self- identify with the feminist movement. This research adds to the prevalent “Man Question”, contesting men’s engagement in the feminist movement. Ultimately, however, the thesis concludes that men’s engagement in the feminist movement needs to be clearly positioned as a political project with an explicit commitment to building alliances with women’s rights networks. | MAST | gender; rights | 5, 16 |
| Bollegala, Natasha | Nguyen, Geoffrey C | The Impact of Adult Heatlh Care Model (Academic versus Community) on Emergent Health Resource Utilization in Patients with Pediatric-onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-06 | Background: Patients diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) during childhood require transfer to an adult gastroenterologist. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of post-transfer health care setting (academic vs. community) on emergent health resource utilization. Methods: This was a population-based retrospective cohort study using health care administrative data from Ontario, Canada. Patients with PO-IBD were identified and health resource utilization during a 2-year pre-transfer period, transfer of care period and 2-year post-transfer period was analyzed. Comparator groups included academic vs. community vs. loss-to-follow-up. The primary outcome comprised Emergency Department (ED) utilization. Secondary outcomes included hospitalizations, surgeries, ambulatory visits, endoscopic and radiological investigations. Results: There were no significant differences found in ED use, ambulatory care visits (aside from the lost to follow-up group), hospitalizations, endoscopic or radiological procedures. Conclusion: Post-transfer healthcare setting does not impact emergent health resource utilization in the post-transfer period.. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bolotta, Alanna | Pedretti, Erminia | Exploring Art and Science Integration in an Afterschool Program | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-06 | Science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education integrates science with art, presenting a unique and interesting opportunity to increase accessibility in science for learners. This case study examines an afterschool program grounded in art and science integration. Specifically, I studied the goals of the program, itâ s implementation and the student experience (thinking, feeling and doing) as they participated in the program. My findings suggest that these programs can be powerful methods to nurture scientific literacy, creativity and emotional development in learners. To do so, this program made connections between disciplines and beyond, integrated holistic teaching and learning practices, and continually adapted programming while also responding to challenges. The program is therefore specially suited to engage the heads, hands and hearts of learners, and can make an important contribution to their learning and development. To conclude, I provide some recommendations for STEAM implementation in both formal and informal learning settings. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Bolton, Elizabeth Marie Ashley | Stagg Peterson, Shelley | Exploring the Moral Space in Literacy Practices: A Fluid Model for the Actions of the Emotive Self in Adults' Responses to Fairy Tales | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | Bettelheim (1975) famously claimed that fairy tales support emotional health in children. He used psychoanalysis in his research, but a poststructural view of emotional, cognitive action allows for a new consideration of the self, as fluid and socioculturally situated. I use Taylor's (1989) framework to examine the response of one adult reader to her favorite fairy tale. In noting the qualitative estimations associated with the participant's orientations of self, I demonstrate a method for understanding the moral self as a cognitive act of self-optimization, using conceptual metaphor as evidence for these orientations (Lakoff, 1993). This novel approach to understanding the effect of fairy tales on the psyche has implications for the use of fairy tales in emotionally sensitive and supportive curricula, as well as for the general use of literature as a means of understanding, supporting, and expressing the self. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Bolton, Melissa | Schneider, Margaret | Serial Monogamy and Relational Influences on Patterns of Condom Use for Young Adults in Dating Relationships | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:03:44Z | Within Canada, young adults have been identified as being at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI). One major contributing factor is inconsistent condom use, particularly within monogamous relationships (Civic, 2000; Critelli & Suire, 1998; Misovich, Fisher & Fisher, 1997; Winfield & Whaley, 2005). This research used qualitative methods to investigate the process by which young women rationalize inconsistent condom use and the relational influences that aid in this transition. A sample of fifteen women (between 18-24 years of age) were surveyed and interviewed. Using grounded theory analysis, the results indicated that the process of discontinuing condoms is multifaceted. Within relationships, unprotected sex comes to signify developmental milestones for the couple. It is associated with desirable relationship characteristics of commitment, trust, intimacy and fidelity. The results suggest that health promotion interventions should emphasize the high risk for STI posed by using condoms inconsistently within the monogamous relationships of young adults. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Bond, Alison Mary | Walker, Scott E | Risk Stratification for Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Medical Patients: Can thromboprophylaxis be safely restricted to limit costs? | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2018-11 | The objectives of this study were to estimate and compare the economic and clinical outcomes of using risk assessment models (RAMs) to support decision-making on thromboprophylaxis compared to the current standard of practice (SOP) in hospitalized medical patients at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC). The Padua Prediction Score (PPS) and the Improve Risk Score (IRS), were applied to 199 general internal medicine (GIM) patients during three samples of one-week GIM admissions at SHSC. The predicted rate of hospital associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) and the quality of life in GIM patients at SHSC identified as low risk of HA-VTE, was not significantly different after one year with RAM-directed thromboprophylaxis compared to SOP-directed thromboprophylaxis. Additionally, the use of RAMs had a significant potential annual cost savings of more than $200,000. Prospective evaluation is required to establish the feasibility and usability of RAMs and the safety of reducing the rate of thromboprophylaxis. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bonin, Grant | Zee, Robert E. | Power System Design, Analysis, and Power Electronics Implementation on Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB) Spacecraft | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2010-02-16T15:17:52Z | The development of a multi-mission small spacecraft power system is described. This system has been designed for the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB), an approximately 20cm cubical spacecraft with no deployed solar arrays. The GNB is inherently power-generation limited, and consequently, all available power must be utilized with maximum efficiency. This efficiency is achieved using an unconventional parallel-regulated architecture with Peak Power Tracking (PPT) functionality, and is shown to be the PPT design of highest efficiency for spacecraft of this class. In support of this design, a novel spacecraft power simulation suite has been developed, enabling parametric satellite power analysis with high fidelity. Finally, a unique variation on peak power tracking---referred to as peak current tracking---is described. This method is shown to reduce battery depth-of-discharge by as much as 20% over baseline architectures, and furthermore exhibits beneficial emergent behaviour for battery charge management. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Bonner, Colin Robert Nelson | Wies, Arthur E | Estimating the Effect of Phenological Mismatch on the Success of Assisted Gene Flow | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-06 | Adaptation to changing environmental conditions and subsequent recovery in population growth through evolutionary rescue is critical for many declining species, but it relies on populations having sufficient genetic variation. Assisted gene flow provides a solution to low genetic variance by introducing gene flow between distinct populations, allowing evolutionary rescue to proceed. Assisted gene flow, however, requires that these populations can interbreed. Many populations are divergent in reproductive phenology, reducing hybridization rates. The potential for hybridization between plant populations can be estimated from flowering schedules, but for these estimates to be useful they must be proven accurate. In a pair of two-generation experiments, I compared prospective estimates of hybridization, derived from flowering schedules, to retrospective estimates, derived from an analysis of offspring, using flowering time as a genetic marker. In both cases, hybridization was asymmetric. The prospective and retrospective strongly agreed under controlled pollination conditions, but less so under natural pollination in the field. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Bonokoski, Nicholas | Sawchuk, Peter H. | More Than A Curriculum: The Political Project of Radical Labour Education | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | This thesis analyzes the experiences of participants of the Canadian Labour Congress and Saskatchewan Federation of Labour radical labour youth activist training program “Solidarity Works.” The theoretical work of Antonio Gramsci and Paulo Freire is used to analyze why radical labour education is important. The theoretical work of Michel Foucault is used, in addition to the work of Gramsci and Freire, to examine the complications of radical labour education. The essential argument of this thesis is that radical labour education programs like Solidarity Works produce an activist subjectivity that ultimately comes into conflict with the institutionalized politics of the labour movement. Solidarity Works is a model radical labour education project, its challenges and successes warrant analysis so those lessons can be used for future radical labour education projects. | MAST | labour | 8 |
| Boock, Rebecca | Cannon, Martin | Constructing Whiteness: Regulating Aboriginal Identity | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-10T17:08:46Z | Curricula in classrooms facilitate a national amnesia of colonialism that renders inconceivable the possibility of Aboriginal heritage or mixed-blood presence in national subjects. This thesis examines my own family history alongside the Indian Act and discourses of multiculturalism. I provide a personal account for the ways in which Aboriginal identities are regulated in Canada. I examine how glorified white settler narratives - reproduced through both formal and informal schooling - work to displace Aboriginal peoples as the original inhabitants of the land. I argue that this facilitates ongoing Canadian colonialism that continues to circumvent the possibility of particular mixed-blood Aboriginal identities within the confines of national belonging. Citizenship education in the Toronto District School Board is situated as a mechanism of formal schooling that continues to negate the ongoing colonization of Aboriginal people so that mixed-race Aboriginal students may continue to assume themselves as white subjects within the nation. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Booth, Ashley | Sumner, Jennifer ||Koç, Mustafa | How Good is the Good Food Market: An Exploration of Community Food Security | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | Community food security (CFS) is a new, community-based, collaborative approach to achieving food security. CFS seeks to merge social justice and environmental sustainability goals in the pursuit of food-secure communities. The Good Food Market (GFM) is a new CFS initiative wherein a subsidized community food market operates in a food desert. Through a qualitative case study approach, I examine and evaluate the programmatic design of The Stop’s Good Food Market, and explore its contribution to community food security. The research is framed within a larger study of food security. Research findings are based on semi-structured and structured interviews with GFM coordinators and customers, as well as participant observation and literature reviews. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Borden, Kira A. | Thomas, Sean C. ||Isaac, Marney E. | Tree Roots in Agroforestry: Evaluating Biomass and Distribution with Ground Penetrating Radar | Forestry | 2013-11-21 | The root systems of five tree species (Populus deltoides × nigra clone DN-177, Juglans nigra, Quercus rubra, Picea abies, and Thuja occidentalis) are described following non-intrusive imaging using ground penetrating radar (GPR). This research aimed to 1) assess the utility of GPR for in situ root studies and 2) employ GPR to estimate tree root biomass and distribution in an agroforestry system in southern Ontario, Canada. The mean coarse root biomass estimated from GPR analysis was 54.1 ± 8.7 kg tree-1 (± S.E.; n=12), within 1 % of the mean coarse root biomass measured from matched excavations. The vertical distribution of detected roots varied among species, with T. occidentalis and P. abies roots concentrated in the top 20 cm and J. nigra and Q. rubra roots distinctly deeper. I evaluate these root systems based on their C storage potential and complementary root stratification with adjacent crops. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Borrowman, Cuyler Kenneth | Abbatt, Jonathan PD | Formation and Behaviour of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals from the Heterogeneous Reaction of Ozone with Combustion Particulate Matter | Chemistry | 2016-06 | Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are paramagnetic species stabilized by interaction with particulate matter (PM), which allows them to persist in the environment for days-weeks. Such species are important because when inhaled they can catalytically generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which cause oxidative stress and cell death. EPFRs are typically generated during combustion processes, but there is evidence in the literature that semiquinone EPFRs are formed when PM is aged in ambient air. It is known that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a common combustion PM (CPM) constituent, react heterogeneously with ozone, and quinone species are major products. In this thesis, using a single experimental method, we find for the first time that the reaction of ozone with PAH and with CPM produce several species of EPFRs. Their formation and behaviour is dependent upon a number of environmental factors including humidity, light, other gas phase radicals, and organic coating materials. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Bouchard, Dwight Jordan | Allen, D Grant||Tran, Honghi N | Evaluating Wood Fines as a Physical Conditioner for Dewatering Biosludge | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | Wood fines are sometimes used to improve biosludge dewatering and to supplement primary sludge, but how they improve biosludge dewaterability is not well understood. Wood fines (0-78% moisture content, dosages of 50-300%), and primary sludge fibres are added to biosludge, dewatered with a Crown Press, and evaluated with a mass balance. The wood fines used absorb on average 2.8ml of water per gram dry weight, which is more water than they help release. Thus, the increase in the dry solid content of the filter cake is primarily due the dry mass of the wood fines themselves, not an increase in water removal. Primary sludge fibres outperformed wood fines when evaluated on the Crown Press without a polymer, but the two conditioners performed similarly when a polymer was used. In a field study, wood fines are found to be an unsuitable physical conditioner when tested in a laboratory scale screw press. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Bouchard, Maryse | Kohler, Jillian Clare ||Howard, Andrew | Responding to the Global Injury Burden by Improving Access to Orthopaedic Medical Devices: A Qualitative Case Study of Orthopaedic Services in Uganda | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2011-12-05 | The global burden of injury is severely underappreciated and disproportionately affects low-income countries. With timely, appropriate orthopaedic treatment disability and mortality can be prevented, yet appropriate health resources are seldom available. Without orthopaedic medical devices (OMDs), quality of orthopaedic care suffers and the burden of preventable injury is exacerbated. A qualitative case study of 45 key informant interviews was conducted in Uganda to explore accessibility of OMDs, such as plaster, external fixators and implants. Data analysis elicited four major themes as barriers preventing access to OMDs in Uganda: 1) Poor leadership in government and corruption; 2) inadequate human resources; 3) inefficient and insufficient health care infrastructure; and 4) high costs of OMDs and poverty. Potential solutions for improving access to orthopaedic care were categorized as policies prioritizing orthopaedic services, training more orthopaedic specialists and creating incentives for them to work in underserviced areas, and innovative strategies funding for orthopaedic services. | MAST | poverty; health | 1, 3 |
| Bourne, Kirstin | Conway, Tenley | The Biogeography of Peel's Urban Forest: Patterns and Correlates of Species Diversity | Geography | 2011-08-11 | The purpose of this research project is to identify the species-level diversity and distribution of trees within the urban setting of Peel Region (Ontario, Canada) and to determine how these characteristics change as a function of land use type. To address this, alpha diversity (species richness within a community), evenness, and beta diversity (species richness between communities) were calculated for eight distinct land use types within the study area. As well, the influence that a variety of socioeconomic and urban form variables have in determining urban forest composition was examined using regression techniques. Results indicate that significant relationships exist between land use type, species richness and overall tree abundance. Variables reflecting wealth and urban form are also shown to significantly influence tree abundance. The results of this study address issues pertaining to the adaptation, conservation, and management of the region’s urban tree species. | MAST | socioeconomic; urban; conserv | 1, 11, 15 |
| Bovbel, Pavel | Nejat, Goldie | A Person-search System for an Assistive Robot | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-06 | This thesis presents the design of an assistive robotic system, developed to aid a growing elderly population in maintaining quality of life and age in place independently. The robot is designed to operate in a home environment and aid a person with the performance of independent activities of daily living, primarily focusing on guided meal preparation. This work begins with the development of a novel person-search approach using a time-discretized Hidden Markov Model (HMM). Subsequently the prototyping and development of the robotic system is discussed, followed by a benchmarking of the person-search system and an information gathering experiment evaluating the robot's interactive capabilities. Experiments show that the HMM-based person-search system is effective at locating a target person considerably faster than an uninformed baseline approach. | M.A.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Boyajian, Talar | Murphy, Kellie | Preeclampsia in HIV Positive Pregnant Women on Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy: A Matched Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-12-15T15:17:33Z | Background: Some studies have suggested that the risk of preeclampsia in HIV positive pregnant women has increased since the use of HAART became routine. There is also a concern that HIV positive women on HAART have a higher risk of adverse fetal outcomes compared to HIV negative women. Methods: In this matched retrospective cohort study, the risk of preeclampsia and adverse fetal outcomes was examined in 91 HIV positive pregnant women receiving HAART and 273 HIV negative pregnant women. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to adjust for confounding factors. Results: The risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth did not differ significantly between HIV positive and HIV negative women. HIV treated with HAART was an independent predictor for giving birth to a low birthweight baby. Conclusions: HIV positive women on HAART do not have a higher risk of preeclampsia. They do however have a higher risk for lower birthweight infants. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Boyer, Antoine | Passeport, Elodie | Strontium fate in wetlands: Proposed solutions to strontium pollution | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | Strontium 90 (90Sr) is an anthropogenic radionuclide detected in environments near nuclear accident and waste management sites. At the interface between groundwater and surface water, wetlands have the potential to buffer 90Sr pollution. This work investigated strontium interaction with five main wetland components and strontium speciation across the wetland water â sediment interface of two wetland sites, via both a laboratory and field studies. The strongest strontium adsorption onto organic substrates was found for wetland sediments and moss, where the proteins were found to cause stronger and less reversible adsorption. At the water â sediment interface, the pore water strontium concentration was related to reduced oxyhydroxides and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. The results of this research were applied to develop wetland management practices for Sr retention in engineered wetlands, and for the remediation of strontium-contaminated natural wetlands. | M.A.S. | water; waste; pollut | 6, 12, 14 |
| Boyle, Bettina Helth Arnum | Jackson, Nancy | Online Tables & Tablecloths: Facilitating Space for Online Learning & Collaboration | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:04:38Z | This thesis describes the researcher’s journey as an online facilitator and reflective organization development (OD) practitioner as she explores how to nurture and cultivate space for learning and collaboration in an online community of practice. The research setting is a small group of mostly volunteers in a national health charity. The researcher adopts a reflective practitioner research approach engaging in a continuous process of story-telling throughout the thesis. She struggles with questions such as her own dynamic role as an outside facilitator, the role of technology, dilemmas of emergence versus design and discovery of purpose. Rather than arriving at a to-do-list for potential online facilitators, she discovers that hosting café style conversations, setting the online tables and enabling space for learning, collaboration and aliveness is more a matter of the facilitator’s capacity to listen, to be authentically present and to relinquish control. | MAST | EDUCAT | 4 |
| Boyo, Toritseju Maria | Wane, Njoki | The African Brain Drain and the Social Impact of Skilled Migration | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2013-11 | The rapid rate at which educated Africans are migrating to the West has garnered much attention among scholars and has been termed ‘brain drain’. This thesis presents two arguments. First, understandings of brain drain from the African continent must be rooted in a historical context. The problems that the continent faces today have been shaped by key historical events including slavery and colonialism. Secondly, the impact of brain drain extends beyond the cost-benefit analysis related to remittances and loss of investments to the countries involved. Brain drain has significant social impacts on African immigrants in the diaspora. As such, it is important to highlight some of the triumphs and challenges that characterize the migrant experience. | MAST | poverty | 1 |
| Bragg, Bronwyn | Eichler, Margrit | Deconstructing 'Hegemonic Feminism': The Emergence of 'Second Wave' Feminism in Canada (1965-1975) | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Drawing on a collection of interviews with Canadian feminists, this thesis explores the emergence of a ‘second wave’ of feminist organizing in Canada from 1965 to 1975. Using insights from poststructural feminism and critical race theory, I deconstruct the notion of ‘hegemonic feminism’ and examine how certain women came to inhabit a position of hegemony during the movement’s early years. I focus on key events in feminist organizing during the 1960s-1970s: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the founding of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Drawing on oral history interviews and a close reading of the report on the RCSW, I suggest that more nuanced approaches are needed to move beyond the binary thinking that inflects accounts of Canadian feminist history. I conclude with a series of feminist narratives which aim to complicate linear histories and offer an alternative reading of this movement. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Brahmbhatt, Priya | Santa Mina, Daniel | Prehabilitation for Women Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery: A Mixed Methods Study | Exercise Sciences | 2020-06 | Research examining prehabilitation prior to cancer surgery has grown rapidly in recent years, but data in the breast cancer setting are scant. This study examined the feasibility of an exercise-centred prehabilitation intervention prior to breast cancer surgery using a mixed methods design. Participants (n=22) received an individualized exercise prescription including aerobic and upper quadrant-specific resistance and mobility training for the duration of their surgical waiting period. Primary outcomes included feasibility and acceptability. Exploratory outcomes included measures of physical and psychosocial wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews with a sub-set of participants (n=5) and health care providers (HCPs; n=2) provided further insights into acceptability. The study demonstrated feasibility based on pre-determined thresholds. Inductive thematic analysis demonstrated that prehabilitation was perceived as highly favourable by both participants and HCPs, including suggestions that it be offered to all surgical candidates. Randomized controlled trials to examine prehabilitation efficacy in people with breast cancer are warranted. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Brakeboer, Brent | Zee, Robert E | Development of the Structural and Thermal Control Subsystems for an Earth Observation Microsatellite and its Payload | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2015-11 | Broad consensus has been reached in the scientific community that climate change is occurring and its cause is anthropogenic. Governments and other regulatory bodies are quickly implementing stricter and further reaching environmental regulations which require companies to regularly report emissions and penalize heavy polluters. To serve private and public end users in emissions monitoring GHGSat Inc. has contracted Space Flight Laboratory to develop Greenhouse Gas Satellite - Demonstration, or GHGSat-D, a remote sensing microsatellite with the mission objective of providing measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane at emission sources such as power plants and tailings ponds. This thesis presents the author's contributions to the development of the satellite and payload structure as well as the thermal control subsystem from mission concept to system level testing. Each section begins with a discussion of the driving requirements followed by relevant background information. Analysis and design work is then presented followed by noteworthy results. | M.A.S. | climate; governance | 13, 16 |
| Branch, Haley Anne | Sage, Rowan F | The Effect of High Temperature on the Reproductive Success of Trianthema portulacastrum | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-11 | Plant reproduction is highly sensitive to rising temperatures, which can lead to pollen abortion, and lower yield in many crop species. It remains uncertain whether wild plant species adapted to hot climates are able to reproduce at high temperature. I studied heat sterility thresholds in Trianthema portulacastrum, a weedy species found throughout the tropics and subtropics, often on barren soils where temperature exceeds 40°C. Plants were grown at seven day/night temperatures: 30/24°C, 33/24°C, 36/24°C, 40/24°C, 44/24°C, 24/40°C, and 40/40°C. Pollen viability significantly declined with increasing temperature, but this did not significantly affect percent pollen germination or seed set. In contrast, seed set was significantly reduced under high night temperature. The results show high night temperatures have a greater impact on reproduction than day temperature, indicating T. portulacastrum is using a night escape strategy to maintain reproductive success in its natural habitat. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Braoudakis, Georgina | Jackson, Donald | Assessing Fish and Zooplankton Species Composition Patterns in Lentic Waterbodies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-11 | For ecologists to better analyze and interpret relationships between species and their abiotic and biotic environments, it is useful to study biogeographical patterns of species composition. I examined lentic fish and zooplankton species occurrence patterns and the importance of several predictor variables in relation to these patterns. Fish communities in two Ontario regions exhibited significant nested species composition patterns. Lake size was a significant predictor. One measure of lake isolation explained some residual variation in both regions. Top predator presence was a significant predictor in one region. Through a meta-analysis, I found that crustacean zooplankton communities from across the Americas demonstrated significant negative species co-occurrence patterns. Presence-absence matrix fill and number of sites were the strongest predictors of the departure from random species co-occurrences. Comparisons of species composition patterns and drivers for different taxonomic groups could provide further insight into the level and types of non-random structure in freshwater ecosystems. | M.Sc. | water; fish | 14 |
| Brar, Pavneet | Drake, Jennifer | Investigation of the Sediment Retention Behaviour of a Catch Basin Insert Receiving Urban Stormwater Runoff | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | Ongoing urbanization has detrimental effects on receiving water bodies, making it imperative to apply decentralized stormwater management and in particular on-site controls. This study evaluates the efficiency of a catch basin insert, the CB ShieldTM, in improving sediment retention in conventional catch basins that are subjected to urban runoff typical of Southern Ontario cities. Year-long field trials in Toronto, Ontario, demonstrated that the retrofitted catch basin retained more sediment in its sump, which in turn, lead to greater retention of environmental pollutants. The concentrations observed for retrofitted and conventional catch basins sumps were significantly different for many water quality parameters, including nutrients, heavy metals, and total suspended solids. The CB ShieldTM is a positive retrofit option for conventional catch basins, and further research would be helpful in the evaluation of its operational requirements to ensure a seamless addition into existing infrastructure. | M.A.S. | pollut; urban; water | 6, 11, 14 |
| Braszak, Patrick | Olive, Andrea | Social Movement Theory and Transboundary Conservation in Eastern North America: A Case Study of the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative | Geography | 2017-11 | Conservation is currently undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditional, centralized approaches are becoming increasingly questioned for their inability to address the broad spatial and temporal problems that are characteristic of new large-scale understandings of ecology. Transboundary conservation models have been steadily gaining traction around the world as the more suitable alternative given their wholesale rejection of artificial, anthropogenic boundaries in favour of scales determined entirely by ecological processes. A case study approach was used to examine a proposed transboundary corridor from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada to Adirondack Park in New York State, U.S.A. The central argument for this thesis, supported by insights from the projectâ s organizational trajectory and lackluster relationship with media outlets, is that conservation practitioners must foment social change themselves by aggressively pursuing dialogue with members of the public â rather than waiting for political opportunities to present themselves â if they are to gain support for transboundary conservation. | M.A. | conserv; ecology | 15 |
| Braunstein, Catherine Rose | Sievenpiper, John L | The Potential Catalytic Effects of Fructose and its Epimers on Postprandial Carbohydrate Metabolism in Subjects without Diabetes and a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis in all Subjects | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-11 | The objective was to determine the ‘catalytic’ (doses <10g/meal) effects of fructose and allulose (psicose) on postprandial carbohydrate metabolism in healthy participants (FACE Trial) and to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis (SRMA) on the acute effects of fructose and its epimers on postprandial glycemic and insulinemic responses. The FACE trial was conducted in 25 healthy participants and did not find any significant effects of fructose or allulose on any glycemic or insulinemic endpoints. The SRMA (n=233) found that allulose, but not fructose or tagatose, significantly reduced glucose and insulin iAUC. Overall, results suggest that allulose can serve as a low-calorie alternative to fructose in the diet and leads to modest improvements in glucose and insulin responses in those with and without diabetes, however, research is needed to elucidate the lack of findings in the FACE trial and the limits of our SRMA. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bray, Michael Johnathan Charles | Green, Robin EA||Bayley, Mark | Examining Causes and Consequences of Mental Health Disorders in Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by a host of persisting mental health (cognitive and psychiatric), motor and neurological sequelae, including progressive, degenerative change in the hippocampi. This thesis postulates that hippocampal volume loss may contribute to the increased risk of psychotic disorder that is observed in this population, through dysregulation of dopaminergic networks. The thesis also posits that TBI is implicated in the substantial mental health deficits observed in persons experiencing homelessness. This thesis specifically investigated (1) The relationship between increased psychotic symptom severity and hippocampal volume loss from 5 to 12 months post-injury and (2) The relationship between TBI and cognitive/psychiatric dysfunction among persons experiencing homelessness. A significant association between increasing hippocampal degeneration and increasing psychotic symptom severity was demonstrated. TBI was also demonstrated to bear strong associations with mental health dysfunction among homeless populations. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Brechbill, Jessica | Cannon, Martin J | Unsettling White Settler Subjectivity in Social Justice Education: Towards a Pedagogy of Risk | Social Justice Education | 2020-06 | This thesis explores the co-constitutive connections between colonial violence and white settler subjectivity in order to highlight the responsibilities that white settlers have in addressing the death, disappearance, and usurpation of Indigenous land and/or life. The three chapters are guided by the assertion that the “issue” at the heart of Indigenous-Settler relations in Canada is not simply settler ignorance or a lack of empathy but access to land and resources. Operating from this perspective, the thesis proposes that white settler subjects are not simply implicated in settler colonialism but also created by it. As such, the thesis rejects a rationalist approach to improving intersubjective relations through “knowing the other” and instead proposes a political and/or educational approach that invites learners to, in a sense, risk themselves and their power by unsettling their psycho-affective investment in the settler colonial project and white settler subjectivity itself. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Bremner, Samantha | McCartney, Colin ||Webster, Fiona | A Qualitative Descriptive Study: Older Adults' Postoperative Pain Medication Usage After Total Knee Arthroplasty | Medical Science | 2011-12-05 | Postoperative pain is a major concern to patients undergoing surgical procedures but little research has been conducted on pain management after hospital discharge for orthopaedic patients. Since pain medication is a key component of pain management, it is important to study medication usage from a patient’s perspective, for greater patient–health care provider concordance. A qualitative descriptive approach was taken to investigate the experience of 14 participants with managing pain at home immediately after total knee arthroplasty. Most participants limited their consumption and weaned themselves off prescription analgesics and used over-the-counter pain medications. The participants adapted their regimens in response to several factors and generally were content to self-manage their pain but required access to professional support. The study suggests that when developing postoperative pain management plans, health care providers may need to increase the time they spend addressing patients’ concerns and considering patients’ preferences. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Brennan-Donnan, Joan Elizabeth | O'Connor, Deborah | Maternal and Infant Variables Associated with Critical Volumes of Breastmilk in Very Low Birth Weight Infants During the First Month of Postnatal Life | Nutritional Sciences | 2015 | This study investigated the variables associated with the initiation, duration and exclusivity of breastmilk feeding in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Maternal and infant correlates associated with the provision of a critical dose, ¡Ý50 ml/kg/d, of mother¡¯s own milk in the first 28 days of life was also determined. Data including socio-demographic and health characteristics were collected prospectively for 115 mothers and infants. Ninety-six percent of infants received some mother¡¯s milk during hospitalization. Sixty-eight percent of infants received some breastmilk at discharge and 48% fed exclusively mother¡¯s own milk. Maternal Asian background (p=0.005), birth weight ¡Ý1000 g (p=0.008), gestational age ¡Ý28 weeks at birth (p=0.01), and SNAP-II Score | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bridgeman, Sean | Gary, Sprules | Spatial Patterns of Zooplankton and Water Currents Near the Confluence of Two Major Fetches in Lake Opeongo,Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-07-21T19:50:54Z | This study combines Optical Plankton Counter data on zooplankton abundance and Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data on water currents to test hypotheses about spatial zooplankton distributions near a major point of land affecting local wind and water current patterns. Data were collected by repeatedly sampling a 2 km linear transect in the South Arm of Lake Opeongo, Ontario, Canada during July, 2008. Moving Split Window techniques were used to identify breakpoints in both zooplankton biomass concentration and a measure of water turbulence, and confirmed an effect of the topographic feature on local zooplankton distributions. Using additional data collected in 2001 and 2003, zooplankton abundance distributions were also tested under three wind speed ranges predicted from physical principles to correspond to varying stability of the water column. Significant differences were found in the variability and patch sizes of the distributions, indicating the importance of wind speeds on zooplankton patchiness. | MAST | ecology | 15 |
| Bridgman, Alanna Christina | George, Tony P | The Effects of Varenicline on Working Memory and Long-term Potentiation in Non-smokers with Schizophrenia | Medical Science | 2015-11 | Background: Deficits in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) system are proposed to underlie vulnerability to nicotine dependence and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Varenicline is a smoking cessation medication that enhances cognition in schizophrenia while treating nicotine dependence, possibly through the modulation of neuroplasticity. Methods: This study assessed the effects of varenicline (1 mg/day) versus placebo on neuroplasticity and working memory in 11 schizophrenia non-smokers and 11 non-smoker healthy subjects, to eliminate the confounding effects of tobacco smoking. Results: Patients with schizophrenia performed worse on the 3-back task compared to healthy subjects. Varenicline enhanced working memory in low-performers only, regardless of diagnosis. Deficits in neuroplasticity were found in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy subjects, which were enhanced with varenicline compared to placebo. Conclusions: Varenicline may be a potential therapeutic option for the remediation of cognitive and neuroplasticity deficits in patients with schizophrenia regardless of smoking status. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bridgman, Tess Mary | Trebilcock, Michael | The Efficacy of New Zealand Aid: An Analysis and Critique of New Zealand's Aid Programme | Law | 2011-12-05 | New Zealand’s aid programme reflects many of the controversies surrounding foreign aid more generally. From issues relating to the influence of political considerations and the administration and evaluation of aid agencies, to the fragmentation of the global aid system and the volatility of aid, these issues compromise the efficacy of aid provided to developing countries. This paper analyses the evolution of New Zealand’s aid programme and critiques its current policy and administrative structure in the context of these current controversies, in order to highlight the ways in which New Zealand’s aid can be delivered more effectively. The paper concludes, among other things, that New Zealand’s change in focus to economic development, its close alignment of aid policy with foreign policy and the re-absorption of its semi-autonomous aid agency NZAID back into its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade risks compromising the effectiveness of the aid that New Zealand provides. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Brijmohan, Amanda | Childs, Ruth A | A Many-facet RASCH Measurement Analysis to Explore Rater Effects and Rater Training in Medical School Admissions | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-11 | For many undergraduate medical education (UME) programs, ratings of applicantsâ performance in interviews are integral to the decision making process. This study used many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM) to explore the severity and consistency of 200 interviewersâ ratings of 599 applicants to a UME program. The raters varied widely in their severity and many of the raters had poor fit to the MFRM model. Although raters at four stations rated both station-specific and across-station competencies, the highest correlations were within station; the correlations across stations for the common competencies were low. No significant relationships were found between ratersâ training mode(s) (online and in-person) and rating behaviours. The findings from this work demonstrate the need to make explicit how differences in rater judgement affect fairness of applicant assessment to UME programs. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Brinklow, Tessa Rose | de Kerckhove, Dak T.||Chu, Cindy | Temporal Patterns in Biomass Size Spectra in the Upper Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-06 | Aquatic ecosystems are sensitive to environmental changes on long-term and seasonal scales. Normalized biomass size spectra (NBSS) are often used to quantify changes in these communities. In this study, I used data on plankton and fishes from the Upper Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario spanning over forty years to construct NBSS. I hypothesized that NBSS heights (indicator of overall biomass) and slopes (indicator of trophic energy transfer) would vary in response to significant environmental change in the Bay (Pre-phosphorus control, Post-phosphorus control, and Post-Dreissenid mussel periods), and that they would also vary seasonally. Linear mixed effects models indicated that community heights and slopes changed across seasons, but only heights changed across periods. NBSS for phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fishes showed differing responses to seasonal and periodical changes. Overall, NBSS were able to detect community changes across seasons and periods, and I recommend the continued use of NBSS for aquatic ecosystem assessments. | M.Sc. | ecology | 15 |
| Brissette, Christy | Vuksan, Vladimir | The Effect of Salvia hispanica L. Seeds on Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | Nutritional Sciences | 2013-11-21 | There is growing interest in the potential role of omega-3/fibre-rich seeds in attenuating obesity and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Preliminary data suggests that consumption of white Salvia hispanica L. (Salba®) seeds prolongs satiety and may aid weight loss. This randomized, double-blind, parallel study assessed the efficacy and safety of Salvia hispanica in overweight/obese individuals with T2DM on weight, body composition, glycemic control and other CVD risk factors. Fifty-eight participants consumed a hypocaloric diet including Salvia hispanica or an energy-and-fibre-matched control over 24 weeks. Greater reductions in weight, waist circumference and inflammation occurred in the Salvia hispanica group versus control. There were no significant between-group differences in safety parameters, glycemic control or other CVD risk factors. Salvia hispanica seeds may support weight loss in overweight/obese individuals with T2DM. Further research is needed to determine whether these effects are maintained. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Broad, Amaalia | Gariepy, Jean | A Role for ETA(253-412) in Peptide-based Delivery of Therapeutic Molecules into Cells | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2010-02-15T20:14:55Z | The delivery of biomolecules by cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) is an innovative therapeutic strategy. However delivery efficiency is hindered by the entrapment of CPPs in vesicles, degradation, or recycling out of cells, which limits their delivery into the cell cytoplasm and nucleus. To overcome these barriers, we investigated a bacterial protein domain derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Exotoxin A (ETA, residues 253-412) that is able to exit vesicular compartments. A series of CPP-ETA(253-412) fusion proteins were constructed, expressed, and purified. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry confirmed the internalization at 37oC of constructs containing CPPs (poly-arginine or TAT). In addition, constructs containing CPP-ETA(253-412)-eGFP were shown to relocate from endosomes to the cytosol. CPP-ETA(253-412) constructs were also able to act as carriers of DNA cargos facilitating their delivery to the cytosol. The ETA(253-412) translocation domain may prove useful for the intracellular delivery of drugs, protein therapeutics, siRNA delivery, and vaccine formulations. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Brokenshire, Catherine Emma | Kepe, Thembela | Feeling through Food: Examining Experience and Exclusion within Alternative Food Movements in Parkdale, Toronto | Geography | 2020-06 | This thesis questions the role and relevance of alternative food movements by analyzing resident perspectives, emotions, everyday experiences and embodiment of food. Building on studies of exclusion and privilege in alternative food systems, the case study emphasizes emotions, resident perspectives and experiences to examine the success, or lack thereof, of alternatives in Parkdale, Toronto. The Political Ecology of the Body framework is used to analyze interconnections between structural forces, knowledge production, and relational ontology in alternative food systems, the neighbourhood food environment, and Parkdale. The thesis argues that exclusion is felt and embodied in alternative food spaces, decreasing the relevance to everyday food decisions. Furthermore, residents’ associations between place, gentrification and (alternative) food venues influence which spaces are felt to (not) serve community needs and threatens sense of place, reinforcing how exclusion is embodied and situated with the neighbourhood food system. | M.A. | food | 2 |
| Bromberg, Simon Eitan | Cafazzo, Joseph | Consumer Wristband Activity Monitors as a Simple and Inexpensive Tool for Remote Heart Failure Monitoring | Biomedical Engineering | 2015-11 | Daily physical activity is a strong indicator of heart failure (HF) severity that could help identify at-risk patients before acute decompensation and prevent late readmissions. However, remote-monitoring systems rarely incorporate any activity data. Consumer devices have made continuous activity tracking inexpensive and unobtrusive, but it is not clear whether such devices are suitable for monitoring patients. In this study 50 stable HF outpatients were given Fitbit Flex wristbands activity trackers to wear for two weeks to validate the use of these devices for remote monitoring. We developed metrics of peak activity based on minute-level step data that correlated with clinical cardiopulmonary exercise tests. These consumer devices were also found to be reliable with seamless data collection. Future studies examining the change of these activity metrics over longer periods time in relation to other indicators of HF will help establish the use of consumer devices as a viable remote monitoring tool. | M.H.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Bromfield, Mandisa | Goldstein, Tara ||Flessa, Joseph | Understanding Home-school Relationships within an Indigenous Community in an Urban Public School | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-29 | This study examines relationships between Indigenous parents and their children’s non-Indigenous teachers. As many Indigenous students are taught by mostly non-Indigenous teachers, this thesis aims to provide teachers with insights or strategies on how to work in a community that is perhaps unknown to them. There are three areas of focus within this thesis: critical issues within systems of education in Indigenous communities, critical issues that Indigenous parents face, and critical issues that schools with Indigenous students face. This project has given both parents and teachers the chance to talk about the experiences of Indigenous children, the experiences of parents and teachers, and the relationships that form between the school, home, and the community. Also included are ideas that can be used by schools, school boards, and Indigenous communities to encourage strong relationships between homes of students and their schools. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Bronson, Stefanie | Frost, David | First-year Kinesiology Students' Learning Experience in a Practice-based Course | Exercise Sciences | 2016-11 | The purpose of this study was to investigate first-year kinesiology studentsâ learning experience in a practice-based course. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven first-student kinesiology students following their completion of a first year practice-based course. The six core tenets of experiential learning theory were used to structure the interview protocol and framed the initial steps in data analysis. The results show that the practice-based learning experience is different for all students. Despite such differences, four central themes emerged from the data: the importance of connection, consideration for the individuality of all learners, the influential role of the instructor, and the importance of the learning space. The significance of these findings is discussed and recommendations are provided for the enhancement of student learning in practice-based or experiential learning environments. | M.Sc. | inclusive | 3 |
| Brousseau, Braiden | Rose, Jonathan S. | An Energy Efficient FPGA Hardware Architecture for the Acceleration of OpenCV Object Detection | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-11-21 | The use of Computer Vision in programmable mobile devices could lead to novel and creative applications. However, the computational demands of Computer Vision are ill-suited to low performance mobile processors. Also the evolving algorithms, due to active research in this fi eld, are ill-suited to dedicated digital circuits. This thesis proposes the inclusion of an FPGA co-processor in smartphones as a means of efficiently computing tasks such as Computer Vision. An open source object detection algorithm is run on a mobile device and implemented on an FPGA to motivate this proposal. Our hardware implementation presents a novel memory architecture and a SIMD processing style that achieves both high performance and energy efficiency. The FPGA implementation outperforms a mobile device by 59 times while being 13.5 times more energy efficient. | MAST | energy; innovation | 7, 9 |
| Brown, Eric Elvezio | Graff-Guerrero, Ariel | Alzheimer’s Disease Pathophysiology and Risk Factors with Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography, an Open Science Approach, and the Consideration of Environmental Exposures | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common underlying cause of dementia but is incompletely understood. The pathophysiology of AD involves amyloid-beta plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and cerebrovascular changes involving white matter. Risk factors including lead (Pb) exposure influence these processes. This thesis has four components related to improving the understanding of AD pathophysiology. First, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) tracer delivery was hypothesized to be associated with white matter integrity and was demonstrated to be correlated with established biomarkers in mild cognitive impairment. Second, an open source software package for PET analysis was created to improve transparency in AD research. Third, a systematic review of case-control studies of Pb measurement in AD is presented, which highlights the possible connection but identifies a need for studies that address early-life Pb exposure. And fourth, a hypothesis that environmental microdose lithium may mitigate Pb toxicity including cognitive impact is outlined with several literature reviews. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Brown, Meghan | Post, Martin ||Subbarao, Padmaja | Lung Clearance Index as a Marker of Ventilation Inhomogeneity in Early Childhood with Health and Disease | Physiology | 2011-12-05 | Rationale: Ventilation inhomogeneity (VI) may be an early sign of obstructive airway disease. The lung clearance index (LCI) has been suggested as a sensitive marker of VI, although it has not been well characterized in young children in health and in those with CF and asthma. Objective: To determine if LCI can detect VI in asymptomatic infants and preschool-age subjects with CF or wheeze/asthma compared to healthy controls. Methods: Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) multiple breath washout (MBW) testing was completed in all subjects. Results: LCI was found to be dependent on age in a large healthy cohort. Accounting for age, LCI was significantly elevated in disease groups compared to healthy controls in early childhood, illustrating early presence of VI in wheezy infants and the progression of disease in CF. Furthermore, the effects of breathing pattern and the variability of MBW parameters showed positive associations with age and VI. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Brown, Virginia | Liu, Fang | An Intranasal Delivery Method for Novel Therapeutics to treat Major Depressive Disorder | Physiology | 2013-11 | A problem in designing drugs that act upon the central nervous system is developing effective delivery methods. Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects 12% of men and 20% of women in the United States, and treatment options are often inadequate. In patients, the interaction between dopamine D1 and D2 receptors is correlated with major depressive disorder. A small peptide that disrupts this interaction can be delivered to brain areas using intranasal delivery. The D1-D2 interfering peptide has an antidepressant effect comparable to imipramine in the forced swimming test (FST), a test for antidepressant efficacy. At doses greater than 5.75 mg/kg, the D1-D2 interfering peptide has antidepressant action in the FST for 2 hours after intranasal administration. The D1-D2 interfering peptide disrupts the D1-D2 receptor interaction in the PFC after intranasal administration. This study provides preclinical support for intranasal administration of the D1-D2 interfering peptide as a new treatment option for MDD. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Browne, Dillon T. | Jenkins, Jennifer M. | Change in Child Health and Socioeconomic Status: Examining the Moderating Role of Differential Parenting | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-11-29 | Inequality within the family (i.e. differential parenting) is associated with a variety of measures of child adjustment. To date there is no research examining the effects of this phenomenon on children’s physical health, or on the fashion in which this phenomenon may combine and interact with socioeconomic markers. The present study assessed 375 mothers and their children over a period of 18 months. Differential maternal negativity between siblings predicted change in child health, controlling for child gender, age, maternal education, income/assets, and absolute level of negativity in the household. The association between maternal education and change in child health was strongest when children were also exposed to high differential negativity, suggesting that these predictors combined in a cumulative fashion. Findings indicate that multiple forms of social disadvantage (i.e. between families and between siblings) can operate independently or in combination with one another to predict change in child health. | MAST | socioeconomic; health; gender; inequality | 5 |
| Brubacher, Katherine | Gérin-Lajoie, Diane | Education and the Unschooled Student: Teachers’ Discourses on Teaching Elementary School English Literacy Development Students | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-29 | Based on empirical qualitative data collected by interviewing eight elementary school teachers from across four different school boards in Ontario and analyzing new Ontario Ministry of Education policy and guidelines for supporting and programming for English Literacy Development (ELD) students, this research seeks to better understand how teachers’ discourses influence their perception of ELD students’ experiences in elementary schools. In particular, I look at how they view their roles as teachers, the purpose of education and schooling, their personal views on diversity, and how they program literacy for ELD students. The participants’ discourses reveal that although they prioritize having positive relationships with their students, they often struggled to relate positively with their ELD students. Reassessing how the formal school is structured and providing directed professional development on teaching ELD students could work towards creating more positive learning experiences for ELD students in Ontario elementary schools. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Brunsek, Ashley | Perlman, Michal | Early Education and Care Program Quality and Children's Well-being: a Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-11 | The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (-Revised) (ECERS/ECERS-R) is the most widely used assessment of global classroom quality in Early Childhood Education and Care programs. Despite prevalent use of the ECERS/ECERS-R in research and applied settings, its impact on child outcomes have not been systematically reviewed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the ECERS/ECERS-R and children’s well-being. Searches of Medline, PsycINFO, ERIC, websites of large datasets and reference sections of all retrieved articles were conducted up to January 2013. Eligible studies provided a statistical link between the ECERS/ECERS-R and child outcomes. Sixty-three empirical studies met our inclusion criteria. All studies were included in the systematic review and 23 could be meta-analyzed. Associations between ECERS/ECERS-R total and factor scores and children’s cognitive, language, math, and social-emotional outcomes are evident but weak. Greater consistency in study methodology is critical in this area of research. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Bryant, Katelyn | Willows, Dale | Reading Instruction on YouTube: Insights from Searches on Five Key Reading Topics | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2012-11-28 | The recognition that YouTube, a free-access video sharing website, is being widely used as a source of public information has lead medical researchers to conduct studies on health-related videos. However, it appears that educational researchers have not explored YouTube videos about reading instruction, given that no published studies could be located on this topic. The current study conducted controlled searches related to the “big five” areas of early elementary reading instruction as identified by the National Reading Panel (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension). Search results were recorded and the top 40 “most relevant” videos on each topic were analyzed to determine information about viewership, format, content, and creators of the videos. Results indicated that while YouTube videos addressing all five areas of reading instruction were prolific and highly viewed, users would need to be critical, informed, and tech-savvy in order to find relevant videos from credible sources. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Bryson, Laura C. | Abizaid, Christian | Spatial Patterns of Natural Resource Depletion among Rain Forest Communities in the Peruvian Amazon: The Role of Protected Areas and Indigenous Territories in the Conservation of Key Species | Geography | 2017-06 | Human-induced environmental change is not a new phenomenon in biologically rich areas of western Amazonia. Rain forest communities have long modified their environments, pursuing a diverse portfolio of economic activities for subsistence and income generation. Globally, protected areas (PAs) are the chief conservation strategy. While the effectiveness of different PA models continues to be debated, recent research acknowledges the significance of extractive PAs and indigenous territories to the conservation of biodiversity in human-modified landscapes. Using community census data collected from rain forest communities in the data poor region of the Peruvian Amazon (N=919), spatial clustering and regression analyses are applied to evaluate the effect of proximity to extractive PAs and indigenous territories on relative availability of key species. Controlling for important environmental, market, and community characteristics, our research indicates that extractive PAs and indigenous territories have helped to preserve the availability of key species by certain measures that we isolate in the work. | M.Sc. | environment; conserv; forest; biodiversity | 15 |
| Bubis, Lev David | Karanicolas, Paul J | Investigating Associations Between Preoperative Patient-Reported Symptom Burden and Postoperative Outcomes Following Major Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are prognostic of long-term survival in cancer patients. However, their association with postoperative outcomes following major oncologic surgery is not well characterized. A retrospective population-based cohort study of rectal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiotherapy and proctectomy was conducted. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to select a scoring approach for the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System to define elevated preoperative symptom burden. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to investigate associations between preoperative symptom scores and postoperative outcomes. High preoperative symptom scores were not associated with postoperative major morbidity (OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.84-1.97). However, high preoperative symptom scores were associated with prolonged postoperative length of stay (IRR 1.23, 95% CI 1.14-1.32), 30-day hospital readmission (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.30-2.34), and 30-day post-discharge ED visits (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.05-1.71). PROs can contribute important information for identification of patients at risk for increased healthcare utilization in the postoperative period. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Buchan, Tayler A | Goodman, Jack M | Right Heart and Pulmonary Hemodynamic Response to Prolonged Exercise in Middle-Aged Endurance Athletes | Exercise Sciences | 2017-11 | Chronic endurance exercise has shown to contribute to disproportionate right ventricular (RV) remodeling in athletes, and prolonged strenuous exercise has been associated with acute changes in RV function post-exercise, which are transient. RV function has been closely coupled to pulmonary arterial (PA) hemodynamics, and PA pressures appear to increase progressively with exercise intensity. There is however a paucity of directly-measured pulmonary hemodynamic data to support this observation. We characterized the PA hemodynamic and RV functional responses to acute, step-incremental (n=16) and sustained steady-state aerobic exercise (n=5) in healthy, middle-aged endurance athletes. All subjects underwent simultaneous right heart catheterization and echocardiography. PA pressures increased after initiation of exercise, then stabilized, without further change during acute and prolonged exercise. Accordingly, indices of RV function did not decline during prolonged exercise, altogether arguing against the notion that sustained elevations in pulmonary pressures may compromise RV systolic performance during prolonged aerobic exercise. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Buchanan, Sarah Willow | Isaac, Marney||Martin, Adam | Intraspecific Variation in Leaf and Root Traits across Nutrient and Light Gradients in Coffee Agroforestry Systems | Geography | 2016-06 | Functional traits can evaluate crop responses to farm-level management practices, however there are considerable uncertainties as to the extent and drivers of trait variation. In a coffee agroforestry system I examined three shade and four nutrient treatments, in order to i) quantify intraspecific trait variation of coffee leaves and roots along soil fertility and light gradients, and ii) test if the functional biology of coffee, as described by its position along a known functional trait spectra, is best predicted by soil nutrients or light. Low light led to high intraspecific variation within plant photosynthetic rates while high light systems resulted in reduced intraspecific variation across all leaf traits. High fertilization produced lower amounts of intraspecific root variation. Finally, functional traits correlated along a resource gradient as expected. Agroforestry systems then have the potential to increase within species variation, which has important long-term consequences for the structure and function of agroecosystems. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Bui, Randy | Buliung, Ron | Toward an Understanding of the Built Environment Influences on the Carpool Formation and Use Process: A Case Study of Employer-based Users within the Service Sector of Smart Commute’s Carpool Zone | Geography | 2011-12-05 | The recent availability of geo-enabled web-based tools creates new possibilities for facilitating carpool formation. Carpool Zone is a web-based carpool formation service offered by Metrolinx, the transportation planning authority for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), Canada. The carpooling literature has yet to uncover how different built environments may facilitate or act as barriers to carpool propensity. This research explores the relationship between the built environment and carpool formation. With respect to the built environment, industrial and business parks (homogeneous land-use mix) are associated with high odds of forming carpools. The results suggest that employer transport policies are also among the more salient factors influencing carpool formation and use. Importantly, the findings indicate that firms interested in promoting carpooling will require contingencies to reduce the uncertainty of ride provision that may hamper long-term carpool adoption by employees. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Buick, Jason Eric | Morrison, Laurie J | Does Location Matter? How Neighbourhoods Influence Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-11 | Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a life-threatening emergency. Research from other disciplines has suggested that location is a strong determinant of health outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to determine the role of neighborhoods in OHCA. We hypothesized that neighbourhood factors are associated with: survival to hospital discharge, a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at emergency department (ED) arrival, and provision of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This thesis demonstrates that for the most part neighbourhood inequalities were not associated with outcomes. This thesis confirmed that, while the Utstein variables account for a large portion of patients who survive, they poorly account for patients who had a ROSC at ED arrival or received bystander CPR. Inclusion of neighbourhood factors to the Utstein variables significantly improved discrimination for survival and a ROSC at ED arrival, but not bystander CPR. Future research should determine what additional factors could predict outcomes. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Buitenhuis, Amy Johanna | Siemiatycki, Matti ||Cowen, Deborah | Public-private Partnerships and Prison Expansion in Ontario: Shifts in Governance 1995 to 2012 | Geography | 2013-11-21 | This research explores the changing role of the private sector in provincial prison infrastructure expansion in Ontario. After contracting out the operations of a new prison and facing much resistance, the provincial government began delivering prisons by maintaining public operations but financing them privately through public-private partnerships. To understand the political and economic impacts of these changes, I analyzed relevant government documents and interviews I conducted with 15 key informants from government agencies, firms and other organizations involved in creating, implementing and resisting prison expansion policies between 1995 and today. I show how changes in infrastructure governance were shaped by contestation between the state, international financial investors, private firms in Canada, labour and others involved in prison systems. Through public-private partnerships, the role of government shifted towards that of market facilitator, and as infrastructure was placed on global debt markets, international financial capital played a new part in prison development. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Burek, Brittany Lauren | Martinussen, Rhonda | Pilot Study Investigating the Impacts of Behavioural Inattention and Meta-Attention on Post-Secondary Students' Online Information Seeking for Academic Purposes | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2017-11 | Success at the graduate level of postsecondary education requires proficiency with academic online information seeking. Navigating the internet to find information is a complicated task that is vulnerable to lapses in attention. This study examined the relationships between graduate studentsâ self-reported behavioural inattention symptoms, meta-attention and online academic information seeking abilities. One-hundred and thirteen (99 female) graduate students (83 Masters-Level, 27 Doctoral Level) completed an online self-report questionnaire examining behavioural inattention symptoms, meta-attention, time-management and online information seeking ability. Results indicated that self-reported inattention, meta-attention, experience, and diagnostic status each significantly predicted unique variance in online information seeking ability. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Burford, Natasha | Dei, George ||Portelli, John | Decolonizing Pedagogy: Critical Consciousness and its impact on schooling for Black students | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2014-06-24 | In this thesis, I consider the ways in which classroom teachers develop critical consciousness and implement it within their pedagogy in the context of effectively teaching Black students to achieve academic success. The process of critical consciousness is complex and is mainly studied outside of teacher education. The findings of this thesis fall into three main themes: self-awareness; analysis of power; and inquiry of assumptions. The research also demonstrates that the spirituality of the teacher is an important contributing factor in one’s transformation. With this work, the hope is that teacher education programs dialogue about the importance of critical consciousness, and integrate it into the recipe that makes up “quality teaching” so that all students can have the opportunity to succeed in an equitable schooling environment. | MAST | equitable; educat | 4 |
| Burgess, Allysa Jane Laura | Zheng, Gang | Topical Molecular Beacons for In Vivo Image-guided Resection of Oral Carcinoma | Medical Biophysics | 2014-11 | Oral carcinoma has become a major health problem, with nearly 300,000 people diagnosed worldwide annually. The 5-year survival rate is as low as 30%, mainly attributed to poor delineation of lesions. Optical imaging approaches to identify oral carcinoma tissue during surgery are currently in trial. While decreased recurrence rates are shown, high rates of false positives occur. Expanding upon this, a molecular beacon strategy for oral carcinoma delineation was devised.The selected MMP molecular beacon consists of a fluorophore conjugated to a quencher via a disease-specific linker, activated by MMPs. The activated beacon becomes fluorescent, guiding resection. MMPs have been associated with oral tumors and several members as highly upregulated in oral carcinoma, making them an ideal target.I investigated, in vivo, the utility of this MMP-cleavable beacon in targeting oral carcinoma. Here I demonstrate its high tumor specificity and potential for integration into the clinic to improve patient outcome. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Burnett, Heather | Ungar, Wendy Joan | Parents' Preferences for Drug Treatments in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Discrete Choice Experiment | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-05 | BACKGROUND: Parents of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are often forced to make trade-offs between the effectiveness, convenience, safety, and cost of drug treatments for their child. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment was administered to parents of children with JIA to determine their preferences for drug treatments. Multinomial logit regression was used to estimate part-worth utilities and willingness-to-pay. RESULTS: Participation in daily activities was the most important attribute, followed by child reported pain. Child age, gender, years with JIA, and household income had the greatest impact on preferences. Parents’ were willing to pay $2,080 to switch from a drug representing methotrexate to etanercept (95% CI $698, $4,065). CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with JIA have the highest maximum willingness-to-pay for drug treatments that improve daily functioning and reduce pain. Cost is a significant factor in the decisions that parents make surrounding the best treatment for a child. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Burrell, Michael | Malcolm, Jay R. ||Drapeau, Pierre | Multicohort Management and LiDAR: New Forest Management Tools for Northeastern Ontario Boreal Mixedwood Bird Communities | Forestry | 2010-01-11T19:05:05Z | While traditional management of the boreal forests results in even-aged forests with low landscape scale variability, recent work has suggested that much of the eastern boreal forest of North America is subject to long natural fire return-intervals. This has led to the development of new management strategies to maintain a mosaic of even and multi-aged stands. In this context I investigated the relationships between diameter-distributions, stand age, forest structure and bird communities. Results showed weak associations of the bird community with cohort classes, but that diameter-distributions can work to succinctly describe some of the variation in stand structure and bird communities. I also explored the utility of LiDAR to measure important structural features for bird communities. Results showed that LiDAR can outperform traditional measures of stand structure at explaining bird communities at differing scales. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Busic, Tatijana | Chen, Charles | Optimal Life-career Development of Immigrant Professionals | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-05-24T19:24:49Z | Literature addressing Canada’s immigrant professionals has primarily focused on the negative aspects of life-career transition. Research themes have centered on discouraging features of migration such as barriers, discrimination, underemployment and unemployment. Surprisingly few studies have explored how, in spite of personal and environmental barriers, some new Canadians have found they have flourished in their new country. The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of a group of immigrant professionals who believe they have successfully transitioned in the life-career domains. Using a grounded theory approach, 20 individuals were interviewed about their experiences. Analysis revealed that a combination of internal and external factors contributed or hindered their life-career trajectories. Meaning making, social support and behavioural coping emerged as primary coping strategies. Issues with language and accreditation emerged as significant barriers to life-career development. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed. | MAST | employment | 8 |
| Butt, Debra Ann | Glazier, Richard H. | Antihypertensives and Hip Fracture Risk in Community-dwelling Elderly: A Self-controlled Case Series Analysis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-05 | Antihypertensive drugs can cause hypotension in the elderly and such an effect may lead to fall injuries. This thesis examined the association between antihypertensive drugs and hip fracture risk among elderly patients during the initiation of monotherapy. This population-based self-controlled case series study used healthcare administrative databases to identify Ontario residents aged ≥ 66 years with a first prescription for a thiazide diuretic, angiotension II converting-enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin II receptor antagonist, calcium channel blocker or beta-adrenergic blocker. A cohort of newly treated hypertensive elderly was then linked to the occurrence of hip fractures from April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2009. We found that hypertensive elderly initiated on an antihypertensive drug had a 43% increased risk of having a hip fracture during the first 45 days of treatment, IRR 1.43 (95% CI 1.19-1.72). Initiating antihypertensive drugs in community-dwelling elderly should be approached with caution due to increased fracture risk. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Butt, Jamila Akhtar | Bascia, Nina | Building Sustainable Leadership for Inclusive School Communities: A Case of Muslim Parents | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-06 | This study explores how Muslim parents in the Greater Toronto Area are engaged in their children's education and the challenges they face in trying to engage with the public school system. The public schools in Ontario are secular by law and free from any religious affiliation. They are however encouraged to find ways to accommodate the religious practices of students and parents of the Islamic faith and other faiths. Using a qualitative methodology, twelve Muslim parents selected from ethnically diverse backgrounds were interviewed. Data was collected and analyzed utilizing constant comparative method. Four major themes emerged from the data which focused on the centrality of religion in these parents' households. Implications point towards the need for a culturally responsive policy that integrate Muslim values, cultural and religious beliefs in schools, which will make Ontario a stronger province that encourages people of all cultures and diversities to succeed and thrive. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Byma, A. Stuart | Chow, Paul | Virtualizing FPGAs for Cloud Computing Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | Cloud computing has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and represents a computing paradigm where all resources are virtualized, flexible and scalable. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have the potential to accelerate many cloud-based applications, but as of yet are not available as cloud resources because they are so different from the conventional microprocessors that virtual machines (VMs) are based on. This thesis presents a first attempt at virtualizing and integrating FPGAs into cloud computing systems, making them available as generic cloud resources to end users. A novel architecture enabling this integration is presented and explored, and several custom hardware applications are evaluated on a prototype system. These applications show that Virtualized FPGA Resources can significantly outperform VMs in certain classes of common cloud computing applications, showing the potential to increase user compute power while reducing datacenter power consumption and operating costs. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Byrne, Ani M. | Boon, Heather | Natural Health Products (NHPs) and Canadian Pharmacy Students: Core Competencies | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2010-01-11T19:08:14Z | Objective: To reach consensus on entry-to-practice natural health product (NHP)-related competency statements for Canadian pharmacy students. Methods: Four rounds of a modified Delphi method were conducted. Participants; pharmacy educators,and representatives from Canadian pharmacy organizations (n=17), ranked their level of agreement using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Consensus occurred when all participants ranked a statement 4 or 5. Three core NHP-related competencies were identified: 1) the ability to incorporate NHP knowledge when providing pharmaceutical care; 2) the ability to access and critically appraise NHP-related information sources, and 3) the ability to provide appropriate education to patients and other health care providers on the effectiveness and potential adverse effects and drug interactions of NHPs. Two additional NHP-related competency statements emerged as important, but consensus was not achieved. Conclusions: If the developed core NHP-related competency statements are widely implemented, Canadian pharmacists will be able to fulfill their NHP-related professional responsibilities upon entry-to-practice. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Caban, Liani | Rogerson, Carol | Regulation of Midwifery in Puerto Rico | Law | 2013-11-21 | Scholars and midwives agree that women’s autonomy over decisions related to birth is not being respected in a country where there is mainly one birth setting and one type of provider, in particular, when this setting and provider are often link to the use of unnecessary and excessive medical interventions. This is the case of Puerto Rico. I argue that midwifery could be an answer to this problem. Midwifery in Puerto Rico is not yet regulated, but I claim that in order to promote Puerto Rican women’s autonomy, midwifery regulation has to be well thought. This thesis includes an analysis of a bill proposed in Puerto Rico that pretended to regulate midwifery. Submissions presented to the legislature are also analyzed and criticized in this thesis. Some recommendations are provided on how Puerto Rico can enact a sensible scheme of midwifery regulation that would enhance midwives autonomy and therefore women’s autonomy. | MAST | women; health | 3, 5 |
| Cadger, Kirstie | Isaac, Marney | Development Interventions and Agricultural Adaptation in a Changing Environment: A Social Network Analysis of Farmer Knowledge Transfer in Ghana | Geography | 2014-06 | Formal social ties play an important role in agricultural knowledge exchange, particularly in developing-country agriculture with high exposure to development interventions. However, little is known about informal agrarian knowledge transfer in such an institutional agricultural information landscape and the consequences in terms of smallholder farm management in regions undergoing environmental change. Using a social network approach, I chart the structure of agrarian knowledge networks in six communities which have been differentially exposed to agriculture development intervention in the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti regions of Ghana. Farmer network size, density and composition were distinctly variable, with development project affiliated and male farmers tending toward larger networks and engaging in more diverse agricultural production. Furthermore, agriculture-related knowledge sources were dependent on the type of crop species produced. As promotion of diverse agriculture systems continues as a response to environmental change, understanding such social and agroecological complexities will be important for effective agriculture interventions. | M.A. | agriculture; environment; production | 2, 12, 13 |
| Caguiat, Johnathon | Jia, Charles Q. | Nanoporous Carbons: Porous Characterization and Electrical Performance in Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-11-21 | Nanoporous carbons have become a material of interest in many applications such as electrochemical double layer capacitors (supercapacitors). Supercapacitors are being studied for their potential in storing electrical energy storage from intermittent sources and in use as power sources that can be charged rapidly. However, a lack of understanding of the charge storage mechanism within a supercapacitor makes it difficult to optimize them. Two components of this challenge are the difficulties in experimentally characterizing the sub-nanoporous structure of carbon electrode materials and the electrical performance of the supercapacitors. This work provides a means to accurately characterize the porous structure of sub-nanoporus carbon materials and identifies the current limitations in characterizing the electrical performance of a supercapacitor cell. Future work may focus on the relationship between the sub-nano porous structure of the carbon electrode and the capacitance of supercapacitors, and on the elucidation of charge storage mechanisms. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Cai, Yuxuan | Mostaghimi, Javad||Coyle, Thomas W | Superhydrophobic Ceramic Coatings by Solution Precursor Plasma Spray | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit superior water repellent properties, and they have remarkable potential to improve current energy infrastructure. Substantial research has been performed on the production of superhydrophobic coatings. However, superhydrophobic coatings have not yet been adopted in many industries where potential applications exist due to the limited durability of the coating materials and the complex and costly fabrication processes. Here presented a novel coating technique to manufacture ceramic superhydrophobic coatings rapidly and economically. A rare earth oxide (REO) was selected as the coating material due to its hydrophobic nature and strong mechanical properties, and deposited on stainless steel substrates by solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS). The as-sprayed coating demonstrated a hierarchically structured coating topography, which closely resembles superhydrophobic surfaces in nature. Compared to smooth REO surfaces, the SPPS superhydrophobic coating improved the water contact angle by as much as 65° after vacuum treatment at 1 Pa for 48 hours. | M.A.S. | water; energy | 6, 7 |
| Camp, Mark | McKneally, Martin ||Alman, Benjamin | Patient Views on Financial Relationships between Orthopaedic Surgeons and Orthopaedic Device Manufacturers | Medical Science | 2011-12-05 | Revelations of kickbacks from surgical device manufacturers to surgeons raise the question whether surgeons can continue to collaborate with industry and maintain public trust. Using qualitative and quantitative methodology, this thesis explores surgical patients’ views on financial relationships between surgeons and manufacturers and patients’ recommendations for managing these conflicts of interest. A majority of patients approve of surgeon’s relationships with manufacturers that can benefit patients but disapprove of those that primarily benefit the surgeon and the manufacturer. The majority of patients do not endorse disclosure as a sole method of managing these relationships. The majority of patients trust the surgical profession to self-regulate and favour professional oversight rather than by government to ensure financial relationships between surgeons and manufacturers are appropriate. My data supports my argument that there should be professional oversight of financial relationships between surgeons and manufacturers, which may allow continued collaboration with manufacturers while maintaining public trust. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Campbell, Courtney | Langille, Brian A. | The Core Principles of Arbitral Expertise: A New Lens Through Which to View Weber v. Ontario Hydro | Law | 2010-01-12T16:21:40Z | This thesis considers the substance of a labour arbitrator’s expertise. The author argues that the question is timely in that its answer provides a novel way to approach the position the Supreme Court of Canada has taken with respect to an arbitrator’s rightful jurisdiction, most notably in the over-decade old decision of Weber v. Ontario Hydro, a decision which continues to act as a thorn in arbitrators’ sides. | MAST | labour | 8 |
| Campbell, Leslie | Isaac, Marney E. | Biophysical Drivers of Tree Crop Performance in Shade Agroforestry Systems: The Case of Coffee in Costa Rica | Geography | 2012-07-24 | Agroforestry production methods present one option for addressing growing concerns about the long term sustainability of intensive coffee production techniques. A study was designed to compare the effects of fertilization and shading from two leguminous species, Erythrina poeppigiana and Chloroleucon eurycyclum, on coffee grown at a Costa Rican research site. Coffee below biannually pruned, conventionally fertilized Erythrina exhibited the highest photosynthetic performance under both low and high light levels as well as greater biomass and higher N concentration. Soil P did not affect coffee performance, although shade trees on sites with higher soil P fixed more N compared to trees grown on low P sites, most of which were not found to be fixing. Results suggest shade mechanisms are the most important drivers of coffee adaptation in coffee agroforestry systems, though proper soil nutrient management and legume species pairing also appear to augment coffee response to microclimate conditions. | MAST | forest; production; agriculture | 2, 12, 15 |
| Campbell, Ruth | Fisman, David ||Hodges, Brian ||Robertson, Angela | The Experiences of Immigrants Seeking Healthcare in Toronto | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-20 | Background: The provision of healthcare for immigrants is a global issue. Understanding the complexities of migrant’s experiences seeking healthcare is essential to improving their ability to access healthcare. This qualitative study reports on the experiences seeking healthcare for three groups of migrants. Methods: Seventeen one-on-one interviews were conducted with Spanish-speaking women through an interpreter. Community-based participatory action research was the framework utilized for this study. Results: An individual’s immigration status emerged as the single most important factor affecting both an individual’s ability to seek out healthcare and what their experiences are when trying to access healthcare. Conclusion: This study brings to light two issues that are not discussed in great depth in the migrant health service literature. The immigration status of migrants is the largest factor affecting their ability to seek healthcare. Food security is a very stressful issue for many refugees and undocumented immigrants. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Campigotto, Rachelle | Eichler, Margrit | Farmers' Markets and their Practices Concerning Income, Privilege and Race: A Case Study of the Wychwood Artscape Barns in Toronto | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-07-22T15:28:10Z | The popularity of Farmers’ markets is on the rise; in Canada there are 425 farmers’ markets, with over 130 in Ontario alone (Feagan, Morris, & Krug, 2004). Farmers’ markets provide high quality, local produce and are often considered an environmentally sustainable food practice (Taxel, 2003; King 2008). United States studies have scrutinized farmers’ markets as exclusionary white spaces that are not equitably accessible, but similar Canadian studies are rare. A case study at the Wychwood Artscape Barns, located in an economically and culturally diverse neighbourhood, in Toronto Ontario has been conducted. Demographics surveys of patrons were compared with existing demographic data; interviews were conducted to discover who shops at the market and for what reasons; results were analyzed using whiteness theory. Results were consistent with U.S. studies – Wychwood Farmers’ Market patrons were white, high income,individuals with university educations; these individuals shop at the market disproportionally to the demographic data. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Cankech, Onencan Apuke | Wane, Njoki | Examining the Wrongs Against the Present African Women: An Enquiry on Black Women’s Roles and Contributions from Antiquity - A Black African Male Scholarly Comparative Perspective | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-07-22T15:29:37Z | The thesis examined the roles and contributions of Black women during the African ancient civilization by analyzing the lives, roles and contributions of Queen Hatshepsut and Nefertiti as case studies and interrogates how Black women positioned themselves as political, military and spiritual leaders during the age of antiquity. The argument is that African women were more involved as leaders in the affairs of their communities as compared to the contemporary times. By using African centered paradigms, Afrocentricity and juxtaposing robust anti-colonial and Black feminist thoughts, the thesis investigates and recreates systematic narratives of the past roles of African women at the very height of African civilization, discussed the changes in sex-gender roles and explained why contemporary women continue to experience difficulties in assessing position of leadership and resources. The study reproduces measured facts to confront the blurred roles and contributions of African women and situates it at the centre of education. | MAST | gender; women | 5 |
| Canniffe, Michael | Morgan, Ed | The Crown, Public Authorities and Class Action Lawsuits | Law | 2011-12-05 | This work considers the interplay between the Crown, public authorities and the class action device. The class action is a relatively recent legal innovation that allows for the collective redress of similarly situated victims through a single strand of litigation. Class actions are most commonly associated with the pursuit and remediation of corporate wrongdoing, however the Canadian government has been pursued to a significant extent as class action law has rolled out across the country. In stark contrast to commercial defendants, public authorities carry on their activities for the public good and on a not-for-profit basis. The best of intentions and a lack of profit do not imply that liability should be denied, rather that it should be managed as effectively as possible. This work examines and advocates for the careful use of various tools which limit the potential impact class action lawsuits pose to public service delivery. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Cao, Lijing | Flood, Colleen M. | The Prospect for Health Care Rights in China | Law | 2012-12-04 | The 2009 reform of China’s health care system attempts to lower the burden of medical costs and provide universal access to health care. This thesis focuses on a particular access and equity gap within the health care system that faced by internal migrants, and explores the potential value of a legally enforceable and justiciable right to health care in the Chinese context to address such gaps. Despite recent advances in the health care reform, lack of a framework of health care rights could be a limiting factor to current health care initiatives which are falling short of their promises of universality in some way. In the long run, establishment of such framework could be a direction that deserves further research. | MAST | health; rights | 3, 16 |
| Cao, Xiaoshu | Wania, Frank | Advancing Bioaccumulation Modeling and Water Sampling of Ionogenic Organic Chemicals | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2014-06-24 | Although many commercial chemicals can dissociate, the study of the biological and environmental fate of ionogenic organic chemicals (IOCs) is still in its infancy. Uptake of the veterinary drug diclofenac in vultures and cattle was successfully simulated with a newly developed physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model for IOCs, lending credence to diclofenac’s proposed role in South Asian vulture population declines. Proteins and phospholipids rather than total lipids control the tissue distribution of diclofenac. A method was developed to simultaneously extract neutral and acidic pesticides and benzotriazoles from water samples with recoveries ranging 70-100%. This method was applied to samples from a laboratory calibration experiment of the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler. The sampler had higher uptake for neutral and acidic pesticides when filled with triphasic sorbent admixture and OASIS MAS sorbent, respectively. While either sorbent can also be applied for methylated benzotriazoles, neither is capable of quantitatively sampling all three compound groups. | MAST | environment; water | 6, 13 |
| Cardoso, Elaine | Azarpazhooh, Amir | Association between Caregiver’s and Child’s Oral Health Status and Oral Health Related Quality of Life | Dentistry | 2015-11 | Objectives: To investigate associations between caregivers and children’s oral health, as well as the perceptions of the impact of oral diseases on oral health. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 149 child-caregiver dyads from a convenience sample in Toronto. Objective and subjective data about oral health and quality of life were collected from both children and caregivers groups. Results: Decay in permanent and primary teeth in children was moderately with missing teeth in caregivers, as well as with most of the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ). Mostly weak associations were observed between the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) scores and missing teeth in caregivers. Conclusion: Significant associations emphasize the influence of caregivers on children’s oral health outcomes and raise awareness about dental care coverage to disadvantaged families. Despite the questionable findings with some subjective measures, policymakers may still consider the use of patient-centered information to analysing disease trends in the population. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Carey, Nathalie | Gideon, Koren | The Long-term Neurocognitive Development of Children Exposed to Above Manufacturer Recommended Doses of Diclectin In Utero | Pharmacology | 2012-11-21 | Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects up to 90% of pregnancies. Diclectin (doxylamine/pyridoxine) is the only anti-emetic approved in Canada for NVP, at a maximum dose of 4 tablets/day. However, some women receive higher doses, up to 12 tablets/day. In this study we compared the neurocognitive development of children from four mother-child groups: (1) NVP and >4 tablets Diclectin, (2) NVP and ≤ 4 tablets Diclectin, (3) NVP and no treatment and (4) no NVP. Children received a full age-appropriate psychological assessment. All groups scored in the normal range for IQ and cognition tests. The Diclectin-exposed groups scored significantly higher on a small number of subtests, but none of the differences could be considered clinically significant. No dose-dependent effects were observed. Above manufacturer recommended doses of Diclectin do not appear to harm neurodevelopment and should be considered safe for the treatment of NVP. | MAST | health | |
| Carlisle, Corine Elizabeth | To, Teresa | Continuity of Care, Emergency Department Visits and Readmission in Adolescents with Psychiatric Disorders: A Retrospective Cohort Study using Propensity Score Matching | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-12-15T16:22:23Z | Objective: To determine whether continuity of care (COC) reduces emergency department (ED) visits and/or readmission in adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Methods: A retrospective cohort of adolescents discharged with psychiatric disorder between April 1, 2002 and March 1, 2004 was identified using hospital administrative databases. Good COC was defined as at least one aftercare contact in 30 days. Confounding by patient characteristics was adjusted for by propensity-score-matching of good and poor COC adolescents. Cox PH was used to analyze time to outcome. Results: 48.77% of adolescents had good COC. 38.39% of adolescents had ED visit or readmission in the year post-discharge. Good COC increased risk of readmission (HR = 1.38 (1.14 – 1.66)), but not of ED visits (HR = 1.14 (0.95 – 1.37)). Conclusions: COC increased risk of readmission by 38% but did not increase risk of ED visits. These findings are contextualized. Implications to adolescent mental health service delivery are discussed. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Carlos, Jessica Krystle | Wilson, Kathi | Canada's (Live-in) Caregiver Program: Perceived Impacts on Health and Access to Health Care among Immigrant Filipina Live-in Caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2016-11 | This research examines the relationship between employment as a live-in caregiver under the (Live-in) Caregiver Program and health and access to health care services in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews are used to examine how perceptions of health and access to health care services are impacted by employment conditions among twenty-one current and former immigrant Filipina live-in caregivers. The findings demonstrate that employment as a live-in caregiver negatively impacts physical health due to a change in diet, increasingly sedentary lifestyle and exposure to a negative environment. Negative impacts on mental health was also reported due to family separation and work related stress. Further, being a live-in caregiver was seen to facilitate and create barriers accessing health services. Future research must examine more socially isolated caregivers as well as caregivers living-out(side) their place of employment to examine the impact other aspects of employment as a caregiver has on health. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Carlson, Kaitlin | Pressnail, Kim | Value Impacts of Energy Efficiency Retrofits on Commercial Office Buildings in Toronto, Canada | Civil Engineering | 2015-03 | The intent of this thesis is to strengthen the business case for sustainable building in Canada by studying the relationship between building energy efficiency and value. This is accomplished through detailed examination of four Toronto commercial office building retrofit case studies with quantitative pre- and post-retrofit energy and financial data. The income capitalization approach to building appraisal is adopted as a model for linking sustainability to value through net operating income. The results suggest that retrofitting buildings can decrease operating costs, increase occupancy rates, and increase effective rent (rental revenue), thereby increasing net operating income. These benefits are not necessarily achieved in every retrofit; however where these benefits do occur, they have positive effects on value. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Carlyle, Jennilee | Mochizuki, George | Factors That Influence Force Steadiness in Individuals with Upper Limb Spasticity after Stroke | Rehabilitation Science | 2014-11 | Individuals with post-stroke spasticity are disabled by paresis, soft-tissue shortening and muscle over-activity, which significantly affect functional motor output (FMO). Force steadiness (FS) describes the ability to maintain an isometric contraction, and is associated with functional task performance in healthy individuals. The coupling between FS and FMO suggests that FS may be a sensitive metric of FMO deficits that accompany spasticity that may not be captured using clinical scales. This thesis examined muscle weakness, muscle over-activity, and electromechanical coupling as potential factors influencing FS in upper limb spasticity. The affected limb was significantly less steady than the less-affected limb. Absolute force was negatively correlated with CV of force. However, co-activation indices were not different between limbs. Finally, flexor EMG was temporally correlated with force output. These measures may provide sensitive metrics of functional motor deficits that could be used as a tool to characterize effect of spasticity management interventions. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Carricato, Megan | Wales, Paul W. | Quality of Life in Pediatric Patients with Intestinal Failure on Home Parenteral Nutrition | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-01-06T15:00:27Z | Introduction: Medical advances have resulted in reduced mortality of pediatric patients with Intestinal Failure. Consequently, more patients go home on parenteral nutrition (PN) for extended durations. This time-consuming and complicated therapy necessitates persistent vigilance in monitoring and response to potential life-threatening side effects. These issues may impact quality of life (QOL) for patients, caregivers and families. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional, mixed-methods analysis of multidimensional QOL used a quantitative battery assessment and a qualitative focus group. Questionnaire results were compared to published norms, published small bowel transplant (SBTx), and institutional SBTx patients. Results: Home PN proxy assessments scored children lower than published norms but similar to SBTx. The child self-reports were similar to both normative and SBTx populations, except lower general and overall health. Generic questionnaires did not capture disease-specific issues. Conclusion: QOL is compromised in children on home PN and caregivers compared to norms but is similar to SBTx. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Carscadden, Kelly | Cadotte, Marc W||Gilbert, Benjamin | Trait Choice and Dimensionality Alter Estimates of Phenotypic Dissimilarity in Community Ecology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2011-11 | The ecological niche is a multi-dimensional concept including aspects of resource use, environmental tolerance, and interspecific interactions, and the degree to which niches overlap is central to many ecological questions. Plant phenotypic traits are increasingly used as surrogates of species niches, but we lack an understanding of how key sampling decisions affect our ability to capture phenotypic differences among species. Using vegetative and floral trait data of ecologically distinct monkeyflower (Mimulus) congeners, I employed linear discriminant analysis, which uses proportional assignment of individuals to species, as an estimate of how well the traits we measure can capture phenotypic differences among species. Trait combinations that maximize species discrimination were not predictable a-priori based on the number of trait groups or inclusion of ‘key’ functional traits. Instead, high trait dimensionality consistently increased my ability to detect phenotypic differences among species. Population choice was similarly important and should be considered in trait-based studies. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Carsley, Stefanie | Reaume, Denise | Conceiving a Feminist Legal Approach to Frozen Embryos: Exploring the Limitations of Canadian Responses to Disposition Disputes and Donor Anonymity | Law | 2013-11-21 | This thesis advances a feminist critique of Canadian legal responses to disputes over frozen in vitro embryos and embryo donor anonymity. It argues that current laws that provide spouses or partners with joint control over the use and disposition of embryos created from their genetic materials, that mandate the creation of agreements setting out these parties intentions in the event of a disagreement or divorce and that protect donor anonymity without providing mechanisms to allow donors, recipients and donor offspring to voluntarily exchange information do not adequately account for the lived experiences of women who undergo in vitro fertilization treatment or who serve as embryo donors. This thesis provides recommendations for how Canadian laws and policies might better support the express objectives and intentions of Canadian federal and provincial statutes to protect the rights, interests and health of women who seek to build their families through assisted reproductive technologies. | MAST | health; WOMEN; rights | 3, 5, 16 |
| Carter, Cherie | Miller, John P. | Holistic Education: Implementing and Maintaining a Holistic Teaching Practice | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | Abstract This study examines the holistic pedagogical practices of experienced teachers in alternative public schools. This study reviews holistic educational philosophy and ancient Eastern spirituality as they contribute to transformative learning. Feminist theory provides a framework for developing a holistic view of learning that embodies our full human potential. This research will share methods and strategies used to support developing a true awareness. It will provide functional and compassionate ways to implement holistic pedagogy. I will emphasize that teaching with acceptance and reverence for our human capacities will embed these values in students’ learning. The aim of this study is to contribute to contemporary visions of teaching by sharing experiences that are mindful of the mind-body connection. I wish to make the perceptions and approaches of teachers accessible and to inspire curiosity in others to extend their holistic beliefs into practice. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Carter, Karen | Sawchuk, Peter H. | Long-term Training in Learning and Work for Youth at Risk: Sustainability and Creativity in Policy and Execution of Youth at Risk Programs in Toronto | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-05-24T19:26:34Z | The City of Toronto experienced a particularly tremulous year in 2005. Dubbed the "year of the gun," the marked increase in violence among racialized youth lead to an increase in community cultural programming. These programs provide safe productive environments for youth to gather and develop self esteem and as well as important marketable life skills for the labour force. However there is currently a disconnect between these programs and the valuable training that they are imparting to youth. The traditional training and learning-to-work transitions have not enjoyed the success that was envisioned in the early stages of these initiatives. Through interviews and observation, the research documented in this thesis offers an opportunity for practitioners, policy makers and program funders to re-think the traditional approach as it relates to the arts and cultural programs for racialized at-risk youth in Canada's largest urban centre. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Carufel, Guy de | Zee, Robert E. | Assembly, Integration and Thermal Testing of the Generic Nanosatellite Bus | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2010-01-13T21:46:39Z | This thesis describes the assembly and integration procedures, methods and strategies used for the Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB) developed at the Space Flight Laboratory. The design of the interconnection medium routing will be presented and aspects of thermal testing such as thermal shock procedures and the satellite support structure design for the thermal vacuum testing. The compliance of the assembly, integration and testing requirements is demonstrated through validation and implementation. Step by step procedures are presented for GNB assembly, solar cell bonding and thermal tape application. The evolution of the integration design is described based on optimizing efforts and GNB design changes. Flexible circuits are presented as an alternative to the conventional harness for future missions. Finally, general assembly, integration and thermal testing recommendations are offered to add to the wealth of knowledge acquired by SFL in the proper design of nanosatellites. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Cassiani, Celia-Marie | Lindsay, Sally | A Peer E-Mentoring Employment Program for Youth With Physical Disabilities: What are the Social Supports That are Needed and Provided? | Rehabilitation Science | 2017-11 | Background: The employment readiness of youth with physical disabilities may improve from social support offered through peer e-mentoring. Little is known regarding the nature of social support within a randomized control trial (RCT) of peer e-mentoring. Objective: To explore the social support needs of youth with physical disabilities with regards to employment readiness and to explore the nature of social support in a peer e-mentoring intervention. Methods: Through a focus group, youthsâ social support needs were analyzed. Through content analysis of discussion forums the nature of social support in the RCT was explored. Results: Youth suggested they required informational support. In the intervention, the mentored group offered varied social support in comparison to the non-mentored group. Conclusions: This research contributes to knowledge about informational support needs of youth with physical disabilities in the area of employment readiness; and presents the types of social support provided in a peer e-mentoring RCT. | M.Sc. | employment | 8 |
| Cassin, Colin | Kotanen, Peter M | The Importance of Invasive Earthworms as Seed Predators of Common Forest Flora of Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-06 | Soil seed banks are vital to forest plant community regeneration, having long been viewed as a refuge for seeds vulnerable to granivory. Here evidence is provided suggesting many seeds entering the seed bank are subject to previously underestimated rates of granivory via the commonly found invasive earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. Results from an earthworm-addition microcosm experiment suggest nearly 70% of seeds are removed from the soil surface when exposed one earthworm. Results from a separate granivore-exclusion field experiment indicate granivory by rodents eclipses that of earthworms under more natural conditions. When analyzed individually it is clear that different granivores target certain species of seed over others. This suggests that although rodents are the main driver of seed predation, earthworms may have the potential to act as an ecological filter, potentially further influencing the species composition of future forest plant communities by selectively targeting certain seeds, or seed traits, over others. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Castelen, Milton Andy | Cook, Rebecca J. | Women's Reproductive Health Rights: The Rule of Law and Public Health Considerations in Repealing the Criminal Laws on Abortion in the Republic Suriname | Law | 2010-01-12T20:27:21Z | Within the Surinamese jurisdiction the Constitution grants women the right to health and imposes a legal duty on the state to facilitate the realization of this right. Also treaty law, in particular, the ICESCR article 12 and the CEDAW article 12 grant women the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to non-discriminatory access to healthcare. But due to the criminal law applicable to abortion women lack non-discriminatory access to reproductive healthcare and therefore do not enjoy the highest attainable standard of pregnancy related health. Despite its decision not to enforce the abortion prohibiting criminal laws, Suriname remains in a state of failure to comply with its legal duties as imposed by the Constitution and treaty law. This, due to the state’s reluctance to repeal the criminal laws on abortion and its failure to enact effective health regulations to facilitate women in need of an abortion. | MAST | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Caux-Brisebois, Vincent | Steinberg, Adam | Thermo-acoustic Velocity Coupling in a Swirl-stabilized Gas Turbine Model Combustor | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2013-11-21 | The research presented herein describes the coupling of acoustic and heat release fluctuations in a perfectly-premixed swirl-stabilized combustor by analysis of simultaneous high-repetition-rate laser diagnostics data. Nine cases are studied, varying the thermal power and the equivalence ratio. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the velocity data shows that cases with higher amplitude thermoacoustic oscillations have flow fields containing helical vortex cores (HVC); these cases are further analysed to determine the driving mechanisms of the oscillations. Flow and flame statistics are compiled as a function of both the phase in the thermoacoustic cycle and a phase representing the azimuthal position of the HVC relative to the measurement plane. These data are used to spatially map the thermoacoustic energy transfer field, as described by the Rayleigh integral. It is found that periodic deformations of the HVC cause large-scale flame motions, resulting in regions of positive and negative energy transfer. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Cavallo, Maria Jr. | Cook, Rebecca J. | Law as a Social Determinant of Unsafe Abortion in Argentina | Law | 2010-01-12T20:32:25Z | Using Burris et al.’s model of law as a social determinant of health, this thesis postulates that the law and its application contribute to abortion-related morbidity and mortality among those women who qualify for a legal and safe abortion according to the justifications stipulated in the Criminal Code. This thesis proposes a circular model in order to show how the application of the law, through courts rulings, contributes to unsafe abortion. On the one hand, Argentine law acts as a pathway along which inequity in socioeconomic status exposes certain women to pathogenic practices, such as self-induced abortions. On the other hand, the law acts as a shaper of socioeconomic status as it perpetuates gender stereotypes, constructing a normative world where sex-role stereotypes are naturalized, and having an impact in women’s lack of access to legal and safe abortions. | MAST | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Cebulski, Alex | Desloges, Joseph R | The Glaciolacustrine Sediment Record of Cariboo Lake, BC: Implications for Holocene Fluvial and Glacial Watershed Dynamics | Geography | 2018-11 | Cariboo Lake is a glacier-fed lake located in the Cariboo Mountains of eastern-central British Columbia. Fine clastic sediments produced in the glaciated headwaters of the Cariboo Lake watershed provide the main source of sediment to the lake. Sediment delivery into Cariboo Lake is primarily governed by overflow currents of suspended clastic sediments from the main Cariboo River. Sediments deposited in deep basins over 30 m deep are characterized by couplets of coarse grained laminae, followed by fine grained sediments and are inferred to be annually laminated varves. Inflow of clastic sediments to Cariboo Lake has remained high enough to produce annual varves for the past two millennia. Down-core trends in varve thickness, grain size, and percent organics from Cariboo Lake sediment archives reveal changes that corresponded to climate fluctuations over the past two millennia. | M.Sc. | water; climate | 6, 13 |
| Chacaby, Maya | Restoule, Jean-Paul | Kipimoojikewin: Articulating Anishinaabe Pedagogy Through Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe Language) Revitalization | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-11-29 | In Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), Kipimoojikewin refers to our inheritance, or the things we carry with us. While Anishinaabemowin, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) pedagogy and research practices are all part of our inheritance, so too is a legacy of colonial violence and historic trauma. This paper details one journey towards the language; the struggle through a colonial terrain rife with institutional and cognitive barriers, the journey to return to Anishinaabe ways of knowing, to articulating Anishinaabe pedagogy in a contemporary urban context and the work done to fulfill the vision of the Elders. There are no “best practices” only stories that exemplify an Anishinaabe axiological framework so that the causes and effects can be better understood, taken up and improved upon. Aapajitoon kema wanitoon. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Chahal, Jaskarndip | Davis, Aileen M. | The Multi-Ligament Quality of Life Questionnaire (ML-QOL): Development and Preliminary Testing of Measurement Properties in Patients with Multi-Ligament Knee Injuries | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-11-21 | Despite the existence of numerous knee-joint specific patient-reported outcome measures, the content contained within such instruments does not completely capture the spectrum of injury and impairments experienced by multi-ligament knee injured patients. Based on this shortcoming, the overall objective of the current study was to develop, and to test the reliability and validity of a novel disease-specific quality of life instrument for patients with multi-ligament knee injuries. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health was used to guide content development. Using a mixed methods approach (surveys, patient focus groups, expert interviews), the final Multi-ligament Quality of Life (MLQOL) instrument was comprised of 52 items distributed over 4 domains. This instrument demonstrated excellent content validity, test-retest reliability, and construct validity. Future work will evaluate the responsiveness of the MLQOL and will implement its use in randomized trials. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Chakraborty, Arnab | Liu, Jane | The Influence of Forest Fires in Central Canada on Carbon Monoxide in Southern Ontario | Geography | 2016-05 | Forest fires in 2010 summer over North Saskatchewan province had a continual influence on carbon monoxide (CO, a major pollutant) in Southern Ontario, as found using three methodologies that synthesized satellite fire and CO column data, surface CO concentration data, and meteorological data. Time series analysis suggests that CO in Southern Ontario responds to fires and CO in North Saskatchewan in 3-5 day lags. The source-receptor relationship is best reflected in CO column data (r=0.295, after a 3-day lag, |p| | M.Sc. | pollut; forest | 15 |
| Chaktsiris, Mary Georgina | Morgan, Cecilia | The Varsity Man: Manhood, the University of Toronto and the Great War | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T21:09:37Z | This research examines the relationship between masculinity and recruitment at the University of Toronto during the Great War. Through a gendered framework established by historians such as Judith Butler, masculinity is approached as a constructed process that encompasses a variety of complex relationships between the individual subject and social processes. The following questions are explored: What motivated the administration the University to instate policies that first encouraged, and then forced, male students to enter active service? How did dominant discourses of masculinity influence recruitment efforts and the subsequent movement towards mandatory military training? The research reveals that gendered understandings of war and recruitment on campus presented active service as the defining moment of manhood. Enlisting, then, was understood as more than a willingness to take up arms; it publicly signified that a man was committed to the defense of democracy and to securing the freedom of generations to come. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Chamberlain, Julie Hume | Razack, Sherene | Who is Wilhelmsburg? Race and Space in Internationale Bauaustellung Hamburg | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | The Wilhelmsburg neighbourhood of Hamburg, Germany is characterized in local media as a problem neighbourhood. Many of its residents are racialized people struggling with low incomes, unemployment, and less formal education than average in the city as a whole, exemplifying what Razack (2002, p. 6) calls the “spatiality of the racial order in which we live.” Wilhelmsburg is also the focus of a massive urban planning and architectural project, the Internationale Bauaustellung (International Building Exhibition, or IBA) Hamburg 2007-2012, comprising 50 building projects that aim to transform the neighbourhood. In this thesis I use Foucauldian discourse analysis to explore IBA Hamburg’s public education materials, arguing that IBA Hamburg produces Wilhelmsburg and its residents as racialized, problematic, and in need of intervention to bring them into the future metropolis. Residents are targeted for integration through education, the effects of which are disciplinary and reproduce an unequal racial order of citizenship. | MAST | educat; urban | 4, 11 |
| Chami, Julie | Gaskell, Jane | The Experiences of Female Teachers Returning to Work Following Maternity Leave: The Implications of Policy | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-06 | Recovering from birth and caring for a newborn requires time away from other commitments, including one's job. For full-time teachers, the amount of protected time and how much of this time is subsidized varies depending on country, state and school board. For many reasons, women in the labour force face discrimination. Female teachers returning to work upon the completion of a parental leave are also confronted with a variety of new challenges. This study analyzes journal entries and photographs submitted by female teachers transitioning back to work following parental leave. The intention of the inquiry is to give women a platform upon which to share their stories. The findings are used to evaluate current parental leave policies in Canada and the U.S. and to recommend policies that may help to support this shift. | M.Ed. | women; labour | 5, 8 |
| Champagne, Trevor | Seto, Emily | Impact of an Intra-Institutional Teledermatology Service: A Mixed Methods Case Study | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2019-11 | While teledermatology is proven to decrease access times to dermatologists, be clinically equivalent to in-person consults diagnostically, and have high satisfaction rates, less is known about its use in urban settings where geographical challenges to accessing dermatologists are not present. This mixed-methods evaluation of an urban, intra-institutional teledermatology initiative was guided by the Canada Health Infoway Benefits Evaluation Framework and involved a case series review of 76 teledermatology consultations, patient and provider surveys, and semi-structured interviews with health care providers. The study found that 84.2% of all consultations and 95% of inflammatory conditions (rashes) were manageable with teledermatology alone, with benefits to patients including savings in time, money, and preventing missed work. Providers were also highly satisfied with the reliability, timely responses, and quality of consults, but their administrative time increased. Further research on cost-effectiveness and the specific clinical use cases that could be optimized by institutional teledermatology is warranted. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Chan, Alvita | Cafazzo, Joseph ||Islam, Mohammad | Improving Patient Safety during Radiation Therapy through Human Factors Methods | Biomedical Engineering | 2010-01-13T15:32:15Z | This study aimed to apply human factors methods to identify potentially unsafe aspects of a radiation therapy delivery system at Princess Margaret Hospital, and to provide recommendations accordingly. Analyses were conducted to examine the workflow, work environment and user interfaces involved in the treatment process. Based on findings from these analyses, components of the user interface were redesigned to address some of the issues found. Sixteen radiation therapy students were then used to experimentally evaluate the redesigned interface through a usability test. Compared to the current interface, the error rates of two common errors were significantly lower, and the average task completion time was significantly shorter when the redesigned interface was used. Results from a post-test questionnaire also indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the redesigned interface. Therefore, human factors methods can be applied to evaluate and design radiation therapy systems for improved error rates, efficiency and user satisfaction. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Chan, Catherine Kah-Yan | Anderson, Gerald H. | The Effects of Faba Bean-Containing Pasta on Glycaemia, Satiety and Metabolic Control in Healthy Young Adult Males | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-11 | The hypothesis that addition of faba bean (FB) flours and fractions into pasta reduces postprandial glycaemia and increases satiety has been tested in young adult males. Experiment 1 investigated the effects in young adult males. They consumed a serving of pasta made from (1) durum wheat semolina or substituted with 25% of flour from faba bean (2) split flour, (3) high starch fraction, (4) protein concentrate, or (5) protein isolate. Measurements included postprandial blood glucose, insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 and PYY, and appetite and second meal food intake. Experiments 2A and 2B measured second-meal effects after an ad libitum or fixed size meal (12 kcal/kg). Addition of high protein faba bean flours reduced postprandial glycaemia, and second meal appetite, and increased PYY and C-peptide but did not affect insulin or GLP-1. Consumption of pastas with added faba bean protein can have value-added nutritional benefits compared to conventional pasta. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; CONSUMPTION | 2, 12 |
| Chan, Jeanie | Nejat, Goldie | A Learning-based Control Architecture for Socially Assistive Robots Providing Cognitive Interventions | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-12-05 | Due to the world’s rapidly growing elderly population, dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent. This poses considerable health, social, and economic concerns as it impacts individuals, families and healthcare systems. Current research has shown that cognitive interventions may slow the decline of or improve brain functioning in older adults. This research investigates the use of intelligent socially assistive robots to engage individuals in person-centered cognitively stimulating activities. Specifically, in this thesis, a novel learning-based control architecture is developed to enable socially assistive robots to act as social motivators during an activity. A hierarchical reinforcement learning approach is used in the architecture so that the robot can learn appropriate assistive behaviours based on activity structure and personalize an interaction based on the individual’s behaviour and user state. Experiments show that the control architecture is effective in determining the robot’s optimal assistive behaviours for a memory game interaction and a meal assistance scenario. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Chan, Jennifer Frances | Andersen, Judith P | Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback as an Intervention Method for Reducing PTSD Symptoms in Police Officers Exposed to Trauma | Psychology | 2018-11 | PTSD has been identified as a significant occupational hazard among first responders in Canada, associated with negative health and performance ramifications. Less is known about the accumulation of PTSD symptoms among police officers (i.e., partial PTSD [P-PTSD]) and its potential impact on performance, particularly in regards to use-of-force decisions. The current project examined levels of P-PTSD symptoms among Ontarian police officers, and its relationship with occupational performance and heart rate variability (HRV). Data was extracted from an on-going study utilizing an existing HRV biofeedback intervention to reduce lethal use-of-force decision errors. Officers’ self-reported P-PTSD symptoms did not significantly predict use-of-force decision making abilities, proxies of HRV, or significantly change from pre- to 18-months post-receiving HRV biofeedback training. While significant results were not found, this pilot study provides important insight in the potential for gathering P-PTSD symptoms from front-line police officers, as well as improving health and safety in this population. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Chan, Kristan | Knop, Karen C. | The Human Rights Act 1998: Failure in a Post 9/11 World | Law | 2012-11-21 | In 1997 the Labour Party introduced the White Paper Rights Brought Home: The Human Rights Bill. Bringing rights home was considered necessary to significantly influence rights conception in the UK and internationally. Rights Brought Home argued that incorporation would allow human rights to become a more prominent feature of society. The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) was brought into force with optimism and expectations. However, the war of terror has significantly impacted the way in which rights have been understood and appreciated. National security issues have clashed with Convention rights. There is mounting concern that British judges must blindly follow the rulings established by the European Court of Human Rights. There have been problems of public disengagement and hostility. The HRA is characterized by a story of failure. Understanding the relationship between the war on terror and the HRA is central to human rights development. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Chan, Samantha | Lee, Ian B. | The Problem with the Human Rights Act 1998: Section 2(1) | Law | 2012-11-21 | The Human Rights Act 1998 incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights. With incorporation, Parliament and the government of the United Kingdom believed that human rights would reflect British values, there would increase support for human rights and a human rights culture would develop. However, the goals of incorporation did not occur. One reason for the failure of the Human Rights Act 1998 is the UK courts interpretation of section 2(1). Courts in the United Kingdom have been unwilling to provide more extensive and less extensive protection of rights than Strasbourg. The effect of the court’s interpretation has been public, political and media backlash. Consequently, to resolve this problem, there must be a reinterpretation of section 2(1). | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Chan, Su Jin | Trebilcock, Michael | Beyond Special and Differential Treatment: Regional Integration as a Means to Growth in East Asia | Law | 2010-12-15T17:05:04Z | Special and differential treatment (SDT) provisions in GATT were created to assist developing countries achieve economic progress while assimilating into the multilateral trading system. Despite these intentions, global trade imbalances still persist. Within this context, I focus on the region of East Asia which has experienced astounding growth in just several decades, propelling it far beyond other developing country regions. Although international trade continues to be the crucial factor driving growth in the region, reliance on SDT has in certain circumstances hindered development. As such, East Asia should seek alternatives to SDT. In that vein, I argue that sustainable growth and trade liberalization can be achieved by enhancing integration through a regional trade agreement. I further discuss various proposals for an East Asian trade agreement such as ASEAN+3, FTAAP, and EARTA. Finally, I highlight the importance of governance and identify several institutions essential for a successful regional arrangement. | MAST | trade; governance | 10, 16 |
| Chan, Winnie Wing Man | Edwards, Elizabeth A. | Characterization of Reductive Dehalogenases in a Chlorinated Ethene-degrading Bioaugmentation Culture | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-04-06T14:22:10Z | Perchloroethene and trichloroethene are among the most persistent groundwater pollutants, and Dehalococcoides is the only known species that can degrade these compounds completely to non-toxic ethene. Characterization of the reductive dehalogenase (RDase) enzymes responsible for dechlorination is important to understanding this process. A series of dechlorination assays were performed with whole cell suspensions and cell-free extracts of three Dehalococcoides-containing mixed microbial consortia to compare dechlorination kinetics and to characterize co-contaminant inhibition. Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters Vmax and Km, as well as non-competitive inhibition coefficients for 1,1,1-trichloroethane and 1,1-dichloroethane inhibitors are reported. Secondly, blue native gel electrophoresis was developed as a method to isolate active protein complexes containing RDases. Thirdly, sources of variability in the isotopic fractionation of vinyl chloride to ethene reaction step were examined using cell-free extracts and whole-cell suspensions. Understanding the function and range of RDases are goals towards the successful application of Dehalococcoides-containing cultures to remediate contaminated sites. | MAST | water; pollut | 14 |
| Chan, Yee Kei Kiki | Diosady, Levente L||Cheng, Yu-Ling | Micronutrients in Moringa oleifera and Their Potential in Food Fortification | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Moringa oleifera is frequently endorsed for its high micronutrient content relative to other vegetables, but reported data on Moringa’s nutritional value is inconsistent. A comparative analysis on the macronutrient and micronutrient content of Moringa leaves and pods was conducted. Moringa oleifera contains multiple nutrients but its iron content is similar to that in spinach and its vitamin A content is lower than carrots on a dry basis. Nevertheless, Moringa’s abundance in micronutrient deficient regions makes it applicable as a natural fortificant. Bouillon cubes were identified as a suitable food vehicle for the incorporation of Moringa. Bench-scale cold extrusion processing was conducted to explore the feasibility of creating Moringa-fortified bouillon cubes. Nutritional characterization confirmed that supplemental fortificants would be required to enhance the nutritional value and stability of Moringa-fortified bouillon cubes. Flavours of Moringa may either be enhanced or suppressed depending on the application. | M.A.S. | food; nutrition | 2 |
| Chan, Yi Tao | Winer, Daniel A | Investigating the Role of Insulin Receptor Signaling in B Lymphocyte Function | Immunology | 2019-11 | B cells drive insulin dysregulation during obesity and type 2 diabetes, but little is known about how insulin affects B cell functions. Using a B cell-specific insulin receptor (InsR) knockout model, we show that InsR signaling promotes pro-inflammatory processes and proliferation in B cells. InsR deficiency also impairs B cell production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Interestingly, InsR signaling contributes towards Th1-associated antibody class switching. In a model of severe influenza A (H1N1) viral infection, mice with B cell-specific InsR deletion show increased susceptibility and have compromised humoral responses. During high fat diet-induced obesity, mice lacking InsR on B cells are protected from insulin resistance and glucose intolerance and show reduced fat inflammation. Mechanistically, InsR signaling reinforces glucose uptake and glycolytic function to support B cell functions. Taken together, our work highlights the importance of InsR signaling in driving optimal B cell function in health and disease. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Chanchlani, Rahul | Parekh, Rulan | Long-Term Risk of New-onset Diabetes in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-11 | Background: Precise estimates of diabetes mellitus in transplanted children are not known. Objective: Determine the risk of diabetes in pediatric transplant recipients and compare the risk with non-transplanted children. Methods: Transplanted (n=1020) and non-transplanted children (7, 134,067) children were studied between 1991-2014 using provincial health administrative data to determine rates of diabetes. Results: Overall, the incidence rate ratio of diabetes was 7-times higher in the transplant (IRR 7.0, 95% CI:5.9, 8.3) than the non-transplant cohort. The transplant cohort had a 9-fold (HR 8.9, 95% CI:7.5, 10.5) higher hazard of diabetes than the non-transplant cohort. Risk was highest within the first year of transplant but remained elevated even after 5-10 years. Lung and multiple organ groups had a 5-fold (HR 5.4, 95% CI:3.0, 9.8) higher hazard compared to kidney transplant recipients. Conclusions: Risk of diabetes is higher in transplanted children with lung and multiple organ transplant recipients at the highest risk. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Chang, Jessica Chalin | Peterson, Shelley Stagg | Reading between the "Frames": English Language Learners' and non-English Language Learners' Responses to Graphic Novels | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-29 | Literacy in the 21st century is constantly evolving. To teach literacy effectively, educators need to embrace and understand linguistic, cultural and textual practices that are relevant for students. Reading and responding to graphic novels in face-to-face and online settings are such 21st century literate practices. This thesis focuses on how grade 6 students who are both English Language Learners and non-English Language Learners respond and connect to social justice issues in graphic novels through literature circles, online blogging and personal journals. Responses to social justice issues were fairly similar between English Language Learners and non-English Language Learners, especially based on a cultural experience standpoint. It is important for educators to encourage students to connect with prior experiences and knowledge with social justice issues and stereotypes that exist in their own world. This prepares students to become more socially conscious and critical thinkers about the world around them. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Chang, Li-Chi | Kortschot, T Mark | Improving the Mechanical Performance of Wood Fiber Reinforced Bio-based Polyurethane Foam | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2014-11 | Because of the environmental impact of fossil fuel consumption, soybean-based polyurethane (PU) foam has been developed as an alternative to be used as the core in structural insulated panels (SIPs). Wood fibers can be added to enhance the resistance of foam against bending and buckling in compression. The goal of this work is to study the effect of three modifications: fiber surface treatment, catalyst choice, and mixing method on the compression performance of wood fiber-reinforced PU foam. Foams were made with a free-rising process. The compression performance of the foams was measured and the foams were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray computed tomography (CT). The foam reinforced with alkali-treated fibers had improved compression performance. The foams made with various catalysts shared similar performance. The foam made using a mechanical stirrer contained well-dispersed fibers but the reinforcing capability of the fibers was reduced. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Chaput, Nicolas | Green, Andrew | Environmental Clean-up in Bankruptcy and Insolvency: What Priority for the Environment? | Law | 2012-11-21 | The lack of clarity of Canadian insolvency legislation with respect to the treatment of environmental claims has left Canadian courts wondering whether they should advance the public order policies embodied in the environmental legislation or promote creditors' interests and the private relief afforded by bankruptcy. This thesis examines the state of the law on the question and provides a critical assessment of the legislation and the relevant case law. The author points to the flaws of the legislation and its judicial interpretation, while uncovering the underlying reasons for the existence of such a confused body of jurisprudence. Building on these findings, the author proposes a reform of the insolvency legislation that would uphold the protection of the environment as a fundamental value in Canadian society. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Chastko, Karl Frank | Adams, Matthew D | Estimating Air Pollution with Regulatory Monitors and Supplementary Data from Low-cost Sensors and Remotely Sensed Imagery | Geography | 2019-11 | This thesis has two main objectives: assessing the accuracy of long-term air pollution concentration estimates produced from portable monitoring campaigns, using temporal adjustments; and second, developing spatial models of air pollution concentrations with remotely sensed imagery and machine learning within a land use regression framework. Objective one was achieved by simulating mobile monitoring campaigns and estimating long-term concentrations with multiple temporal adjustments. The results indicated that sample size greatly influenced the accuracy of long-term estimates produced with temporal adjustments and that adjustments which accounted for the log-normal distribution of air pollution observations produced more accurate estimates. Objective two was achieved through the development of annual and seasonal models for NO2 and PM2.5 at three study sites. The results showed that deep learning models were the most accurate however these models could not capture spatial patterns of air pollution from the spectral signature of the land use surrounding monitors. | M.Sc. | pollut; land use | 15 |
| Chau, Phat Edward | Wodchis, Walter P | Effect of Continuity of Care on the Risk of Developing Multimorbidity in Ontario, Canada between 2001 - 2015: A Retrospective Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-06 | Identifying modifiable, population-based factors for the prevention of multimorbidity is necessary to protect the health of patients and avoid unnecessary healthcare system costs. This study explored whether relationship continuity of care delays the onset of chronic conditions in patients from Ontario, Canada. Health administrative databases were used to assemble the cohort (N= 166,665) that was followed retrospectively between 2001 - 2015. A cause-specific hazards regression modelling approach was used to estimate the effect of continuity treated as a time-dependent exposure on the risk of developing multimorbidity and subsequent conditions adjusted for age, sex, place of residence, patient enrolment, income, and the number of physician visits. Estimates revealed that the risk of developing a second, third, and fourth condition was 8%, 10%, and 11% lower for patients with high versus low continuity, respectively. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce the burden of multimorbidity by focusing on continuity of care. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Chau, Timothy | Zingg, David W | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Box-wing Regional Aircraft Based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Equations | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2017-06 | The box wing is an unconventional aircraft configuration that has the potential to provide major savings in fuel consumption relative to the conventional cantilever wing. In order to further develop and evaluate this potential, high-fidelity aerodynamic shape optimization is applied to the aerodynamic design of a box wing and a cantilever wing, based on the Embraer E190 regional jet, with the latter serving as a performance baseline. The optimization framework consists of B-spline parameterization, free-form and axial deformation geometry control, an integrated mesh-movement scheme based on the theory of linear elasticity, a Newton-Krylov-Schur flow solver for the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, a gradient-based optimizer, and the discrete-adjoint method for gradient evaluation. Results indicate that a box-wing with a height-to-span ratio of 0.26 burns 7.61% less fuel at cruise than a conventional baseline of the same span and lift. Aerodynamic trends and trade-offs are investigated, and a weight sensitivity study is performed. | M.A.S. | sustainable design | 12 |
| Chaudhary, Shweta | Roach, Kent | Extraordinary Military Powers and Right to Self Determination in Kashmir | Law | 2013-11-21 | This thesis examines the implications of the operation of the Armed Forces (Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990 (“Act”) on Kashmir from human rights perspective. It draws a comparison between the Act and the existing penal legislations in India. It proposes that the Act should be repealed and actions of the armed forces should be governed by the already existing penal legislations. It suggests amendment of similar state and central legislations conferring immunity to the armed forces. The precondition of approval of the Central Government for instituting a legal proceeding should be removed. It proposes constitution of special grievance cells at district levels to adjudicate cases against the armed forces before being referred to the higher courts. The thesis urges the Indian Government to approach the issue of Kashmir following principles of Ahimsa (“non–violence”) and Satyagraha (“insistence on truth”) adopted by Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence struggle. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Chee, Stephen | Damaren, Christopher John | Vibration Suppression of Large Space Structures Using an Optimized Distribution of Control Moment Gyros | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2011-12-06 | Many space vehicles have been launched with large flexible components such as booms and solar panels. These large space structures (LSSs) have the potential to make attitude control unstable due to their lightly damped vibration. These vibrations can be controlled using a collection of control moment gyros (CMGs). CMGs consist of a spinning wheel in gimbals and produce a torque when the orientation of the wheel is changed. This study investigates the optimal distribution of these CMGs on LSSs for vibration suppression. The investigation considers a beam and a plate structure with evenly placed CMGs. The optimization allocates the amount of stored angular momentum possessed by these CMGs according to a cost function dependent on how quickly vibration motions are damped and how much control effort is exerted. The optimization results are presented and their effect on the motions of the beam and plate are investigated. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Cheifetz, David | Weinrib, Ernest | The Resurfice Exception: Causation in Negligence Without Probability | Law | 2012-11-21 | Resurfice Corp. v. Hanke, [2007] 1 S.C.R. 333, 2007 SCC 7, creates a new causation doctrine in Canadian negligence law that is available to plaintiffs only in exceptional cases. Under this doctrine, negligence and the possibility of specific factual causation may be sufficient to satisfy the causation requirements of a cause of action in negligence. Proof of specific factual causation on the balance of probability is not required. The justification for this doctrine is fairness and justice. The application of the doctrine does not produce a decision that the negligence did cause the injury. Where the requirements of the Resurfice doctrine are satisfied, the causation requirements of the cause of action are deemed to be satisfied despite the finding that factual causation was not established on the balance of probability. The authorities cited are current to June 21, 2012. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Chen, Caiyan Wendy | Donnelly, Peter | More Work, Less Play: Power, Household Work and Leisure Expereinces of Chinese Immigrant Women in Canada | Exercise Sciences | 2013-03-18 | This thesis focuses on Chinese immigrant women’s experiences of household work and leisure in Canada. Socialist feminist perspective is used for an analysis of in-depth conversations with ten Chinese immigrant women with children. Results show that Chinese immigrant women experienced a significant increase of household work and a dramatic decrease on leisure pursuits after immigration and/or the birth of their children, implying that gender inequalities are reproduced and reinforced. Chinese immigrant women encounter and negotiate forms of tension resulted from the striking difference of being in China and being in Canada, their change in social status and their changed gender status. This thesis may contribute background knowledge for the practitioners in recreational programs and social works specialized in immigrant settlement services. Future research could be the motives for immigration, the actual experiences of immigration; a comparative study between Chinese immigrant women and women of other ethnicities is also suggested. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Chen, Donghan | Goh, M. Cynthia | Morphological Studies of Organometal Halide Thin Films for Perovskite Solar Cells | Materials Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | Thin film solar cells are important for making photovoltaic technologies affordable and easily fabricated. The main objective of research into thin film solar cells is to achieve high-energy convert efficiency with easy manufacturing methods and accessible elements. Thin film solar cells based on organometal halide perovskites have demonstrated outstanding efficiency among photovoltaics. The morphologies of solution-processed perovskite thin films, such as uniformity of thickness and surface coverage, have been shown to be important factors for device performance. Perovskite thin films were prepared with uniform thickness and full coverage by using vapour deposition methods. The morphology features and crystal quality of the perovskite thin films were examined to optimize the preparation conditions. Influence of the annealing temperatures was investigated to shed light on the stability of perovskite films in post-preparation treatment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to capture high-resolution morphology changes during annealing treatment and film formation. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Chen, Gang | Chan, Arthur W.H. | Method Development for Measuring Black Carbon (BC) Using a Smartphone Camera | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Black carbon (BC) is one of the major components of the atmospheric particulate matter (PM), which can cause adverse health impacts and contribute significantly to climate change. Poor understanding of BC sources and concentrations is the main obstacles to reduce BC emissions. Current commercial BC sensors remain too costly to deploy widely. A fast, cost-effective, and easily accessible deployment of smartphone camera was used to quantify colour information of PM collected on filters to estimate BC and elemental carbon (EC) loading. When applied to 1266 PM2.5 ambient samples collected from six sites across Ontario, Canada, the RGB-based BC model showed powerful predictability with R2=0.95 between predicted and measured BC concentrations from an aethalometer. The RGB-based EC model was trained using 478 personal PM2.5 samples collected from pre-diabetic subjects in Beijing with an R2=0.91 between predicted and measured EC concentrations from OC/EC analyzer. | M.A.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Chen, Jenise Boey | Thompson, Michael | Towards Construction of a Biosensor for the Detection of Early-stage Ovarian Cancer: Evaluation of Novel DNA Aptamers for the Capture of Biomarker HSP10 | Biomedical Engineering | 2016-11 | The current test for ovarian cancer is associated with many false positives and false negatives. With ovarian cancer being the deadliest gynaecological cancer, the diagnostic inadequacy of the current test creates an imperative need for a method that can detect for early-stage ovarian cancer. Fortunately, HSP10 has recently emerged as a potential biomarker for early-stage ovarian cancer. Four DNA aptamers were evaluated for their binding affinity towards HSP10 using two methods. The first method employed use of gel electrophoresis, a common method to study interactions, mainly bind-and-release, between biomolecules. The second employed novel surface chemistry with the EMPAS. With the combination of both methods, a candidate DNA aptamer was selected for surface chemistry immobilization, moving towards building a crude biosensor. This is the first steps towards creating a novel biosensor which can provide women with a screening test that has the ability to mitigate deaths associated with ovarian cancer. | M.A.S. | women | 5 |
| Chen, Lei | Farnood, Ramin | Thermal Treatment of Pulb and Paper Mill Biosludge and Digestate to Enhance their Anaerobic Digestibility | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | Anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill biosludge has the potential to reduce sludge disposal costs and generate energy through biogas production. Thermal treatment can couple with anaerobic digestion to enhance the sludge digestibility. Conventionally, thermal pretreatment of biosludge is used by the industry. In this study, three possible thermal treatment-assisted anaerobic digestion configurations were compared: 1. Thermal pretreatment of biosludge; 2. Digestate thermal treatment; 3. Digestate thermal treatment and only recycling the hydrolysate. The thermal pretreatment (1) of biosludge at the theoretical optimal conditions (170o C for 1 h) did not extend the ultimate biogas yield. The digestate thermal treatment (2) increased the rate and extent of the biogas production; a synergistic effect on biogas production was observed by co-digesting biosludge and treated digestate. Only recycling the hydrolysate (3) is recommended if the thermal treatment is conducted at high intensities such as the one at 210o C for 30 min. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Chen, Shaun Sheng Yuan | Eichler, Margrit | Segregation versus Self-determination: A Black and White Debate on Canada's First Africentric School | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-06-02T15:09:56Z | The racialized realities faced by Black students provide an impetus to examine the controversy over Canada's first Africentric Alternative School, approved on January 29, 2008 by the Toronto District School Board. Newspaper articles, editorials and letters to the editor, as well as speeches by delegations and trustees, provide a rich snapshot of the arguments put forth in the heated political debate. Through the lens of equity and critical race theory, the diverse and divergent stances taken by both proponents and opponents of the school are analysed and understood. A conceptual framework of hidden and public transcripts (Scott, 1990) is used to distinguish arguments that reflect on the lived experiences of Black students from those that reiterate the dominant discourses of liberal democratic societies. The findings emerge as three opposing sets of themes that reveal a transcript reflective of the ongoing salience of racism within ostensibly liberal claims to racial equality. | MAST | equality | 5 |
| Chen, Siyu | Taylor, Joshua Adam | Simulation-based Validation of Harmonic-constrained Optimal Power Flow | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | In modern grids, the increasing penetration of renewable sources requires the integration of power electronic converters. However, the nonlinear characteristics of those converters will introduce voltage and current harmonics, which decrease power quality, overload transformers, cause vibrations in generators and motors, and increase grid losses. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze power system models with harmonics. In this thesis, optimal power flow with constraints on total voltage harmonic distortion is simulated. OpenDSS is used to validate the solution of harmonic-constrained optimal power flow. Numerical tests on two IEEE feeder systems demonstrate the accuracy of the approach. | M.A.S. | renewable | 7 |
| Chen, Yibin | Veneris, Andreas | Circuit Debugging with Error Trace Compaction and Maximum Satisfiability | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2010-01-13T15:46:22Z | Improving the performance and functionality of contemporary debugging tools is essential to alleviate the debugging task. This dissertation aims at narrowing the gap between current capabilities of debugging tools and industry requirements by improving two important debugging techniques: error trace compaction and automated debugging. Error trace compaction leverages incremental SAT and heuristics to reduce the number of clock cycles required to observe a failure in an error trace. The technique presented reduces the length of the error trace to a minimum while improving performance by 8× compared to a previous technique. The second contribution uses maximum satisfiability to enhance the functionality and performance of automated debuggers. The method proposed can identify where in the design the bug is located and when in the error trace the bug is excited. Compared to a competitive SAT-based approach, our formulation produces problems that are 80% smaller and that can be solved 4.5x faster. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Chen, Ying | Kooy, Mary | Developing Book Clubs in High School English Classrooms | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-28 | The focus of this research is to examine the book club as a social context for literacy development. Students in book clubs perceive literature authentically in ways of reading, writing and talking through a variety of interactions. Meanwhile, teachers, by observing students’ learning in book clubs, reflect on their language teaching and lead to an innovation of literacy instruction in schools, which can bridge to a community instructional change for language teachers. In this research, I observed, videotaped, audio-taped, and interviewed high school students and the teacher in an urban Canadian high school, who were involved in English classroom book clubs which replaced the traditional instructional mode of teaching literature, trying to figure out a structure for a classroom book club by comparing to an extracurricular book club and by analyzing the diverse reading experiences of students both in and outside of school. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Cheng, Isabella KS | Polatajko, Helene J | Emotions, Significance and Improvement Expectations: The Personal Matter of a Patient's Hospital Stay | Rehabilitation Science | 2017-03 | Health systems aim to provide quality healthcare. Patients’ experiences can inform quality improvements. Background: Mailed standardized surveys are a way to engage patients about inpatient care experiences. While results from rating-scale questions are regularly reported, no study has analyzed patients’ written responses. Purpose: To learn about patients’ perspectives of hospital care, survey comments were examined. Method: Inductive content analysis of 1,638 written responses was conducted within a qualitative description study design. Findings: Patients’ comments suggest: Emotions pervade patients’ hospital stay experiences with feelings about perceptions of safety, personhood and preparation for returning to living life; moments in time personalize hospital experiences; and the survey is viewed as an implied contract, where patients provide feedback in exchange for hospital improvements. Implications: Findings affirm current understandings about inpatient experiences and extend them. Patients’ comments reveal new insights about the specifics of patient-centered care, patient experience and quality healthcare that merit further study. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Cheng, Jun | Jackson, Donald Andrew ||Mandrak, Nicholas E. | Spatial Criteria Used in IUCN Assessment Overestimate Area of Occupancy for Freshwater Taxa | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2013-11-21 | Area of Occupancy (AO) is a frequently used indicator to assess and inform designation of conservation status to wildlife species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The applicability of the current grid-based AO measurement on freshwater organisms has been questioned due to the restricted dimensionality of freshwater habitats. I investigated the extent to which AO influenced conservation status for freshwater taxa at a national level in Canada. I then used distribution data of 20 imperiled freshwater fish species of southwestern Ontario to (1) demonstrate biases produced by grid-based AO and (2) develop a biologically relevant AO index. My results showed grid-based AOs were sensitive to spatial scale, grid cell positioning, and number of records, and were subject to inconsistent decision making. Use of the biologically relevant AO changed conservation status for four freshwater fish species and may have important implications on the subsequent conservation practices. | MAST | water; CONSERV; FISH | 14 |
| Chénier, Lynn A. | Simon, Roger I. ||Boler, Megan | Food Democracy and The Construction of Risk in The Canadian and U.K. Media | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T15:55:55Z | Using a critical discourse analysis (CDA), this thesis examines how risks and food security, in relation to Genetically Modified (GM) foods, are constructed within the media context. The project analyzes news articles that appeared in two Canadian newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, and two British newspapers, The London Times and the Guardian, during three particular time periods between 1997 and 2005. I evaluate whether or not the selected articles contribute to the public’s understanding of science, and how journalism constructs risk and uncertainty. I also evaluate the use of expert knowledge by journalists. Using the theory of Risk Society, as proposed by sociologist Ulrich Beck, the project explores the connections between political, social, and economic issues connected to globalization. This thesis concludes that journalism in both Canada and Britain does not appear to adequately inform their citizens on matters of food security and the risks of GMOs. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Cheskes, Lindsay | Morrison, Laurie J | Assessing Public Perceptions of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Bystander Willingness to Act in Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest | Medical Science | 2014-03-17 | Low survival rates following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remain a serious health concern internationally. Early bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rapid defibrillation can increase the chances of survival dramatically. However, the number of OHCA patients who receive these interventions remains low. This study sought to characterize Canadian public knowledge, attitudes and willingness to perform both traditional and chest-compression-only CPR using a two-phase, mixed methods approach. Twenty-one qualitative interviews were conducted, the results of which informed an online, scenario-based, Canada-wide survey. Significant knowledge gaps regarding recognition of cardiac arrest, the precise steps of CPR and perceived survival rate were identified and common to both phases. A larger proportion of survey respondents demonstrated a willingness to perform chest-compression-only CPR compared to traditional CPR in general, and specifically in situations involving strangers and unkempt individuals. Knowledge gaps and misconceptions seem to dominate the public perspective, leading to the recommendation for a tailored knowledge translation solution. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Cheung, Jeffrey J.H. | Dubrowski, Adam | Preparing for Simulation-based Education and Training Through Web-Based Learning: The Role of Observational Practice and Educational Networking | Medical Science | 2014-03-18 | Simulation and Web-based Learning (WBL) are both educational approaches that are increasingly applied in medical education. However, little is known about how these two instructional approaches may be integrated to improve learning outcomes. A prospective three-arm experimental study of different WBL preparation materials was conducted. Thirty undergraduate medical students with no prior experience in central venous catheterization (CVC) were randomly assigned to one of three preparatory interventions: tradition reading materials (TM), observational practice (OP), or OP and educational networking (OPEN). Participants then completed a simulation-based training workshop in CVC and a delayed retention test. Performance was assessed by a task-specific checklist, global rating scale (GRS) and by measuring time to competency. Main findings reveal a significant linear trend across the TM, OP and OPEN groups in time to competency. This exploratory study demonstrates the potential utility of Web-based observational practice and collaborative learning for improving the efficiency of simulation-based training. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Cheyne, Carol A.L. | Bergquist, Bridget A | Lead Isotopes as Particulate Contaminant Tracers and Chronostratigraphic Markers in Lake Sediments in Northeastern North America | Earth Sciences | 2015-11 | The utility of lead isotopes as particulate contaminant tracers and chronostratigraphic markers was assessed in six lakes from the Great Lakes region. The geographic range of the 19th century Upper Mississippi Valley ore smelting marker was expanded into southern and central Ontario and its northwestern extent was reached within Lake Superior. This marker is useful for dating sediments deposited 100-200 years ago when other dating techniques are problematic. Leaded gasoline was dominant in one lake in the 20th century; its signal was absent elsewhere because the other lakes were affected by regional industrial output or were too remote to receive the leaded gasoline signal. Lead isotopes and trace metals identified a coal combustion marker in the 20th century in southern Ontario, where coal combustion was important enough to outweigh leaded gasoline input. This thesis demonstrates the usefulness of lead isotopes for identifying contamination sources where several pollution sources exist. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Chiavaroli, Laura | Jenkins, David J. A. | Oxidative Stress and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Associated with Low- and High-monounsaturated Fat Portfolio Diets | Nutritional Sciences | 2010-07-22T17:37:18Z | The objective was to assess the effect of a high-monounsaturated fat (MUFA) dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods on oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk. Twenty-four hyperlipidemic subjects followed a very low-saturated-fat therapeutic control diet for 4 weeks after which they were randomized to receive the dietary portfolio, consisting of soy protein (20g/1000kcal), viscous fibre (10.3g/1000kcal), plant sterols (2-3g) and almonds (21.5g/1000kcal), in combination with high- or low-MUFA (25.9% and 12.9% MUFA, respectively) for the next 4 weeks, where MUFA replaced 13.0% of dietary carbohydrate. On high-MUFA, there were significantly greater increases in HDL-C and apoA1 and significantly greater reductions in total:high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (total:HDL-C) ratio and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) compared to the low-MUFA dietary portfolio. In all diets there were significant increases in protein thiols and reductions in conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) measured in the LDL-fraction, however no difference between the high- and low-MUFA diets. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Chiu, Aubrey Serah | Feldman, Brian | Social Participation, Self-Perception, and Social Support in Boys Living with Hemophilia | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-03 | Social integration is a critical component of quality of life and understanding how persons with hemophilia interact socially with their peers may inform healthcare providers.A random sample of 50 boys with hemophilia from The Hospital of Sick Children completed measures of social participation, self-perception, and social support. Participants' parents completed a measure assessing the impact of chronic illness on the family.The majority of boys reported no significant participation restrictions. Social participation was strongly correlated with self-perception subscales Social Acceptance and Global Self-Worth. The Athletic Competence subscale was strongly correlated for adolescents only. There were strong correlations between social participation and social support from parents, teachers, and classmates and moderate correlations for support from close friends. There was minimal impact on the family and weak correlations between social participation and impact on the family.Boys with hemophilia have minimal social participation restrictions and are on par with their peers. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Chiu, Kwun Sau Charles | Han, Ju Hui Judy | MOBILITY IN THE CITY: Dalian's Streetcar System from 1890s to 1940s | Geography | 2017-11 | The electric streetcar is both a product of electric modernity and a form of social technology that shapes the experience of modernity. Using the city of Dalian in northern China from 1890s to 1940s as the site of investigation, this study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the formation of modern urban landscapes in terms of the movement and division of people engendered by the streetcar in general, and the system’s role in Japan’s colonial project in East Asia in particular. I seek to provide a detailed analysis of the historical roots of the formation of Dalian as a colonial city vis-à-vis its streetcar system to examine the structuring of urban space. I also explore the streetcar both as an engineering and social technology to shed light on theoretical issues such as the notion of mobility and rhythms of everyday life. | M.A. | urban | 11 |
| Cho, Harry Yeon | Morgan, Ed | Human Rights and the War Against International Terrorism: A War Without Rights? | Law | 2010-01-12T20:50:28Z | The United States has justified targeted operations against suspected terrorists as a legitimate tool in the war against terrorism. In response to international criticism that a November 2002 targeted killing operation in Yemen violated human rights standards, the US asserted that the right to life was suspended during war. While this assertion is prima facie incorrect, many legal experts, scholars and authors agree in principle that a military response to international terrorism -- along with the concomitant dilution of the right to life -- is not only appropriate, but also complies with international law. However, the modern jus ad bellum limit the circumstances in which a state may lawfully resort to armed force. A fulsome understanding of international humanitarian law and the characteristics of groups such as Al Qaeda reveals that international law does not permit states to employ their military forces to responde to the international crime of international terrorism. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Choi, Amy | Smith, Sandy | Invasive Earthworm (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) Populations in varying Vegetation Types on a Landscape- and Local-scale | Forestry | 2012-11-21 | There have been no landscape-scale studies on earthworm populations in Canada comparing vegetation types; previous studies on edge habitats have been conducted in agricultural systems. I examined the spatial variations of earthworm populations by measuring abundance based on regional municipality, vegetation type, and edge habitat. Earthworms were sampled throughout the season across a gradient of vegetation types including meadow, forest edge, and interior at a local-scale; and at the landscape level with vegetation types including meadow, deciduous forest, pine plantation and mixed forest. Regional effects were more significant than vegetation type likely due to a gradient of soil characteristics in southern Ontario; edges had intermediate earthworm abundance and a higher proportion of epigeic species. My research provides insight into the patterns of earthworm populations in southern Ontario and the possible effects of edge creation through landscape fragmentation. Field sampling of earthworm parasitoid cluster-flies (Calliphoridae: Pollenia) using synomones was also discussed. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Choleva, Lauryn | Vuksan, Vladimir | The Effect of Salvia hispanica L. (Salba) on Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-12-06 | Canadian statistics indicate that the incidence of obesity is rising, and that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) within this group is significantly higher than those of a healthy weight. Preliminary evidence has shown that the oil-rich grain, Salvia hispanica L. (Salba), improves glycemic control, suppresses appetite, and affects additional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. This study followed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design in a sub-set population of twenty individuals who were overweight or obese and had T2DM. Participants received supplements of Salba, or an energy- and fibre-matched control, and followed a hypocaloric diet for 24 weeks. Findings of this study reveal that Salba does not significantly affect weight loss, glycemic control or other CVD risk factors. These findings are preliminary and highlight the complexities of weight loss research. Further investigation into the potential health benefits of Salba is currently being carried out. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Chong, Amy Lee | Guttmann, Astrid | Utilization of Prenatal Services by Survivors of Childhood and Adolescent/Young Adult Cancers | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-11-15 | Objectives: To describe utilization of specialised prenatal care by high-risk survivors and evaluate echocardiogram use in echocardiogram-need survivors, as per survivorship guideline recommendations. Methods: Retrospective population-based matched survivor:control study utilizing Ontario health administrative data. Survivors were classified as high-risk/low-risk for obstetrical outcomes, and as echocardiogram-need (yes/no) for echocardiogram outcomes. Associations were tested using logistic regression. Results: 11% (n=363) of 3,204 pregnant survivors were classified as high-risk. Over 90% received specialized prenatal care. Living in a rural area was associated with lower use. (AOR 0.51; 95% CI 0.44-0.59). Since 2003, 32% (560/1,737) of survivors had an echocardiogram-need. Only 14% (77/560) had ≥1 echocardiogram, this was not associated with rurality nor neighbourhood income quintile. Conclusions: Although the majority of high-risk survivors receive specialized prenatal care, geographic inequality in care persists. Despite survivorship guidelines, >85% of echocardiogram-need pregnant survivors do not have an echocardiogram performed; future work should address this gap in care. | MAST | health; inequality | 3, 10 |
| Chou, Min Amanda | Shu, Lily H. | Identifying Affordances from and Categorizing Consumer Product Reviews | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-06 | Studying affordances allows designers to better understand how their products can be used by consumers in both desired and undesired ways. Online product reviews are a free and accessible source of information on consumer product usage, which suggests unforeseen uses and misuses of products that may inspire the development or redesign of products. To simplify the process of identifying affordances in reviews, relevant cue phrases are highlighted. Then, linguistic features for clustering review sentences are examined to identify characteristics of informative reviews. Cue phrases classifying review content for purposes of product improvement are also highlighted and discussed. The usage of verbs in stating affordances, as well as topic modelling of reviews for identifying affordances are also examined. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Chow, Cherrine | Fadel, Mohammad | Better the Devil We Know: How Sociology Informs the Debate Over Antidumping Laws | Law | 2011-12-06 | Trade and other governmental policy decisions are frequently made based on neoclassical economic theory, which in turn is based on simplifying assumptions that result in unrealistic predictions. In this thesis, I argue that sociology is an important social science that can help to inform economic theory in policy-making. Understanding how social relations affect market actors and institutions is crucial, as markets are themselves composed of social relationships. I present an example using antidumping regulations. Economic scholars have argued that antidumping laws should be abolished based on pure economic theory. I argue that, from a sociological perspective, antidumping laws serve to provide a necessary stabilizer for markets, resulting in controlled competition and greater trade liberalization. Such laws should therefore be maintained. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Chu, Jacquelene | Acosta, Edgar | Linker-based Lecithin Oral Drug Delivery Systems | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-12-04 | In this study, pharmaceutical-grade and food-grade linker-based lecithin self-emulsifying delivery systems (SEDS) were developed with a combination of lipophilic and hydrophilic linkers. These additives at suggested concentrations are safe for pharmaceutical and food applications. The ratio of surfactant lecithin and linkers in these systems was optimized to develop surfactant in oil preconcentrates. The preconcentrates containing different surfactant concentrations and oil were diluted with fed state simulated intestinal fluid to produce pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and to identify the formulations that produced self-emulsifying or self-microemulsifying delivery systems. Optimal SEDS preconcentrates were evaluated using a dialyzer model to simulate intestinal uptake. An uptake of 39.6 mg/cm2 for the pharmaceutical-grade SEDS was obtained within 72 minutes, which promises substantial improvement in the bioavailability of hydrophobic actives. The optimal uptake of 12.2 mg/cm2 for food-grade SEDS suggests enhancement in the bioavailability of omega-3 fatty acids. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Chu, Pei Lin | Saville, Bradley A||MacLean, Heather L | Environmental and Financial Performance: Aviation Biofuels | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2014-11 | The hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) pathway produces biojet fuel that has the potential for near-term commercialization. This thesis examines the environmental and financial aspects of HDO biojet production in Western Canada using camelina, carinata and used cooking oil (UCO) waste as feedstocks. Process modeling included a rigorous HDO yield analysis based on the molecular distribution of triglycerides, isomerization modeling, and chemical and energy use estimates. The environmental impacts were estimated using the ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment framework and modeled in SimaPro with a focus on Greenhouse Gas emissions. Financial modeling included CAPEX and OPEX estimation, carbon price analysis, discounted cash flow modeling, sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation to test economic robustness using standard NPV and IRR indicators. The analysis found that biojet from all of the analyzed feedstocks effectively reduced emissions compared to conventional fuels, but camelina was economically viable today while carinata and UCO faced near-term economic challenges. | M.A.S. | energy; production; waste; environment | 13 |
| Chubak, Lynda Evelyn Carol | Kerekes, Julie | "I feel like a bag lady": Personal Interstices, Self-Disclosures and Empathetic Affiliation during Workplace Meetings | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-28 | While an extensive body of research exploring professional discourse exists, research investigating off-task talk within workplaces has been relatively side-lined. To better understand the possible functions of personal interstices layered between institutional goal-oriented talk, this study examines instances of self-disclosure that emerged from 34 hours of authentic interactions recorded at three Canadian workplaces. Using conversation analysis, 87 self-reference, self-disclosure declaratives were identified. Of those, 21 occurred within reciprocal sequences between two participants. Similar to a second story telling found in ordinary conversation (Sacks, 1992a), the second speaker’s self-disclosure reflects the first speaker’s, both in content and form, and is often an upgraded version of the initial disclosure. This pattern and in-meeting placement suggest that these types of personal interstices may be a mechanism for displaying co-worker empathetic affiliation. Additionally, hierarchical role relations and institution goals may be temporarily suspended or back-grounded during these sequences. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Chun, Lauren | Lye, Stephen J. | Maternal Dietary Restriction and the Effects of Postweaning Nutrition on Fetal Development, Insulin Signalling, Glucose Metabolism and Body Composition In C57BL/6J Mice | Physiology | 2012-07-25 | Mice (C57BL/6J: B6) exposed to maternal dietary restriction (DR) exhibited fetal growth- restriction and as adults develop symptoms of the metabolic syndrome. We aimed to determine the impact of DR on fetal hepatic gluconeogenic pathway and insulin sensitivity in late gestation. Second, we aimed to determine whether a postweaning diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids would alter the development of glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and obesity in DR male offspring. The reduced rate of fetal glycogen synthesis by DR male offspring and altered hepatic gene expression of enzymes involved in insulin signalling and glucose metabolism suggest abnormal fetal development in response to DR that may contribute to the later development of the metabolic syndrome. The postweaning omega-3 diet improved obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in both DR and control males. These data suggest that nutrition in pregnancy and postnatal life play important roles in determining life-long metabolic health. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Chung, Chi-Jen John | Zee, E Robert | Mechanical Subsystem Development for the CanX-7 Nanosatellite, the NEMO-HD Microsatellite, and the XPOD Mass Dummy | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | The proliferation of small satellites has ushered in new challenges in satellite mechanical development. The pursuit for accessibility and low cost has resulted in industry-wide implementation of standardized form factors. Yet, advances in payload technology continue to drive demands for new bus designs with significant growth potential. The Space Flight Laboratory is currently developing satellites across a wide spectrum of mission scopes. Amongst these are a challenging technology demonstration nanosatellite with a 3U CubeSat form factor, and an Earth observation microsatellite to fly with a next-generation large-scale platform. Presented herein are the advances made in mechanical engineering for these two satellites in particular, as well as other ground support equipment. Significant work is done towards the detailed design and analysis of the bus structures. As well, contributions are made in support of the assembly, integration, and testing activities on both the satellite and subsystem levels. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Chung, Steven | Trescases, Olivier | Hybrid Lead-acid/Lithium-ion Energy Storage System with Power-mix Control for Light Electric Vehicles | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | This work presents a hybrid energy storage system (HESS), using lithium-ion (LI) and lead-acid (PbA) batteries, for light electric vehicles (LEV) that is both cost and performance competitive with single energy storage system (SESS) configurations. A modular HESS architecture with a dc-dc converter and controller is proposed. The power-mix algorithm that minimizes the Peukert effect, and increases the usable energy of the lead-acid battery is presented and verified experimentally. A novel DLL and PLL based off-time control scheme is demonstrated for inductor ripple current interleaving in the multi-phase dc-dc converter. The cost and performance of the HESS are assessed side-by-side with PbA and LI SESS configurations of comparable total energy. The experimental HESS has a total projected cost midway between the SESS PbA cost and the SESS Li cost, while providing 17% range and 23% efficiency increase over the SESS PbA vehicle. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Cinquemani, Fabio Giuseppe | Sprules, W. Gary | Spatially Heterogeneous Prey Patterns may be Necessary for Predator Survival: a Model and a Review of the Aquatic Literature | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2012-07-19 | The Allen Paradox is the observation that, in aquatic communities, there is insufficient prey production to support predator growth. An assessment of the literature reveals that this paradox remains apparent in one of every four studies. Here, a novel explanation for this paradox is proposed: predators that feed in a spatially-heterogeneous-prey environment (SHPE) may experience a greater net energy gain than in a corresponding uniform-prey environment (UPE), meaning that predators may require less food than has been traditionally perceived. A model was developed to simulate a predator’s energy gain while feeding in a SHPE rather than a UPE. According to the simulation, a greater net energy gain in a SHPE than a UPE is possible, but only under certain conditions. Since prey can be utilized more efficiently in a SHPE, a given amount of prey production can supply more predator growth, which can have positive implications in fish stocking. | MAST | ENERGY | 7 |
| Clackett, Sydney | Porter, Trevor J | Long-Term Changes in Global and Local Atmospheric Mercury as Recorded in White Spruce Tree-Rings in Central Yukon Territory | Geography | 2017-11 | This thesis on Picea glauca trees in central Yukon Territory makes progress toward understanding the use of tree-rings as a natural archive for atmospheric mercury (Hg) over long time-scales, a perspective needed to better understand Hg cycling. Unlike other tree-ring properties, tree-ring Hg appears to be independent of age and incremental growth variations, thereby eliminating the need to correct tree-ring Hg for biological trends. This is the first study in northern Canada to develop a multi-century (1606-2014 CE) tree-ring Hg reconstruction, and corroborates observations from other Hg reconstructions in North America, such as low 17thCE Hg concentrations relative to the post-Industrial era and peak values in the 20th CE. Finally, analysis of a control site and an industrial site where Hg emissions were elevated for ~6 decades demonstrates that local Hg emissions are additive to regional atmospheric Hg concentrations, and retained in tree-ring records proximal to emission sources. | M.Sc. | industrial ecology | 12 |
| Clark, Nicholas A. | Martell, David Lee | Modelling Forest Fire Initial Attack Airtanker Operations | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-21 | The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources uses airtankers for forest fire suppression that now have onboard GPS units that track their real-time location, velocity and altitude. However, the GPS data does not indicate which fire is being fought, the time each airtanker spends travelling to and from each fire or the time each airtanker spends flying between each fire and the lake from which it scoops water to drop on the fire. A pattern recognition algorithm was developed and used to determine what was happening at each point along the airtanker’s track, including the time and location of every water pickup. This pre-processed data was used to develop detailed models of the airtanker service process. A discrete-event simulation model of the initial attack airtanker system was also developed and used to show how service process models can be incorporated in other models to help solve complex airtanker management decision-making problems. | MAST | forest; natural resources | 12, 15 |
| Clarke, Allyson | Stermac, Lana | Weighing the Evidence: The Influence of Stereotypical Attitudes and Survivor Body Weight on Public Perceptions of Sexual Assault | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:06:31Z | The present study explored the influence of survivor weight and participant gender, rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes on perceptions of sexual assault. Using an online survey tool, participants (N = 413) read a vignette describing a hypothetical sexual assault scenario and completed several self-report questionnaires. Generalized linear model analyses revealed that participants were more likely to hold the survivor responsible, excuse the perpetrator’s actions, and respond more negatively toward the survivor and more positively toward the perpetrator when the survivor was depicted as thin versus overweight. Interactions were found between rape myth acceptance and survivor weight, gender and survivor weight, and gender and anti-fat attitudes, for certain dependent variables. In addition, men and those with higher levels of rape myth acceptance and anti-fat attitudes were found to make more negative evaluations of the survivor and more positive evaluations of the perpetrator. Recommendations for future research and interventions are discussed. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Clarke, Meghan | Jutta, Brunnee | Climate Change and Human Rights: A Case Study of the Canadian Inuit and Global Warming in the Canadian Arctic | Law | 2010-12-17T16:22:23Z | Climate change debates have typically centred around the environmental and economic effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions. The focus, however, has recently begun to shift towards acknowledging the human impacts of global climate change, especially in vulnerable regions and communities. This thesis considers whether human rights law can compensate for the inability of traditional, state-centred, environmental law and international law to address the human impacts of climate change. By using the situation of the Canadian Inuit as a case study, this thesis focuses on 'greening' existing human rights to address the environmental damage in the Canadian Arctic as a result of climate change. This study concludes that, although international human rights regimes provide potential forums for groups such as the Canadian Inuit, substantive environmental human rights are necessary in international law in order to best address the complex intersection of environmental degradation, such as climate change, and human rights. | MAST | climate; rights; | 13, 16 |
| Clayton, Laura | Portelli, John P | Food Literacy Education: A Philosophical Perspective | Social Justice Education | 2018-06 | In this thesis, I will argue through a critical democratic education lens for the inclusion of philosophical perspectives in a comprehensive food literacy education program in Ontario high schools. Food is a democratic issue of philosophical concern, requiring critical educational attention. I maintain that if we do not properly deal with food issues in schools we fail to fulfill the democratic social reconstruction aims of education. Utilizing a critical democratic dialogue framework, I combine the work of Laura Pinto and Heesoon Bai, whose approaches to collective communication promote social justice and critical democratic education. To conclude, I offer two concrete pedagogical applications of this framework to high school classrooms. This paper supports initiatives already underway to expand the teaching of food literacy in Ontario high schools, but is significant because of its focus on critical democratic education, and my strong insistence on the inclusion of philosophical perspectives and teachings. | M.A. | food; justice | 2, 16 |
| Cleghorn, Michelle | Upshur, Ross | Public Engagement through the Toronto Health Policy Citizens Council: What do Citizens Value in Health Care? | Medical Science | 2011-12-06 | Health policy making is fraught with difficult decisions that result from conflicts between people’s values. Citizens are important stakeholders in this process, and it is through methods of public engagement that they can be involved in developing health policy. Deliberative forms, in particular, have the ability to improve decision quality and promote greater acceptance of decisions. This study used the Toronto Health Policy Citizens Council to examine citizens’ values on 7 specific health policy questions asked over a two-year period. A thematic analysis was performed on the transcript content derived from the audiotaped deliberations from Council meetings. Nineteen values were identified. The results suggest that it may be a combination of factors of the health policy topic discussed that shapes the values elicitation seen in this kind of public engagement. In conclusion, citizens councils appear effective at eliciting citizens’ values, and are a good way to actively educate participants about health care. | MAST | health; justice | 3, 16 |
| Clement, Bronwyn | Bunce, Susannah | Geographies of Enforced Heteronormativity in Urban Public Parks: A Case Study of Project Marie | Geography | 2018-03 | The policing of sex in public parks raises questions regarding how the access and use of public space is regulated and how normative framings of urban park space are reproduced and enforced. This thesis uses the recent police operation, Project Marie â in which dozens of individuals were ticketed for bylaw infractions and trespassing in Etobicokeâ s Marie Curtis Park â as a case study. Drawing from queer geography and urban political ecology, this thesis examines how heteronormativity is reproduced through and embedded in the planning, governance and regulation of urban park space. I situate this case study within discussions of the socio-political conditions and decisions that shape urban natures that construct and confine park spaces. The paper uses interviews and a critical discourse analysis of the media and grey literature surrounding Project Marie to demonstrate social regulation and enforcement of heteronormative ideas of public park space. | M.A. | queer; urban; governance | 5, 11, 16 |
| Clouthier, Jessica Theresa | Donaldson, James | Ammonium’s Impact on Phase Changes in Urban Grime | Chemistry | 2018-06 | Urban grime is a mixed organic-inorganic film that develops on impervious surfaces that allows partitioning of trace atmospheric species from the gas phase. Its chemical composition and physical properties vary, but nitrate and sulfate are always present. Our group recently reported rapid photochemistry of nitrate deposited on films, where the product formation rate depends upon ambient relative humidity. Nitrate’s physical state in grime may affect its photochemistry. Raman spectroscopy was used to differentiate between solid and solution-phase nitrate and sulfate while measuring various mixtures of NaNO3, (NH4)2SO4, Na2SO4, CaCl2, on vacuum grease under dried and humidified conditions, to explore phase changes in a grime-like environment. In the presence of (NH4)2SO4 or CaCl2, nitrate displays a solution-like spectrum even in dried samples. Due to the importance of ammonium’s presence to the phase of nitrate, we performed experiments that monitor evolution of gas phase ammonia from illumination of ammonium-containing proxy grime samples. | M.Sc. | urban; environment | 11, 13 |
| Cochrane, Keith | Roorda, Matthew J. ||Shalaby, Amer Saïd | Freight on Transit Delphi Study | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-21 | The Freight on Transit Delphi Study was conducted to explore the concept of freight on transit – using public transit vehicles and infrastructure for transporting things other than people. Three rounds of web based surveys were conducted with a panel of 34 transportation experts to explore the main issues related to freight and transit integration and to build and evaluate potential freight on transit operations. Survey results were consistent with previous investigations and suggest that organizational disputes are a larger barrier to implementation than technical challenges. Traditional Delphi questions were used to determine the most important positive impacts, negative impacts, and challenges of moving freight on transit networks while survey responses combined with scenario building techniques were used to build and evaluate five potential freight on transit operating strategies using public transit networks in the GTHA. | MAST | infrastructure | 9 |
| Cohen, Brittany Jill | Cooper, Karyn | Mental Health Support for Newcomer Youth: Fostering Resilience and Compassion among Refugees and their Peers | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | Refugee youth represent one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian population. Upon resettlement, post-migration factors can have severe impacts on mental health and wellbeing. In Ontario, schools are relied upon to support integration and manage the reception of newcomers, yet children continue to face struggles that impede upon wellbeing. Social exclusion, discrimination, and a lack of social support are amongst these issues. A postmodern framework is employed to explore the social, historical, and political implications of the refugee experience within the Ontario public school context. A hermeneutic approach is used to interpret curriculum documents, policies, policy guidelines, and other texts that shape the Ontario elementary education system. Based on my research, I propose that a holistic, mindfulness based curriculum be integrated into Ontario education in order to enhance resilience among refugee youth while fostering compassion and support among their peers. | M.A. | health; | 3 |
| Colasanto, Marlena | Scott, Katreena | Effect of Professional Training on Child Protection Workers' Conceptualization and Self-Efficacy in Domestic Violence Cases | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-11 | Child exposure to domestic violence (DV) is a recognized form of child maltreatment. In Ontario, more cases are referred to child protection as a result of concerns of DV than for any other form of maltreatment. Child protection workers often do not understand the dynamics of DV and are not well equipped with the tools or knowledge to refer families to appropriate interventions. We examined the efficacy of professional training to improve worker responses to mothers who have experienced DV and fathers who have perpetrated DV. Findings revealed marked differences in workers' capacity and self-efficacy for conceptualizing the risks and needs of mothers and fathers. Professional training resulted in improvements to worker's conceptualization of mothers' risk and needs as they intersected with DV, not fathers'. Results will help lay the groundwork for future studies aimed at improving workers' knowledge and response to families in circumstances of DV. | M.A. | worker | 8 |
| Colelli, David Robert | Boulos, Mark I||Black, Sandra E | Enhancing Cognition by using Low-cost In-home Portable Sleep Equipment: A Feasibility Study | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which causes pauses in breathing during sleep, increases the risk of developing cognitive impairment. In-laboratory polysomnography (iPSG) is the gold standard to diagnose OSA, but few patients are screened by iPSG due to refusal to spend a night in a sleep laboratory. Home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) may be a more accessible alternative, as it is simple to use, conveniently administered in a patient’s own home, and validated against iPSG. This study investigated the feasibility and practicality of using HSAT in cognitively impaired clinic patients and assessed the prevalence and factors associated with OSA. HSAT was found to be feasible and practical to assess for OSA. OSA was also prevalent in this population. As OSA is a modifiable risk factor for patients with cognitive impairment, HSAT has the potential to lead to expedited treatment for OSA, which may potentially improve health-related outcomes such as cognition. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Coleman, Brent | Isaac, Marney E | Shade Tree Effects on Intraspecific Leaf Trait Plasticity and Decomposition in a Willow Agroforestry System | Geography | 2016-11 | Agroforestry systems enhance nutrient cycling, in part, through modifications to leaf quality and quantity, and subsequently, decomposition rates. However, leaf traits are plastic and thus variable across both temporal and spatial scales in agroforestry systems. Using a temperate tree- based intercropping system with willow, this study examined effects of shade tree functional group (N2-fixer, Non N2-fixer, or monoculture) and distance from shade tree on i) willow leaf traits (leaf area, leaf weight, specific-leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC), and subsequently ii) trait variability influence on decomposition rates in a lab incubation. Willow leaves within agroforestry treatments exhibited greater leaf area, SLA, and LNC than within the monoculture treatment. Willow leaf decomposition followed a two-pooled kinetic model with k1 values ranging from 0.20 to 0.29 d-1 and k2 values ranging from 0.0019 to 0.0023 d-1. Willow litter in agroforestry systems presumably provides soils with additional N, potentially reducing required fertilizer inputs. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Colley, Michele E. | Buliung, Ron | Gender Differences in the Commute to School and Work through Time and Space in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Canada | Geography | 2017-03 | Previous research on gender and mobility has pointed to differences between male and female travel patterns, but little attention has been paid in transportation planning practice to gender differences in travel demand. This thesis explores gender differences in the school and work commute through the life cycle and over time and space in effort to inform policies that begin to address the needs of a diverse population. The results suggest that school-aged males use active modes more than females, but females use active modes more than males during the years of labour force participation. Adult men continue to use the automobile to travel to work, while females make up a greater proportion of transit riders than males. Mode share differences increase with age, but have decreased since the 1980s. The relationship between male and female travel mode also differs depending on many factors including distance, time, and place. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Collict, David Thomas | Gillis, Roy | Minority Stress, Positive Sexual Minority Identity and Eudaimonic Well-being Experiences Among Sexual and Gender-diverse Communities | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-06 | Significant literature has documented the negative mental health experiences of LGBTQ2-identified people. More recently, research has begun to examine LGBTQ2 well-being and resiliency in the context of positive, eudaimonic well-being outcomes. Based in the minority stress model, the current study examines the relationship between minority stressors and eudaimonic well-being, and resiliency factors that may reduce the negative impact of such stressors on these eudaimonic outcomes. Such analyses were conducted through regression and mediation models. 300 participants who self-identified as LGBTQ2 were recruited through online spaces and responded to relevant questionnaires. Regression results indicated that higher scores on internalized homophobia and lower scores on outness were significantly predictive of eudaimonic well-being outcomes. Furthermore, both authenticity and community connectedness were shown to partially reduce the direct relationships between proximal minority stressors and eudaimonic well-being. Relevant implications for the minority stress model, and clinical and practical uses of findings are discussed as well. | M.A. | health; | 3 |
| Collymore, Tawnee | Coloma, Roland Sintos | Towards a Diasporic Epistemology: How Filipino Canadian Young Men Make Sense of Educational Success and Failure | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-28 | This thesis forwards the concept of “diasporic epistemology” in order to better understand how Filipino Canadian young males make sense of their educational success and failure. Diasporic epistemology means a dual frame of reference created by the intersection of both structural and cultural conditions specific to a particular diaspora. To investigate this concept, I examined the interview transcripts of six Filipino Canadian young men using the constructivist approach to grounded theory. My research reveals that school structure and Filipino consciousness play a significant role in educational success and failure. Situating my thesis within the academic fields of epistemology, intersectionality, and student achievement, I contend that understanding the diasporic epistemology of racialized minority and immigrant students challenges certain truism in educational research, such as current belief that family’s socio-economic status and parental education are predictors of students’ academic success. The implications for education are greater teacher-student-home relationships and alternative schooling methods | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Colvin, Christopher | Easty, Anthony ||Trbovich, Patricia | An Exploratory Study of the Fundamental Characteristics Influencing the Analysis and Communication Activities of Health Care Incident Reporting Systems | Biomedical Engineering | 2011-12-06 | Incident reporting systems offer rich opportunities for learning from errors in health care. However, little attention has been given to understanding how the implementation of reporting system characteristics impact analysis and communication activities. This research explored the characteristics of reporting systems that promote analysis and communication activities. Ten characteristics were identified through a comprehensive literature review. Two reporting systems were then compared to assess how differences in the implementation of the characteristics impact the contents of the database. The results demonstrated that differences in the characteristics’ implementation have an effect on the ability to extract information essential to analysis activities. Next, the reporting processes of the two systems were mapped onto a hierarchical framework to highlight how the characteristics influence the communication of incident information across the health care system. The presented work furthers the understanding of characteristics needed to design reporting systems more effective at promoting learning. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Conroy, Sarah | Cowen, Deborah||McGregor, Deborah | An NDN* in TRANS*ition: The Academic-ish Journal of a Trans/Non-Binary Non-Status Mixed-Nation Urban-Nish | Geography | 2017-11 | An archive of my journey in coming to understand the metamorphosis of oral traditions and ceremonies in the urban context and its relation to my own mixed-nation, non-status, and non-binary identities. I tentatively apply the practical knowledge from my undergraduate degree in Aboriginal Studies (now known as Indigenous Studies), where the focus of my work was rooted in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), Aatisoohkaanan (Algonquin legends), Aatisoohkaanak (Algonquin legendary characters), as they applied to my personal experiences and journey as a mixed urban Indigenous gender-queerdo. Of particular interest are topics such as mixedness, kin/citizen/member/ship, gender, and where and how they intersect with land, the city, and urban Indigenous experiences. Through this I weave together a foundation for a discussion which centers a queer mixed urban Indigenous experience, a foundation of rich soil from which I intend to take root in and grow. | M.A. | gender; urban | 5, 11 |
| Consiglio, Giulia | Cadarette, Suzanne M | Diffusion of Methodological Innovation in Pharmacoepidemiology: Self-controlled Study Designs | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2015-03 | Self-controlled designs are methodological innovations that complement traditional observational studies and are useful to control for time-invariant confounders. The use and diffusion of self-controlled case-control and cohort designs in pharmacoepidemiology was examined over time, and described using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory and co-authorship network analysis (visualized in a supplementary graphics interchange format (GIF) image). Studies experienced a lag in diffusion, followed by a rapid uptake in use since 2000. Overall, the co-authorship network was comprised of 176 papers, 763 authors and 46 components; 31 components contained one paper (61% self-controlled case-control). The largest component of the network was interconnected and was comprised of 69% self-controlled cohort studies. Future work to develop and disseminate standardized language could target seminal authors and key opinion leaders identified in the network. Formal reporting guidelines are also encouraged, as the majority of applications did not follow recommendations on reporting, such as raw data display. | M.Sc. | innovation | 9 |
| Contreras, Francisco | Amon, Cristina | Optimization of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-06 | Use of diesel generators in remote communities is economically and environmentally unsustainable. Consequently, researchers have focussed on designing hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) for distributed electricity generation in remote communities. However, the cost-effectiveness of interconnecting multiple remote communities (microgrids) has not been explored. The main objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology for optimal design of HRES and microgrids for remote communities. A set of case studies was developed to test this methodology and it was determined that a combination of stand-alone decentralized HRES and microgrids is the most cost-effectiveness power generation scheme when studying a group of remote communities. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable; environment | 7, 13 |
| Cooper, Amanda-Mae | Portelli, John P. | Student Leadership for Social Justice in Secondary Schools: A Canadian Perspective | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2009-02-24T15:11:16Z | This qualitative study investigates how the views of student leaders (and some of their staff advisors) illuminate the discussion in the broader literature around issues of student leadership, conflict, diversity and social justice in secondary schools. Eighteen one-hour, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve student leaders and six teachers from six provinces across Canada. This study contributes to educational research by considering the ways student leaders (rather than adult administrators) can impact social justice. While students envision their leadership role in terms of social justice with the goals of inclusion and societal change in mind, the present schooling structure, established expectations and strategies chosen for initiatives often hinder the realization of such a role. Schools also seem to avoid local controversial issues by encouraging student leaders to focus on international concerns. This study explores opportunities for schools to address equity issues through reconceptualizing student leadership and its goals. | MAST | justice; educat | 4, 16 |
| Cooper, Danielle | Hartel, Jenna | Big Gay Library: An Ethnography of the Pride Library at the University of Western Ontario | Information Studies | 2011-12-06 | Officially founded in 1997, the Pride Library is a pioneering Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) Canadian information-based organization. Although located within D.B. Weldon Library at the University of Western Ontario, the library maintains a primarily grassroots framework. The Pride Library case study reflects a tradition within LGBTQ communities towards preserving and disseminating information otherwise marginalized by larger society. Operating outside of conventional professional informed and institutionally-dominated models, LGBTQ communities create unique grassroots information organizational contexts. In order to develop a deeper understanding of LGBTQ information organizations, an ethnographic study of the Pride Library was developed. The thesis addresses the library’s use patterns, and approaches to space, materials and labour relations. Findings demonstrate that the Pride Library is not only valued for providing LGBTQ-specific information resources, but also for creating a symbolically significant, socially-oriented and community-based LGBTQ environment. | MAST | queer | 5 |
| Copeland, Kathleen Julia | Guttman, S David | Characterizing the Community Dynamics of the Leaf Microbiome | Cell and Systems Biology | 2014-11 | The phyllosphere microbiome of seasonal plants is influenced by biological, environmental and ecological factors. To explore the influence of these factors simultaneously and to determine the forces that drive community composition, we sampled leaf communities from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), soybean (Glycine max) and Canola (Brassica napus), planted at three different locations at the Koffler Scientific Reserve, over the course of a growing season. Temporal changes had the most significant affect on the community, regardless of host species or location. Precipitation had the most dramatic effect on the Canola microbiome, while soybean and bean communities followed a more predictable pattern of development throughout the summer and were only minimally affected by rainfall. Leaf communities at the beginning of the season were strongly influenced by soil communities. As time passed, the leaf communities differentiated from the soil, becoming less diverse and containing a greater proportion of leaf-adapted and leaf-specific taxa. | M.Sc. | agriculture | 2 |
| Cordero, Ruben | Currie, Douglas C | Community composition and Biogeography of northern Canadian Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-11 | Climate change has a disproportionately effect on northern ecosystems. To measure this impact we need to understand the structure of northern communities and the influence of current and historical climate events. Insect of the orders Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPTs) are excellent subjects for study because they are widespread and good bioindicators. The objectives of this study are: (1) Determine patterns of distribution and community composition of northern EPTs. (2) Understand the role of historical events (i.e., Pleistocene glaciations). We found that northern EPT communities are influenced by temperature and precipitation. Also, community composition and population structure of EPT exhibit a similar geographical pattern, with differences on either side of Hudson Bay, suggesting the influence of glaciations in shaping communities of EPTs in northern Canada. The COI barcode approach provided a reliable means for identifying specimens to produce the first wide-scale study of community structure and biogeography of northern EPTs. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Corkum, Trevor | Mirchandani, Kiran | Where is Queer? Migration Experiences of Sexual Minority International Students in Toronto | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2015-11 | This qualitative study uses queer standpoint and queer oral history methods to examine the migration experiences of nine globally mobile LGBTQ international students currently studying or recently graduated from post-secondary institutions within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and southern Ontario. I employ Lionel Cantú’s queer materialist paradigm to interrogate the ways in which queer international students are subject to and disciplined by dominant relations of ruling within specific educational and queer sites of citizenship. In particular, I attend to the ways in which intersections of race, gender, class, language, and other identity markers mediate experiences of home and belonging in both physical and virtual worlds within these citizenship spaces, and how these students engage in forms of “border-crossing” to consciously re-articulate or redeploy aspects of their identity in order to strategically negotiate particular regimes of power and privilege. | M.A. | educat; gender; queer | 4, 5 |
| Cormier, Caroline | Gilbert, Emily | Narratives of Power and the Power of Narratives: Transformation along the U.S.-Mexico Border | Geography | 2010-12-17T17:29:25Z | Using the Three Border Model developed by Mike Davis and Alessandra Moctezuma, this thesis presents a number of case studies focused on the narratives of power and transformation that continue to develop on the American side of the U.S.-Mexico border in the post-9/11 context. The first case study overviews the history of the U.S.-Mexico border in relation to the ongoing fortification of the physical boundary and its legal reification in federal policy. The second case study examines the exclusionary policies enacted by the state of Arizona as well as the anti-immigration agenda instituted by the Minuteman Project. The third case study examines the ways in which urban communities in the borderlands contest the material manifestations of the border present in their everyday lives. By surveying case studies at different sites and scales along the U.S.-Mexico boundary, this thesis challenges traditional conceptions of state power at the border. | MAST | inclusive; urban | 11, 16 |
| Costa Guimaraes Trindade, Tatiana | MacLean, Heather L.||Posen, Daniel | Water Security and Access to Basic Services: Assessing Urban Vulnerabilities in the Global South | Civil Engineering | 2020-03 | Spatial and social inequalities among residents represent major vulnerabilities to urban resilience. In this thesis, inequalities in access to basic infrastructure and distribution of urban resources are assessed in the Global South context. First, 122 studies on slum infrastructure are reviewed and the most frequently assessed quantitative indicators determined. Access to municipal services is among the most prevalent indicators. Then, the challenge of basic services provision in 2030 is scoped for six developing cities. Large investments or conservation efforts are expected to be required, especially for waste collection and water provision. Finally, a district-level urban water security framework is developed and applied to six case studies. The results show that water insecurity tends to increase from the city-centre to its periphery. Water insecurity also shows a strong negative correlation with income. The quantitative information and insights provided here can aid in planning of more equitable and resilient cities. | M.A.S. | equitable; water; infratstructure; urban; resilien; waste; conserv | 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14 |
| Costa, Iara Regina Da | Moodley, Roy | Acculturation Strategies and its Effect on Depressive Symptoms in the Brazilian Immigrant Community in the Greater Toronto Area | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2008-07-30T19:26:00Z | Among several difficulties associated with immigration, acculturation process has been recognized as one of the main stressors and one of the major risk factors associated in the incidence of mental disorders. The strategies adopted by individuals to deal with the acculturation process appear to be predictive of different mental health outcomes. This exploratory study investigated the relationship between acculturation strategies and the occurrence of symptoms of depression in the context of the Brazilian immigrant community living in the Greater Toronto Area. The results demonstrated that Separation and Assimilation were the predominant strategies for this sample and that acculturation strategies failed to serve as significant predictors of depression scores. However, participants with Separation as their predominant acculturation strategy exhibited higher depressive symptom endorsement. The significance of these findings in the context of previous research as well as its implications for future research and critical multicultural practice in mental health are discussed. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Costa, Stacy Alexandra | Scardamalia, Marlene | Math Discourse in a Grade 2 Knowledge Building Classroom | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-06 | The goal of this study was to examine grade two Math Talk in geometry within a Knowledge Building community engaged in both face-to-face and computer-mediated discourse. Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines were used to identify grade two geometry concepts. Math vocabulary extracted from these guidelines was used, along with a content-based social network analysis tool, to explore the emergence of new domain-specific vocabulary in student discourse and to assess patterns of engagement surrounding use of those terms. A â Ways of Contributingâ analytic framework was used to assess the nature of both teacher and student contributions to face to face and online discourse. Findings suggest that students as early as grade 2 can engage productively in Knowledge Building Math Talk in both face-to-face and online contexts. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Costaris, Matt | Peterson-Badali, Michele | Subgroups of Youth within the Attitudes/Orientation Domain of the YLS/CMI: A Latent Class Approach | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-11 | Antisocial attitudes are a “Big Four” risk factor for recidivism. Within the Attitudes/Orientation domain of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), items appear to assess two different factors – antisocial attitudes and treatment readiness. Research has demonstrated the importance of both in predicting offender outcomes and guiding treatment. To determine whether different classes of youth exist based on identified YLS/CMI Attitudes/Orientation domain items, a Latent Class Analysis was conducted using a sample of justice-involved youth referred to a mental health agency in Toronto, Canada (n=824) for forensic assessment. Four classes were identified: High Overall Attitude Needs (19%), Antisocial-Predominant (20%), Treatment-Resistant (9%), and Low Overall Attitude Needs (52%). Significant class differences were found in terms of total risk, index offense, criminogenic needs identified for intervention, and recidivism. Results suggest that class information may assist in targeting interventions. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Couture, Brian | Christopoulos, Constantin | Full-scale Monitoring of a Tall, Slender Building with Coupling Viscoelastic Dampers | Civil Engineering | 2019-06 | Tall, slender buildings are sensitive to dynamic vibrations caused by wind, and the design of the building may be governed by occupant motion perception. A method to control dynamic vibrations is to increase the damping of the structure, which may be accomplished by the addition of a supplemental damping system. A novel system, the Viscoelastic Coupling Damper (VCD), was implemented for the first time in a tall, slender building which was under construction during the completion of this thesis. This building was the subject of a year-long plus monitoring program where output-only system identification algorithms were applied to track the development of the dynamic properties through the construction of the building. Additionally, several large amplitude wind events occurred during the program allowing for the tracking of amplitude-dependent phenomenon. The role of the VCD system was evaluated, and numerical finite-element models were constructed with reference to the experimental results | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Crane, Laura | Gaskell, Jane | How is International Experience Considered during Local Teacher Hiring? | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | Many Canadian Ontario-educated teachers are gaining international experience—either prior to entering a faculty of education, during their degree programs, or upon graduation—before seeking teaching jobs “at home.” For this study, 131 administrators from Ontario public, Catholic and private/independent schools completed a quantitative, online anonymous survey, which sought to see if international experience is an advantage during the local hiring process. Participants were recruited through school boards, schools, e-newsletters and directly. Results were reviewed for a central tendency. Administrators generally indicated that they are aware of international opportunities available, and that they believe these experiences can develop teachers’ knowledge, skills and abilities; however, when hiring, international experience is not necessarily an advantage on its own, including for those who have completed international experiences themselves. Other legislative requirements and board policies may also play a role in determining the hiring decisions, particularly in publicly-funded schools and school boards. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Cripps, Jenna | Stermac, Lana | Forms of Technology-facilitated Sexual Violence and University Women's Psychological Functioning | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-11 | Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is an emerging social and public health issue that can significantly impact those who experience it, yet our knowledge and understanding of this issue is limited. Despite the abundance of research addressing offline sexual violence, comparatively little attention has been paid to online sexual violence. With a growing emphasis on the use of technology on campuses and university women being both avid users of technology and overrepresented as victims of sexual violence (Stermac, Del Bove, Brazeau, Bainbridge, 2006), university women are at an increased risk of experiencing TFSV. Using an online self-guided study, this research investigated the forms and characteristics of TFSV being experienced by university women and their association with womenâ s wellbeing. Results indicate that technologies are being used to victimize women in a variety of ways and these experiences are associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, stress and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. | M.A. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Crompton, Amanda | Wakefield, Sarah | Towards Inclusive Community Engagement: Engaging Marginalized Residents in the Urban Planning Process | Geography | 2017-11 | The increasing diversity of Canadian communities presents a challenge to municipalities as planners are called upon to lead inclusive public engagement programs. This thesis identifies current engagement tools developed by Ontario municipalities to increase the diversity of citizen participation in urban planning processes, and evaluates how well they are implemented in practice. An online review of policies from twelve municipalities was conducted, followed by interviews with staff representing four municipalities. The research findings demonstrate that traditional engagement mechanisms, such as public meetings, are still commonly used by municipalities; however, planners are increasingly expanding their engagement toolbox in order to remove barriers to participation, and in turn reach an audience that more accurately reflects the population. The extent to which these modern engagement tools are resulting in processes and outcomes that are more inclusive and representative of the community is difficult to determine because most municipalities do not yet track participant demographics. | M.A. | inclusive; urban | 4, 11 |
| Crookes, Adam | Drake, Jennifer | Performance of Hydromedia Pervious Concrete Pavement Subjected to Urban Traffic Loads in Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | Flooding and poor surface water quality are common in dense urban areas, and the challenge of managing stormwater requires a new approach. This study evaluates the hydrologic and water quality performance of a zero exfiltration Hydromedia Pervious Concrete parking lot in St. Catharines, Ontario. Hydromedia is a type of permeable pavement, and is considered to be part of a low impact development approach. Hydromedia showed a much improved hydrologic response compared to conventional asphalt, with both volume and peak discharge reductions, as well as lag times to peak for every event observed. Residual concentrations in Hydromedia effluent were below relevant guidelines for the majority of pollutants, however high early age pH, and elevated levels of aluminum, chromium, and mercury were detected in the effluent. The LSSC is an excellent site for further research, and long term monitoring would help to evaluate the effectiveness of zero exfiltration systems in Ontario. | M.A.S. | pollut; urban | 11, 14 |
| Croydon-Sugarman, Melanie Judith Felicia | Malcolm, Jay R.||Moncalvo, Jean-Marc | Effects of Forest Management and Experimental Dead Wood Removal on Macrofungal Communities in Boreal, Mixedwood Forests of Ontario | Forestry | 2019-11 | Boreal macrofungi are an ecologically diverse group of organisms that are threatened by forest management, including harvest-associated reductions in coarse woody debris (CWD) supplies. In this thesis, I compared richness and composition of macrofungal communities in old-growth and post-logged mixedwood stands in boreal northeastern Ontario, including post-logged stands in which downed CWD availability had been experimentally manipulated. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed a strong distinction between macrofungal communities of unlogged and logged plots, correlated with harvest-related reductions in large-diameter CWD supplies. Rarefaction revealed that macrofungal richness, particularly of saprotrophs, was higher in unlogged compared to logged plots, especially those with experimentally-reduced CWD supplies. These results demonstrate the negative effects of post-harvest decreases in CWD on macrofungal richness and suggest that forest management in Canada may, over time, lead to the harvest-related biodiversity losses of boreal Europe. Management practices that better emulate habitat conditions in old-growth stands, including availability of large-diameter CWD, are discussed. | M.Sc. | forest; biodiversity | 15 |
| Cruz, Francis Cedric Go-Alcantara | Bilton, Amy | Development and Modelling of an Aeration Control System for Precision Aquaculture | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Dissolved oxygen is an important parameter of water quality in aquaculture. Aeration has been known to improve oxygen levels and yields, but its use is uncommon in many developing world environments due to high costs. As a more effective implementation, this thesis presents the use of a feedback diffused aeration control system to maintain adequate oxygen levels and increase energy savings. To demonstrate the potential, a model was developed to describe the interaction between the aerator and the pond and to predict the oxygen profiles of the water. Time-series simulations were performed to estimate the potential savings for a pond in Bangladesh, with and without the use of a feedback system. Results showed that the use of a control system led to an average of 66.0% in energy savings. Field validation experiments indicated an average prediction error of 3.64% and 4.91% for the top and bottom layers of the pond. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Cui, Siliang | Liu, Jane | Temporal and Spatial Variations of PM2.5, surface O3, and Smog in Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2017-11 | This study focuses on seasonal and interannual variations of PM2.5, surface O3, and smog from 2003 to 2015 in six Ontarian cities, including Sarnia, Hamilton, and Toronto in the south, and North Bay, Sudbury, and Sault Ste. Marie in the north. All cities had the highest PM2.5 and smog events in summer and the highest O3 in spring. PM2.5 and smog events were greater in the southern cities than in the northern ones; the pattern is the opposite for surface O3. For most cities, the annual PM2.5 decreased insignificantly while surface O3 increased significantly. The diurnal variation of surface O3 altered by rains in an Ontarian city, Mississauga, is also investigated for the warm seasons of 2014 and 2015. At daytimes, surface OÂŹÂŹ3 during rain decreased by 7 ppb, resulting from less photochemical production. At night, O3 during rain increased by 6 ppb, attributing to the chemical reduction of NO. | M.Sc. | pollut | 14 |
| Cunningham, Jasmyn Emily Anne | Shapiro, Colin M | Investigating Chronotherapeutic Interventions for the Treatment of Depression | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Major depressive disorder is one of the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorders, and has widespread negative impacts on both the individual and on society. Current standard treatment options for depression have significant limitations, including side effects, contraindications, and barriers to accessing care. Chronotherapies, which make use of sleep and circadian rhythms, provide a promising alternative treatment route for depression. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), bright light therapy (BLT), and combined chronotherapies used to treat depression were systematically reviewed. Both CBT-I and BLT have evidence to support their efficacy in treating depression; combined therapy including sleep deprivation, BLT and/or sleep phase advance may also be effective. We propose a novel combined chronotherapeutic treatment, consisting of telehealth CBT-I and BLT, which we believe would be efficacious, accessible, and which would help to relieve the considerable burden of depression in Canada. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Curiale, Nathanael J. | Zingg, David W | Morphing Wings: A Study Using High-Fidelity Aerodynamic Shape Optimization | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2017-11 | With the aviation industry under pressure to reduce fuel consumption, morphing wings have the capacity to improve aircraft performance, thereby making a significant contribution to reversing climate change. Through high-fidelity aerodynamic shape optimization, various forms of morphing wings are assessed for a hypothetical regional-class aircraft. The framework used solves the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and utilizes a gradient-based optimization algorithm. Baseline geometries are developed through multipoint optimization, where the average drag coefficient is minimized over a range of flight conditions with additional dive constraints. Morphing optimizations are then performed, beginning with these baseline shapes. Five distinct types of morphing are investigated and compared. Overall, a theoretical fully adaptable wing produces roughly a 2% improvement in average performance, whereas trailing-edge morphing with a 27-point multipoint baseline results in just over a 1% improvement in average performance. Trailing-edge morphing proves to be more beneficial than leading-edge morphing, upper-surface morphing, and a conventional flap. | M.A.S. | industr; consum; climate | 9, 12, 13 |
| Cursino, Alexandre | Sumner, Jennifer | Not all in one Rhythm: A Critical Analysis of the Media Discourse against the Indigenous Re-existence of the Maraká’nà Village in Kûánãpará | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-11 | Indigenous people created the re-existence known as Maraká’nà village, by re-occupying the sacred territory of a building in Kûánãpará (Rio de Janeiro) located next to the popular Maracanã stadium. The village became a meeting place for re-existences that encompass issues of Indigenous sovereignty, sacred land right, spirituality practices, decolonizing education, and the creation of the first Intercultural Indigenous University in Pindorama. It challenged the economic and social impacts of the neoliberal sports mega-events, which raised tensions during the organization of sports mega-events. These tensions were amplified through media discourse, by perpetuating violent treatment of Indigenous peoples, and naturalizing the dominant elite. Employing a transdisciplinary methodology that combines Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Political Economy, this study examines the media discourse that obstructs the Indigenous re-existence of Maraká’nà by favoring capitalist structures. Despite demonstrating unbalanced power relations, the findings show unbalanced power relations Maraká'nà and media discourses. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Czurylowicz, Peter | Chen, Jing Ming | Leaf Area Index, Carbon Cycling Dynamics and Ecosystem Resilience in Mountain Pine Beetle Affected Areas of British Columbia from 1999 to 2008 | Geography | 2011-11-30 | The affect on leaf area index (LAI) and net ecosystem production (NEP) of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) (MPB) outbreak in British Columbia affecting lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) forests was examined from 1999 to 2008. The process-based carbon (C) cycle model – Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS) with remotely sensed LAI inputs was used to produce annual NEP maps, which were validated using field measurements. The annual NEP ranged from 2.43 to -8.03 MtC between 1999 and 2008, with sink to source conversion in 2000. The inter-annual variability for both LAI and NEP displayed initial decreases followed by a steadily increasing trend from 2006 to 2008 with NEP returning to near C neutrality in 2008 (-1.84 MtC). The resistance of LAI and NEP to MPB attack was attributed to ecosystem resilience in the form of secondary overstory growth and increased production of non-attacked host trees. | MAST | resilien | 10 |
| D’Souza, Andrea | Colantonio, Angela | The Gendered Experiences of Men with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Qualitative Study | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-11 | Research shows that gendered constructs influence traumatic brain injury (TBI) recovery and should be incorporated into clinical interventions. To inform the future development of such interventions, this study explored the experiences of men with TBI through a gendered lens. Specifically, it aimed to (1) analyze their gendered perceptions and behaviours in relation to TBI recovery, and (2) understand how they viewed gendered constructs within their lives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with men of all TBI phases and severities. A qualitative thematic analysis approach was used to interpret interview data, guided by the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Three key themes were discerned from the interviews of 22 men: performativity of masculinity in treatment and recovery, masculinity in motivations for return to work and activities, and men’s explicit versus implicit understanding and discussion of gender. These findings can be translated into patient-driven therapy strategies and gender-specific materials for men with TBI. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Da Silva, Keith | Quiñonez, Carlos | An Ontario Primary Health Care System to Support a Cavity-Free Future | Dentistry | 2018-11 | Fluoride varnish (FV) is a proven intervention for preventing early childhood caries. Due to frequent contact with children, primary healthcare professionals may be ideally situated for FV application. Currently, public health units across Ontario are implementing FV in primary care. Yet challenges remain at the political, professional, and practice levels. This study aims to understand the perspectives of key stakeholders on making FV application routine primary care practice in Ontario. Our findings suggest that there is an opportunity for interdisciplinary care and motivation for this intervention. However, we found that concerns related to funding, oral health knowledge, and existing inter-professional relationships may impede implementation. With respect to introducing a dental intervention into medical practice, the many factors required to implement change may not be in alignment. However, representatives across all fields are motivated and have identified opportunities for change that may form the foundation for this program in the future. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Dahir, Mohamed Mukhtar | Trifonas, Peter | URBAN EDUCATION AND EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY: THE CASE FOR A CULTURALLY PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO EDUCATION IN URBAN SCHOOLS | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-06 | Black American students continue to lag behind White Americans in measures of academic achievement. In this thesis, I make the case that the achievement gap and lack of social mobility faced by African American students can be attributed to the fact that urban schools have not set the conditions for equality of opportunity. I argue that the crux of the problem is mainly cultural; specifically, that the home culture of students is not utilized in the classroom, nor is the dominant culture explicitly taught in order to impart priceless cultural capital. To get closer to achieving equality of opportunity, I am proposing an approach I call “culturally pragmatic education.” This approach brings the home culture of students into the classroom and also incorporates cultural capital into the curriculum; thereby allowing students to maintain cultural integrity, while at the same time acquiring the cultural tools needed for success in mainstream society. | M.A. | educat; equality | 4, 5 |
| Dai, Zhen | Tate, Joseph Euzebe (Zeb) | Generic Wind Turbine Generator Model Comparison Based on Optimal Parameter Fitting | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-03-18 | Parameter tting will facilitate model validation of the generic dynamic model for type-3 WTGs. In this thesis, a test system including a single 1.5 MW DFIG has been built and tested in the PSCAD/EMTDC environment for dynamic responses. The data generated during these tests have been used as measurements for the parameter tting which is carried out using the unscented Kalman lter. Two variations of the generic type-3 WTG model (the detailed model and the simpli ed model) have been compared and used for parameter estimation. The detailed model is able to capture the dynamics caused by the converter and thus has been used for parameter tting when inputs are from a fault scenario. On the other hand, the simpli ed model works well for parameter tting when a wind speed disturbance is of interest. Given measurements from PSCAD, the estimated parameters using both models are indeed improvements compared to the original belief of the parameters in terms of prediction error. | MAST | wind; urban | 7, 11 |
| Daigle, Abby Ann | Jackson, Donald||Shuter, Brian | Hydroacoustic Assessment of Fish Community Size Spectra Refinement of Hydroacoustic Estimates of Size | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-11 | A fundamental purpose of ecology is to understand the underlying processes that give rise to community structure. For highly size structured systems, such as freshwater fish communities, a size-based approach can be more appropriate than a species-based approach. The size spectra framework is one such size-based approach. Size spectra represent abundance (or biomass) as a function of organism size. Log transformation of both axes often results in a characteristic negative linear relationship. This thesis explores the ability of size spectra to be used as a monitoring tool. Chapter One focuses on the ability of size spectra to detect change in fish community structure during a whole-lake manipulation. Chapter Two investigates how fish behaviour can impact the accuracy of hydroacoustic sampling methods. This thesis highlights the applicability of size-spectra monitoring for freshwater fish communities, as well as the importance of verifying the assumption of horizontal swimming through the acoustic beam. | M.Sc. | climate; fish | 13, 14 |
| Dale, Bryan | Prudham, W. Scott ||Kumar, Kundan | "A Beautiful Picture of Chaos": La Vía Campesina and the Convergence of Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice | Geography | 2013-11-22 | La Vía Campesina is an international network of peasant farmers that, since 1996, has promoted the concept of food sovereignty. More recently, this collection of over 160 groups worldwide has been connecting this concept with climate justice issues. Drawing on interviews conducted during the 2012 People’s Summit that took place in Rio de Janeiro, and an analysis of the network’s documents, I consider its work in relation to its member organizations and a broader movement tackling the systemic issues that are driving a range of social, economic and ecological crises. I contend that, while many of Vía Campesina’s proposals will require the establishment of intricate processes and systems depending on the geographic, political and cultural context in question, the network is demonstrating that its radical critiques, proposals and decision-making processes may help contribute to a larger counter-hegemonic narrative as a force to counteract global capitalism. | MAST | food; climate; justice | 2, 13, 16 |
| Damjanovic, Jelena | Schugurensky, Daniel | Citizenship Learning of Adult Immigrants in ESL Programs: It will help you pass the citizenship test, but it won't make you (m)any Canadian friends | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-07-22T19:58:18Z | This study explores which concept of citizenship is typically promoted in ESL programs available to adult immigrants in Canada: citizenship as status, citizenship as identity, citizenship as a set of civic virtues or citizenship as agency. Is there a difference between the stated purpose of ESL programs, the integration and active participation of immigrants in Canadian society through language development, and the actual citizenship learning that occurs in these programs? What influences this? The study traces the historical link between citizenship education and ESL in Canada, and draws on existing research to reveal how citizenship concepts are presented in ESL classrooms. These findings are then matched with data from my textbook analysis, classroom observations and student interviews obtained from two advanced ESL courses offered by COSTI, as an indication of the citizenship learning and the citizenship concepts most likely to be promoted in ESL programs for adult immigrants across Canada. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Dandal, Alvi | Gillis, J. Roy | An Investigation of Anti-LGBT Hate Crime Victimization, Narrative Processing, and Mental Health | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-06 | Building on the large body of research that examines the prevalence and severity of anti-LGBT hate crimes, researchers have recently shifted their focus to the intervening cognitive-affective processes that may protect against or exacerbate negative mental health outcomes experienced by victims. The current study contributes to this burgeoning area of research by examining the relationship between narrative processing and mental health. Thirty LGBT participants provided narratives of their hate crime experience and completed measures of posttraumatic symptomology and depression. The narratives were coded for coherence, redemption, and meaning making. Quantitative analyses revealed an inverse correlation between narrative coherence and the severity of posttraumatic symptomology. Qualitative analyses exposed the diverse ways in which victims redeem and find meaning in hate crime events. The significance of these results is discussed within the context of psychotherapy with anti-LGBT hate crime victims. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Danford, Madison | Donnelly, Peter | Women Ice Hockey Officials and Gender Relations in Officiating | Exercise Sciences | 2019-11 | This study explores the current experiences of women ice hockey officials in Canada. To guide my research, I applied a Critical Feminist Theory framework to data from document analyses, observations of hockey games and semi-structured interviews with women ice hockey officials from across Canada. The results show that women ice hockey officials face numerous challenges in obtaining higher certification levels and having opportunities to officiate higher level hockey games. The career paths and career contingencies for women ice hockey officials differ from their men colleagues due to the hegemonic structures that construct hockey as a masculine space, and as a result, these structures directly influenced the participating women’s ability to advance in officiating in Canada. The participants shared experiences of exclusion at sites of training and education, limitations to advancing, and disinvolvement such as quitting/dropping-out, and retirement. This study unpacks the complex tensions between the ‘love of the game’ and systemic hegemonic exclusion institutionally, and calls for policy and procedures to better support women ice hockey officials. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Daniel, Allison I | Bandsma, Robert H | Evaluation and Design of Interventions to Improve Developmental and Nutritional Outcomes in Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-11 | The WHO guidelines recommend the provision of psychosocial stimulation for children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) based on expert advice. The first objective of this thesis was to synthesize evidence around this recommendation. Specifically, it was to answer the question, â In children with SAM, does psychosocial stimulation improve developmental, nutritional, or other outcomes?â A systematic review was completed by searching MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO with terms related to SAM and psychosocial stimulation. Results showed that the evidence supporting the recommendation of psychosocial stimulation for children with SAM is sparse and different approaches to psychosocial stimulation interventions should be further explored. Therefore, the second objective of this thesis was to develop a four-day hospital-based intervention program combining psychosocial stimulation with nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene for primary caregivers of children with SAM. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention program. | M.Sc. | sanitation; nutrition | 2, 6 |
| Danson, Jonathan J. | Watson, Jeanne | The Effects of Self-presentation on an Expressive Writing Task for Trauma Survivors | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-07-22T19:59:32Z | Expressive Writing (EW) involves writing in an emotionally expressive manner about an experienced event, and has been shown to be related to increases in psychological and physical well-being. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous work by examining how self-presentation affects psychological and physical gains following the EW task. Forty one participants who have experienced a traumatic event were recruited from the community and given either an EW or control activity. Measures assessing self-presentation and various indices of health were administered at baseline and again at one month follow-up to determine changes in symptomatology. Results indicated that higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were significantly associated with less improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress. Further, a nonsignificant moderation trend emerged whereby higher levels of perfectionistic self-presentation were associated with more improvement in symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in the EW group but not control group. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Darko, Isaac N | Wane, Njoki | Ghanaian Indigenous Health Practises: The Use of Herbs | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-03 | Herbal medicines remain integral part of indigenous health care system in Ghana. Most conventional health medicines are directly or indirectly derived from plants or herbs. Despite its significant role in modern medicine indigenous herbal practices has been on the low light for some time due to perceived antagonistic relationship that exists between practitioners of herbal medicine and their counterpart in the conventional system. Using an indigenous knowledge discursive framework, the thesis examined the relevance of herbal medicine to the contemporary Ghanaian society. The thesis also examined the tension between the indigenous herbal practitioners and their orthodox counterparts. The thesis noted that for health care system in Ghana to be effective, there is a need for collaborate relations between these two practitioners. Also, it was noted that for health care system to be effective in Ghana, spirituality has to be central in the works of the herbal practitioners. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Darko, Isaac N. | Wane, Njoki | Ghanaian Indigenous Health Practices: The Use of Herbs | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T16:27:37Z | Herbal medicines remain integral part of indigenous health care system in Ghana. Most conventional health medicines are directly or indirectly derived from plants or herbs. Despite its significant role in modern medicine indigenous herbal practices has been on the low light for some time due to perceived antagonistic relationship that exists between practitioners of herbal medicine and their counterpart in the conventional system. Using an indigenous knowledge discursive framework, the thesis examined the relevance of herbal medicine to the contemporary Ghanaian society. The thesis also examined the tension between the indigenous herbal practitioners and their orthodox counterparts. The thesis noted that for health care system in Ghana to be effective, there is a need for collaborate relations between these two practitioners. Also, it was noted that for health care system to be effective in Ghana, spirituality has to be central in the works of the herbal practitioners. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Das Gupta, Shuvomoy | Pavel, Lacra | Optimization Models for Energy-efficient Railway Timetables | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis presents two novel optimization models to calculate energy-efficient railway timetables in a railway network. The first optimization model is a mixed integer programming one, which saves energy by maximizing the total overlapping time between the braking and accelerating phases of suitable train pairs. However, it suffers from some limitations associated with NP-hard computational complexity and modeling of energy saving strategy. To overcome the limitations of the first model, we propose a second optimization model consisting of two stages. The first stage of this model minimizes the total energy consumed by all trains and the second stage maximizes the transfer of regenerative braking energy between suitable train pairs. Both of these stages are solvable in polynomial time, compared to other existing models, which are NP-hard. The two-stage model has proven to be very effective in practice and has been incorporated into an industrial railway timetable compiler. | M.A.S. | energy; industr; consum | 7, 9, 12 |
| Das, Smriti | Bill, Gough | The Impacts of Green Spaces on Temperature Variability | Geography | 2011-12-07 | Parks located in urban areas are known to mitigate the Urban Heat Island. Their cooling effects are well established in the literature as studies have been performed in urbanized areas around the world. This particular study was aimed at assessing the nature of suburban parklands in the City of Toronto vs. urban (downtown) and rural (outside the Greater Toronto Area) settings. To do this, five study sites were chosen; three parks of varying sizes (large, medium and small) and two backyards. The main research objective was to quantify the cooling effects; among the sizes, within the surrounding neighbourhood and through the day. The metrics used in this study included Day to Day Temperature Variability, Diurnal Temperature Range, and Temperature Variation through Time. The results showed the importance of trees in providing shade and the lake breeze from Lake Ontario. A clear suburban signal from the metrics was found. | MAST | rural; urban | 11 |
| David, Ayesha Josephine | Barati, Mansoor | Value Recovery from Metallurgical Slags Through Air Atomization | Materials Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | Value recovery from waste products in metal processing operations is a growing field in metallurgy. A computer model was developed to assess the feasibility of simultaneous granulation and heat recovery from molten slag, and an experimental study was carried out to analyse the properties of solidified slag samples. The model facilitates isolation of selected variables to determine their effect on atomization. Model results determined that smaller granules and lower air:slag ratios increase the process heat recovery efficiency, while the initial air temperature was shown to have a minimal effect on atomization. Empirical analysis of sintering temperature identified maximum post-atomization temperatures for granules. Upon comparison with model results, it is concluded that simultaneous granulation and heat recovery is possible as the outer shell is sufficiently cooled, and the core cooling rate exceeds the expected critical cooling rate. Hardness and abrasion resistance were studied to determine optimal cooling conditions for property maximization. | M.A.S. | waste | 12 |
| Davies, Cara Elizabeth Jr. | Reaume, Denise | Bill C-510 and the Dilemma of Difference: Assessing the Role of Anti-violence Legislation in the Woman-protective Anti-abortion Movement | Law | 2011-11-30 | Recently, some in the anti-abortion movement have begun to assert that abortion harms women and access to abortion should be restricted or prohibited to protect women’s rights. This paper suggests that woman-protective anti-abortion (“WPA”) arguments could become more recognizable in Canada if other kinds of woman-protective legislation are adopted. In particular, this paper focuses on private member’s Bill C-510, an Act to Prevent Coercion of Pregnant Women to Abort (Roxanne’s Law). This paper suggests that Bill C-510 is problematic because its differential treatment of women reinforces historical stereotypes of motherhood and female vulnerability, the same stereotypes upon which the WPA relies. By reinforcing these same stereotypes, Bill C- 510 creates a climate in which WPA restrictions on access to abortion appear more reasonable. The paper concludes by suggesting that the existing aggravated circumstances sentencing sections in the Criminal Code already provide judges with discretionary powers to deal with offences like coerced abortion. | MAST | women; rights | 5, 16 |
| Daya, Devina | Chen, Charles P | Coping Strategies and Skills Through Adjustment and Transition: A Study of New and Professional Immigrants in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-11 | The present study explored the lived experience of new and professional immigrants in Canada, and the coping skills and strategies they employed through life-career adjustment and transition. A qualitative methodology examined in-depth transcripts that were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to data analysis. The findings reflected the use of engagement coping, which included primary control coping (i.e. social support and action-taking â networking, retraining/re-education, seeking out resources), secondary control coping (i.e. adaptability and positivity), as well as proactive coping, religious coping and an external form of coping (i.e. luck). The implications of these findings extend to the field of coping psychology, immigrant adjustment and vocational psychology. Moreover, this research applies to those in helping professions (i.e. counsellors) who can better facilitate the population of new and professional immigrants with an increased understanding of the challenges they face and the coping strategies that facilitate their transitional process. | M.A. | inclusive; | 4 |
| De Prophetis, Eric Stephen | Rosella, Laura | The Relationship between Life Satisfaction and Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: A Population Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | Life satisfaction (LS) has been shown to be inversely related to negative health outcomes such as morbidity and mortality. Ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) are conditions for which timely and effective outpatient care can prevent acute episodes. This study is a prospective population-based cohort study of adults from Ontario that tests the hypothesis that poor life satisfaction is associated with an increased risk of avoidable hospitalizations. Weighted distributions of demographic, socioeconomic, health status and behaviour characteristics according to ACSCs and life satisfaction were calculated. Proportional hazards models associated with baseline life satisfaction were used to calculate the risk of preventable hospitalizations. Joint effects models were used to see if socioeconomic status (SES) modified this relationship. Men, the elderly and those with lower household income were more likely to be hospitalized with an ACSC. After controlling for age, sex, SES, and lifestyle factors, poor LS had a strong relationship with hospitalizations for ACSCs (HR = 2.42, p | M.Sc. | socioeconomic; health | 1, 3 |
| Decker, Blair | Lian, Keryn | Proton Conducting Ionic Liquid-polymer Electrolytes for Solid Electrochemical Capacitors | Materials Science and Engineering | 2016-11 | Electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are energy storage devices with high power density and high efficiency, but their liquid electrolytes can contain environmentally unfriendly compounds and are vulnerable to leakage. Ionic liquids (ILs) provide non-volatile ionic conductivity in flexible polymer electrolytes, which can alleviate these issues. The ILs 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (EMIHSO4) and 1-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (MIHSO4) were combined into a binary mixture with a deeply depressed melting point, and a phase diagram was constructed after thermal analysis. On ruthenium dioxide electrodes, 70-30 wt% EMI-MIHSO4 showed an increase in capacitance of about 75% over that of neat EMIHSO4, demonstrating its proton activity. The binary IL mixture was incorporated into a polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer matrix to form polymer electrolytes that showed good electrochemical performance and rate capability under electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. On ruthenium dioxide electrodes, the PVP-EMI-MIHSO4 electrolyte showed a 30% improvement in capacitance over PVP-EMIHSO4. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Dedesko, Sandra Joanne | Siegel, Jeffrey A | Indoor Environmental Measurements in the Hospital Microbiome Project: Estimation of Human Occupancy and Occupant Activity | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | Human occupants have a profound influence on indoor environments, although there is limited information on means to cost-effectively assess occupant metrics in all types of buildings. Multiple methods to estimate occupancy and occupant activity (i.e., doorway movements) were investigated in ten single-patient rooms in a new hospital in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Hospital Microbiome Project. The overarching goal was to determine occupant characteristics to inform an investigation of interactions between humans, microbial communities, and environmental parameters. A method that utilized data from non-directional doorway beam-break and CO2 concentration sensors produced the most accurate estimates of both occupant parameters. Estimates revealed that daily occupant activity varied less than occupancy, but also reached high levels in certain instances. The dual-sensor methodology investigated in this thesis provides a relatively inexpensive, non-invasive, accurate approach to estimate occupancy and occupant activity in an environment with rigorous privacy and security limitations. | M.A.S. | environment; buildings | 9, 13 |
| Deisinger, Roslyn | Styres, Sandra||Miles, Angela | Connection Building, Narrative Sharing, and Diverse Knowledge: Survivor Healing Desires | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-11 | Canadian Women’s Foundation (2016) asserts women are ten times as likely to experience sexual assault compared to men, gender based violence the only crime not declining (p. 1). Statistics Canada’s (1993) most detailed data found nearly 40 percent of Canadian women will be sexually assaulted after 16 years old, estimating only 10% report (p. 24) and only accounting for one variation of sexual violence; the number of women who experience this larger concept of victimization is likely higher. Mental health adversities can develop post-trauma; working past these experiences is of the utmost importance. Reflecting on available literature, my experiences, and qualitative interviews with six survivors in northern Ontario, it was found survivors value: 1) building connections, 2) narrative sharing, and 3) diverse knowledge. Literature on feminist principles, personal experiences of healing through a feminist awareness, and the three findings in this study suggest feminist principles may assist survivors in healing. | M.A. | health; gender; women | 3, 5 |
| DeJohn, Amber Dawn | Widener, Michael J | Transit Access to Subsidized Food Stores in the American Midwest | Geography | 2019-11 | In the United States, low-income and racial minority populations have higher rates of diet-related disease, food insecurity, and transit use. SNAP, which provides low-income households with money for groceries at authorized retailers, creates an altered food procurement environment. How transit networks affect access to SNAP retailers is assessed by calculating transit travel times to all transitable SNAP stores of neighborhoods in 33 MPOs in the American Midwest. Low-income, Black, Hispanic, and public assistance populations, which are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, living in neighborhoods with low transit access scores are then identified. These neighborhoods are compared to USDA low-income, low-access neighborhoods. Results indicate low transit access is experienced in fringe-urban, majority white, car-dependent neighborhoods. However, 117,460 Black people, 121,589 Hispanic people, and 89,185 low-income people live within these neighborhoods. Future research and policy should target suburban and exurban regions to accommodate a non-negligible portion of potentially food insecure populations. | M.A. | environment; urban; food; poverty | 1, 2, 9, 13 |
| Demi, Suleyman Mohammed | Dei, J. S. George | African Indigneous Food Crops: Their Roles in Combating Chronic Diseases in Ghana | Social Justice Education | 2014-11 | AbstractAfrican Indigenous Food Crops (AIFCs) face eminent extinction due to negative perceptions about them (Voster et al., 2007a). The decline in consumption of AIFCs has been implicated in the emergence and spread of chronic diseases in Africa (Rasche et al., 2007). In view of this, the objectives of this thesis are to establish the links among food, culture and politics, to determine the consequences of changing food habits in indigenous communities in Ghana, and also to examine the potential of AIFCs to address chronic diseases in Ghana. Using the theoretical prism of Indigenous knowledge, this thesis employs the methodology of document analysis. The findings of this thesis include the presence of numerous AIFCs and food habits that could be harnessed to address chronic diseases in Ghana. The study recommends education and promotion of AIFCs in Ghana, and further studies to investigate toxic metabolites that may be hidden in uncommon AIFCs to ensure safe consumption. | M.A. | food; consum | 2, 12 |
| Deng, Paul Tiange | Adams, Barry J||Guo, Yiping | Probabilistic Urban Stormwater Quantity Modeling | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Analytical probabilistic models (APMs) for urban drainage systems analysis have been progressively developed by numerous researchers spanning the globe over the last four decades. The first task of this thesis is the synthesis of models for quantity analysis among these developments. Quantity models characterize the frequency of occurrence of stormwater impacts of varying magnitudes, such as peak flood flow rate or reservoir spill volume, as opposed to water quality impacts such as pollutant concentration. The second thesis task is to bridge the existing spectrum of models in a manner ensuring their seamless presentation. To this end, new models are derived to complete missing links. The third task is the improvement of a runoff volume model and a storage-treatment model. For the storage-treatment model, this constitutes an entirely reworked derivation due to prior conceptual errors. The final task is the integration of innovative approaches from related disciplines into the APM framework. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Denichaud, Danielle | Heller, Monica | In Support of Pedagogical Salutogenesis: Exploring Holistic, Traditional and Indigenous Health Methodologies Toward an Ethic of (Self/School) Care | Social Justice Education | 2020-06 | 21st Century health literacy and health promotion in Ontario public schools reflect international shifts towards considerations of mental health, student wellbeing, whole-child education and comprehensive school health practices. This thesis situates these contemporary trends in the history of pedagogical salutogenesis in Ontario, drawing attention to the emerging integration of holistic, traditional and Indigenous health methodologies in elementary health education curricula. Drawing upon critical ontology, health identity and salutogenic theory, themes of holism, embodiment and environmental interdependence are explored through an empirical qualitative literature review, comparing the lenses of Ontario elementary curricula with select holistic, traditional and Indigenous health methodologies. Adapting Foucault’s (1997c) care of the self for the context of health construction, an Ethic of (Self/School) Care is proposed as both a foundational component of individual health literacy and promising avenue for collective organizational school culture, arguing for authentically holistic, culturally safe and ethical spaces to facilitate salutogenic school praxis. | M.A. | health; educat; | 3, 4 |
| Dennis, Elisabeth | Dei, George JS | Deconstructing Whiteness: An Analysis of Dominant Perceptions of Chinese University Students | Social Justice Education | 2018-11 | Through analysis of results from four in-depth interviews and two online forums, this thesis examines the current views White Canadian university students hold about Chinese students at the University of British Columbia. Drawing on critical Whiteness studies and Foucauldian critical discourse analysis, this study aims to examine the complex ways White hegemony is perpetuated on university campuses. The results reveal that historical constructions of Chinese Canadians as foreign and threatening were perpetuated at the university. Additionally, the results show that although the interviewed students recognized the existence of racism on campus, they minimized its effects and denied the level of privilege they held. The thesis concludes by exploring the larger policy and educational implications of these views, as well as the possible consequences for Chinese students. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Dennis, Robert William James | Malcolm, Jay R. ||Smith, Sandy | Saproxylic Insect Communities in Boreal Mixedwoods of Northeastern Ontario as a Function of Variation in Woody Debris Quality and Quantity and Sampling Methods | Forestry | 2010-01-13T21:53:05Z | Saproxylic insects rely on dead or dying wood at some point in their development and appear to be sensitive to forest management. In 2005 and 2006, I sampled saproxylic insects in mixedwood boreal forests in northeastern Ontario to assess effects of: 1) different logging practices, 2) variations in woody debris (WD) qualities, and 3) different sampling methods. I also compared insect communities between heavily decayed WD and soil. Although I collected data on all arthropod orders, I focused on the families of the Diptera and parasitic Hymenoptera and the morphospecies of the Scelionidae and Diapriidae. These insects showed clear responses to the WD quality treatments, but not to the different logging treatments. A few families were affected by ex situ sampling. I also found that the faunas of soil and WD are rather distinct from each other. This study shows that WD is a source of forest biodiversity. Consequently, sustainable forest management will rely on studies like this to conserve and maintain the biodiversity of Canada's largest group of eco-zones. | MAST | conserv; forest; biodiversity | 15 |
| Deshpande, Alok | Taylor, Joshua A | Optimal Energy Management and Storage Sizing for Electric Vehicles | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | Battery degradation reduces the performance and lifetime of electric vehicles (EVs). Us- ing energy storage devices with dierent characteristics alongside the battery can mini- mize degradation while ensuring that the storage system is always able to satisfy driving demands. However, this introduces the additional complexity of designing the devices and controlling them in real-time. In this thesis, we rst provide a computationally tractable method to optimally manage power sharing between dual energy storages using approximate linear programming (ALP). We furthermore propose a problem to deter- mine the optimal sizes of the two storages that allows a trade-o between vehicle range and other costs associated with increased storage size. We validate our approaches on a real EV design. Numerical results show that our energy management controller allows for optimal power-sharing with tunable approximation in the number of basis vectors of the ALP, and that our sizing procedure provides a design with locally minimal cost. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Deutsch, Rachel | Chambon, Adrienne S. | Rebelling against Discourses of Denial and Destruction: Mainstream Representations of Aboriginal Women and Violence; Resistance through the Art of Rebecca Belmore and Shelley Niro | Social Work | 2008-07-30T19:37:20Z | Violence against Native women in Canada is widespread and has deeply systemic and colonial roots. This paper will attempt to show the role that dominant representations of culture, race, and gender have in allowing this violence to continue by eclipsing many different narratives and ways of expressing cultural and individual identities. Violence in the mainstream media will be explored and analyzed drawing on concepts from critical theories, Aboriginal epistemological frameworks, and anti-racist, disability, and Afro-centric feminisms to build a framework on which to analyze the meanings of the representations. After exploring violent and colonial discourse, the discussion will turn to art. Self and cultural representation and expression by Native women can act as important forms of resistance to the tools of colonial oppression. The artwork of Rebecca Belmore and Shelley Niro are powerful examples of addressing and exploring issues of identity, culture, resistance, and survival for Aboriginal women. | MAST | women; gender | 5 |
| Devitt, Graham Andrew | Shalaby, Amer | Data-driven Investigation of Factors Affecting Surface Transit Speed and Reliability in Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Cities are increasingly interested in implementing low-cost, small-scale spot treatments to improve transit performance. This research uses a data-driven approach to understand where and why poor transit performance occurs, which is necessary when selecting locations to treat and their appropriate treatments. Automatic vehicle location, general transit feed specification, and ride check data are used to generate a descriptive analysis measuring performance of eight high-frequency bus routes in Toronto at the route, segment, stop, and intersection levels. Clustering and regression models of transit performance at intersections along these routes are developed to determine which features most affect bus speeds and delays. These analyses show that locations with greater traffic cycle split have significantly higher speeds and lower delays, and thus signal timing adjustments are suggested as an effective transit-priority spot treatment. The analyses also suggest queue jump lanes and turning restrictions to be effective when signal timing cannot be adjusted. | M.A.S. | cities | 11 |
| Devitt, Mark | Boler, Megan ||Norris, Trevor | The Myth of Olympic Unity: The Dilemma of Diversity, Olympic Oppression, and the Politics of Difference | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T16:06:16Z | The dilemma of diversity is the tension that exists when prescriptive claims are required across reasonable pluralism. Scholar and philosopher Dwight Boyd believes that the dilemma of diversity must be addressed for the continued health of multicultural societies, and suggests that the solution can be found through democratic reciprocity. Though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) markets unity and peace through its Olympic Games, does the Olympics relieve the dilemma of diversity? By critically examining the IOC’s historic and recent treatment of Aboriginals, its encouragement of divisive nationalism, and its educational programs, it is clear that the IOC does not embrace reasonable pluralism. The IOC’s public pedagogy is one that conceals its dominance through diversity. In exposing this dominance, I will argue that the IOC must embrace democratic reciprocity that allows for conversation across difference. Adopting an authentic acceptance of difference will alleviate the IOC’s propagation of Western ideology through neo-imperialism. | MAST | peace | 16 |
| Devlin, Jane Erica | Sarah, Finkelstein | Applications of Paleolimnology in Ecosystem Monitoring for Sirmilik National Park: Developing Indicators of Ecological Integrity | Geography | 2010-07-22T20:21:58Z | Water chemistry and bioindicators (diatoms and invertebrates) were examined for freshwater lakes, ponds and streams in two regions within Sirmilik National Park, northern Baffin Island, Nunavut. Significant differences were recorded between the water chemistry and diatom and invertebrate assemblages of the two regions. Modern diatom assemblages were explained mainly by specific conductivity, ORP, pH, temperature, elevation and distance from the coast. Paleolimnological techniques were applied to a sediment core from Lake BY14 on Bylot Island. Fossil diatom assemblages indicate increases in nutrients and temperature since 1935 AD. The diatom biostratigraphy does not show as large an increase in diversity and production since the middle 20th century as has been noted elsewhere, and this may be a reflection of the more nutrient-rich status of the lake relative to other Arctic lakes. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Dhand, Ruby | Flood, Colleen M. | Challenging Exclusion: A Critique of the Legal Barriers Faced By Ethno-Racial Psychiatric Consumer/Survivors in Ontario | Law | 2010-01-14T20:20:17Z | This thesis identifies and analyzes the legal barriers faced by ethno-racial psychiatric consumer/survivors in Ontario, through an analysis of the Consent and Capacity Board (CCB). I employ interdisciplinary research to test the hypothesis that factors such as race, ethnicity, culture, poverty and social exclusion are not fully addressed by the CCB. To critique the CCB, I developed a theoretical framework using the grounded theory approach, in combination with tenets of disability theory, critical race theory and intersectionality. I used the theoretical framework to analyze qualitative research involving twenty interviews of stakeholders including lawyers, psychiatrists, CCB adjudicators, mental health service providers and ethno-racial psychiatric consumer/survivors. The analysis revealed the procedural, systemic/structural and discretionary barriers within the CCB’s pre-hearing, hearing and post-hearing process. Barriers were the result of cultural misunderstandings, misdiagnosis, complex familial relationships, culturally inappropriate care, institutional racism, poverty, discrimination and the CCB’s “color blind approach.” I conclude with prioritized recommendations. | MAST | poverty | 1 |
| Dhanhani, Ali Al | Fortin, Paul | The Workplace Challenges of Lupus Patients | Medical Science | 2010-12-14T16:38:16Z | Objective: To examine the workplace challenges of lupus patients. Methods: A cross sectional study surveyed lupus patients seen at the Toronto Lupus Clinic in the last 2 years. We included questions on health, work context and psychosocial perceptions. Descriptive statistics described the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the sample; multivariable analysis examined factors associated with workplace activity limitations, job strain, and job accommodations. Results: 362 respondents completed the questionnaire (60% response). 49.7% were currently employed. Participants who recently left work had higher disease activity and workplace activity limitations. Employed participants had low to moderate job strain. Seventy percent of employed participants used job accommodations. Health, work context, and psychological factors were significantly associated with workplace activity limitations, job strain and job accommodations. Conclusion: Persons living with lupus are faced by different challenges at the workplace. Workplace difficulties and needs of individuals with lupus should be assessed by health professionals. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Dhoot, Aditya | Amon, Cristina H | Wind Farm Layout Optimization Using Approximate Inference in Graphical Models | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-06 | Wind farm layout optimization (WFLO) determines the optimal location of wind turbines within a fixed geographical area to maximize the total power capacity of the wind farm, under stochastic wind conditions and non-linear aerodynamic interferences between turbines. This thesis develops optimization approaches to fast approximate (sub-optimal) turbine layouts to aide engineers make design decisions. Building on previous work in discrete quadratic WFLO models, we recast the program as a probabilistic graphical model incorporating spatial dependencies (i.e., aerodynamic interferences, proximity constraints, and maximum number of turbines) between the variables. Turbine layouts are estimated using message passing inference (BP, TRW-S), which exploit the problem's graph-theoretic structure using decomposition and factorization. We perform an exhaustive computational study comparing TRW-S with branch-and-cut algorithms under varying wind-regime complexity and problem resolutions. We demonstrate the broad applicability of techniques we develop by solving a suite of benchmark quadratic knapsack problems, a general class of problems that arise in many settings. | M.A.S. | wind | 7 |
| Di Monte, Lauren | Ratto, Matt | The Blinking Eye: Biometrics and the Technologization of Privacy | Information Studies | 2015-06 | This project traces the technological and institutional development of the biometrics industry within the United States. In particular, this study explores how biometric tools migrated from local policing and administrative contexts to become centralized tools of state power. Using document analysis, critical making and historical methods, this study takes up biometric systems as sociotechnical systems, and examines connections between biometric technologies and social sorting. Although industry rhetoric describes biometric measurement as a process involving the capture and disclosure of individual identities, this study demonstrates that, in practice, private industry and the state mobilize biometric tools in order to construct group-level differences and manage categories of people. Beginning with biometry's origins in nineteenth century racial science, and moving through to the post-9/11 security state, this project investigates the social, political and technological conditions that contributed towards large shifts in the scope and scale of American biometrics. | M.I.S. | institution | 16 |
| Diab-Marzouk, Ahmad | Trescases, Olivier | Lightweight DC-DC Converter with Partial Power Processing and MPPT for a Solar Powered Aircraft | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-06 | A lightweight dc-dc partial power processing converter is demonstrated for solar aerospace applications. A system-level model is conceived to determine conformity to payload and target distance objectives, with the Solarship aircraft used as an application example. The concept of partial power processing is utilized to realize a high efficiency lightweight converter that performs Max Peak Power Tracking (MPPT) to transfer power from the aircraft solar array to the high-voltage battery bus. The isolated Cuk is determined to be a suitable converter topology for the application. A small-signal model is derived for control design. The operation of a 400V, 2.7 kW prototype is verified at high frequency (200 kHz), high efficiency (> 98%), small mass (0.604 kg), and uses no electrolytic capacitors. MPPT operation is verified on a 376 V commercial solar installation at The University of Toronto. The prototype serves as an enabling technology for solar aerospace applications. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Dias, Kayla Riane | Braeutigam, Katharina | Integrated Analyses of Stress and Recovery Responses in Poplar | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11 | Efficient responses to environmental change are important for long-lived plants, like trees. We investigated how Populus balsamifera responds to two distinct but related abiotic stresses - osmotic and ionic stress – during acute perturbation and recovery. Based on a pilot experiment and photosynthetic characteristics, one genotype (AP4326) was investigated in greater detail. Responses during the initial phases of both stresses indicated some degree of tolerance. Response patterns in growth and stomatal behavior, diverged as the stress progressed and were even more pronounced during recovery, allowing to discriminate osmotic and ionic effects. Exposure to 150mM NaCl was identified as a critical threshold with 50% survival rate, thus contributing to our understanding of response capacities of P.balsamifera. Soil elemental analyses provided insights into soil conditions experienced under ionic stress. These findings will enhance our understanding of plasticity and survival in trees and will be useful for informed planning of plantations or reclamation efforts. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Diaz Salgado, Santana | Furlan, Andrea D. | An Assessment of Opioid Prescribing Behaviors in Ontario Family Physicians before and after Participation in ECHO Chronic Pain/Opioid Stewardship | Medical Science | 2019-06 | Canada is in the middle of an opioid crisis. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funded a demonstration project of the first replication of Project ECHO in Canada to tackle the opioid crisis. ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain / Opioid Stewardship started in June 2014. Participants attending ECHO acquire knowledge related to chronic pain management with or without opioids. This study aims to assess opioid prescribing behaviours among family physicians who attended ECHO compared to those who did not. We conducted an observational study with two control groups: a matched cohort and a random sample of 3,000 primary care physicians in Ontario using the Narcotics Monitoring System. We found that none of the groups reduced the number or proportion of patients on opioids. Secondary outcomes showed a reduction in high-dose opioid prescriptions in the ECHO group, but not in the control groups during the same comparable periods. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Dickinson, Adam Kabir | Isaac, Marney E | Intraspecific Trait Variation in Cacao Agroecosystems: Influence of Local Conditions and Cultivars, and Role in Local Knowledge Systems | Geography | 2017-11 | Intraspecific functional trait variation (ITV) in agroecosystems indicates changes in crop plant function due to genetic, environmental, and management effects. Such variation may also underpin farmersâ knowledge and management practices. I measured ITV in six Central American cacao cultivars (Theobroma cacao L.) by collecting leaves (n=519) from cacao trees (n=173) in two clonal gardens and analyzing them for a suite of functional traits. Chemical traits were related to environmental factors, morphological traits to genetic factors, and physiological traits to a combination of the two. To assess the use of ITV in farm management, I interviewed 45 farmers using a visual elicitation device containing leaves arranged by size, colour, and thickness. Participants linked leaf size to cacao production, leaf colour to shade and plant health, and leaf thickness to shade. This thesis uses ITV to demonstrate how cacao cultivars respond to environmental conditions, and how farmers interpret variation in cacao traits. | M.Sc. | AGIRCULTURE; environment | 2, 13 |
| Didiano, Teresa Julia | Duval, Tim P||Johnson, Marc TJ | The Impact of Variable Precipitation on the Performance of Wetland and Grassland Plants | Geography | 2015-11 | Climate change is causing increased precipitation variability, leading to large, infrequent precipitation events. This will have ecological consequences for plants because hydrological inputs will become transient. Despite this, there is a lack of evidence explaining the impact of variable precipitation on plant performance. To address this, this thesis asked three questions: (i) How does variable precipitation impact wetland and grassland plant performance? (ii) Does variable precipitation impact plant functional groups differently? And, (iii) do wetland and grassland plants respond similarly or differently to variable precipitation? A greenhouse and field experiment was conducted with wetland and grassland monocot and eudicot species, the amount and frequency of precipitation was manipulated, and plant performance was measured. This thesis reveals that large, infrequent precipitation events negatively impacted plant performance with larger effects on eudicots than monocots. This suggests that variable precipitation could have implications for the diversity and abundance of species in plant communities. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Diemert, Sabrina Anne | Andrews, Robert C. | The Impact of Coagulation on Endocrine Disrupting Compounds, Pharmaceutically Active Compounds and Natural Organic Matter | Civil Engineering | 2012-07-19 | Previous research indicates that pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are poorly removed during conventional drinking water treatment processes including coagulation; however, removal efficiency increases in the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). Therefore, this project investigates the link between various NOM types with EDC/PhAC removal. Bench-scale coagulation tests were conducted on three different source waters spiked with environmentally relevant levels (nominally 1000 ng/L) of EDCs/PhACs. Two different coagulants were used: polyaluminum chloride (PACl) and aluminum sulphate (alum). NOM was characterized using size exclusion liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD). Results for Lake Ontario, Otonabee and Grand River water indicate that certain EDCs/PhACs are significantly removed during coagulation while others increase in concentration. Concurrently, particular NOM fractions (biopolymers and humic substances) are also being removed. Solvents used for EDC/PhAC spiking (acetone and acetonitrile) did not affect coagulation, but contributed to low molecular weight neutral and hydrophobic NOM fractions. | MAST | water | 6 |
| DiFilippo, Shawna Healey | Miles, Angela | Trust and Transformation: Women's Experiences Choosing Midwifery and Home Birth in Ontario, Canada | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-06-24 | Using a critical feminist approach, and with attention to participants’ broad life experiences, this qualitative study explores seven women’s challenging, transformative decisions to give birth at home with midwives in Ontario, Canada. To make this choice, the women had to draw on their own strength, take responsibility for their decisions, and resist the dominant view of birth as inherently risky, and of women’s birth experiences as unimportant and incompatible with more narrowly defined good outcomes. As participants became informed decision-makers, resisted medicalized birth, and envisioned more woman-centred possibilities, they were empowered as active agents in their births. They were able to trust that with the care of their midwives, and the support of their partners or close family, they could have satisfying and safe births at home. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Ding, Xin Ran | Passeport, Elodie | Bioretention Cells under Cold Climate Conditions: The Effect of Freezing and Thawing on Water Infiltration and Nutrient Removal | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Bioretention cells are widely used to reduce urban stormwater runoff, and improve water quality. However, their efficiency under cold climate is still poorly understood. The objective of this research is to understand the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on bioretention cell treatment and hydrological. In this study, soil column experiments were conducted with undisturbed soil cores collected from a bioretention site in Ajax, Ontario. A control column (at room temperature) and an experimental column were run. The experimental column underwent six freeze-thaw cycles consisting of 3 days at -10 Ë C followed by 2 days at 10 Ë C. Nitrate and phosphate concentrations were reduced by more than 95% in the drainage of both columns. Over the course of the experiments, the difference in drainage rates in the two columns increased slightly. The results of this research demonstrate that under cold climate conditions, bioretention cells can perform well for water infiltration and treatment. | M.A.S. | climate; urban; water | 6, 11, 13 |
| Dinshaw, Rayomond | Scholes, Gregory D. | Spectroscopic Investigations of the Photophysics of Cryptophyte Light-harvesting | Chemistry | 2012-11-21 | The biological significance of photosynthesis is indisputable as it is necessary for nearly all life on earth. Photosynthesis provides chemical energy for plants, algae, and bacteria, while heterotrophic organisms rely on these species as their ultimate food source. The initial step in photosynthesis requires the absorption of sunlight to create electronic excitations. Light-harvesting proteins play the functional role of capturing solar radiation and transferring the resulting excitation to the reaction centers where it is used to carry out the chemical reactions of photosynthesis. Despite the wide variety of light-harvesting protein structures and arrangements, most light-harvesting proteins are able to utilize the captured solar energy for charge separation with near perfect quantum efficiency. This thesis will focus on understanding the energy transfer dynamics and photophysics of a specific subset of light-harvesting antennae known as phycobiliproteins. These proteins are extracted from cryptophyte algae and are investigated using steady-state and ultrafast spectroscopic techniques. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Diogu, Williams O | Miller, Eric J | Towards the Implementation of an Activity-based Travel Demand Model for Emerging Cities: Integrating TASHA and MATSim | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | In many emerging cities, there are various proposals for transit-oriented infrastructural investments and transport policies. However, the effort to understand possible current and future effects of alternative investment strategies, socio-economic trends, and travel behaviour patterns before deciding on pressing projects is lacking. Finding a solution to this problem would enable rapid identification and representation of local transport need with all possible policy effects of public transport strategy evaluation. By identifying modelling challenges in an application context on data and modelling framework to use, and demonstrating methods taken to overcome these challenges, this study proposes practical steps decision-makers can apply to better forecast future travel patterns, by exploring an “integrate-refine-and-transfer” strategy of the operational Greater Toronto Area travel demand model (GTAModel) implementation to an emerging city. The modelling approach used involves the integration of the household-based activity scheduling model travel activity scheduler for household agents (TASHA) with Multi-Agent Transport Simulation (MATSim). | M.A.S. | cities | 11 |
| Dishy, Aaron Moses | Keilty, Patrick | Swallowing Misandry: A Survey of the Discursive Strategies of r/TheRedPill on Reddit | Information Studies | 2018-11 | The Red Pill (r/theredpill) (TRP) subreddit lies at the heart of an interconnected network of misogynistic blogs and websites known as the manosphere. It disseminates radical anti-feminist and discriminatory content across Reddit and the broader internet. Acknowledging the community’s staggering size - with membership that numbers in the hundreds of thousands - this research fills a gap in standalone investigations into the toxic subreddit. Using mixed-methods critical discourse analysis (CDA), qualitative and quantitative research methods identify how misogynistic ideologies are constructed, consumed, and exchanged by RedPills on their virtual platform, Reddit. This study does not seek to define their discursive strategies as uniquely RedPill. Instead, it situates them in the context of a growing community based in gendered rage and the validation of violence. As result, it reveals the complex affordances Reddit provides, to create, engage, and disseminate RedPill discourses online. | M.I.S. | gender | 5 |
| Dixon, Peter R | Krahn, Murray D | Improving the Hearing Status Discrimination of the Health Utilities Index, Mark 3 | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2019-11 | Health state utility measurement is pivotally important to cost-utility analyses. The Health Utilities Index, Mark 3 (HUI3), like other generic instruments, has content limitations that threaten the validity of its utility estimates for hearing-impaired health states. The Hearing attribute of the HUI3 was redesigned to better characterize the abilities and disabilities of individuals with hearing loss. Items were generated though systematic literature review, expert focus groups, and patient interviews. Importance of items to individuals with hearing loss guided domain selection and design. The novel HUI Hearing attribute classifies hearing status according to 7 sub-attributes: speech, environmental sounds, sound localization, listening effort, tinnitus, music, and assistive hearing devices. It has substantially improved content validity for hearing-impaired health states compared with existing utility instruments. HUI-Hearing is a comprehensive health status classification system that aims to facilitate appropriate health resource allocation through accurate discrimination of health states important to patients with hearing loss. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Djedovic, Vladimir | Brown, Theodore J. | BRCA1 Modulation of Glucocorticoid Receptor Signal Signaling in High-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Cells | Physiology | 2016-03 | Germline BRCA1 mutations increase a woman’s risk of developing high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) up to 43-fold. Lifetime ovulatory events also associate with increased risk. Studies suggest the post-ovulatory pro-inflammatory milieu persists longer in BRCA1 mutation carriers compared to control women. Slowed remediation of pro-inflammatory signaling leads to increased reactive oxygen species levels that potentiate DNA damage accumulation, which may ultimately promote malignant transformation. Preliminary evidence suggests BRCA1 may modulate glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity, a major anti-inflammatory mediator. Impairment of GR signaling by BRCA1 mutation may contribute to increased HGSOC risk. My objective was to determine if BRCA1 deficiency affects GR signaling in HGSOC cells. My results indicate BRCA1 enhances GR levels and GR transcriptional activity independent of its effect on GR levels. BRCA1 expression also correlates with diminished pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA levels at baseline. Overall, BRCA1 has a dynamic role in modulating inflammatory signaling through GR in HGSOC cells. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Dobrean, Corina Virginia | Katz, Ariel | Product Tying Involving Intellectual Property: Pro or Anti-innovation Effects | Law | 2011-12-07 | This paper analyses the effects of tying arrangements involving IP rights on innovation. Tying, with its ability to temporarily exclude others from the potential benefits deriving from innovation, is pro-innovative by providing firms the incentive to allocate resources to realize newer and better products. However, when tying is used with or in place of IP rights to only help protect entry or growth into a market, it could discourage innovation. Market dominance, especially coupled with technological tying can create a barrier towards competition. It is shown that most pro-competitive effects of tying can also be seen as pro-innovatory as intense competition in the marketplace is shown to lead to innovation. In more competitive markets firms are pushed to innovate in order to maintain or improve their positioning for their products. The courts are faced with a difficult balancing judgment regarding product tying involving IP. | MAST | innovation; rights | 9, 16 |
| Dobson, Tracey-Ann Alecia | Langille, Brian A. | Constitutional Deradicalization of the Wagner Act Model:The Impact of B.C. Health Services and Fraser | Law | 2011-12-07 | For many years, workers petitioned the Supreme Court of Canada to intervene in labour relations to protect their collective bargaining rights. Finally, the Court answered the call, but the drastic changes made were not what workers expected. This thesis outlines the effect that the Court’s decision to intervene in labour relations had on the existing collective bargaining model. In making this determination, a historical analysis was done of the Court’s attitude towards using section 2(d) Freedom to Associate to protect collective bargaining, followed by a comparative analysis with United States jurisprudence to explain the effect of the Canadian decisions on the statutory provisions. The analysis revealed that the decisions had significantly weakened protections for workers’ rights, and provided the basis to conclude that the Supreme Court of Canada had used the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to deradicalize the existing collective bargaining model. | MAST | rights; worker; labour | 8, 16 |
| Dolatabadi, Mahsa Heidari | Panesar, Daman ||Hooton, Robert Douglas | Properties and Performance of Photocatalytic Concrete | Civil Engineering | 2013-07-12 | This research program is focused on the photocatalytic cement with emphasis on evaluating impacts on concrete’s physical, transport and durability properties. The scope of this project is to examine three key aspects of photocatalytic concrete including: a critical review of currently reported applications; an examination of air pollution concentrations in Ontario to assess the potential effectiveness of photocatalytic concrete, with respect to NOx; and an experimental study to characterize the material properties. Research findings revealed comparability between photocatalytic concrete and conventional concrete in mechanical and fluid transport properties. Although photocatalytic concrete resisted rapid freeze and thaw damage very well, in terms of de-icer salt scaling performance, only formed surface performed well and highly variable results for photocatalytic and GU concrete was observed for the finished surface. | MAST | pollut | 15 |
| Dong, Fang Hui | Kirk, W Donald | Controlling Biomass Ash Alkalinity for Land Application | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2014-11 | Burning biomass wastes generates large quantities of ash products which contain plant nutrients, such as Ca, Mg, K, and P. These nutrients could be returned for reforestation. However, the ash high alkalinity presents some challenges in terms of direct land application. The high alkalinity affects the leachability of various ash components and adversely affects ground vegetation. In this thesis, it will be shown that CO2 can effectively decrease ash alkalinity at room temperature. From the study, it was found that the rate carbonation depends heavily on the moisture content of the ash and the CO2 partial pressure. From a practical point of view, a combined process of ash pelletization and carbonation was tested to have some potential for industrial application. It was found that the time required for carbonation equals the time it takes for the wetted pellet, regardless of the size, to dry at 15 vol% of CO2. | M.A.S. | industr; waste; forest | 9, 12, 15 |
| Donkers, John Michael | Sandwell, Ruth | Open Secularism And The Place Of Religion In Public Education: A Historical Analysis Of Quebec's New Ethics And Religious Culture Program | Social Justice Education | 2014-11 | As a Spiritual and Community Animator with the English Montreal School Board, I have been fascinated by the fact that even though Quebec has marched forward in the school secularization process, it has chosen to provide mandatory religious instruction in a normative framework. This vision of secularism, namely "Open Secularism," has been espoused by recent (1999-2008) government educational policies. The main question for this thesis is as follows - Why is religion still in the mandate of public education in Quebec? This thesis will follow the secularization process of the Quebec educational system which ultimately led to the establishment of the Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC) program in 2008. Using the conceptual lens of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of Social and Cultural Reproduction this thesis will also examine how the school system itself perpetuates dominant class structure - an aspect of the Quebec secularization story that is missing from the educational historiography. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Doroodgar, Barzin | Nejat, Goldie | A Learning-based Semi-autonomous Control Architecture for Robotic Exploration in Search and Rescue Environments | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-12-07 | Semi-autonomous control schemes can address the limitations of both teleoperation and fully autonomous robotic control of rescue robots in disaster environments by allowing cooperation and task sharing between a human operator and a robot with respect to tasks such as navigation, exploration and victim identification. Herein, a unique hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) -based semi-autonomous control architecture is presented for rescue robots operating in unknown and cluttered urban search and rescue (USAR) environments. The aim of the controller is to allow a rescue robot to continuously learn from its own experiences in an environment in order to improve its overall performance in exploration of unknown disaster scenes. A new direction-based exploration technique and a rubble pile categorization technique are integrated into the control architecture for exploration of unknown rubble filled environments. Both simulations and physical experiments in USAR-like environments verify the robustness of the proposed control architecture. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Doroszkiewicz, Corinne Christine | Tator, Charles H | Depression, Anxiety, and Quality of Life in Postconcussion Syndrome | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Postconcussion syndrome (PCS) affects a considerable percentage of concussion patients. A follow-up analysis was conducted to evaluate the occurrence of anxiety and depression in patients with PCS and measure their quality of life. A questionnaire package consisting of the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), the WHO Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-Bref), and a general follow-up questionnaire was sent to 526 PCS patients. A total of 37 (35.2%) patients had symptoms of anxiety, depression, or both. 8 (7.6%) patients had symptoms of depression alone, 8 (7.6%) patients had symptoms of anxiety alone, and 21 patient (20%) had symptoms of both. The number of previous concussions was significantly correlated with increased DASS anxiety (r=0.207, p=0.0034) and depression (r=0.264, p=0.006) scores. Increased DASS scores were significantly correlated with a poorer quality of life in all four domains of the WHOQOL-Bref. Thus, concussion-related symptoms of depression and anxiety are important public health concerns. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Dow, Rustam | Shachak, Aviv | The Impact of End-user Support on Electronic Medical Record Success in Ontario Primary Care: A Critical Case Study | Information Studies | 2012-11-28 | Although end-user support is an important aspect of EMR implementation, it is not known in what ways it affects EMR success. To investigate this topic, a case study of end-user support for an open-source EMR was conducted in an Ontario Family Health Organization using 7 semistructured interviews based on the DeLone and McLean Model of Information System Success. Second, documentation for an open-source and proprietary EMR was analyzed using Carroll’s Minimalism as a theoretical framework. Finally, themes from this thesis were compared and contrasted with a multiple case study that examined support for a commercial EMR in 4 Ontario family health teams. Main findings include the role of informal support, which was important for ensuring that data are documented consistently, which in turn enabled information retrieval for providing better preventive care services. Also, formal support was important for mitigating problems of system quality, which had potential implications for patient safety. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Downie, Kathleen | Knowles, J. Gary | On Reciprocity: Teaching and Learning with People who have Alzheimer's | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-11-29 | The initial intention of this arts-informed research study was to implement art classes for people with Alzheimer‟s disease, and to examine its impact upon new learning at cognitive, procedural and affective levels of experience. While these goals persist – indeed adult educational theory and quality of life are central to this thesis – the research focus gradually shifted from a constructivist view of the Alzheimer‟s learner to a phenomenological view of the relationship between teacher and student. Its power to facilitate the growth of reciprocity and bolster identity within the learning context, whether one-to-one or in small group settings, became more apparent as the research progressed. This revealed the potential of arts-based educational programs to build mutual trust and reciprocity with and among the participants. In turn, these qualities contributed to the expression of positive feelings, improved self-esteem,and communication in people with Alzheimer‟s. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Doyle, Bradley | Jackson, Donald Andrew | Phylogenetic Structuring of Lake Fish Communities | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2013-11-22 | Evolutionary history has been recognized as an important factor in studying ecological communities. Lake fish communities have had limited consideration from a community phylogenetics perspective and present the opportunity to include trophic interactions in the analysis. For the species under study, I used known phylogenies from the literature and genetic information to determine relative branch lengths and phylogenetic relationships by Bayesian inference. Using the resultant phylogenetic tree and fish community data, the phylogenetic community structure was determined for the lakes in the Manitoulin Island and LaCloche regions of Ontario, Canada. Evidence of phylogenetic structuring was found, particularly associated with piscivory, winter hypoxia tolerance, and thermal preferences for deep coldwater lakes. Although the majority of the lakes were weakly structured from a phylogenetic perspective, significant trends were nonetheless apparent; especially when further informed by examining species-specific trends, demonstrating that evolutionary history can play a role in structuring freshwater fish communities. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Drake, Karen | Sanderson, Douglas | The Answer, Not the Problem: An Examination of the Role of Aboriginal Rights in Securing a Liberal Foundation for the Legitimacy of the Canadian State | Law | 2013-11-22 | Are Aboriginal rights defensible within the framework of liberalism? Liberalism's commitment to individual equality seems to preclude Aboriginal rights insofar as these rights are exercisable by only a sub-set of the Canadian population and not by all Canadians equally. Instead of asking how Aboriginal rights can be justified within the liberal state, we need to question the legitimacy of the state's assertion of sovereignty over Aboriginal peoples and territories. Of the four potentially applicable modes of acquiring sovereignty - discovery, conquest, cession and prescription - only treaties have the potential to provide a liberally-compelling basis for the legitimacy of Crown sovereignty. But historical treaties did not purport to transfer sovereignty. As such, Canadian sovereignty suffers from a normative lacuna. Aboriginal rights, as set out in mutually consensual treaties addressing the sharing of sovereignty, have the potential to fill this lacuna and thereby to ground the legitimacy of Crown sovereignty. | MAST | equality; rights | 5, 16 |
| Driscoll, Elizabeth Ann | Sumner, Jennifer | Neoliberal Policy in Action: A Critical Analysis of the Global Food Safety Initiative and Food Safety Governance | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | Using a political economy analysis, this thesis examines the Global Food Safety Initiative and its effects on food safety governance. It begins with a discussion of food safety, an important component of food production systems, which attempts to ensure that food will not induce foodborne illness in the consumer. After outlining how neoliberalism is the current political economy environment in which the Global North operates, it argues that within this environment the Global Food Safety Initiative is rapidly becoming the predominant expression of neoliberalism to promote food safety. A political economic analysis of the Global Food Safety Initiative reveals that it is an indicator of the current neoliberal food regime and has significant consequences for the governance of both Canadian and international food safety. | MAST | food; consum; governance | 2, 12, 16 |
| Drummond, Sarah Lauren | Nedelsky, Jennifer | Supporting Canadian Caregivers: Current and Future Policy Directions | Law | 2010-12-31T18:48:51Z | This thesis examines current Canadian social policies aimed at ameliorating the position of informal caregivers of terminally ill and elderly care recipients. Using an ethics of care theoretical approach, the thesis critically evaluates federal and provincial income tax regimes aimed at increasing the financial security of caregivers, and also looks at the shortcomings of the Compassionate Care Benefit offered through the federal Employment Insurance Act. The evaluation reveals that the benefit has a very low up-take compared with initial estimates, and offers some explanations for its low use. A review of the caregiver policies in three European countries provide additional background for the final chapter of the thesis, which offers concrete and incremental solutions to the problems with the current social policies in place. The aim of this thesis is not to suggest sweeping reforms, but to offer affordable, practical, and politically feasible solutions that can begin to make a difference in the lives of caregivers. | MAST | employment | 8 |
| Drystek, Emily | Gilbert, Benjamin | Ecological Differentiation Among Populations of Three Alvar Plant Species: Linking Traits to Growth in a Common Garden | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-03-18 | Populations in fragmented habitat patches may show ecological differentiation, which has implications for metapopulation viability. In this study we used a common garden with two watering treatments to contrast mean differences in ecophysiological traits and the relationships between traits and performance among seven populations of three alvar species. These species differ in their alvar specialization in Ontario, from almost endemic (Solidago ptarmicoides) to highly confined (Dasiphora fruticosa) to a widespread generalist (Hypericum perforatum). Populations of all species exhibited mean differences in at least one trait: photosynthesis (Amax), growth rate and specific leaf area. More surprisingly, the relationship between functional traits and performance was significantly different among populations in all species, suggesting different strategies for maximizing growth in different environments. The ecological differentiation observed affected all species regardless of distribution and is likely genetically based. This differentiation may destabilize metapopulation dynamics and reduce rates of spread if colonization is negatively impacted. | MAST | ecology | 15 |
| Duan, Zhuang | Davidson, Alan R | Identification and Characterization of Novel Anti-phage Compounds using a High Throughput Approach | Biochemistry | 2016-11 | Bacteriophages play important roles in human health. They encode and spread diverse virulence factors, and have been implicated in regulating microbiome symbiosis. In this thesis, I performed a growth curve-based high throughput screen and identified eleven novel anti-phage compounds that prevent 位 phage-mediated bacterial cell lysis. Six lead compounds were further investigated to elucidate their inhibitory activities against a diverse collection of phages. I found that these compounds showed different phage inhibition profiles, suggesting diverse inhibitory mechanisms. Furthermore, I examined compound effects on individual steps of the 位 infection cycle. I found that Ro 90-7501 inactivates phage particles, dequalinium chloride prevents genome injection, and mitoxantrone blocks an early step of the infection cycle. The phage inhibitors identified here represent powerful new tools for fundamental phage research. Additionally, they can | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Dughman, Sandra | Cook, Rebecca | Doe v. Canada: Lesbian Women, Assisted Conception, and a Relational Approach to Rights | Law | 2010-01-14T21:43:21Z | This thesis examines Doe v. Canada, a case brought before the Ontario Court of Appeals with the purpose to declare that the definition of “assisted conception” set forth by the respective regulations discriminated against lesbian women. The regulatory framework of assisted conception is embedded with heteronormativity, heterosexism and an over medicalization of reproduction. The traditional liberal conception of rights, embedded in the Court’s decision did not allowed lesbian women to have access to assisted conception free from barriers that other women, seeking insemination with semen donated by their spouse or sexual partner, do not have to endure. However, If we shift our perspective of rights from a liberal view to a relational approach, we will be able consider such decisions from a perspective that takes into account not only the physical health implications of the use of this technology, but also all other social, psychological and contextual relevant factors. | MAST | women; rights | 5, 16 |
| Duivestein, Jared | Miller, Eric | Household Vehicle Fleet Decision-making for an Integrated Land Use, Transportation and Environment Model | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-22 | Understanding how households make decisions with regards to their vehicle fleet based on their demographics, socio-economic status and travel patterns is critical for managing the financial, economic, social and environmental health of cities. Vehicle fleets therefore form a component of the Integrated Land Use, Transportation and Environment (ILUTE) modelling system under development at the University of Toronto. ILUTE is a year-by-year agent-based microsimulation model of demographics, land use and economic patterns, vehicle fleet decisions and travel choices in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. This thesis extends previous work that modelled the quantity, class and vintage of vehicles in ILUTE households. This revised model offers three key improvements: transaction decisions are made sensitive to travel patterns, fuel costs are better represented, and vehicle purchases are considered in the context of the overall household budgeting. Results are promising, but further model validation is required. Potential extensions of the research are discussed. | MAST | cities; environment | 11, 13 |
| Dujon, Genither | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | Women and Leadership: Towards a Gender, Race and Class Analysis | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T16:11:12Z | This study examines women and leadership and presents a critique of leadership within a framework of gender, race and class. It discusses the crucial role that leaders play in transforming Canadian society, and how women factor into that role. It explores the way in which leadership is also contextualized within and outside of gender. It also examines the way changes in Canadian demographics have resulted in a more diverse group of students in schools, out of which have arisen new problems. Consequently, this study proposes alternative educational leadership to help transform the situation. This study is based on content analysis using a series of books, periodicals, journals, and internet articles, and incorporates a theoretical framework of feminist theory, black feminist theory and black feminist thought and spirituality, and anti-racism theory. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Duncan, James | Caidi, Nadia | Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Data Border | Information Studies | 2019-11 | This thesis reflects upon the anomalous rise of irregular migration into Canada near the town of Lacolle, Quebec and the response of the Canadian government in the context of prevalent networked communications. Conceiving of politics as performance, the research engages in a systematic content analysis of Canadian Press and Agence France Press coverage of arrivals through Lacolle to identify an official ‘institutional narrative’. Subsequently, I test this institutional narrative, which privileges the voices of Canadian political elites, establishing my own ‘narrative of encounter’ through analysis of a variety of legislation, policy, and internal documents obtained both publicly and through Canada’s Access to Information System. This produced novel insights regarding how the massive proliferation of networked communication has shaped possibilities for citizenship and authority at the Canadian border in many paradoxical and ironic ways. | M.I.S. | institution | 16 |
| Dunlop, Emily Alexandra | Bickmore, Kathy | Ethnic Difference and Conflict in Burundian Schools: Experiences of Different Student Generations | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-06 | Interethnic conflict in schools may be destructive, passive, and/or constructive. This case study examined how the Burundian formal education system incorporated ethnic difference and conflict into schools, throughout three time periods: the three pre-civil war Independent Republics, civil war (1993-2005), and post-civil war. It looked at education policy and planning documents from each time period and compared these documents to the remembered, lived experiences in schools, obtained from semi-structured interviews with ten Burundian immigrants currently living in Canada. Results showed that destructive conflict and passive conflict, in particular conflict avoidance, were often present in Burundian schools during the Independent Republics. The interviews suggested that the avoidance interethnic conflict in schools may have contributed to the direct violence in the 1990s. Thus, constructively engaging with interethnic difference and conflict in schools, through critical dialogue and incorporating multiple experiences, may help to build sustainable peace in the country in the future. | M.A. | educat; peace | 4, 16 |
| Dury, Julia Alexis | Bentz, Evan C||Kwon, Oh-Sung | Effects of Aging on Concrete Containment Structures: An Investigation of Shrinkage and Leakage | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | While historically used for infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, dams, and roadways, concrete is also a vital component for the storage of energy – especially sources of renewable energy such as natural gas or nuclear. For these applications, the leak-tightness of concrete walls is important and is linked with effects of aging. Most research investigating the leak tightness of concrete structures is outdated and was performed without aging in mind. Additionally, while a large set of experiments have researched the effects of relative humidity on aging, very few have dealt with humidity levels below 40%. This thesis investigates the effects of very dry climates on the shrinkage of concrete and develops an experimental program for analyzing leakage of air through cracks in concrete walls that may develop due to aging processes. | M.A.S. | energy; infrastructure | 7, 9 |
| Dyson, Amanda Lee | Scott, Katreena ||Intervention, | Maternal History of Abuse as a Moderator of Effectiveness in a Parenting Intervention Program | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2013-11-20 | This study examined the effectiveness of a parenting intervention for abused women and their children called Mothers in MindTM. Based on models of cumulative effects of trauma, it was hypothesized that women who experienced continuous abuse (from childhood to adulthood) would have more parenting difficulties initially and be less receptive to treatment than women whose abuse experiences began later in life (in youth and/or adulthood). Fifty-seven women completed the intervention. Overall, parenting intervention significantly increased women’s parenting competence but did not significantly change mothers’ perceptions of their attachment with their children. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant differences in initial parenting difficulties between the two groups and timing of abuse (continuous versus late onset) did not significantly differentiate treatment effects. Contributions of other contextual variables, such as poverty and parental psychopathology, to variation in the effectiveness of intervention for this population of multiply disadvantaged women are discussed. | MAST | poverty; women | 1, 5 |
| Easty, Laura | Silver, Michelle P | Primary Care Provider’s Perspectives on Physical Activity Counseling | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Physical activity counseling in primary care has been a key health sector response to the health risks of physical inactivity. This thesis examined how providers in a clinic group understood physical activity counseling, perceived their experiences in practice, and to what extent their perspectives differed based by discipline. Two focus groups were conducted, one each for physicians and nurses/nurse practitioners, with short surveys at the start. Physical activity was understood as a health issue, and physical activity counseling was generally accepted as a routine part of care. Though it was an accepted practice, providers noted several areas of challenges, including how to apply recommendations to particular patient contexts, how to address barriers patients face, and different challenges between disciplines in incorporating counseling into practice. These results inform how providers are understood to perceive physical activity and counseling for it, and the challenges providers face integrating physical activity counseling in practice. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Eaton, Andrew David | Craig, Shelley L||Watchorn, Jocelyn | Exploring the Role of Social Work in Supporting People Affected by HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND) | Social Work | 2016-06 | It is estimated that 50% of the 75,500 people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada will be affected by at least an asymptomatic form of HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND). As the number of HIV-positive people over age 50 increases, social workers and other helping professionals need to adapt to meet people’s changing needs. Using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted to understand: a) concerns about living with HIV and changes in cognition; b) client knowledge and experience of social work; and c) gaps in current HIV-related programs and services related to cognitive health. Through a quantitative survey (n=108) and qualitative interviews (n=20), five key themes emerged regarding the duality of people’s perceptions and experiences, confusion about whether health issues were attributable to HIV or to aging, social work’s role as a necessary support service, and how knowledge and supports decrease stress and anxiety. | M.S.W. | health | 3 |
| Ebrahim, Shanil | Parshuram, Christopher | Outcomes of Children Receiving In-hospital Resuscitation | Medical Science | 2010-01-15T18:54:09Z | Introduction: This thesis prospectively evaluated the cognitive and functional outcomes and health-related quality of life of children admitted urgently to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Hospital for Sick Children. Methods: The primary outcome was the Vineland Adaptive Behavioural Scale (VABS-2) measured at 1-month and secondary outcomes were health-related quality of life, daily functioning, and caregiver perceptions. Results: 56 children and 66 caregivers were enrolled; 42 (75%) patients and 49 (74%) caregivers completed the 1-month assessment. Children in the PICU had a mean VABS-2 score of 85(+25). Daily functioning outcomes did not significantly change from baseline to 1-month. In comparison to baseline, children had significantly reduced health-related quality of life at 1-week but no significant change was found at 1-month. Discussion: Children surviving PICU have significant cognitive morbidity and reduced health-related quality of life that is exacerbated by more intense modes of resuscitation and increasing severity of illness. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ebrahimi, Neda | Koren, Gideon | Evaluation of Pharmacotherapy for Common Medical Conditions in Pregnancy | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2011-12-07 | Purpose Two new scales, CORECTS and PUQE-24 are introduced and validated, and the safety and effectiveness of Proctofoam-HC® in pregnancy is demonstrated. Method 315 of Motherisk NVP patients provided information on five clinical parameters as well as PUQE scores. 28 patients visiting a proctologist were graded for the severity of anal conditions by a proctologist before administering CORECTS. Pre and postnatal interviews were conducted with 204 pregnant women prescribed Proctofoam-HC®. Results Strong correlations were found between the following: PUQE-24 scores and parameters of well-being, hospitalization, and multivitamin intake; bleeding and pain components of CORECTS and the proctologist’s grade.There was no significant difference between mean birth weight of Proctofoam-HC® treated and comparison groups. There was a significant reduction in all symptoms of hemorrhoids. Conclusion PUQE-24 and CORECTS are the first validated scales used to assess the severity of NVP and hemorrhoids. Proctofoam-HC® is safe and effective for use in pregnancy. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Egan, Kathleen Glory | Shear, Harvey | Shoreline Modification Impacts on Lake Ecology as a Result of Intensive Cottage Cluster Development | Geography | 2014-11 | Sturgeon Lake located within the Kawarthas in Ontario is one of many freshwater lakes that are experiencing a transition from seasonal to permanently inhabited homes. This transition in development resulted in the intensification of clustering houses along the lake shoreline, impacting natural surroundings. This paper examines the ecological impacts housing developments have on lakes, examining the socio-economic impacts from the intensification of development. The goals of the paper are to examine the effects shoreline modifications have on lakes from cluster communities, to determine areas along Sturgeon Lake's shoreline that should be monitored to ensure that they are not further modified, and to bridge the gaps between management and sustainability plans for Sturgeon Lake's shoreline. Relationships were noticed between the type of housing, shoreline type, and type of roads in each development section. Increased habitation along the shoreline has resulted in increased nutrient discharge impacting the occurrences of eutrophication and algae. | M.A. | water | 14 |
| Egan, Kyla | Mollett, Sharlene | The Geographic Imaginaries of Empire: Migration, Tourism, and Constructions of Difference in Panamanian Travel Narratives | Geography | 2018-11 | Panama’s tourism industry has flourished since 1990 to become one of the premiere travel destinations in Central America as described by tourism literature. Using historical geography as its methodology, this thesis offers an analysis of how colonial logics of empire remain embedded in the Panamanian tourism industry and nation building agendas. In particular, the discourse analysis of Panamanian travel narratives in archival and contemporary travel literature has revealed both substantial transformations and persistent congruities of imperial discourse from 1880-2017. The findings of this project demonstrate how hegemonic Euro-American geographic imaginations help construct tourism materials and influence tourist behaviour in Panama. In particular, themes of wilderness and nature, white supremacy, and America exceptionalism emerged from the analysis of tourism literature as the primary factors contributing to the conceptual and material organization of Panamanian space in travel literature. These themes are contextualized within broader discussions of empire studies and amenity migration literature. | M.A. | industr | 9 |
| Ejiogu, Nwadiogo | Nestel, Sheryl ||Alexander, M. Jacqui | "A Clinic for the World": Race, Biomedical Citizenship, and Gendered National Subject Formation in Canada | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T16:29:26Z | On October 21st , 2005 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that immigration officials “can no longer assess potential immigrants to be ‘medically inadmissible’ to Canada solely on the basis of a person’s disability” and their likelihood to make “excessive demands on Canadian social services” (Chadha 2005, 1). In this thesis I will explore this ruling using a methodological approach that engages practices of: self-reflexivity; tracing historical and political genealogies; and case study analysis. What I am interested in thinking about is how this moment gestures to the necessity of conceptualizing the nation, nationalism, and citizenship as highly medicalized terrains. Through an engagement with transnational and black feminist theorizing, anticolonial studies, and disability studies, I will suggest that “medical inadmissibility” is one of many regulatory mechanisms that work to fashion the Canadian nation-state as white, healthy, fit, and productive. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Ekoh, Ijeoma | Portelli, John P. | High-stakes Standardized Testing in Nigeria and the Erosion of a Critical African Worldview | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2012-11-28 | This thesis investigates the practice of high-stakes standardized testing in Nigeria. Examining its colonial histories, its philosophical incongruities with African indigenous education, and its neocolonial foundations, it argues that high-stakes testing in Nigeria facilitates the erosion of a critical African worldview. It demonstrates that through high-stakes testing’s reproduction of social and regional inequalities, the unethicality of its systems and practices as well as its exemplification of Freire’s concept of normative and non liberatory education as the “practice of domination”; high-stakes standardized testing in Nigeria seamlessly fits into the neo-colonial and neoliberal logic of education as a site of psychological colonization and the material exploitation of the people by the ruling elite. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| El Helow, Dalia | Drake, Jennifer | Performance of Green Roof Integrated Solar Photovoltaics in Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | Green (vegetated) roofs and solar photovoltaics are among a range of solutions intended to meet environmental sustainability targets and transition to low-carbon communities. In urban environments, they are means to integrate onsite stormwater management and renewable energy. Research shows that the evaporative cooling from green roofs helps to keep photovoltaics near best operational temperature, while proving that vegetation can survive under variable shade and precipitation conditions. This study evaluated photovoltaic surface temperature and power output at two heights (2 and 4 ft.) from two high-performance roof surface types, green and high-albedo (white) roof membrane, at the University of Toronto’s GRIT Lab. Photovoltaic surface temperature and power output showed dependence on height and surface type. Higher separation (4 ft.) allowed for increased biomass, improved cooling effects, and an increase in power output. This short-term study showed a successful integration of both technologies, and hence a viable option for green building practices. الأسطح الخضراء (النباتية) والضوئية الشمسية هي من بين مجموعة من الحلول التي تهدف إلى تحقيق أهداف الاستدامة البيئية والانتقال إلى المجتمعات منخفضة الكربون. في البيئات الحضرية، هي وسيلة لدمج إدارة مياه الأمطار وتوليد الطاقة المتجددة في الموقع. تبين البحوث أن التبريد التبخيري من الأسطح الخضراء يساعد على إبقاء الخلايا الكهروضوئية بالقرب من أفضل درجة حرارة تشغيلية، مع إثبات أن الغطاء النباتي يمكن أن يبقى على قيد الحياة تحت ظلال وأمطار متغيرة. قيمت هذه الدراسة درجة حرارة الاسطح الكهروضوئية وإنتاج الطاقة على ارتفاعين (2 و 4 قدم) من نوعين من الاسطح، السطح الأخضر و السطح الغشائى عالي الإنعكاس (الأبيض) في مختبر جريت بجامعة تورونتو. أظهرت درجة حرارة الاسطح وإنتاج الطاقة الاعتماد على الارتفاع ونوع السطح. يسمح الفصل ألاعلى (4 قدم) بين الوحدات الضوئية والسطح النباتي بزيادة الكتلة الحيوية، وتحسين آثار التبريد، وزيادة في انتاج الطاقة. وأظهرت هذه الدراسة قصيرة الأجل اندماجا ناجحا بين الخلايا الكهروضوئية الشمسية وأنظمة الأسطح الخضراء، وبالتالي خيارا صالحا لممارسات البناء الأخضر. | M.A.S. | solar; energy; environment; urban | 7, 11, 13 |
| El-Khechen Richandi, Graziella | Colantonio, Angela | The Impact of Menstrual Phase on Outcomes of Females with Concussion | Rehabilitation Science | 2018-11 | This study examined the impact of menstrual phase, oral contraceptive use and post-menopausal status (collectively referred to as reproductive states) during time of injury on female post-concussion outcomes during the acute phase of recovery. A total of 83 female participants (ages 17 - 71) recruited from a concussion clinic at a rehabilitation hospital were included in the analysis. Personal health information and Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire (RPCQ) scores were collected. Descriptive, bivariate regression and multivariable regression models were performed. The reproductive states were not associated with RPCQ scores during the first week of recovery; however, females taking oral contraceptives had significantly higher RPCQ scores two weeks post-injury. The other reproductive states do not appear related to RPCQ scores up to 2 weeks post injury. Being on birth control was independently associated with more symptomatology. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| El-Sherif, Lucy | Niyozov, Sarfaroz | Experiences of Rural Students with Schooling in Community Schools in Egypt | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | This study examined the schooling experiences of eleven graduates from the rural south of Egypt with primary community schools in Assiut. The study used individual interviews and focus groups to examine how community school graduates understood their experiences. The community schools were found to have removed previous obstacles of distance and cost. The quality of education that the students received allowed them to flourish in education rather than falter, and that was largely influenced by the quality of their relationship with their teachers. The students learned academic skills, as well as attitudes and dispositions that serve as cultural capital. They have more opportunities than before, yet also face significant challenges as they transition to the public system. The model of community schooling is also facing significant challenges as differences with the public schooling systems are exerting tension on the community school model to converge. | MAST | educat; rural | 4, 11 |
| Elford, Spencer T | Adams, Matthew D | Ultrafine Particulate Pollution Exposure during the School Commute: GIS-based Modelling techniques for Estimating Dosage and Examining Environmental Inequality | Geography | 2020-06 | This research is broadly divided into experiments focusing on two primary objectives: (1) To develop modelling techniques for examining ultrafine particulate (UFP) dosage in the walk-to-school commute, and (2) use these models to examine spatial patterns in dosage from an environmental inequality perspective. The first objective was met through development of a GIS-based modelling workflow which yielded estimates of commute dosage that account for variations in ambient concentration, walking speed, and ventilation rate within a single commute route. The second objective was met by applying these models to estimate commute related UFP dosage across an entire population and conducting analysis within a standard environmental inequality framework combining spatial regression and cluster mapping. We identified associations and patterns of exposure-burdening on vulnerable population groups, which indicate evidence of UFP dosage disparities. However, a divergence from those found in the literature suggests a need for further research to validate these outcomes. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Elias, Evelyn | Gilbert, Julie||Cockerill, Rhonda | The Role of the Physician in the Reach and Adoption of Online Health Resources - A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Patients and Health Care Providers | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients are living longer with side effects of their treatments, which are often debilitating. Online health resources (OHRs) could provide PCa patients with health information and support needs they often lack. Purpose: To understand the contextual aspects of reach and adoption within the RE-AIM framework, and how they inter-relate through the role of the physician within the context of online health resources. Methods: Secondary qualitative analysis using data collected to inform the design of an interactive OHR. Inductive/deductive hybrid analysis was used. Results: Findings yielded three main categories of use and uptake of online health resources by patients: reach, patient uptake of OHRs, and physician uptake of OHRs. Conclusions: By contributing to both reach and adoption, physicians can increase patients’ use of OHRs. These findings can improve the implementation OHRs for patients, fulfilling the need for information that PCa survivors have and increasing their quality of life. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Elias, Mary N. | Cadarette, Suzanne M. | Correlates of Calcium Supplement Use in Older Community-dwelling Ontario Women | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2011-12-07 | Background: Older Canadian women are not meeting recommended calcium intake levels and therefore require calcium supplementation to maintain bone mass. Objective: To examine factors associated with calcium supplementation among older community-dwelling women, using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a conceptual framework. Methods: Data previously collected from Ontario community-dwelling women aged 65 to 90 years (n=798) were analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized to determine HBM factors associated with calcium supplement use. Results: About half (54%) of women reported taking calcium supplements. Positive correlates of calcium supplementation included: perceived osteoporosis susceptibility, perceived calcium benefits, natural health product use, residing in Toronto and general osteoporosis management factors (discussion with a physician or pharmacist, osteoporosis screening, falls history and preventive health check-ups); a negative correlate included: use of etidronate therapy. Conclusion: Only half of older women were taking calcium supplements. Discussions with healthcare practitioners may help to improve recommended calcium intake levels. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Elias, Paula Veronica | Mojab, Shahrzad | Critical Youth Participatory Action Research: Ideology, Consciousness, and Praxis | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2017-11 | Critical youth participatory action research (YPAR) is emerging as a meaningful exercise for young people, researchers, and educators to collaborate in pedagogical social change efforts. Youth and adult co-researchers have both referred to critical YPAR as a “transformative” experience. But what constitutes “transformative” within the everyday realities of capitalist social relations? Drawing upon the conceptual tools of anti-racist Marxist feminists, I argue that critical YPAR generates consciousness and praxis within the mode of ideology, where the depth of our social-material relations are obscured in the appearances of everyday life. Within this ideology, participants in critical YPAR work demonstrate a consciousness about the individual as a site and solution for social change, and produce a praxis concentrated on increasing young people’s access to research and higher education. Ultimately, critical YPAR emerges as useful in helping young people and their adult allies to creatively manage or reform, rather than transform, capitalist social relations. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Elliott, Joshua Gordon | Andrews, Robert C | Pathogen Removal Through Biological Filtration and Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessments for Drinking Water Purification | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Biological filtration is a novel concept for drinking water purification that allows for the colonization of rapid granular filters with native bacterial organisms in order to reduce organic compounds in the final treated effluent. There is little published material on the efficacy of these filters for the removal of pathogens, specifically protozoa such as cryptosporidium and giardia which are difficult to inactivate using chlorine disinfection. This study utilizes aerobic endospores as a surrogate for cryptosporidium to characterize the removal performance of biologically active filters. Biological filtration was shown to achieve | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Elliott, Meghan J. | Straus, Sharon | Long-Term Perceived Engagement and Research Priorities Among Chronic Kidney Disease Stakeholders: A Qualitative Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-06 | Despite increasing engagement of patients and other stakeholders in the research process, little is known about its impact, particularly over the long term. In this qualitative descriptive study, we sought to explore how stakeholders who participated in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) research prioritization exercise two years earlier viewed their engagement experience and the research priorities. Through thematic analysis of interviews with 23 participants across stakeholder groups (patients, caregivers, healthcare providers and policymakers) and levels of engagement (steering committee, workshop and wiki), we identified four themes related to perceived engagement and three themes related to views on the CKD research priorities and prioritization process. Our findings highlight important considerations to support meaningful engagement in research prioritization, including roles and expertise, representation, and communication, and characterize ways in which individual priorities can change over time. Findings may contribute toward optimizing the design and conduct of future research engaging patients as stakeholders. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Elshazly, Mohamed | Dawson, Francis P||Huzayyin, Ahmed | Quantum Mechanical Characterization of Substrated Bilayer Graphene for Future Supercapacitor Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2018-06 | Energy storage is one of the most crucial ingredients of a sustainable energy future. The safety, reliability, and performance of storage devices present a number of design challenges that require developing accurate predictive models capable of representing the most relevant physical phenomena at various spatial and temporal scales and a reasonable computational cost. Moreover, the current trend of decreasing the device size and the advent of low-dimensional nanomaterials have increased the dominance of interfacial physics that cannot be accurately modelled as a continuum within the device. This thesis is a first step towards developing a methodology for characterizing interfaces in capacitive energy storage devices based on insights from Density Functional Theory. Monolayer and bilayer graphene electrodes, attached to nearly lattice-matched conducting substrates, are then modelled as case studies. Graphene is one of the most promising materials for future supercapacitors due to its high specific surface area and unique electronic properties. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Engle, Sarah Noelle | Katz, Ariel | An "Obvious" Proposal - Using An Industry Sensitive Doctrine of Obviousness to Govern the Scope of Gene Patents After Association for Molecular Pathology v. USPTO | Law | 2011-12-07 | Currently there are approximately 20,000 valid gene patents in the United States. The debate regarding biotechnology and patent law has reached a pinnacle over the patentability of genes. Biotech is fighting a patentability war on two fronts. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit cannot agree regarding the touchstone of patentability for genes; two branches of the Executive are at odds over whether gene sequences qualify under 35 U.S.C. §101. Recent U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Circuit jurisprudence also undermine the patentability of genes as obvious. This thesis argues that the patentable subject matter debate fails to adequately address the goals of patent policy in fostering innovation. Looking to Canadian and U.K. jurisprudence, it is possible to hone an approach to obviousness that addresses the ethical and research concerns in the patentable subject matter debate while fostering investment and patent protection for non-obvious biotech discoveries. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Ens, Abra | McCabe, Brenda | Development of a Flexible Framework for Deterioration Modelling in Infrastructure Asset Management | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-22 | Infrastructure deterioration models are an integral part of asset management. Deterioration models are used to predict future asset condition and to estimate funding requirements. The purpose of this research is to develop a framework to create infrastructure deterioration models. An overview of the various types of deterioration models is included, presenting the advantages and disadvantages of each type. Existing deterioration model frameworks are also considered. A deterioration modelling framework is then proposed. The selection of the model type, calibration and validation is presented. The framework is then applied to two case studies. The first case study involves a comparison of three pavement deterioration models, created for the City of Oshawa for use in their asset management system. The second case study involves modelling sewer deterioration. This model has been developed to explore the relationship between age, material and deterioration in trunk sewers. | MAST | infrastructure | 9 |
| Epstein, Griffin | Nestel, Sheryl | Extension: Towards a Genealogical Accountability: (The Critical [E]Race[ing] of Mad Jewish Identity | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2009-12-14T15:58:53Z | Can we be accountable to privilege? Can we find a space for coherent anti-racist secular Ashkenazi Jewish identity in North America, where Jews have been deeply implicated in structural violence? Can we be agents of both complicity and change? This auto-ethnography describes a haunting; focusing on the ghostly presences of my deceased uncle Larry Treiman and Bruno Bettelheim, child psychologist and director of the residential treatment facility where Larry was institutionalized as a child, it creates a deeply personal explanation for how the whitening of Ashkenazi North American Jewish identity, the shifts in discourses of madness and major sociological and economic change in Chicago and New York over the second half of the 20th century constituted my subjectivity and my privilege. This text proposes accountability through genealogy, teasing out the possibility for ethical thought and action through cultivating a deeply personal relationship to the ghosts that make us. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Esmaeili, Amir | Kirk, Donald W | Water Removal Process in Electrochemical Valorization of Glycerol | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11 | Glycerol, as a by-product of biodiesel industries, can be converted to a broad range of high value-added products chemically in the presence of hetero/homogeneous catalysts and also electrochemically in electrolyzers. Using an alkaline medium for glycerol conversion increases the yield of the reaction. In several glycerol valorization reactions, water is used as a solvent or is produced as a by-product. Excess water reduces the reaction conversion and hinders the efficiency by decomposition of final products such as glycerol carbonate in the alkaline solution, and hence must be maintained in a low concentration. The removal of water from aqueous salt solutions containing soluble organic species is a very challenging extraction. This research seeks to design a simple and energy-efficient water removal process by focusing on two organic solvent dehydration methods, desiccants and membrane pervaporation to increase the efficiency as well as purifying the produced glycerol derivatives as commercial products. | M.A.S. | industr; WATER | 6, 9 |
| Esmaili, Daryush | El-Diraby, Tamer | Assessing Organizational Competency in Infrastructure Asset Management: The Case of Water and Wastewater in Ontario Municipalities | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-22 | As infrastructure networks grow more complex, regulatory requirements become greater, populations grow, budgets become more limited, and the expectations of customers increase, municipalities are progressively being required to provide more for less. This is presenting some particular challenges to the long-term sustainability of buried water and wastewater infrastructure in Ontario. In response, municipalities are increasingly seeking to improve their business processes and asset management capabilities as a path to optimize the lifecycle of their infrastructure assets and ensure public safety, community development, and financial sustainability. This thesis presents an organizational performance measurement framework for municipal infrastructure asset management which was validated through interviews and surveys with international discipline experts. The resultant framework provides a high-level outline and suggestions for implementation of key objectives, 11 core critical success factors, and 135 quantitative performance indicators for municipal water and wastewater asset management organizations. | MAST | infrastructure | 9 |
| Ewing, Alexandra (Lexi) | Hamza, Chloe A | Stressful Experiences, Emotion Regulation, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among University Students | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-11 | Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a widespread mental health concern among students in university (Swannell et al., 2014). Stressful experiences in university may lead to increased risk for NSSI by undermining an individual’s ability to cope with distress. However, longitudinal examinations of the link between stressful experiences in university and NSSI, and the mechanism driving the association, are lacking. The current study investigated the process through which stressful experiences may heighten risk for NSSI in a sample of 1132 undergraduate students (70% female, mage = 19.11). Participants reported on daily stressors in university, difficulties in emotion regulation, and NSSI each year for three consecutive years. Path analysis revealed a significant indirect effect from stressful experiences to NSSI through emotion regulation. This association was bidirectional; greater frequency of NSSI predicted increased risk for stressful experiences through emotion regulation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Ewing, Madelin | Posen, I. Daniel||MacLean, Heather L. | An Evaluation of Alternative Fuels and Powertrain Technologies for Canada’s Long Haul Heavy-duty Vehicle Sector | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are responsible for a growing share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. Despite the near-term availability of several low GHG alternatives to diesel, the most viable alternatives have yet to be identified. The first portion of this thesis reports insights gathered through expert interviews in relation to the perceived barriers and opportunities to the adoption of promising alternative technologies for long haul HDVs. Expert insights are incorporated into frameworks for the evaluation of current or near-term alternative technologies. The second portion of the thesis evaluates an emerging fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), on the basis of its well-to-wheel GHG emissions when produced in Canada. It is found that DME produced from renewable feedstocks can reduce GHG emissions by up to 60%, while natural gas-based DME may increase GHG emissions by 20%. Insights from this thesis can inform policies to support uptake of low GHG alternatives for HDVs. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Ewing, Madeline | Posen, I. Daniel||MacLean, Heather L. | An Evaluation of Alternative Fuels and Powertrain Technologies for Canada’s Long Haul Heavy-duty Vehicle Sector | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) are responsible for a growing share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. Despite the near-term availability of several low GHG alternatives to diesel, the most viable alternatives have yet to be identified. The first portion of this thesis reports insights gathered through expert interviews in relation to the perceived barriers and opportunities to the adoption of promising alternative technologies for long haul HDVs. Expert insights are incorporated into frameworks for the evaluation of current or near-term alternative technologies. The second portion of the thesis evaluates an emerging fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), on the basis of its well-to-wheel GHG emissions when produced in Canada. It is found that DME produced from renewable feedstocks can reduce GHG emissions by up to 60%, while natural gas-based DME may increase GHG emissions by 20%. Insights from this thesis can inform policies to support uptake of low GHG alternatives for HDVs. | M.A.S. | renewable | 7 |
| Fakhrashrafi, Mitra | Gilbert, Emily | “Pass me the Hookah”: An Assessment of Toronto’s Shisha Ban as Related to Muslim Placemaking, Forced Displacement, and Racializing Surveillance | Geography | 2020-03 | Toronto’s ‘shisha ban’ came into effect on April 1st, 2016 and has since forced nearly 70 predominantly Black and brown Muslim migrant-owned businesses to close or restructure their livelihoods. Following the passing of the ban, Ali, the owner of Scarborough-based Habibiz Shisha Café, spoke to the cultural and religious significance of shisha and asked, “where else is there for us in this city?” (Hassan, 2016). Through semi-structured interviews and an analysis of the legislation enacted, I look to Ali’s question as a starting point to engage in a study of the relatively new bylaw and its impacts on Muslim placemaking in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Through this thesis, I put forward a non-exhaustive archive of Toronto’s shisha culture and look to traditions of Black, Indigenous, and racialized urban placemaking to consider collective futures beyond racializing surveillance and the unbelonging and displacement which often follows. | M.A. | urban | 11 |
| Fakiha, Abrar Ghazi | Fakiha, Abrar G | Application of the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique to Determine the Metabolic Availability of Lysine in Millet | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-06 | Application of the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Technique to Determine the Metabolic Availability of Lysine in Millet Abrar Fakiha Masters of Science Graduate Department of Nutritional Science University of Toronto 2019 Abstract Objective 1) Determine the metabolic availability (MA) of the most limiting indispensable amino acid, lysine, in millet.2) Assess the effect of complementing millet protein with lentils Method The MA of lysine in millet was studied using the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) and slope ratio methods. Five healthy males participated in 8 experiments: 4 lysine intakes from a reference protein, 3 intakes from millet and 1 complementation experiment with lentils. The MA of lysine was estimated by comparing the reference protein slope with the millet slope using the slope ratio method Results The MA of lysine from millet was 97%. Complementation with lentils decreased the IAAO response suggesting increased uptake for protein synthesis Conclusion Lysine is completely bioavailable, however still limiting in millet. Complementation with lentils in 2:1 ratio is recommended to meet the lysine and protein requirement for adults consuming a millet based diet. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Fan, Mark | Easty, Anthony ||Woods, Nicole | Measuring the Impact of Human Factors and Education Informed Training on the Safety and Efficiency of Smart Infusion Technology | Biomedical Engineering | 2010-01-13T20:24:06Z | This thesis evaluated the effects of two types of training on nurses’ ability to safely and efficiently administer IV medications using a smart infusion pump. A high fidelity simulated nursing unit was created in which nurses recruited from the University Health Network programmed a series of infusions after receiving training. A training script modeled after the pump vendor’s training sessions was created and tested first on 24 nurses. The results were analyzed for deficiencies in safety and efficiency from a human factors and education perspective and a new training script was created and tested on a group of 23 nurses. No significant differences were found between training groups on measures related to safety, but significant differences were found in nurse efficiency and behaviour in some aspects of pump programming. This study sets a precedent for human factors evaluation being used in tandem with existing training practices and lays the groundwork for further exploration on this topic. | MAST | health | 3 |
| FAN, Phil | Siegel, Jeffrey | EVALUATING THE WETTING AND DRYING RESPONSE OF GYPSUM DRYWALL SUBJECT TO LIQUID WATER | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Gypsum drywall is susceptible to moisture damage due to their porous structure and common exposure to liquid water from floods, plumbing leaks, condensation, and enclosure leaks. There are many types of drywall, including some that are designed to be resistant to moisture damage and many ways of measuring moisture. In this thesis, I evaluate multiple methods of moisture measurement on different types of drywall under different water wetting amounts and environmental conditions. Different types of drywall respond differently to water and surface treatments play an important role in their response to moisture. Even on the same type of drywall, different sensors can provide different responses to wetting events in magnitude, duration, and temporal dynamics. The implications of this work are that the drywall itself, as well as the environmental conditions, the method of moisture measurement, and the nature of the wetting all are important to the availability of water for microorganisms and moisture-related decay processes. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Fang, Te | Hofmann, Ron||Andrews, Susan | Comparing UV/Chlorine Advanced Oxidation Efficiency to UV/H2O2 when using Monochromatic UV light | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis compares the efficiency of the UV/chlorine and UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation processes for contaminant removal using monochromatic UV light. Previous work reported that UV/chlorine is more efficient than UV/H2O2 for trichloroethylene removal in pure water at approximately pH 5 and below using medium pressure (MP) lamps (Wang et al., 2012), and that it may even be more competitive in the presence of elevated total inorganic carbon (TIC) and total organic carbon (TOC). In this work, a LP kinetics model was adapted from the MP model developed by Wang et al. (2012). The modelled results of sucralose decay were then validated by bench-scale experiments with a collimated beam apparatus. The adapted LP models successfully predicted sucralose decay under most of the experimental conditions, but not at pH 10 for the UV/chlorine process. The reason for the inaccuracy of the UV/chlorine model at pH 10 is not clear, and requires more work. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Farag, Mina Saber | Janssen, Harry L.A | A Changing Era in Chronic Hepatitis B: Novel Biomarkers and Therapies | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) infection is a severe health problem worldwide. It is challenging to achieve a complete cure for CHB as the currently available antiviral treatments cannot eradicate the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the infected hepatocytes. Detecting cccDNA is an important goal to strive for when investigating the effectiveness of available therapies and developing novel treatments. Hepatitis B virus RNA (HBV-RNA) is a relatively new serum biomarker that correlates with cccDNA. We studied HBV-RNA kinetics and their potential role as a predictor of treatment response in HBeAg-negative CHB patients. HBV-RNA showed a greater decline in treatment responders compared to non-responders early on, at week 12 of treatment. Levels above 1700 c/mL (3.2 log10 c/mL) had a negative predictive value for treatment response of 91% at week 12 and 93% at week 24 (P=0.01). In conclusion, HBV-RNA demonstrated a rapid and significant decline associated with treatment response during long-term follow-up | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Farmer, Julie W. | Quiñonez, Carlos R | Measuring the Magnitude of Oral Health Inequalities within and between Canada and the United States from 1970 to 2009 | Dentistry | 2015-11 | Objectives: To compare the magnitude of, and contributors to, income-related inequalities in oral health outcomes within and between Canada and the United States over time. Methods: The Concentration Index (CI) was used to estimate income-related oral health inequalities from two Canadian and two American cross-sectional surveys, and decomposed to determine the potential contributors to inequalities. Results: Pro-poor inequalities were observed in oral disease outcomes and pro-rich inequalities in oral health outcomes, with greater magnitude in the United States. Decreases in inequalities for edentulism and increases in decayed teeth were observed in both countries over time. Inequalities in filled teeth decreased in the United States and increased in Canada. Socioeconomic characteristics contributed greater to inequalities than demographic characteristics, with greater contributions of income over time. Conclusions: Oral health inequalities have persisted over time in Canada and the United States and are associated with age, sex, education, and have varied over time. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic; health | 1, 3 |
| Farra, Nicolas | Thomson, Murray J. | Efficiency and Emissions Study of a Residential Micro–cogeneration System Based on a Stirling Engine and Fuelled by Diesel and Ethanol | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2010-12-31T20:09:04Z | This study examined the performance of a residential micro–cogeneration system based on a Stirling engine and fuelled by diesel and ethanol. An extensive number of engine tests were conducted to ensure highly accurate and reproducible measurement techniques. Appropriate energy efficiencies were determined by performing an energy balance for each fuel. Particulate emissions were measured with an isokinetic particulate sampler, while a flame ionization detector was used to monitor unburned hydrocarbon emissions. Carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, water, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and methane emissions were measured using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. When powered by ethanol, the system had slightly higher thermal efficiency, slightly lower power efficiency and considerable reductions in emission levels during steady state operation. To further study engine behaviour, parametric studies on primary engine set points, including coolant temperature and exhaust temperature, were also conducted. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Farrahi-Avval, Neyaz | Locker, David | Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of the Institutionalized Chronic Psychiatric Patients in two Ontario Psychiatric Care Centres | Dentistry | 2008-07-30T19:41:38Z | Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of the Institutionalized Chronic Psychiatric Patients in two Ontario Psychiatric Care Centres Neyaz Farrahi-Avval Master of Science Graduate Department of Dentistry University of Toronto 2008 Abstract Purpose: To examine the oral health status of psychiatric in-patients at two long-term psychiatric health centres, with one operating a full-time dental care facility. Methods: Data were gathered from clinical examinations, a structured interview and hospital records from 120 participants. Periodontal (CPI) and dental (DMFT) indices, subjectively reported oral health status, and oral health behaviour were subsequently analyzed. Results: Referrals for dental problems were made for 62.9% of participants. Bivariate analyses revealed positive correlations between DMFT scores, age and length of stay. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated correlations between DMFT scores and infrequent dental visits, frequent snacking and age. Patients at the psychiatric hospital without a full-time dental care facility were more likely to have had higher DMFT scores, and infrequent dental visits. Conclusions: Psychiatric patients have poor oral health and significant oral health treatment needs. This study underlines the need for on-site dental care facilities at long-term psychiatric care centres. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Fateh, Navratan | Shachar, Ayelet | Honour Killing | Law | 2012-11-22 | This thesis is a timely response to the current developments of cultural forces which lead to honour killings in Canada. I believe that it is only through a detailed analysis of honour killings that Canada as a country can equip and prepare itself to deal with crimes of honour in the future. The aim of this thesis is to examine the crime of honour killing by elaborating the close linkage that it shares to the cultural regulations for the sexuality of women. The research also endeavors to resolve the existing dilemmas of balancing multiculturalism and diversity in Canada on one hand and counteracting the extreme violent cultural reactions, which are in clear violation of Canadian laws. I propose that, since the crime shares a crucial foreign element, being cultural pressure, a careful analysis of the honour killing situations in South Asian countries can offer vital inputs for policy analysis. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Fathieh, Amirahmad | Mercan, Oya | Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Modular Steel Buildings in Two and Three Dimensions | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-22 | Modular construction is a relatively new technique where prefabricated units are assembled on-site to produce a complete building. Due to detailing requirements for the assembly of the modules, these systems are prone to undesirable failure mechanisms during large earthquakes. Specifically, for multi-story Modular Steel Buildings (MSBs), inelasticity concentration in vertical connections can be an area of concern. Diaphragm interaction, relative displacements between modules and the forces in the horizontal connections need to be investigated. In this study, two 4-story MSBs with two different structural configurations were chosen to be analyzed. In the first model which was introduced in a study by Annan et al. (2009 a), some of the unrealistic detailing assumptions were challenged. To have a more accurate assessment of the structural capacity, in the second model, a more realistic MSB model was proposed. Using OpenSees, Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDA) have been performed and conclusions were made. | MAST | buildings | 9 |
| Faulkner, Colin Ray Brian | Rochon, Paula | The Association of Individual-level Characteristics with Aging and Health Care Utilization among Older Women and Men | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Older adults typically have the highest health care utilization of any age group. There are very few studies focused on older adults who are low-cost users (LCU) of the health care system. Understanding this population may be a key way to understand the determinants of healthy aging and wellness. In addition, the ways in which gender modifies the correlates of health-system use is explored. This thesis systematically reviews successful aging and health care utilization among older women and men. A study is then presented to better understand the sex-stratified individual-level factors associated with health care utilization for older adults. The results of these studies converged to suggest that certain health decisions made by clinicians, policy-makers, and older adults themselves, can be tailored to a person’s sex or gender. Further, the thesis highlights several sex/gender-based nuances in the health of older adults that should be explored in future research. Les personnes âgées ont généralement le taux d'utilisation des soins de santé le plus élevé parmi tous les groupes d'âge. Très peu d'études ont été menées sur les personnes âgées qui utilisent le système de santé à faible coût. Comprendre cette population pourrait être essentiel pour comprendre les déterminants du vieillissement en bonne santé et du bien-être. En outre, les moyens par lesquels le sexe modifie les corrélats de l'utilisation du système de santé sont explorés. Cette thèse passe systématiquement en revue le vieillissement et l'utilisation des soins de santé chez les femmes et les hommes âgés. Une étude est ensuite présentée pour mieux comprendre les facteurs individuels–stratifiés par sexe–liés à l'utilisation des soins de santé par les personnes âgées. Les résultats de ces études suggèrent que certaines décisions de santé prises par les cliniciens, les responsables politique et les personnes âgées elles-mêmes, peuvent être adaptées au sexe ou au genre d'une personne. En outre, la thèse met en évidence plusieurs nuances liées au sexe / genre dans la santé des personnes âgées qui devraient être explorées dans de futures recherches. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Fekete, Daniel James | Brett, Clare | Worthy Worlds: A Case Study of the Pedagogy, Design, and Execution of Two University Courses in Second Life | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-28 | With increasing access to powerful computer processing and broadband Internet connectivity, persistent immersive worlds like Second Life are being adopted for use as virtual learning environments. The flexibility of these spaces, however, offers little innate direction for educators in terms of design and pedagogy considerations, creating a space for research, shared experience, and possibly the development of “best practices” literature. This multiple-case study explores the unique affordances of immersive environments for distance education with reference to the design, pedagogy, and student experience of two university-accredited courses taught entirely “in-world” on the Second Life platform. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Feldman, Rachel Lin | Lofters, Aisha||Grunfeld, Eva | Primary Care use during, and Wait Times to Receiving, Adjuvant Breast Cancer Chemotherapy: A Population-based Retrospective Cohort Study using CanIMPACT Data | Medical Science | 2020-06 | OBJECTIVES: To determine how physical and/or mental comorbidities affect primary care physician (PCP) use during adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy and how PCP continuity affects time to chemotherapy. METHODS: Population-based, retrospective cohort study of 12,781 women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer in Ontario who received adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: Six-month PCP visit rate increased during chemotherapy (mean 2.3 baseline visits, 3.4 chemotherapy visits). Low physical/mental comorbidity patients saw larger increases (1.4/1.8 baseline, 2.8/3.0 chemotherapy) versus high physical/mental comorbidity (5.6/3.5 baseline, 5.3/4.1 chemotherapy). Median time to chemotherapy (126 days) was shorter by 3.21 days in symptom-diagnosed patients with low PCP continuity, 17.43 days in screen-diagnosed immigrants with high PCP continuity and 10.68 days in symptom-diagnosed patients with no baseline PCP utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low physical and/or mental comorbidity showed greater increases in PCP use during adjuvant chemotherapy. Higher PCP continuity was associated with shorter median time to chemotherapy in screen-diagnosed immigrants. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Feng, Yan | O'Brien, Peter J. | Hepatocyte Molecular Cytotoxic Mechanism Study of Fructose and its Metabolites Involved in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Hyperoxaluria | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2010-07-26T18:50:13Z | High chronic fructose consumption is linked to a nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) type of hepatotoxicity. Oxalate is the major endpoint of fructose metabolism, which accumulates in the kidney causing renal stone disease. Both diseases are life-threatening if not treated. Our objective was to study the molecular cytotoxicity mechanisms of fructose and some of its metabolites in the liver. Fructose metabolites were incubated with primary rat hepatocytes, but cytotoxicity only occurred if the hepatocytes were exposed to non-toxic amounts of hydrogen peroxide such as those released by activated immune cells. Glyoxal was most likely the endogenous toxin responsible for fructose induced toxicity formed via autoxidation of the fructose metabolite glycolaldehyde catalyzed by superoxide radicals, or oxidation by Fenton’s hydroxyl radicals. As for hyperoxaluria, glyoxylate was more cytotoxic than oxalate presumably because of the formation of condensation product oxalomalate causing mitochondrial toxicity and oxidative stress. Oxalate toxicity likely involved pro-oxidant iron complex formation. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Ferguson, Cameron | Cameron, Linda | A Narrative Inquiry into Critical Learning Strategies in the Ontario High School Dramatic Arts Curriculum | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11 | The purpose of this study was to identify and apply critical learning strategies to the design of social justice lesson plans for the dramatic arts, followed by reflections upon the process. The major research question to be answered was “How can we integrate critical learning theories into the curriculum of Ontario high school drama curriculum?” To arrive at the answer to this question, the study addressed four sub-questions: Why is it important to integrate critical learning theories into the curriculum of high school drama classes? Which teaching strategies support critical learning curriculum? What are some examples of past efforts to integrate critical learning theories into the curriculum of high school drama classes? What are some examples of future possibilities for implementing critical learning theories into the curriculum of Ontario high school drama classes? The chosen methodology was narrative inquiry. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Fernando, Shannon M. | Monks, D. Ashley | Myocyte Androgen Receptor Modulates Body Composition and Metabolic Parameters | Medical Science | 2010-12-31T20:21:06Z | Androgens (such as testosterone) have been shown to increase lean body mass and reduce fat body mass in men through activation of androgen receptors (AR). While this suggests a potential clinical use for androgens, attempts at utilization of this class of hormones as a therapeutic are limited by side effects due to indiscriminate AR activation in various tissues. Thus, a greater understanding of the tissues and cells involved in promoting these changes would be beneficial. Here we show that selective overexpression of AR in muscle cells of transgenic (HSA-AR) rodents both increases lean muscle mass and significantly reduces fat mass in males. Similar effects can be induced in HSA-AR females treated with testosterone. Metabolic analyses of HSA-AR males show that these animals demonstrate increased O2 consumption and hypermetabolism. Thus, targeted activation of AR in muscle regulates body composition and metabolism, suggesting a novel target for drug development. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Ferreyro Mazieres, Sofia Lorena | McDougall, Doug | Elementary School Teachers' Attitudes Towards Teaching Mathematics and their Professional Learning Goals | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | This study examined how elementary teachers identified and set specific goals to improve their mathematics teaching using the framework of the Ten Dimensions of Mathematics Education (McDougall, 2004). This qualitative study investigates the beliefs and attitudes of four Grade 6 teachers using data collected from interviews and surveys. Based on the evidence found in this study, a relationship exists between teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards teaching mathematics, their professional learning goals, their instructional practices and student achievement. There were three major findings: (1) teachers’ goals were linked to their weakest dimension and were student centered; (2) teachers’ beliefs on constructing knowledge are not aligned with current mathematics education thinking; and (3) professional development, collaboration, and parental involvement also influenced teachers’ goal setting process. Suggestions for teacher professional learning sessions are discussed, including additions to the teacher change model (Ross Bruce, 2007). | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Ferri-de-Barros, Fábio | Howard, Andrew | Priority Setting for Health Resource Allocation in Brazil: A Scoping Review and Ethical Analysis. | Medical Science | 2013-11-22 | Brazil is a high middle income country where health inequities persist across two systems of health care financing and delivery. The publicly financed system (SUS) is one of the world’s largest health organizations, which is charged with the constitutional mandate to provide comprehensive health care coverage to over 190 million citizens. National Health Conferences (CNS), the core forum for societal participation in health policy making for the SUS, occur every four years. Yet, managers and councillors struggle to decide on how to allocate resources to meet competing populational health needs and demands, and to comply with the directives of the SUS. The purpose of my research is to describe the three most recent CNS, based on a scoping literature review, to evaluate the ethical account of these decision making processes, and to provide recommendations for improving priority setting for health resource allocation for the SUS according to the ethical analysis. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Field, Nicolas | Boler, Megan||Bialystok, Lauren | Farewell Manly Strength: Masculinity and the Politics of Emotion | Social Justice Education | 2017-11 | Masculine identity has been historically defined through invocations of various forms of negative emotions within the domain of psychoanalysis, psychology, gender studies and American history. By theorizing men and masculinity as seemingly perpetually in crisis, theorists of masculinities do a disservice to the members of our society who have historically been disenfranchised by the bearers of patriarchal privilege, regardless of how these men feel. This text explores the relationship between masculinity and emotion, urging readers to consider the ways patriarchy has modulated in response to the feminist movement using the concepts of crisis masculinity, post-truth politics and gaslighting. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Figueiredo, Rafael L. F. | Quiñonez, Carlos | Homelessness and Oral Health in Toronto | Dentistry | 2011-12-07 | Objectives: This study aimed to assess the oral health status of the Toronto adult homeless population; to learn how they perceive their own oral health; and how they interact with the dental care system. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study collected data from 191 homeless adults who were randomly selected using a stratified cluster sample at 18 shelters. A questionnaire and clinical oral examination were conducted with participants. Results: The mean Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth (DMFT) score of the subjects was 14.4 (SD=8.1). Only 32% of them had visited a dentist during the last year; 75% believed that they had untreated dental conditions; and 40% had their last dental visit for emergency care. The clinical oral examination observed that 88% needed fillings, 70% periodontal, 60% prosthodontic and 40% emergency treatment. Conclusion: Homeless adults in Toronto have poor oral health, significant oral health treatment needs and a lack of access to dental care. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Filewod, Benjamin A. | Thomas, Sean C. | Effects of an Early Season Heat Wave on Ecophysiological Parameters Related to Productivity in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) | Forestry | 2011-12-07 | Anticipated increases in the frequency, duration or intensity of high temperature events ('heat waves') have the potential to significantly impact forest form and functioning, but these events remain virtually unstudied in forest ecosystems. This thesis presents the results of an event-driven research effort into the impacts of three days of record-setting high temperatures in late May 2010 on key ecophysiological parameters in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum. Marsh). High temperatures reduced photosynthetic capacity by ~66% versus previous years and total end-of-season leaf litter production by ~33% versus prior measurements. It is predicted that these reductions substantially reduced productivity for Sugar Maple in 2010. These results constitute the first description of the impacts of a short-duration heat wave on productivity-related parameters in a temperate forest tree. The predicted increase in high temperature events could make such impacts a significant, though so far overlooked, pathway of climate change impacts on temperate forests. | MAST | forest; climate | 13, 15 |
| Finkleman, Gary | Glogauer, Michael | The Impact of Integration of Dental Services on Oral Health in Long-term Care | Dentistry | 2010-01-18T20:42:41Z | Background: There is no standardized approach to the organizational structure for oral health provision in long-term care (LTC) and many different arrangements exist within different institutions. Objectives: To analyze how integration of dental service in LTC impacts residents and their oral health using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed involving 61 residents in 3 LTC facilities in Ontario. Facility A had a fee-for-service hygienist, Facility B had a dentist present once per week, and Facility C had a full time dental team. Results: Dental services that initiated treatment as opposed to placing responsibility on the LTC resident to access dental care resulted in better oral health outcomes. Conclusion: Dental services in LTC require a proactive approach directly integrated with each resident’s overall health care plan. Passive treatment strategies fail to provide acceptable oral health for LTC residents even when dental services are available. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Finseth, Sonia Madelene Littler | Peterson-Badali, Michele | Meeting the Needs of Aboriginal Youth in the Ontario Justice System: Reconciling Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Ways of Knowing: An Exploratory Qualitative Study | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2014-11 | Using a qualitative, exploratory design and drawing on interpretivist, postcolonial, and decolonizing frameworks, this study sought to comprehend the perceptions of justice system personnel and Aboriginal service users about Aboriginal-specific, community-based justice programming and to better understand the factors that influence successful referral and access to these programs within community-sentencing and probation contexts. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants (youth court judges, crown attorneys, youth court workers, youth probation officers, service providers, and Aboriginal service users) and thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes. Results indicate that there is strong support for Aboriginal-specific, community-based programming within the youth justice community. However, barriers to matching Aboriginal service users with Aboriginal programming are numerous and include poor communication between mainstream and Aboriginal justice partners and inconsistency in Aboriginal-specific program offerings, among others. Findings are also discussed in reference to the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework. | M.A. | justice | 15 |
| Fishman, J. Zachary | Bazylak, Aimy | Investigation of Surface Properties and Heterogeneity in Gas Diffusion Layers for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2010-12-31T20:33:36Z | The development of improved water management strategies for the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) could stand to benefit from an improved understanding of the surface and internal structure of the gas diffusion layer (GDL). The GDL is a fibrous porous material enabling mass transport between the PEMFC catalyst layer and flow fields. Fluorescence-based visualizations of liquid water droplet evaporation on GDL surfaces were performed to investigate water droplet pinning behaviours. The heterogeneous in-plane and through-plane porosity distributions of untreated GDLs were studied using computed tomography visualizations. The through-plane porosity distributions were utilized to calculate heterogeneous local tortuosity, relative diffusivity, and permeability distributions. Finally, the heterogeneous through-plane porosity distributions of GDLs treated for increased hydrophobicity were investigated. This work provides new insight into GDL material properties to better inform future PEMFC models. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Fiume, Anna Marie | Boland, Alana||Wakefield, Sarah | The Regionalized Health Care System and Access for Mobile Populations in Southern Ontario | Geography | 2016-11 | This case study of the Ontario regionalized health care system has investigated health care access in the context of an increasingly mobile population (including commuting and seasonal travel). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff members of Local Health Integration Networks and a Health Centre within southern Ontario alongside secondary research on federal and provincial health system structures and governance. The results of this research suggest there are mobility and geography system barriers to health care access in this region. The participants characterized obtaining transportation to health services as a current access challenge, and urban development and population growth as future concerns. Commuting and seasonal travel were not considered to present significant barriers outside logistics in arranging appointments. The health care systemâ s ability to mitigate such barriers may be limited by the structure of the health care system due to the regional-focus of planning and the necessity of inter-organizational collaboration. | M.A. | health; urban; governance | 3, 11, 16 |
| Flemming, Scott A. C. | Jamieson, Gregory Allan | Encouraging Energy Conservation Through Information Display: A New Approach | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2009-08-07T20:07:05Z | Much study is required on how human behaviour affects resource consumption. Not only are Human Factors Engineers well equipped to study how to shape human behaviour, but contributors to conservation literature have asked for their involvement in the domain of energy conservation. This study took a novel, systematic, human-factors approach to providing feedback on energy consumption by testing the effects of providing three levels of feedback on conservation performance. The results showed that providing physical, functional, and task-based information aided performance more than physical information alone, but no more than providing physical and functional information together. More research is required to determine if physical and task information alone could achieve the same result, if study results would differ when two opposing task goals were given, and if the varying levels of feedback have a greater effect on novices. | MAST | energy; conserv | 7, 14 |
| Fong, Fredric Kajun | Azhari, Fae||Ghafghazi, Mason | Towards the Development of a Sensor for Measuring Soil Stresses in the Cyclic Simple Shear Apparatus | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | In locations with seismic activity, structures are susceptible to damage or failure due to soil liquefaction. Determining the horizontal stresses in soil before and during cyclic loading, which is a fundamental challenge in geotechnical engineering, is important for interpreting liquefaction susceptibility and predicting foundation response to earthquake loading. The applicability of various existing sensing devices and concepts for measuring stresses in soil were investigated. Six passive and two active sensor systems were designed and evaluated when buried within a soil specimen. The evaluations showed that none of the sensors functioned well in soil, even for those that minimized diaphragm deflection to mitigate soil arching effects. Major limiting factors observed in the results included hysteresis, non-linearity, lack of repeatability, and effects of placing sensors in soil. The disturbance induced by sensor placement in soil appears to be a dominating factor acting against reliable measurement of horizontal stresses, even under laboratory conditions. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Fong, Melissa | Schugurensky, Daniel | Rolling Out the Transformative Social Economy: A Case Study of Organic Intellectualism in Canadian Settlement Houses | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T16:15:50Z | Social economy community development organizations (SECDOs) are social service organizations that provide poverty relief but do not necessarily inspire a counter-hegemonic antipoverty strategy against a neoliberal welfare state. Tension between providing human social services and engaging in advocacy is at the core of how SECDOs may be both complicit to as well as working against the neoliberalization of the welfare state. This study explores how SECDOs can nurture a new paradigm for community economic development organizations. Through a case study of a Canadian settlement house, the research demonstrates how transforming work may encourage a culture of organic intellectualism or, a culture of emancipatory consciousness-raising. By re-organizing workplace practices, such as working collaboratively, providing a hub for services and engaging in popular education, transformative SECDOs help provide the conditions for citizens to affect governance. The research theorizes how SECDOs may foster a culture of organic intellectualism to promote the transformative social economy. | MAST | poverty; governance | 1, 16 |
| Fonseca, Renu Kanga | Jones, Glen A. ||Chambers, Tony | Motivations and Experiences of Elected Governing Council Members | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | This qualitative study explores the motivations and experiences of individuals elected to serve on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto. Elected governors include alumni, students, staff and faculty. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 2 alumni governors, 2 student governors, and 2 staff/faculty governors. Interview questions helped to examine personal motivations behind serving in university governance, activities and duties of governors, self-perceptions of effectiveness and improvements to the experience of elected members. The responses were used to create interview summaries and discover common themes in the experiences of elected governors. Four theme areas emerged. They are (1) initial motivations, (2) learning and informal communication, (3) personal benefits, pride and positive experience, and (4) approach to governance. This study includes a discussion of the unique position of alumni governors and suggests improvements to the governor experience as recommended by the research participants. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Forde, Martyn Henry de Boulay | Harvey, LD Danny | Renewable Energy Technology and the Hotel Sector of Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Managing Sustainability Transitions on the Island of Barbados | Geography | 2014-11 | This thesis examines the barriers to renewable energy technology within the hotel sector of Barbados. The topic is approached using the theoretical perspective of transition management. An economic analysis of renewable energy technologies applicable to Barbados is coupled with the insights of stakeholder interviews. Consequently, the space created for hotels to implement innovations in renewable energy technology is discussed. In particular, identified barriers are used to characterize the existing energy regime on the island. The categories of barriers identified are: institutional, market, economic, technical and socio-cultural. Despite favorable levelized costs of electricity for renewable energy technologies there must be new governance activities and market-based approaches to facilitate an energy transition within island hotels. | M.A. | energy; renewable; innovation; institution | 7, 9, 16 |
| Fowler, Erin | Weinrib, Lorraine | Advancing Reproductive Rights in a Religious World: A Comparative Survey of Reproductive Rights in Poland, Indonesia and Israel | Law | 2013-11-22 | This paper surveys the legal implications of religious doctrines at they relate to the universal acceptance of reproductive rights. While the use of human rights to advance reproductive health has gained momentum over the last several decades, the variance in arranging religion and state relations and the significant impact religious institutions have over the substantive rights to reproductive freedom in many parts of the world necessitates a break from considering reproductive rights as a strictly secular issue. Using Israel, Poland and Indonesia as examples, this paper will explain how an understanding of the doctrines underlying major world religions is a crucial step towards recognizing how reproductive rights and freedoms can be advanced in a world where laws and policies are informed by both the sacred and the secular. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Freeman, Michael W | Allen, Christine J. | Toward the patient-centred development of cancer therapeutics: A focus on nanomedicines | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-06 | Inspired by early work indicating nanometre-scale macromolecules can accumulate in tumours, nanomedicines were developed with intentions of improving cancer-killing efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity typical of traditional chemotherapies. This research first evaluates evidence provided to FDA and EMA regulators in order for cancer nanomedicines to be granted marketing approval, and then consults mature clinical data via health technology assessments to synthesize judgments of clinical benefit with respect to overall survival, safety, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Findings indicate that every marketed cancer nanomedicine— eight of nine being liposome technologies—demonstrates comparative clinical benefit on at least one dimension, that improvements in overall survival frequently come at the expense of safety, and that HRQOL is generally conserved or improved versus comparator therapies. Sparse data and inconsistency in HRQOL reporting practices were major deficiencies among the documents consulted and represent key barriers to providing patients evidence that can inform treatment decision-making. | M.A.S. | health; innovation | 3, 9 |
| Fregoli, Clio Robinson | Wakefield, Sarah | Alternative Spaces of Sex Education: A Look into the Lived Experiences of Young Queer Women | Geography | 2019-11 | The classroom is a formative space for young women to learn about sexuality and sexual health; however, sexual health education is often engrained in heteronormative expectations of sexuality, which exclude the experiences and health concerns of young queer women. This provokes the question of where, and how, young queer women learn about sexual health. This project draws on 29 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with young queer women who attended public high school in Toronto. The results illustrate the exclusion of queer sexual health in Ontario’s Grades 9-12 1998 sex education curriculum, and both the benefits and drawbacks of learning about sex and sexuality from friends, family, the Internet, clinics and community organizations. This analysis of spaces of education expands our knowledge of how and where young queer women learn about sexual health, with the hope to ultimately improve sexual health education for young queer women in Toronto. | M.A. | queer; women | 5 |
| Fridman, Joel | Friedmann, Harriet | Settlement, Food Lands, and Sustainable Habitation: The Historical Development of Agricultural Policy and Urban Planning in Southern Ontario | Geography | 2014-06-25 | In this thesis I recount the historical relationship between settlement and food lands in Southern Ontario. Informed by landscape and food regime theory, I use a landscape approach to interpret the history of this relationship to deepen our understanding of a pertinent, and historically specific problem of land access for sustainable farming. This thesis presents entrenched barriers to landscape renewal as institutional legacies of various layers of history. It argues that at the moment and for the last century Southern Ontario has had two different, parallel sets of determinants for land-use operating on the same landscape in the form of agricultural policy and urban planning. To the extent that they are not purposefully coordinated, not just with each other but with the social and ecological foundations of our habitation, this is at the root of the problem of land access for sustainable farming. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Friedman, Molly Ehrlich | Casas, Michael J||Barrett, Edward J | Trends in Utilization of a Children's Hospital Emergency Department for Caries-related Complaints | Dentistry | 2016-11 | abstract purpose: To determine trends in caries-related visits to a childrenâ s hospital emergency department and associated costs. Methods: A review of health records of all children who presented to the ED at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, with caries-related complaints from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2012 was completed. Institutional costs for the episodes of care were calculated using encounter level costing. A Poisson model examined trends over time. A log-linear model examined the impact of sex, age, comorbidity, and socioeconomic status. results: Over the study period, the numbers of visits for caries-related complaints increased by 48 percent (p=0.001). Characteristics of the children were being male, under 5 years old, low socioeconomic status and no co-morbidity. The mean cost per visit was $575.17 CDN. conclusions: With an increasing volume and mean visit cost of almost $600 CDN, childrenâ s hospital EDs caries-related visits to childrenâ s hospital EDs are not insignificant. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Friel, Charlotte | Finkelstein, Sarah A. | Diatom Records of Holocene Climatic and Hydrological Changes in the Western Hudson Bay Region, Canada | Geography | 2011-12-07 | Rapidly changing climates in northern Canada make the western Hudson Bay region an area of high importance for paleoenvironmental studies. Long-term changes in assemblages of diatoms (microscopic algae) were analyzed from lake sediment cores from Baker Lake, Nunavut, and Lake AT01, northern Ontario, to track responses to past environmental changes. Diatom assemblages dating to 6700 years ago in AT01 were initially characterized by cold- tolerant Fragilarioid assemblages, but shifted to an assemblage dominated by large benthic species and Cymbella diluviana consistent with the timing of the Holocene Thermal Maximum after 6300 years BP. A possible drainage event in Lake AT01 may have added significant hydrologic control on the diatom assemblages. The post-industrial period is marked by the largest compositional shifts in both records. Assemblages during the 20th century are indicative of reduced ice cover and enhanced thermal stratification linked to a climate regime shift noted in Hudson Bay since the mid-1990’s. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| Frost, Damien F. | Lehn, Peter W. ||Prodic, Aleksandar | A PFC Power Supply with Minimized Energy Storage Components and a New Control Ttechnique for Cascaded SMPS | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-12-04 | This Master of Applied Science thesis proposes a new design of low power, power factor corrected (PFC), power supplies. By lifting the hold up time restriction for devices that have a battery built in, the energy storage elements of the converter can be reduced, permitting a small and inexpensive power converter to be built. In addition, a new control technique for controlling cascaded converters is presented, named duty mode control (DMC). Its advantages are shown through simulations. The system was proven using a prototype developed in the laboratory designed for a universal ac input voltage (85 - 265VRMS at 50 - 60Hz) and a 40W output at 12V. It consisted of two interleaved phases sensed and digitally controlled on the isolated side of the converter. The prototype was able to achieve a power factor of greater than 0.98 for all operating conditions, and input harmonic current distortion well below any set of standards. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Frydrych, David | Benson, Peter | Taking Rights Way Too Seriously: Kant, Hohfeld, and Evaluating Conceptual Theories of Rights | Law | 2010-12-31T20:40:30Z | This paper concerns the dominant conceptual or formal accounts of legal rights: the Interest and Will Theories. Section II clarifies the minimal necessary conditions for a rights model to count as a Will Theory. It also explores Kant’s Will Theory of rights and the difficulties posed to it by Hohfeld’s schema of jural relations. Kant has three alternatives: reject the schema’s utility or demonstrate his theory’s compatibility with it via molecularist or basic models of Hohfeldian rights. Although his best option is to disavow Hohfeld, Kant’s theory is ultimately undesirable on other grounds. Section III shall analyze the modern Will and Interest Theories’ biggest weaknesses according to a test proposed in Section I, which should generate bases for preferring one theory to another. It will offer a counterargument to the Inalienability charge levied against the Will Theory, and demonstrate why Interest Theory responses to the Third Party Beneficiary argument are inadequate. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Fryer, Marisa | Drake, Jennifer | The Comparative Impacts of Meadow and Sedum Species on Green Roof Hydrology | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | The goal of this thesis is to compare the stormwater management potential of two common green roof plant communities – native grasses and forbs, known as “meadow” species, and Sedum species – over a range of irrigation volumes. The physical and biological mechanisms involved in water retention provided by the green roof vegetation was measured and compared. Plants retain stormwater through three different mechanisms: water consumed through the roots which remains in the biomass, water transpired through the leaves during photosynthesis, and water intercepted by the leaves which then evaporates. Overall, the meadow species consumed roughly 50% more water through their roots, while Sedum intercepted roughly 70% more water; however, these processes occurred over different timescales and at different magnitudes, and were significantly impacted by variations in climate. This study highlights the complexities of plant water relations, and will contribute to a more holistic understanding of green roof performance and benefits. | M.A.S. | water; sustainable design | 6, 8 |
| Fugariu, Ioana | Simpson, Andre J | The Development of In Vivo and Microcoil NMR: Towards Single Egg Toxicity Screening | Chemistry | 2017-11 | An objective in ecology is to understand an organism’s response (e.g. Daphnia magna) to changing environmental conditions. Under unfavorable conditions, D. magna’s dormant eggs are stored in aquatic sediments, where exposure to toxins can lead to population decimation. A single egg has a small volume (~4 nL), making them challenging to study via conventional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The static nature of eggs allows for their localization over planar microcoils and an increase in signal-to-noise ratio is observed relative to larger coils. This thesis applies a range of planar microcoils ( | M.Sc. | ecology | 15 |
| Fullerton, Leslie-Ann | Trotz, D. Alissa||Walcott, Rinaldo | Women in Jamaican Dancehall: Rethinking Jamaican Dancehall through a Women-Centered Informal Economy Approach. | Social Justice Education | 2017-11 | Some academic discussions that address women who participate in Jamaican Dancehall have taken the position that these women lack morality and agency and have internalized sexist norms (Lake 1996). This is because of the overtly sexual nature of the cultural expression. This research project aimed to expand the conversation concerning these women by investigating how female dancehall dancers, models and auxiliaries (designers, beauticians and vendors) make a living from Dancehall's informal economy. Through empirical evidence, this research will suggest that women who participate in Jamaican dancehall have subjectively and economically benefited from the informal economy that is embedded in dancehall. | M.Ed. | women | 5 |
| Fung, Jonathan Winston | Chen, Jing Ming | Atmospheric Inversion of the Global Surface Carbon Flux with Consideration of the Spatial Distributions of US Crop Production and Consumption | Geography | 2012-11-22 | Carbon dioxide is taken up by crops during production and released back to the atmosphere at different geographical locations through respiration of consumed crop commodities. In this study, spatially distributed county-level US cropland net primary productivity, harvested biomass, changes in soil carbon, and human and livestock consumption data were integrated into the prior terrestrial biosphere flux generated by the Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS). A global time-dependent Bayesian synthesis inversion with a nested focus on North America was carried out based on CO2 observations at 210 stations. Overall, the inverted annual North American CO2 sink weakened by 6.5% over the period from 2002 to 2007 compared to simulations disregarding US crop statistical data. The US Midwest is found to be the major sink of 0.36±0.13 PgC yr-1 whereas the large sink in the US Southeast forests weakened to 0.16±0.12 PgC yr-1 partly due to local CO2 sources from crop consumption. | MAST | consum; agriculture; environment | 2, 12, 13 |
| Gabriel, Mikaela Daria | Stewart, Suzanne L | Indigenous Homelessness and Traditional Knowledge: Stories of Elders and Outreach Support | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2015-11 | Aboriginal people are the fastest growing population in Canada. A large portion live off reserves, seeking employment and education in urban centres. While Aboriginal people comprise less than 5% of the population of Toronto, they are overrepresented in the homeless population, at an estimated 15% (Statistics Canada, 2009). There is little known about current life transitions of Aboriginal individuals into cities, and what barriers and supports exist that may put them at risk of homelessness. This study asked: “What are the intersections of traditional Elders, mental health, and homelessness for Aboriginal peoples in Toronto?” The study is based in a conceptual framework of Indigenous knowledges, and employed a narrative methodological structure, using individual interviews to explore stories of Elders and outreach employees from an urban Aboriginal homeless shelter. Results include four metathemes: Traditional Knowledge, Mental Health, Services, and Clients. Limitations, future directions and research implications are discussed in this work. | M.A. | health; educat; employment; cities | 3, 4, 8, 11 |
| Gagliardi, Stephanie | Isaac, Marney | Intraspecific Trait Plasticity in Coffee Agroforestry Systems of Costa Rica | Geography | 2014-03-18 | Although a common plant response to environmental gradients, leaf trait plasticity is often uncharted in agroforestry systems. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a i) local-scale gradient (light, nutrients) induced by shade tree diversity and ii) large-scale gradient (climato-edaphic) induced by altitude on coffee plant response on multiple agroforestry research farms in Costa Rica. Results show large variability of coffee traits: leaf photosynthetic rates, specific leaf area (SLA) and number of fruiting nodes deviate along both gradients. Mean SLA increased with increasing shade tree diversity. However, with increasing altitude, full sun coffee photosynthesized at higher rates than shaded coffee. Concurrently, other coffee leaf physiological and morphological traits differentiated between full sun and shaded coffee with increasing altitude. Results suggest soil moisture and light availability dominate environmental correlates to intraspecific coffee trait plasticity, providing insight to sources of coffee performance variability in monoculture and agroforestry systems. | MAST | environment; forest | 13, 15 |
| Gahayr, Safia | Cannon, Martin | Invisibility, Disappearance and Reclamation: A Sociological Investigation into the Location(s) of Aboriginal and African Women in Canada | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-05-24T19:30:51Z | This thesis focuses on issues of the growing level of violence that continues to be leveled at two groups of women in Canada; Aboriginal women and African Canadian women. I propose that a combination of State racism, sexism, colonialism, poverty and societal indifference are responsible for the marginalization and oppression that both these groups of women are facing in Canada today. I will make use of three key tenets of sociological discourse that are built on the theoretical frameworks of anti-colonial, Indigenous and Black Feminism. These frameworks describe ways in which the interlocking systems of oppression maintain a Eurocentric, colonial hegemony that continues to perpetuate violence against Aboriginal and African Canadian women. This comparative approach opens an investigative lens into the ways that ideologies (including cultural representations in the media) demean both Aboriginal and African Canadian women. | MAST | women; poverty | 1, 5 |
| Gairdner, Sarah | Amara, Catherine | Metabolic and Endocrine Adaptations to Chronically Low Body Mass in Female Wistar Rats | Exercise Sciences | 2011-12-07 | Animal models have yet to characterize alterations in body composition, wheel running activity, food intake, and neuroendocrine parameters, in chronic food restriction. This study investigated changes in these measures in food restricted rats, with and without access to running wheels, over four weeks. The data demonstrated that upon initiation of food restriction IGF-1 reductions paralleled loss of lean tissue while leptin levels were rapidly reduced which paralleled losses in body fat. Further, a lower limit threshold of body fat was identified, below which the correlation between leptin and fat mass was disrupted. Lastly, a decrease and plateau in body mass was mirrored by an increase and plateau in voluntary wheel activity in the food restricted population. The data suggest that there is a tight biological link between hyperactivity and body mass and that adequate nutritional support might attenuate the drive for obligate exercise even before weight is fully restored. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Gallego, Cristina | Martel, Anne L. | Automatic 3D Segmentation of the Breast in MRI | Medical Biophysics | 2011-12-08 | Breast cancer is currently the most common diagnosed cancer among women and a significant cause of death. Breast density is considered a significant risk factor and an important biomarker influencing the later risk of breast cancer. Therefore, ongoing epidemiological studies using MRI are evaluating quantitatively breast density in young women. One of the challenges is segmenting the breast in order to calculate total breast volume and exclude non-breast surrounding tissues. This thesis describes an automatic 3D breast volume segmentation based on 3D local edge detection using phase congruency and Poisson surface reconstruction to extract the total breast volume in 3D. The boundary localization framework is integrated on a subsequent atlas-based segmentation using a Laplacian framework. The 3D segmentation achieves breast-air and breast-chest wall boundary localization errors with a median of 1.36 mm and 2.68 mm respectively when tested on 409 MRI datasets. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Gamble, Jennifer Lauren McCulloch | Brunnee, Jutta | Mitigating Natural Disaster: Conceptualization and Implementation of an International Responsibility to Protect | Law | 2011-12-07 | This Note asserts that natural disaster-affected populations have a right to call on the international community to protect basic subsistence interests where their sovereign government is unable or unwilling to do so in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster. First, this Note situates the right to international humanitarian assistance following a natural disaster as a legitimate right under modern international human rights law, using the normative framework set out by renowned political theorist Charles Beitz. This Note then illustrates how the international humanitarian law doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect provides a clear and coherent way to operationalize the right to post-natural disaster humanitarian assistance, by providing a previously-determined structure for a definitive, yet circumstantially-flexible, determination of first- and second-level responsibilities for eligible international actors to take action in defence of this right. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Gamboa, Gimy | Halfar, Jochen | Mg/Ca Ratios in Crustose Coralline Algae as Proxies for Reconstructing Labrador Current Variability | Geology | 2010-07-26T19:05:53Z | Climate variability in the North Atlantic has been linked in part to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The NAO influences marine ecosystems in the northwestern Atlantic and the transport variability of the cold Labrador Current (LC). Understanding historic patterns and predicting future changes in LC transport require long-term and high-resolution climate records that are not available from instrumental data sets. This thesis presents the first century-scale sea surface temperature (SST)reconstructions from the Northwestern Atlantic using Mg/Ca ratios in the long-lived crustose coralline algae Clathromorphum compactum. which is characterized by a high Mg-calcite skeleton exhibiting annual growth increments. Results indicate strong correlations between interannual variations in Mg/Ca ratios and instrumental SST. The 131-year algal Mg/Ca record reveals NAO-type periodicities and evidence of past cold events and warming periods associated with basin-wide ecosystem shifts. Negative correlations between LC volume transport and algal Mg/Ca reflect the cooling influence of the LC on eastern Canadian shelf ecosystems. | MAST | climate; marine | 13, 14 |
| Gandhi, Sonal | Alibhai, Shabbir Muhammad Husayn | A Systematic Review and Appraisal of International Early Breast Cancer Guidelines for Systemic Therapy, and a Global Physician Survey Examining Practice Patterns by Resource Setting: Potential Implications for International Health Policy | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2012-07-19 | Breast cancer is a growing international health epidemic, and patients in low and middle income countries (LMCs) have worse outcomes than those in high income countries. High quality, well-implemented guidelines help improve patient outcomes, but are often not resource-sensitive, and support therapies that may not be feasible in LMCs. A systematic review to address the content, quality, and resource-sensitivity of international breast cancer guidelines was completed. Also, a survey of global physicians evaluated the impact of resource setting on practice patterns and guideline use. Guideline use did not appear to be directed by quality (which was variable across guidelines) or resource-sensitivity (found in few guidelines). However, practice patterns were found to vary by resource setting and by continent, often due to the cost of certain therapies. In order for guidelines to better impact global breast cancer outcomes, they need to be of higher quality, more resource-sensitive, and better implemented. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Gao, Dong | Lu, Zhenghong | C60:LiF Hole Blocking Layer for Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells | Materials Science and Engineering | 2010-12-31T21:10:21Z | A standard procedure for P3HT:PCBM bulk-heterojunction solar cells has been developed. Fabrication conditions, such as environment; solution concentration, thickness of active layer or post-treatment methods are systematically optimized. The best device performance is obtained by slow-drying spin-coated P3HT:PCBM (1:0.8) blend layer with DCB as solvent. C60:LiF composite films with up to 80% LiF concentration as hole blocking layer have been developed to significantly increase power conversion efficiencies of OPV devices. The short-circuit current density is greatly enhanced, without sacrificing open-circuit voltage and fill factor. Due to its superior oxygen diffusion blocking effect, the C60:LiF composite layer also can provide a more effective passivation film than a thin LiF layer, resulting in an impressive enhancement in air stability of devices. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Gardiner-Heslin, Marlowe | Sakaki, Atsuko | Renegotiating Normalcy: Gender and Marginality in the Fiction and Film of Recessional Japan | East Asian Studies | 2014-11 | This thesis explores the various ways economic stagnation has challenged normative gender roles in contemporary Japan. Since the beginning of Japan's prolonged recession, individuals living lives that do not correspond to the standards of mainstream society have faced increased scrutiny in the mainstream media and popular discourse. Such individuals are often categorized as new phenomena and labeled with terms that emphasize their failure to adhere to economically productive models of selfhood. In order to challenge such categorizations, this paper focuses on contemporary, fictive representations of social nonconformity, while drawing parallels with earlier texts that articulate many of the same problems. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how marginalization of large segments of the population destabilizes the supposedly universal tenets of capitalist modernity and allows for the production of less rigid models of normalcy. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Garner, Richard Kyle | Bender, Timothy P | Mixed Alloy Compositions, Cascade Device Structures, and Lifetime Studies, of Boron Subphthalocyanine and its Derivatives in Organic Photovoltaic Devices | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | This thesis encompasses my work to advance the field of organic photovoltaics, as well as my efforts to enable others to make further steps. It first details my investigation of the novel Îź-oxo-(BsubPc)2 compound, including usage of codeposition to achieve a mixed alloy composition, and several device engineering strategies employed to increase performance. Secondly, it describes my work to establish structure-property relationships with regard to molecular degradation in boron subphthalocyanine-containing organic photovoltaic devices. Next, it presents my analysis of the effects of various mixed alloy compositions of the chloro-(chloro)n-boron subnaphthalocyanine molecule on device performance. Finally, it illustrates my work in designing and building automated data collection and artificial solar aging systems to facilitate further exploration of degradation properties. These efforts serve to identify useful molecular and device design strategies to optimize both the performance and lifetime of organic photovoltaic devices containing derivatives of the boron subphthalocyanine molecule. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Garritty, Chantelle | Skinner, Harvey | Updating Systematic Reviews: The Policies and Practices of Health Care Organizations Involved in Evidence Synthesis | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2010-01-19T16:45:40Z | Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) should be kept up-to-date to maintain importance in informing health care policy and practice. However, updating policies and practices of health care organizations (HCOs) that fund or conduct SRs are either unclear or non-existent. Objective: To examine updating policies and practices of relevant HCOs. Primary Research Design: An exploratory Internet survey of 195 HCOs within the international SR community. Results: The completed response rate was 58% (n=114) across 26 countries. Although 57% of organizations reported to have a formal updating policy, 59% reported updating practices as irregular. Moreover, 54% estimated more than half of their respective SRs were likely out dated. Resource constraints were a prominent barrier. Most (70%) supported centralizing updating efforts across institutions or agencies. Significance: This research provides a baseline glimpse of the state of updating among HCOs globally involved in evidence synthesis and therefore adds to a limited body of knowledge. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Gartsbein, Elena | Kulkarni, Gajanan | Oral Health Policies in Toronto Daycare and Elementary Schools | Dentistry | 2009-02-24T16:48:02Z | This study’s objectives were to: 1. Determine the prevalence of oral care policies in daycares and elementary schools. 2. Examine the availability of resources. 3. Analyze the results by neighborhood income class. Information was collected using a questionnaire. Differences in proportion of institutions with policy, comparisons between daycares and schools, and prevalence of policies by neighborhood income class were performed. Qualitative responses were categorized and interpreted from a qualitative standpoint. Most institutions did not have a policy regarding oral hygiene. Daycares were more likely to have a policy (17% vs. 5%, p<0.001), and more likely to have sinks for toothbrushing (85% vs. 51%, p<0.001). No significant difference in policy prevalence was found among income neighborhoods. Most institutions did not have a policy regarding oral hygiene. The findings suggest that there is a need for a uniform oral care policy in educational institutions, supported by appropriate resources for its implementation. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Gately, Cole | Mirchandani, Kiran | Solidarity in the Borderlands of Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality: Racialized Transgender Men | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T16:21:08Z | This qualitative study uses multiple autobiographical narratives of racialized transgender men to examine the intersecting axes of oppression at work in the borderlands of identity. The research contributes more complex understandings of transgender lives by raising questions about how gender, race, class, and sexuality intersect in the lives of racialized transgender men, and how such identities negotiate their place in the various communities constituted by those particular social locations. In particular I look at the ways that solidarity works in the borderlands, the liminal space composed of intersecting subject positions. I ask what constitutes solidarity, and I discover the contingencies operating in the borderlands that facilitate or pose barriers to full participation and solidarity of racialized transgender men. Findings reveal the complex negotiations racialized transgender men must engage in, both within and outside of queer and feminist communities, and challenge us to think through the meanings of solidarity. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Gawor, Anna | Wania, Frank | Development and Application of New Methods for Characterizing the Environmental Fate of Halogenated Organic Contaminants | Chemistry | 2013-11-15 | This thesis explored new methods for understanding the fate and transport of halogenated organic contaminants in the environment. A theoretical method of hazard assessment of chemical mixtures containing large numbers of components was developed and its application illustrated using polychlorinated alkanes, toxaphene, and halogenated dibenzo-para-dioxins and furans. Partitioning properties predicted by high-throughput quantitative structure property relationships were used to locate mixture constituents on plots displaying equilibrium phase distribution in various environmental compartments and the potential for bioaccumulation and long range transport. Potentially hazardous components were identified graphically for more detailed assessments. The applicability of XAD-resin based passive air samplers (XAD-PAS) for studying neutral polyfluoroalkyl substances (nPFAS) in the atmosphere was tested empirically. XAD-PASs have sufficiently high uptake capacity to yield temporally averaged nPFAS concentrations over period as long as a year. When applied as part of the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling network, nPFAS were found to be truly global contaminants. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Gayle, Janice | Gérin-Lajoie, Diane | Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Science to Socio-culturally Diverse Students | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-07-10 | In this qualitative research study, I examine eight elementary educators perspectives on teaching science to diverse students in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). A critical pedagogy and antiracism conceptual framework is used to examine elementary educators perspectives on the interrelationship between student sociocultural background and science education. Ontario Ministry of Education policies and curriculum documents and science educational research are used to interpret themes/codes from the official literature on student diversity and science education. Key findings of my research study show that: (1) elementary educators’ are ‘socio-culturally conscious’ of diverse students in the science classroom; (2) elementary educators require a more complex and broader understanding of official discourses on the sociocultural contexts of science education and implications for scientific literacy development; and (3) professional development (i.e., workshops and training) and teacher collaboration opportunities are identified as effective strategies for supporting elementary educator in diverse science classroom spaces. | MAST | educat | 3 |
| Gazman, Yakov | Coyle, Thomas W | High Performance MoxN Electrode Fabricated by Solution Precursor Plasma Spraying | Materials Science and Engineering | 2015-11 | Changing climate and decreasing availability of fossil fuels stimulate the use of alternative energy sources and energy storage devices such as electrochemical capacitors The current study investigates the implementation of SPPS (Solution Precursor Plasma Spraying) for the deposition of high surface area electrochemical capacitor electrodes. A high performance MoxN electrochemical capacitor electrode was produced by solution precursor plasma spraying for the first time. The best electrode exhibited an initial capacitance of 62.4 mF cm-2 at a scan rate of 100 mV sec-1. The capacitance decreased by 22% after the first 1000 cycles, but the performance then stabilized, decreasing by only 0.15% over cycles 4000 to 5000 and exhibiting a capacitance of 30mF cm-2 after 5000 cycles. SPPS is a novel deposition method, thus further understanding and optimization of the process is required to improve the performance and manufacturability, but a clear potential was proven. | M.A.S. | energy; climate | 7, 13 |
| Ghabrial, Monica Alice | Andersen, Judith||Carlson, Erika | "Trying to Figure Out Where We Belong": Narratives of Racialized Sexual Minorities on Community, Identity, Discrimination, and Health | Psychology | 2014-11 | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people of colour are regularly exposed to unique and contextual forms of prejudice and stigma, which have been linked to stress and increased likelihood of mental and physical health problems. In order to better understand the experiences of this multiply marginalized population, we interviewed eleven LGBTQ-POC to examine how they describe their identities, communities, health, and experiences with stigma. This study reveals new information about community intersection and the microaggressions experienced by queer people of colour, and provides theoretical support for previously identified issues concerning identity relationships and wellbeing. Common issues discussed by respondents include disconnect from communities, relationships between identities, coming out, exoticization, and stress and anxiety. Three primary concepts that are introduced and discussed in this study include: | M.A. | gender; queer | 5 |
| Ghanaati, Sahar | Green, Andrew | A Comparison of Different Regulatory Appraoches, Analysis of the Relative Benefits of Command and Control, Reflexive Law and Social Licencing in Ensuring Oil Industry Compliance with Environmentally Sustainable Practices and Obligations | Law | 2012-11-21 | This paper explores the relative benefits of command and control, reflexive law and social licensing in ensuring oil industry compliance with environmentally sustainable practices and obligations. Recognizing why oil sands and their development are significant, the background and development are reviewed first, and then the focus is shifted to look at its economics including the benefits, uncertainties and environmental costs of development. This paper examines how lawmakers in Canada have failed to meet their respective obligation. Drawing on environmental provisions, case law and legal scholars’ articles, books and reports, this paper examines the very problematic issue of oil sands regulation. It proposes to provide an in depth analysis of each regulatory forms and their application to the oil sands. It concludes that in order to solve the oil sands regulation challenges, a collaborative stringent enforcement of regulation from both federal and provincial governments, oil industry and public Pressure is required. | MAST | environment; industr | 9, 13 |
| Ghebremusse, Sara | Prado, M Mariana | Assessing the Petroleum Fiscal Regimes of Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon | Law | 2014-11 | Petroleum extraction is a lucrative source of tax revenue for many governments in Sub- Saharan Africa. However the generation of oil tax revenue can be limited by the need to attract and incentivize oil companies to conduct exploration and extraction activities. This thesis assesses how three African countries - Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon - administer the tradeoff between maximizing tax revenue for the state and attracting investment. It uses a four-point framework to examine the inputs or design of each country's regime by focusing on: the state's dependence on oil revenue; the stage of development of the oil industry; the government's financial position; and the extent of state participation in the oil sector. | LL.M. | industr | 9 |
| Gheorghita, Albert Razvan | Sale, Joanna | What is the Patient's Experience of Pain after a Fragility Fracture | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-11 | With the exception of pain after a vertebral fracture, there is little research on long-term pain after a fragility fracture. Most relevant research focuses on physiological healing within the first six months of fracture. In this secondary analysis of three qualitative studies, I explored the experience of long-term post-fracture pain in men and women. Data from 29 individuals (51–89 years old) were re-analyzed using qualitative description (Sandelowski 2000; 2010). Twenty-four (83%) participants had sustained a fragility fracture at least one year previously (range: 1–13 years). Only seven individuals had sustained vertebral fractures. I developed three themes examining patients’ description of pain and its impact, their perceived shortcomings of health care providers, and their responses to the pain. My findings enable a better understanding of long-term pain after a fracture and call for individualized treatment planning that includes effective analgesia and continued physiotherapy. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ghergus, Radu-Razvan | Sossin, Lorne | The Curious Case of Civil Procedure Reform in Canada, So Many Reforms Proposals With So Few Results | Law | 2010-01-19T19:04:11Z | The subject of my thesis is one which has been subject of many reports of reform of civil justice system across Canada. I consider that the reform of civil justice system is of fundamental importance for our society affecting all the citizens of our country and is, also, a fascinating topic. This thesis examines the changes proposed by Honourable Judge Coulter Osborne through the lens of the reform in civil procedure rules operated in the U.K.as a result of Lord Wolfe’s report because the Canadian justice system is founded upon Anglo-Saxon common law principles. My conclusion is that any substantial reform of the civil justice system must start with an increased role of the judge over the case, in the way promoted in U.K’s Civil Procedure Rules, and that Justice Osborne’s civil justice project still doesn’t propose a much needed overhaul change of Civil Procedure Rules in Ontario. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Ghobrial, Samy | Thorpe, Steven J||Kirk, Donald W | Amorphous Ni-Nb-Y Alloys as Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysts | Materials Science and Engineering | 2019-06 | The recent development of anion exchange membranes (AEMs) has renewed interest in alkaline water electrolysis as a means of converting renewable energy to storable H2. New electrocatalysts are required to integrate with such AEMs in advanced electrolysers. Ni-based amorphous alloys are of interest as hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts due to high intrinsic activity. In this work, Ni-Nb-Y amorphous alloys were evaluated as electrocatalysts. A thermodynamic model of the Ni-Nb-Y system was developed guiding the ternary alloy design while X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy characterized the microstructure of mechanically alloyed powder. A novel two-step ball milling process was developed to synthesize high surface area amorphous and amorphous-nanocrystalline nanoparticles. Lower Tafel slopes and higher exchange current densities identified enhanced intrinsic activity for the amorphous Ni-Nb-Y alloys compared to crystalline Ni and Ni5Y. These results demonstrate that combining cryomilling and surfactant-assisted ball milling of Ni-based amorphous alloys yielded promising catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen production. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable; | 7 |
| Gibbons, Cara Elizabeth Irwin | Macklem, Patrick | The Inter-American Court's Mexican Tetralogy on Military Jurisdiction: A Case for Principled Jurisprudence | Law | 2011-12-07 | Recent Inter-American Court of Human Rights jurisprudence has resulted in major amendments to Mexican military justice law that were previously thought to be impossible, considering the historical role of the armed forces and Mexico's civil-military pact. Yet, with a recent Supreme Court decision, Mexican law has been modified to bring it into compliance with the Inter-American Court's decisions. However, their efficacy has been undermined by aspects of the decisions which were not made on a principled basis. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Gibos, Kelsy Ellen | Martell, David Lee ||Wotton, Brian Michael | Effect of Slope and Aspect on Litter Layer Moisture Content of Lodgepole Pine Stands in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta | Forestry | 2010-04-06T15:23:21Z | For two fire seasons in Nordegg, Alberta, a system of in-stand weather stations were arranged along a north and south aligned valley and combined with collection of destructive fine fuel moisture content data in order to quantify variations due to differences in slope and aspect. South-facing sites were found to be slightly warmer (1.5°C), less humid (5%) and received on average 20% more solar radiation than the north-facing sites during the peak burning period of the day. Based on these weather observations a difference of 1 or 2 % moisture content between north and south sites was predicted using existing theoretical relationships. A corresponding difference in observed moisture content was not identified, due to the low transmittance recorded at the in-stand sites (<10% of open solar radiation measurements), variation amongst destructive samples and logistical limits on the number of replicates collected. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Gibson-Wood, Hilary | Wakefield, Sarah | Exploring Environmental Justice and Interrogating 'Community Engagement': A Case Study in the Latin American Community of Toronto | Geography | 2010-07-26T19:22:22Z | Equitable opportunity for participation in environmental decision-making is central to arguments for environmental justice, yet remains an under-explored area in the literature. This thesis investigates engagement on environmental health issues in the Latin American community of Toronto. Drawing on an environmental justice framework, the objective of this study was to better understand barriers and facilitators to environmental action in this community, while exploring underlying definitions of environmental health, environmentalism, and community engagement. In-depth interviews were carried out with representatives of agencies serving the Latin American community; qualitative data from focus groups and interviews with community members was also used. Results identify social inequality and the whiteness of the mainstream environmental movement as pervasive barriers to participation, and suggest the utility of linking environmental and social justice concerns for community mobilization. The findings of this research contribute to an emerging discourse on environmental justice and racism in Canada. | MAST | health; equitable; equality; inequality; environment; justice | 3, 5, 10, 13, 16 |
| Gibson, John Howard | Andrews, Robert C | Pilot Study of Engineered Biofiltrations as Pretreatment for Ultrafiltration: Effects on Fouling and Disinfection By-products | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | This study focused on biological treatment of river and lake water to mitigate ultrafiltration fouling. Biofiltration, consisting of dual-media filtration in the absence of chlorine backwash, produced an effluent with lower turbidity and less variability than coagulation and settling alone. Biofiltration’s ability to lower turbidity, reduce biopolymer and humic concentration, and decrease membrane fouling when compared to untreated water was improved by in-line addition of low coagulant doses ( | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Gibson, Shannon | Flood, Colleen M. | Direct-to-consumer Advertising in the Digital Age: The Impact of the Internet and Social Media in the Promotion of Prescription Drugs in Canada | Law | 2012-11-20 | While a significant amount of research has been produced in Canada on direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs in general, very little work has been undertaken specifically with regard to the role of social media and emerging Internet technologies. While Health Canada has reaffirmed that existing DTCA regulations apply to new Internet and social media technologies, there are several unique features of these technologies that make the application of existing regulations an uncertain process. Further, given the difficulties Health Canada has faced in directly regulating DTCA in traditional media, there is significant skepticism around whether government regulators have the resources or political will to effectively monitor new digital media. Consequently, independent third party oversight and industry self-regulation may play an important role in regulating digital channels. Finally, regulators should not simply be limited to regulating online DTCA; social media is equally available to government for use in health promotion. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Giglioli, Ilaria | Prudham, W. Scott | Networks of Power. Water, Infrastructure and Territory in the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories | Geography | 2010-04-06T15:24:35Z | This thesis investigates the relationship between water resources, networks and territory under changing relations of rule in the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories. It focuses on the creation of uneven patterns of water infrastructure development since Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967, and on their perpetration following the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority in 1995. This is produced by the interplay of three different imperatives of water resource development: a military-strategic and territorial one, represented by the Israeli Civil Administration, one based on national sovereignty over resources and universal water rights, represented by the Palestinian National Authority, and one based on technical efficiency of the sector, promoted by some international development institutions. The relative strength of these three actors in relation to each other, which in turn is influenced by the political history of the region, determines the physical outcome of water resource development. | MAST | rights; institution; infratsructure; water | 6 |
| Gill, Jina | Wakefield, Sarah | The Rouge Uncovered: Community Participation, Urban Agriculture and Power Dynamics in the Creation of Canada's first National Urban Park | Geography | 2017-09 | Local food production has been a defining goal of a healthy and resilient food system. In 2011 the Canadian government and Parks Canada committed to creating Canadaâ s first national urban park. The space in which land is used to undertake conservation efforts and develop sustainable farming is often associated with inequalities of larger society; whereby hegemonic practices of inclusion and exclusion are produced and/or reinforced. By employing an Environmental Justice framework this thesis investigates if and how small-scale farmers and community members have been included in the creation of the park, and how power, particularly in relation to the axis of difference, influences green space planning, local farming and sustainability in the Greater Toronto Area. Findings show extreme contention between farmers and environmentalists over productive parkland use and definitions of ecological integrity. This research also discloses the need for a more inclusive approach to community participation processes in green space planning and management. | M.A. | agriculture; food; health; inclusivel urban; resilien; production; environmment; conserv; land use; justice | 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 |
| Gill, Nancy | Leonard, Kevin | The Impact of E-Health Adoption and Investment on Health Outcomes: A Study using Secondary Analysis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2009-12-10T15:54:32Z | The overall goal of this research study is to determine if there is a correlation between electronic health (e-Health) adoption, e-Health investment and better health outcomes in a hospital setting. To carry out this research, data with respect to e-Health spending, e-Health adoption and relevant health outcome indicator results for Ontario hospitals were analyzed to determine if there is a correlation between the variables. There were significant positive correlations between e-Health adoption and investment variables; indicating that higher e-Health investment is associated with greater e-Health adoption. There were significant correlations between variables related to e-Health adoption, investment and certain health outcomes. For example, increased e-Health adoption was significantly and negatively correlated with variables related to Length of Stay (LOS), which suggests that increased e-Health adoption is associated with lower LOS. This study attempts to create a foundation upon which Return On Investment (ROI) may be calculated for e-Health technology. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Girard, Justin | Emami, Mohammed Reza | Concurrent Markov Decision Processes for Robust Robot Team Learning under Uncertainty | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | For robots to become a more common fixture in private and public industries, they must exhibit compliant individual and social learning. To achieve social compliance, while maintaining individual performance, robots must represent knowledge accurately in both certain and uncertain environments. Robots also need to quantify effective decision making both when isolated and when teamed with peer robots and humans. Thus, this thesis considers improvements to the Concurrent Individual and Social Learning (CISL) approach [30, 31], and addresses all of the above problems by exploring three subjects: learning problem representation using Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) [17], state uncertainty and state estimation [18], and advice sharing from both robot and human advisors [17, 19]. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Glazer, Emily | Einstein, Gillian | Embodiment, Pain, and Circumcision in Somali-Canadian Women | Medical Science | 2012-07-25 | Female genital cutting/circumcision/mutilation (FGC) is found predominantly in the Sahel, Northern Africa, removing parts/all of the clitoris, labia minora and majora in girls. Cutting the highly innervated external genitalia may change sensory processing leading to chronic pain. Fourteen Somali women in the Greater Toronto Area (21-46, Type III FGC) completed qualitative, quantitative and psychophysical methods to evaluate pain. Interviews analyzed by interpretive phenomenology form the core method, examining circumcision stories and present, embodied life. The second Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire and quantitative sensory testing with a vulvalgesiometer form secondary components. Somali women with FGC have pain-filled stories about circumcision and daily life. Socio-cultural considerations are central for women to comprehend how their own bodies feel. SF-MPQ-2 indicates low intensity or no pain symptoms; however, many body regions were indicated. QST reveals low vulvar pressure-pain thresholds. Reports from three measures suggest that FGC may cause sensory changes including chronic pain. | MAST | women; girl | 5 |
| Glisic, Marija | Hong, Guanglei | Effectiveness of School Policies Prohibiting Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2010-04-05T19:43:56Z | The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of school policies aimed to reduce adolescent alcohol and marijuana use. More specifically, the study investigated whether more severe school policy measures are related to the increased or decreased instances of overall alcohol and marijuana use on and beyond school grounds among grade 10 and 12 students. I used data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS). After controlling for a number of prior measures of environmental and demographic factors that are significant predictors of adolescent alcohol and marijuana use, the school policy measures showed no impact on either alcohol or marijuana use at any level of its consumption. This was true for both grade 10 and grade 12 students. The study’s findings suggest that instead of constructing punitive policy measure, policymakers should develop prevention and intervention programs that more specifically target the needs of adolescents, peers, parents, and teachers. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Godoy, Luciana | Sumner, Jennifer | Teaching Sustainability to Culinary Students: Graduating Sustainability-minded Chefs? | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | In 2016, The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities upon negation with food industry and culinary educational institutions’ stakeholders, mandated that culinary colleges across Ontario implement sustainability into their required program outcomes. Positioning the potential impacts of a chef’s actions on food production, consumer choice and food service operations’ management is crucial in assisting students to develop a sustainable mindset as future culinary leaders. This thesis aims to explore “The Sustainable Chef” course, offered by one of Toronto’s main culinary colleges, to assess its potential to assist culinary schools become vital sites to promote a new sustainable kitchen and food culture. Furthermore, graduating sustainability-minded chefs who are aware of their economic, social and environmental responsibilities as participants of the food system will help to drive change in the industry. | M.A. | food; consum; production | 2, 12 |
| Gold, Efrat | Miles, Angela | Radical Relations: Exploring Polyamory as a Transgressive Philosophy and Practice | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-11 | The purpose of this research is to explore polyamory among queer women as a transgressive philosophy and practice. Through individual qualitative interviews, the daily lives, past and present experiences, relationships and life philosophies of five queer polyamorous women are considered. Interviews are analyzed with an eye towards the personal as political as well as the practical and philosophical elements involved in constructing romantic relationships consistently with one's personal ideology. A critical understanding of the link between economics and social norms shows the importance of studying alternative relationship and family models. By attempting to create relationships that are consistent with their beliefs, these women are challenging the current dominant definitions of relationships, family and community. While polyamory can be a difficult practice, participants use it as part of a broader philosophy that transgresses Western social organization in a way that creatively combines the personal and political. | M.A. | women; queer | 5 |
| Gomez, Valentina Lucia Diaz | Kwon, Oh-Sung | Seismic Fragility Analysis of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames (MRF) Designed in Canada in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2010 | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | A typical steel moment-resisting frame (MRF) of six stories was designed for three different provisions of the National Building Code of Canada (1960s, 1980s, and 2010) and for two different cities (Vancouver and Montreal). Numerical models were developed in OpenSees to understand the seismic performance of the structures. These models accounted for strength and stiffness degradation through the appropriate representation of the beam-column connection behaviour. The beam-column connection models were calibrated against experimental results available in the literature. The behaviour of the buildings was evaluated through pushover and nonlinear time history analyses. The 1960s and 2010 steel MRFs of both cities presented strong-column-weak-beam behaviour and the failure in the connections provoked the collapse of the structures. The 1980s steel MRFs of both cities showed column sway mechanism. Fragility curves were developed for the steel MRFs using nonlinear time history analyses. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Gordon, Michelle | Austin, Lisa M. | A Framework for the Protection of Privacy in an Electronic Health Environment | Law | 2010-07-26T19:24:20Z | This paper argues that given the proliferation of electronic health records (EHRs) in the health care system, legislative reform must occur to address the inadequacies of Ontario’s current health privacy legislation in accommodating EHRs. A coherent framework for legislation is necessary to capture the important role that privacy plays in public perception when it comes to legislating and managing EHRs in Ontario and, in turn, serve as a tool for legislators to understand the definitions and values of privacy associated with EHRs and the privacy problems worthy of protection in an electronic health environment. The failure to properly address these problems may lead to privacy losses and loss of public confidence in EHR systems. In applying this framework to three legislative options, it is evident that Ontario should amend the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 to better contemplate the privacy protections necessary in an electronic health environment. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Goren, Ashley | Katz, Ariel | A Gold Mine of Information: Using Pharmaceutical Data Mining to Ensure Long-term Safety and Effectiveness of Pharmaceuticals | Law | 2013-11-22 | In an era of highly advertised blockbuster medicines, newly approved pharmaceuticals can pose a hazard to the public if not properly monitored following their approval. Drugs are only given to a limited number of healthy individuals during clinical trials, leaving significant questions as to the risks for the population at large. There are limited opportunities for assessment following the product’s introduction onto the market and adverse effects may not be detected. This paper argues that hurdles in tracking long-term safety and effectiveness can be partially remedied through the aggregation and analysis of information collected through pharmaceutical data mining. Pharmaceutical data mining is a process whereby private organizations compile extensive information on patients’ prescription histories, including: the drug prescribed, recommended dosage, and the patient’s subsequent history with the medication. The Canadian government should collect this information and analyze its meaning to better ensure the long-term safety and effectiveness of drugs. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Gorgolewski, Adam Stefan | Caspersen, John P||Basiliko, Nathan | Wood Ash as a Forest Soil Amendment: Effects on Seedling Growth and Nutrition, and Red-backed Salamander Abundance | Forestry | 2015-11 | Wood ash is being considered as a soil amendment on acidified forest soils of eastern North America. However, research is required to ensure ash does not negatively affect native species. The short-term effects of ash on growth and nutrition of tree seedlings native to eastern North America was assessed in greenhouse experiments, finding relatively neutral effects up to dosages of 10 Mg ha-1, and negative effects at dosages of 15-20 Mg ha-1. Responses of red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) abundance to ash additions up to 8 Mg ha-1 in a tolerant hardwood forest were also assessed in a field trial. Neutral and positive effects of ash on salamander abundance were observed, and positive effects were driven by increases in soil pH and moisture. These results tentatively support ash additions in acidified forests of eastern North America, but more research is needed into the longer-term effects of ash and its potential toxicants. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Gousseva, Anastasia | Cowling, Sharon A. | Investigating the Expansion of Angiosperms during the Cretaceous Period using a Modeling Approach | Geography | 2010-12-31T21:24:03Z | The use of Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) in paleo-vegetation studies is a practical new approach in paleo-ecology as it allows for process-based investigations within a flexible framework. The goal of this study is to evaluate the applicability of Lund Potsdam Jena (LPJ) – DGVM in a paleo-study of Cretaceous angiosperm spread, while testing several pre-existing theories regarding the spread through model experimentation. I assessed the independent and interactive role of climate variables (temperature, precipitation, atmospheric CO2 concentration, and seasonality), latitudinal light regime, soil structure, and plant characteristics (tree versus grass, and deciduousness) in influencing angiosperm expansion by simulating the response of Cretaceous land cover to changes in each factor. I found that temperature and light were the most influential variables in determining angiosperm success, while plant structure and deciduousness may carry implications for early angiosperm establishment and community competition dynamics. LPJ showed great potential for refinement and effective future use in paleo-applications. | MAST | climate; ecology | 13, 15 |
| Gow, Matthew | Packer, Jeffrey A||Seica, Michael | Response of an Energy-dissipating System to Simulated Blast | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Explosions generate extreme overpressures that can cause irreparable damage to critical infrastructure. To mitigate this damage, an energy-dissipating system has been developed that limits peak loads and focuses plastic deformation into replaceable, ductile, steel elements. Cladding panels connect to the structure using these steel energy-dissipating connectors. In a blast, panels transfer pressure load to their perimeter where the sacrificial elements deform at a relatively constant load, thereby restricting the forces transmitted to the underlying structure. This report expands the existing characterization of behaviour for such an energy-dissipating system through experiments with a blast generator. In addition to simulated blast panel tests, tension tests were conducted to determine load-displacement histories under static and dynamic conditions. These histories are then compared to examine the effect of loading rate. Investigations also determined how methods of connector assembly can affect the global behaviour of the system. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Granados, Monica | Jackson, Donald Andrew ||Mandrak, Nicholas E. | Detecting changes in fish communities in response to habitat rehabilitation: a comparison of multimetric and multivariate approaches | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-07-26T19:25:13Z | Bioassessment can be performed through several methods and with different bioindicators. In Canadian Areas of Concern (AOC), fishes are used as a proxy for site condition. The Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), a multimetric index for biological assessment, has been applied to fish data across Canadian AOCs to detect recovery. Previous studies, however, have indicated the IBI is not sensitive to assemblage changes characteristic of later stages of recovery. In this study, the IBI and multivariate methods were applied to data from two AOCs, the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. The results revealed that the IBI is susceptible to species substitutions within metric categories. The substitutions produced high variability within narrative ranks and rendered the IBI insensitive to changes, detected by multivariate methods, in the fish assemblage. In the absence of reference sites, the multivariate analyses were supplemented with the development of a reference condition based on best professional judgment. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Grant, Sonia | Gilbert, Emily | The Kalamazoo River Spill: Pipelines, Politics, and Economies of Knowledge | Geography | 2014-11 | In July 2010, an oil pipeline ruptured in southwest Michigan, spilling approximately one million gallons of diluted bitumen (dilbit) from the Alberta tar sands into the Kalamazoo River. As the first major pipeline release of dilbit, the story of the Kalamazoo River spill is often cited in growing debates about dilbit pipeline projects in North America. This thesis provides an ethnographic account of the aftermath of the spill. Drawing on research conducted in Michigan in 2013, I examine how knowledge claims about the spill have been produced and mobilized in Michigan, focusing in particular on impacted residents' responses to the disaster. Informed by my involvement with environmental justice groups in Toronto, the thesis also explores how the story of the spill has been brought to bear on debates about a proposed pipeline project in Eastern Canada. Together, the chapters engage themes of risk, uncertainty, comparison, and knowledge production in environmental politics. | M.A. | environment; justice | 13, 16 |
| Gray, Jason | Touchie, Marianne | A Field Study of Exterior Airtightness Testing in Five Multi-Unit Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | The airtightness of a multi-unit residential building (MURB) enclosure is an important factor when considering energy consumption. There is limited data available on the airtightness of MURBs. The complexity of the MURB geometry complicate standard testing procedures; this is especially true when measuring the isolated exterior enclosure airtightness where the adjacent zones must be taken into consideration. This thesis explored three alternative suite-based methods from the literature used to measure the isolated exterior pressure boundary leakage. A field study took place in five MURBs where the goal was to compare the results from these methods to pressure neutralization test results. Of the three testing methods, the testing method that used adjacent pressure differentials in its calculation was the most similar. Ideally, these results and lessons learned will aid future researchers in developing airtightness testing methods and standards for conducting efficient and accurate tests. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Gray, Malinda Joy | Muehlebach, Andrea||Kalmar, Ivan | Beads: Symbols of Indigenous Cultural Resilience and Value | Anthropology | 2017-11 | My intention for this paper is to explore the cultural relevance of the influence that beads have had on Indigenous people in North America. By exploring the inherent cultural values that beads possess in Indigenous culture, I hope to illuminate how beads have come to represent Indigenous resiliency after the effects of colonialism and the residential school system. I aim to illustrate how important this art form has been in the past and will continue to be in the future. Beads should not be portrayed as simple trinkets that Indigenous people have sought to trade in the past, instead, they are integral elements to the greater Indigenous society both prior to and concurrent with European contact. Beads are playing an integral role in repairing cultural ties and spiritual beliefs to Indigenous artists. Beadwork has been, and will continue to be significant in representing Indigenous resiliency as well as highlighting the distinct cultural value of Indigenous peoples. | M.A. | resilien | 11 |
| Greenberg, Tracie | Shear, Harvey | Nutrient Cycling and Water Pollution in Lake Zapotlan, Mexico | Geography | 2011-11-30 | Lake Zapotlán is a small (1100 ha) endorheic lake in western Mexico that is internationally recognized by RAMSAR. It receives point source pollution from partially treated sewage from two surrounding cities, as well as non-point sources, including urban runoff, agricultural runoff, erosion and consequent deposition of sediment as a result of deforestation surrounding the Lake. The purpose of this study was to determine the severity of pollution in the Lake through measurement of nutrient and bacteria levels and assess for potential human health and ecological risks in Lake Zapotlán. Results found that nutrient levels have increased since 1994 and that they are high enough to cause eutrophication problems. Partially treated wastewater contributes over 30 tonnes of phosphorus to the Lake each year. E. coli levels were extremely high and could pose a health risk to those participating in recreational activities on the Lake. | MAST | water; waste; pollut; | 6, 12, 15 |
| Greey, Ali | Fusco, Caroline A | “It’s Just Safer When I Don’t Enter”: Examining Barriers to Trans Inclusion in Binary-gendered Locker Rooms and Restrooms | Exercise Sciences | 2019-06 | This thesis explores the experiences of trans individuals within binary-gendered locker rooms and restrooms. Using a semi-structured interview method, in this study I garnered stories and reflections from 14 trans interviewees to explore how they experience these spaces. This study is initiated in response to the work of Fusco et al. (2015) and Cavanagh (2010) identifying locker rooms and restrooms as gateway spaces to trans inclusion. I argue that difficulty accessing these spaces results in exclusion from sport and the public sphere. Employing an intersectional analysis (Crenshaw, 1989), I theorize how these spaces act as crucial gateways to trans involvement in physical activity and public space. To conclude, I draw upon interviewee reflections to outline a repertoire of interventions, such as trans-positive membership policies and visual pedagogies, for making locker rooms and restrooms safer and more trans-inclusive. | M.Sc. | inclusive | 4 |
| Greiss, David Edmond | Papadimitropoulos, Manny | Estimating the Direct Lifetime Health Care Costs of Patients with Schizophrenia in an Ontario Tertiary Care Centre | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2015 | The direct lifetime health care cost of schizophrenia was estimated in patients treated at an Ontario tertiary care institution. Using methods related to incidence- based cost-of-illness studies, an estimate of lifetime costs were estimated using data from the largest mental health institution in Canada. Inpatient, outpatient and emer- gency visit information were obtained between fiscal years 2007â 2012. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was used to test the cost assumptions used in the analysis. The direct lifetime health care cost for patients with schizophrenia was estimated to be $2.6 million CAD per patient in 2012. Hospitalizations were a major cost driver, ac- counting for up to 90% of costs. Between 2007â 2009 there was a significant decrease in the number of hospitalizations leading to a large reduction in costs. Policies and initiatives that focus on prevention of schizophrenia relapse resulting in hospitalization may be critical to effective patient management and cost containment. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Greiver, Michelle | Barnsley, Janet | Implementation of Electronic Medical Records and Preventive Services: A Mixed Methods Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-08-24 | The implementation of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) may lead to improved quality of primary health care. To investigate this, we conducted a mixed methods study of eighteen Toronto family physicians who implemented EMRs in 2006 and nine comparison family physicians who continued to use paper records. We used a controlled before-after design and two focus groups. We examined five preventive services with Pay for Performance incentives: Pap smears, screening mammograms, fecal occult blood testing, influenza vaccinations and childhood vaccinations. There was no difference between the two groups: after adjustment, combined preventive services for the EMR group increased by 0.7% less than for the non-EMR group (p=0.55, 95% CI -2.8, 3.9). Physicians felt that EMR implementation was challenging. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Griffiths, Kelly | Andrews, Robert C. | The Application of Artificial Neural Networks for Filtration Optimization in Drinking Water Treatment | Civil Engineering | 2010-04-06T15:25:59Z | Filtration is an important process in drinking water treatment to ensure the adequate removal of particle-bound pathogens (i.e. Giardia and Cryptosporidium). Filtration performance is typically monitored in terms of filtered water turbidity. However, particle counts may provide further insight into treatment efficiency, as they have a greater sensitivity for detecting small changes in filtration operation. To optimize the filtration process at the Elgin Area WTP in terms of post-filtration particle counts, artificial neural network (ANN) models were applied. Process models were successfully developed to predict settled water turbidity and particle counts. Additionally, two inverse process models were developed to predict the optimal coagulant dosage required to attain target particle counts. Upon testing each model, a high correlation was observed between the actual and predicted data sets. The ANNs were then integrated into an optimization application to allow for the transfer of real-time data between the models and the SCADA system. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Grinberg-Panchuk, Tania | Simon, Rob | Critical Embodiment: Investigating the Intersection of Critical Pedagogy and Embodiment for the Prevention of Eating Disorders in Schools | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-06 | Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Currently schools address eating disorders through prevention programs and health education courses that have shown to be ineffective in terms of changing behaviors of students in the long run (Piran 2005). This qualitative study explores the use of critical pedagogy as a mechanism by which teachers and students can address body-related issues (i.e. gender, sexuality) in schools. The medical term eating disorder, in this study, is replaced by the perspective of embodiment that helps expand the notion that eating disorders happen exclusively in response to the thin ideal. This study investigates, through semi structured interviews, the perspectives of 5 teachers to understand a) the ways in which educators address critical perspectives on gender and embodiment in their classrooms, and b) The implications of using critical pedagogy in the field of eating disorders prevention. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Grisdale, Sean Edward | Walks, Alan||Sorensen, Andre | Displacement by Disruption: Platform Capitalism, Short-Term Rentals and Urban Transformation in Toronto | Geography | 2018-03 | The increasing importance of smart phones and internet connectivity to urban life has led to the rapid expansion of digital platforms, like Airbnb, a company which facilitates short-term rental hosting in residential properties. Using data from the consulting firm Airdna, I analyze and map Airbnb listing activity in the City of Toronto to assess the platform's ability to increase rent gaps in the city and thereby impact rental availability. I find that the majority of the platform's revenue derives from full-time, commercially oriented hosts operating in select downtown neighbourhoods and that without considered regulation there exist significant incentives for investors and landlords to take up the practice. Through interviews with key stakeholders, I also consider the discourses and debates that attend the emergence of this industry and its links to conditions of economic precarity stemming from the financialization of the Canadian economy, as well as potential alternative arrangements for integrating platforms into urban economies. | M.A. | urban | 11 |
| Grise, Emily | Buliung, Ron | A Spatial Analysis of Pedestrian Injury in the City of Toronto | Geography | 2015-11 | The City of Toronto experienced a ten-year high in pedestrian fatalities last year and has the highest pedestrian collision rate of Canadian cities. Understanding the geography of pedestrian motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) can provide evidence to inform policy and planning targeting increased walking while reducing pedestrian injury risk. This thesis explores spatial patterns of PMVCs in the City of Toronto, with a specific focus on two particularly vulnerable road users; children and seniors. Distinct spatial patterns of PMVCs and injuries by type and age are found. This finding is further investigated by exploring the relationship between an attempt to measure equity across neighbourhoods in Toronto and pedestrian injury risk. The results suggest age- based differences in the relationship between neighbourhood equity indicators and PMVCs. A higher PMVC and injury risk for children was observed in neighbourhoods with poorer equity outcomes, while no significant relationship with equity outcomes was observed for seniors. | M.A. | cities | 11 |
| Grond, Kathryn Adele | Miller, Eric J | Route Choice Modeling of Cyclists in Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis builds on a growing body of research that seeks to understand how the physical and environmental attributes of the road network influence cyclists’ route choice. Better understanding of the costs and benefits of physical infrastructure can be used by planners to prioritize investment in cycling facilities. The thesis uses a high quality GPS dataset of bike trips recorded by the City of Toronto's cycling app between August 23 and September 23, 2015. Trip route characteristics are obtained by matching the GPS traces to a detailed GIS network dataset of road attributes. A path-size multinomial logit model is used to assess the utility of cycling facilities and the costs of road features, such as high traffic volumes, steep hills and turns at busy intersections. The study also examines the route variation based on demographic characteristics and attitudes of cyclists. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Grouios, Christopher | Manne, Lisa | Comparing the Use of Abundance and Consistent Occupancy Measures to Predict Local Species Persistence | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2011-01-03T19:27:34Z | I compared the utility of two continuous time-series data measures for applied conservation biology by investigating how well each could predict future local persistence of a diverse set of bird species. I used 37 years of data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to calculate abundance from yearly point-counts and permanence (i.e., consistent occupancy over time) from yearly presence-absence data in the early portion of the study period, then used the later portion of data to empirically evaluate how well each measure predicted persistence two decades into the future. I found that permanence could only match the ability of abundance to accurately predict local species persistence if multiple within-year repeated observations contributed to its calculation. Neither measure was effective at predicting persistence for regionally rarer species. I suggest the yearly and within-year repeated collection of abundance estimating data for use in applied conservation biology to best ensure biodiversity persistence. | MAST | biodiversity | 15 |
| Gu, Xinyao | Passeport, Elodie | Multi-tracer Experiment in a Bioretention Cell to Study the Transport of Trace Organic Stormwater Contaminants | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-06 | Bioretention cells are constructed in urban areas for infiltration and treatment of stormwater runoff. This thesis reports the results of a field tracer experiment to track the fate of nitrate, phosphate, rhodamine WT, and benzotriazole. With a short hydraulic retention time and a poor use of the bioretention cell volume, moderate mass reductions were observed for nitrate (38%), phosphate (48%), rhodamine WT (36%), and benzotriazole (29%). Two benzotriazole biotransformation products, 1-methyl-1H-benzotriazole and methoxy-benzotriazole and two phytotransformation products, benzotriazole alanine and benzotriazole acetyl-alanine were detected in the first natural runoff event that occurred 26 days after the tracer test. These data showed that between-event transformation of benzotriazole can occur in bioretention cells. These results demonstrate the need to use new design strategies to effectively adsorb or transform these contaminants, such as increasing the retention time, incorporating soil amendments, and selecting specific plant species for better treatment performance. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Guerriero, Eileen Nicolina | Colantonio, Angela | Rehabilitation Utilization following a Work-related Traumatic Brain Injury: An Examination of Workers' Compensation Claims in Victoria, Australia | Rehabilitation Science | 2015-11 | Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the most serious types of workplace injuries, yet there is a dearth of research on rehabilitation service use after this occupational injury. The objective of this research was to examine the utilization of four types of rehabilitation services following a work-related TBI in Victoria, Australia; focusing on the differences between men and women and examining other demographic, need, work-related, and geographic factors associated with use. After controlling for demographic, need, work-related, and geographic factors, women were more likely to use physiotherapy compared to men. Men and women were equally likely to use occupational therapy and psychology services. Need-related factors, in comparison to demographic, work-related and geographic factors, were the greatest determinants of the utilization of each type of rehabilitation. Future research is required to determine if the determinants of utilization represent inequalities in healthcare provision following a work-related TBI. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Guilford, Nigel | Goodfellow, Howard | A New Technology for the Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-01-19T19:42:53Z | The development and patenting of a new technology for the anaerobic digestion of solid waste is described. The design basis is explained and justified by extensive reference to the literature. The technology was specifically designed to be versatile, robust and affordable and is directly derived from other proven processes for organic waste management. The ways in which environmental regulations directly affect the development and commercialization of organic waste processing technologies are described. The great differences in regulations between Europe and North America are analyzed to explain why anaerobic digestion is common in Europe and rare in North America and why this is the result of waste management economics which are driven by these regulations. The new technology is shown to be competitive in the Province of Ontario in particular and North America in general; a detailed financial analysis and comparison with European technologies is provided in support of this conclusion. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| Guirguis, David Saad | Amon, Cristina H | Efficient Design of Wind Farm Layouts Utilizing Exact Gradient Information | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-06 | The Wind Farm Layout Optimization (WFLO) problem has attracted a lot of attention from researchers and industry practitioners, as it has been proven that better placement of wind turbines can increase the overall efficiency and the total revenue of a wind farm. Common approaches found in the WFLO literature focus on minimizing turbine wake interactions based on analytical models. However, the literature seems to have settled on using metaheuristics and stochastic optimization approaches. In this thesis, a gradient optimization approach is proposed to solve highly constrained WFLO problems, by using an interior point method with the exact gradients of the objective and constraints. The superiority of the proposed approach has been demonstrated, and the computational cost is reduced by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, in terms of objective function evaluations. Additionally, it has been extended to solve the multi-criteria problem considering electrical infrastructure, land usage and environmental aspects. | M.A.S. | wind; environment | 7, 13 |
| Gulyas, Ildiko | Waterman, Stephanie | A Critical Exploration of the Educational Trajectories of Six Hungarian Refugee Roma in Canada: Navigating Whiteness and Ethnic Identity | Social Justice Education | 2019-06 | Moving away from bleak statistics on Roma and educational attainment, this paper looks to explore the life narratives of six Hungarian Roma refugee individuals who have migrated to Canada and have pursued non-obligatory education. The findings show three common experiences amongst the participants; (a) consistent parental messaging about the value of education (b) mostly positive experiences in earlier school years and (c) positive external influences. However, participants explained their positionality including their proximity to whiteness and Romungro identification as also playing a salient role in their positive experiences. This paper utilizes Critical Race Theory to explore these factors as they contribute to internal and external aspects of their lives and their educational trajectories. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Gumpinger, Dustin | Sanderson, Douglas | Rethinking R v Van der Peet: Western Metaphysics, Deconstruction, and Hospitality | Law | 2014-11 | This thesis explores the metaphysical structure underlying the Supreme Court of Canada's approach, developed in R v Van der Peet, to recognizing and affirming Aboriginal rights under s 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982. Drawing on the work of philosopher Jacques Derrida, particularly his strategy of deconstruction, I demonstrate how the Court adopts an approach that relies on metaphysical conceptions of history and culture. Specifically, the Court reduces these concepts to essential features, which elide their irreducible complexity. This study finishes with tentative solutions for better addressing that complexity. In particular, this project encourages a two-way engagement between the Court and the Aboriginal peoples of Canada that is characterized by mutual hospitality. This project also encourages continued self-reflection on the part of the Court, particularly through the use of deconstruction. Hence, this thesis promotes an approach that moves from theory to practice to theory. | LL.M. | rights | 16 |
| Guo, Wang Yuan | Chow, Chung-Wai | Impact of Air Pollution on Respiratory Infection in Healthy and Cystic Fibrosis micP | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Pulmonary infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Increased pollution level is associated with hospitalization due to respiratory infection, as well as pulmonary exacerbation and earlier acquisition of airway bacteria in CF patients. To validate these findings, we investigated the effect of in vivo inhalation exposure of traffic pollutants on the subsequent Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus lung infection in C57BL/6J and CFTR knockout mice. Prior pollution exposure increased severity of the subsequent lung infection, with an augmented inflammatory response that demonstrated impaired bacterial clearance with decreased lung myeloperoxidase activity. These changes were associated with upregulated pulmonary inflammatory genes Il17a, Cxcl1, Tnf, Il6 and Il1b, as well as altered redox signaling pathways. Our data provide evidence that air pollution is a significant environmental risk factor to respiratory infections, particularly in susceptible populations such as CF patients. | M.H.Sc. | pollut; HEALTH | 3, 14 |
| Gupta, Gireesh Kumar | Yan, Ning | Development of Bark-based Environmental-friendly Composite Panels | Forestry | 2010-01-19T19:08:26Z | Due to increasing shortage of wood supply and higher environmental concerns with the depletion of forest resources, in recent years, there is a strong interest in using forest and agricultural residues for development of value added products. Bark is a mill-waste residue, available in plenty, having limited uses and causing disposal problems. Bark possesses a large amount of phenolic compounds, which can act as an adhesive in making panels, however only limited research has been done in this area. The main objective of this project is to develop bark-based environment-friendly panels with and without synthetic resins, using mountain pine beetle infested lodgepole pine barks. Analysis of bark constituents, barkboard development, mechanical properties evaluation, characterization and improvement tests were performed. Various results support the possibility of bark utilization for barkboards production; however, more research is required for further improvements and feasible commercial production process. | MAST | forest | 14 |
| Gupta, Pulkit | Paradi, Joseph C. | Web-based Calculator for Residential Energy Conservation | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-01-19T19:43:59Z | A large Canadian financial services institution (FSI) is planning to develop a web-based application aimed at helping homeowners calculate the financial and environmental impacts of potential energy conserving upgrades to their dwellings. The algorithm for this calculator, the questions to be posed to the homeowners, and how the homeowners can access some of the scientifically-inclined energy-related information is presented. The potential upgrades considered were: furnace efficiency, heat-pump efficiency, programmable thermostats, window-efficiency, building insulation, lighting efficiency, and refrigerator efficiency. The algorithm developed was used to demonstrate that changing just one of the input variables can, in certain cases, have a drastic effect on the resulting output: upgrades with positive net present values (NPV) can drop to negative NPV, and in certain cases CO2 emissions can increase as a result of the upgrade considered. The effect of future changes in fuel prices, and the price levied on CO2 emissions is also demonstrated. | MAST | energy; environment; conserv; innovation | 9 |
| Gupta, Samir | Bayoumi, Ahmed | Norfloxacin For Hepatopulmonary Syndrome: A Pilot Study of a Rare Disease | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2008-07-25T19:07:28Z | Norfloxacin For Hepatopulmonary Syndrome: A Pilot Study of a Rare Disease Samir Gupta, Masters of Science, 2008 Graduate Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation University of Toronto Introduction: Hepatopulmonary Syndrome is a rare disease characterized by abnormal gas-exchange and a poor prognosis, with no known effective medical therapy. A rat model and preliminary human data suggest that this disease may be caused by intestinal bacterial overgrowth, systemic endotoxemia and increased nitric oxide. Methods: We conducted a pilot crossover randomized controlled trial of norfloxacin versus placebo over four weeks, in seven subjects with HPS or a milder condition called pre-HPS, with a primary outcome of alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (AaDO2). Results: There was no trend toward improved AaDO2, this outcome and other intermediate outcomes were highly variable, and results suggested that a longer treatment course might be necessary. We identified multiple obstacles to recruitment. Conclusion: We believe that a full-scale study of norfloxacin therapy for HPS will require 1) a six-month therapeutic period, 2) more specific HPS diagnostic criteria for clinical and study populations, and 3) creative recruitment maneuvers. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Gupta, Shagun | Sanner, Scott | Classification for Healthcare Using Linked and Unlinked Data Sources | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Machine learning (ML) can be used to develop decision-making tools that help reduce the costs of healthcare. The data for ML tasks can be broadly categorized as linked (i.e., containing keys that uniquely identify individuals) or unlinked (i.e., lacking unique identifiers). We explore two use-cases where opportunities exist to reduce costs through ML: hospital readmission and high-resource users (HRU) of the health system. In the case of readmission classification, the relevant data is in a linked format, thereby allowing us to evaluate standard supervised learning algorithms. In contrast, the data for classification of HRUs is an unlinked format. We demonstrate that Bayesian networks are an ideal solution that allow us to integrate unlinked data from multiple sources and answer conditional queries useful for decision making. Overall, the results of this thesis allow us to expand upon the current scope of predictive models and the types of data they can leverage. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Ha, Johnson | Grasselli, Giovanni||Peterson, Karl | FDEMTunnel Modelling in Georgian Bay Shale | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | This work describes the experimental and numerical study undertaken to understand potential failure mechanisms associated with the excavation of a tunnel in Georgian Bay shale. The Georgian Bay Formation consists of interbedded shale and limestone layers and was characterized through a laboratory testing program. From the results, shale is classified as relatively weak, soft, not very abrasive, easily weathered and is governed by anisotropic properties; whereas the behaviour of limestone is the exact opposite. Based on laboratory data and specimen photographs, the shale and limestone numerical input parameters were calibrated to match the experimental elastic and strength properties, within Âą 11%, and the observed fracture patterns. Numerical simulations were then used to investigate the failure around a circular excavation. Field-scale modelling suggested tunnel stability is sensitive to increased principal in situ stress ratios, rotation and the presence of limestone layers. | M.A.S. | weather | 13 |
| Haaland, Daniel R | Siegel, Jeffrey A | The Development of Quantitative Filter Forensics for Indoor Air Quality Sampling and a Pre-retrofit Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment of Pre-war Multi-Unit Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2016-06 | Filter forensics is a promising indoor air investigation technique involving the analysis of dust which has collected on filters. In this thesis, past filter forensics research is synthesized and an approach to quantitatively link filter forensics to average indoor air concentrations is developed. A significant advantage of FF is a large increase in the limit of detection when compared to alternative sampling techniques. In the next chapter, I discuss pre-retrofit comfort and moisture results from an ongoing indoor environmental quality study of post-war multi-unit residential buildings undergoing energy retrofits. A major finding of this study was a high level of discomfort due to overheating and the lack of observed correlations between comfort, moisture and building parameters. I present an application of filter forensics to portable air cleaners deployed in the same study. Preliminary data suggests no significant relationship between particle counts and gravimetric filter results. | M.A.S. | energy; buildings; environment | 7, 9, 13 |
| Haas, Thomas de | Sinton, David | Microfluidics for Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage and Petroleum Applications | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2013-07-11 | Petroleum research is responsible for making previously unusable reservoirs economically viable and for limiting the environmental impact of petroleum development. Microfluidics, the study of fluid flow at the micro-scale, is predominantly used to study biological phenomena. Adapting microfluidics to study petroleum requires the use of materials and methods not commonly used. This thesis focuses on applying microfluidics to the study of petrochemical fluid flow at high-pressure and high-temperature. The first problem addressed is the study of fluids during alkaline steam assisted gravity drainage (alkaline SAGD). The addition of an alkaline additive is found to improve the bitumen production rate by 35-67%. Secondly, two high-pressure, high-temperature, solvent resistant microfluidic interfaces for glass chips are designed to be operated up to 140 bar and 70 degrees Celsius. Lastly, a novel method for fabricating solvent resistant microfluidic devices from Teflon film is demonstrated by measuring the viscosity of toluene-heavy oil blends. | MAST | environment; production | 12, 13 |
| Habbab, Reem Mohd A. | Bhutta, Zulfiqar A. | Prevalence and Social Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11 | Background: The prevalence of obesity in adolescents is increasing globally at an alarming rate. Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity (Ow/Ob) in Saudi adolescents and to construct an ecological model of social determinants of Ow/Ob and evaluate current evidence of their effect on Saudi adolescents. Methods: A systematic review of literature reported up to 31/12/2018 on Ow/Ob and factors that can influence them in Saudi adolescents was conducted. Results: Fifty-one studies with n=97,666 adolescents (56.9% males) were reviewed. The prevalence of Ow/Ob started off high and continued to increase over time. Most of the 49 reviewed social determinants reports, from 19 studies, showed positive association between social determinants and Ow/Ob in Saudi adolescents. Conclusion: Adolescents’ Ow/Ob is a major public health problem in Saudi Arabia and is growing. Social determinants play a significant role in this problem and should be considered in all strategies targeting it. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Habib, Zainab | Mirchandani, Kiran | Cutting off the Homeless: Reexamining Social Housing Service and Activism in Ontario | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-11-29 | The importance of housing has been discussed in several disciplines as a basic need, a fundamental human right, and a source of economic and social security; but the social housing system in Ontario has been downloaded from higher levels of government to municipalities with little to no increase in funding or program governance. In this thesis, I argue that the policies and programs that govern the social housing system in Ontario focus on a service provision perspective that maintains the status quo, particularly the stigma attached to social housing projects and homeless people. Using interviews with activists and a review of the literature, I suggest that activists have a role in changing the way this service-oriented perspective works by bringing forward the realities of homelessness in the public realm to alter social thought, agendas, and actions. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Haghgou, Shirin O Sadat | Mojab, Shahrzad | Archiving War: Iran-Iraq War and the Construction of "Muslim" Women | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-11 | The Iranian state's archiving of the ideological constructions of the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88 have been prolific. This was was the longest military conflict of the 20th century, and an important stepping ground in the formation of Iran's theocratic state, which had assumed power less than two years before the war: the Islamization of the old monarchical state was anchored in the war effort. Women were assigned a special role in the war during which the idea and model of "Muslim woman" was constructed and propagated. These constructions have taken the shape of popular culture, film and theater, literature, as well as sights and events of commemoration. By locating these productions within the framework of the nation building project of cultural nationalism, this thesis aims to provide an analysis of this body of state memorialization of the Iran-Iraq War through the lens of the experiences of Iranian women. As well this research aims to add to the field of critical adult education through an analysis of the topic of women, war, and learning. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Hain, Michael David Lawrence | Miller, Eric ||Roorda, Matthew J. | Labour Market Model of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for Integration within the Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment Modelling System | Civil Engineering | 2011-01-01T00:11:17Z | The Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment (ILUTE) modelling system simulates the activities of agents within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) as they evolve over time. However, in its currently implemented form, ILUTE lacks an endogenous treatment of the labour market and the associated wages. This is seen as the major weakness of the current model. This work describes a labour market framework to partially fill this gap and then develops the dynamic disaggregate model of year to year transitions of the labour force status of the people within the GTHA and the set of wage models components of this framework. The data used is a sample of individuals from the Toronto, Oshawa, and Hamilton Census Metropolitan Areas surveyed over twelve consecutive years between 1995 and 2007 in the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics. | MAST | environment; urban | 11, 13 |
| Haji, Nisha | Knowles, J. Gary | Restoring Awareness: Stories of Childhood Experience and Ecological Identity | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-08-11 | In trying to understand ecological identity within adult environmental education, I embarked on an arts-informed exploration of my life history. I realized that everything I know about the environment grew from what I experienced as a child. My childhood experiences are most vivid in my memories of the natural world. I wanted to know more about the relationship between childhood experiences and ecological identity. Based on a personal transformation, and journey toward restoring awareness of the senses and how we know as human beings, I chose my life as the focus of this research. Had my childhood experiences influenced how I relate to the environment? How had they done that? What was it about those childhood experiences? This thesis is the culmination of my inquiry. It is my story and an offering to travel with me to my childhood and make sense of your own experiences in the natural world. | MAST | educat; environment | 4, 13 |
| Haley, Stephen | Cleghorn, Bill | Design Optimization and Verification of a Horizontal Stabilizer for the SeaStryder600 Wing-in-ground-Effect (WIG) Aircraft | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-20 | Aircraft manufacturer Aquavion Systems is currently designing and constructing prototypes for its revolutionary new fleet of aircraft called the SeaStryder. During the prototyping phase, it was discovered that the center-of-gravity of the SeaStryder600 was too far aft and outside of the acceptable range. To solve this design issue, it was hypothesized that the weight of the horizontal stabilizer may be reduced without compromising its structural integrity. The following document analyzes this hypothesis and provides two alternative designs. Each design exceeds the design requirements, meets additional requirements requested by industry, and provides a significant degree of weight savings. The first design provides a 25% weight reduction. The second design provides an 18% weight reduction as well as a 160% increase in loading capacity. The designs proposed have both been verified through the use of Finite Element Analysis as well as by means of experimentation where two prototype wings were constructed and tested to failure confirming the analytical results. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Halmo, James Christopher | Gulder, L. Omer | Study of Turbulent Swirl-stabilized Non-premixed Ethylene Flames in a Model Combustor | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | The study of turbulent swirl-stabilized non-premixed flames in a model combustor is needed to improve the understanding of flow characteristics and soot production in aero-engines. Laser-induced incandescence and particle image velocimetry have been utilized to characterize the sooting structure and flow field in a gas turbine model combustor. Three air flow rates were used during experiments: 12.38 kg/h, 13.14 kg/h, and 14.00 kg/h. The fuel flow rate was held constant at 0.19 kg/h of ethylene. Point-wise laser-induced incandescence measurements were taken at 130 measurement locations across the burner cross-section. Results show that soot is rarely present at the measurement location. The region of maximum soot has a hollow-cone shape emanating from the fuel nozzle. Particle image velocimetry measurements captured the velocity vector field of the combustor cross-section. Results reveal an inner and an outer recirculation zone, along with a hollow cone-shaped volume of high velocity and turbulence. | M.A.S. | production | 9 |
| Hamdullahpur, Kevin | Uliaszek, Amanda A | Mechanisms Contributing to Suicidal Ideation: The Relationships Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms, Gender, and Emotion Dysregulation | Psychological Clinical Science | 2018-11 | This study examined the relationships between gender, borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal ideation. Emotion dysregulation was examined as a potential mediator in the relationship between BPD symptoms and suicidal ideation. The moderating role of gender in these relationships was also explored. Participants were a community sample of 101 adults experiencing BPD symptomatology. Assessments were completed at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months, and included diagnostic interviews as well as questionnaires on symptomatology and suicidality. Emotion dysregulation did not mediate the BPD symptom-suicidal ideation relationship when examining the full sample. The nonacceptance of emotional responses and lack of emotional clarity dimensions of emotion dysregulation emerged as significant mediators among females only. Impulsiveness was a significant mediator among males only. The results of this study provide insight into gender differences in mechanisms contributing to suicidal ideation among individuals with BPD symptoms and highlights potential gender-specific treatment targets. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Hanbidge, Michelle | Easty, Anthony ||Trbovich, Patricia | Proposed Strategies for Incident Information Flow, Organizational Learning, and Incident-driven Quality Improvement in Health Care | Biomedical Engineering | 2013-11-27 | Every year, tens of thousands of patients in North America die from preventable errors. Incident learning can decrease this number, but is not currently reaching its full potential in health care. The goal of this research was to propose strategies to effectively report and learn from incidents to drive quality improvement. A detailed literature review, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and thematic analysis were used to identify potential process improvement strategies from aviation and nuclear power and assess these strategies for feasibility and desirability in health care. This work was guided by World Health Organization recommendations and Rasmussen’s risk management framework. An extensive list of strategies to address existing shortcomings was ultimately proposed for consideration in health care. These strategies can serve as guidelines to proactively improve incident learning processes. This should help create more effective systems and in turn, improve patient safety. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Hanceroglu, Linda | Manion, Carly | Teachers' Beliefs About Gender Differences in Single-Sex Classrooms | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-11 | Some argue that girls’ and boys’ education should be based on biological differences between learners, while other studies argue that sex-based instruction problematically dismisses or ignores issues of gender. Using a qualitative design, this study addresses two main research questions concerning teachers’ beliefs about the salience of gender in their single-sex classrooms, and how teachers’ beliefs about gender shape their pedagogy. The 6 participating teachers were selected randomly from private, single-sex schools in the Greater Toronto Area. The results show teachers did not take a firm stance on “gender exploitive” (i.e., working with dominant gender constructions and stereotypes) or “gender transformative” (i.e., working against and to challenge dominant gender constructions and stereotypes) pedagogies and shared experiences that both reinforced and challenged gender norms. Conclusions drawn support the need for further professional development to build teacher capacity to effectively respond and address gender and gender issues in their classrooms. | M.Ed. | educat; gender | 4, 5 |
| Haney, James | Cockerill, Rhonda ||Church, John | Pursuing Enterprise Risk Management: A Local Roadmap for Canadian Health Care Leaders | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2012-07-19 | An in-depth analysis of organizational risk management in health care, and in particular the concepts of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), has identified a five part model that can be used by Canadian health care leaders as an evidence supported approach to successful organizational risk management. The Model for Organizational Risk Management has been developed as a basis for linking the components of an ERM framework into a Canadian health organization in order to overcome the barriers that commonly disrupt strategic risk management. The Model addresses how an ERM framework can fit within an existing health organization by building off of and enhancing existing processes and resources in order to ensure familiarity, acceptance, and sustainability of the risk management program. By approaching the Model in a stepwise fashion (based on individual organizational context) health care leaders are provided with a roadmap from which to advance their own organizational risk management program. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Hanington, Pamela | Eichler, Margrit | An Examination of Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Programs for Adolescent Males, Teen Boys and Young Men | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T16:40:25Z | This study examined 11 programs designed to prevent violence in youth intimate relationships with a focus on programs for male youth currently or recently used in Ontario. The BIAS FREE Framework was used to reveal hierarchies and biases in the program materials and to help formulate solutions to the identified problems. Gender, race, class, geographic location and at risk factors were considered. Most programs maintained and denied gender hierarchies by failing to examine differences and using double standards, mainly due to second person and gender neutral language. Programs for mixed-sex audiences were found to be biased in favour of male, urban audiences. Programs for male youth were biased in favour of urban audiences. Most programs examined contained many useful elements. Recommendations include the need for gender inclusive practices, audience-specific intimate violence prevention program content, particularly for male youth, communication across involved sectors and consistency in related definitions and terminology. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Hann, Jennifer | Quarter, Jack | City of Libraries: The Impact of the Urban Reform Movement on the Toronto Public Library | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | This research explores the impact of Toronto’s urban reform movement of the 1970s on the Toronto Public Library (TPL) system. The TPL is the largest public library system in Canada, with 98 branches located in neighbourhoods across the city. These highly visible, accessible, and dynamic local branches promote social inclusion and community engagement through the provision of a range of programs and services. Public participation in the library planning process through citizens’ advisory groups resulted in the “equalization” of library services across the city, a renewal of the local branch system, and the restructuring of programs and services to meet community needs as defined by communities themselves. This research also discusses the possibility of creating new opportunities for patron participation at the TPL in the context of the recent resurgence in civic engagement on library issues. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Haque, Tarana | Packer, Jeffrey A. | Elliptical Hollow Section T and X Connections | Civil Engineering | 2011-12-08 | Elliptical hollow sections (EHS) are the newest steel shape to emerge in the industry, but appropriate design guidance is lacking, being completely absent from Canadian codes and guidelines. Geometric property and compressive resistance tables were established to be potentially added to the Canadian guides. The equivalent RHS method, originally proposed by Zhao and Packer in 2009, was simplified and modified to validate its use for the design of EHS columns and beams. An experimental programme was developed to investigate the behaviour of EHS-to-EHS welded connections. Twelve T and X connection tests were performed to study the effect of connection angle, orientation type and loading. Two methods were developed to predict connection capacities and failure modes: the equivalent CHS and the equivalent RHS approaches. Both methods proved to be conservative on average, but the equivalent RHS approach proved to be more successful at capturing the actual failure mode of EHS-to-EHS connections. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Harmon, Adam | Miller, Eric | A Microsimulated Industrial and Occupation-based Labour Market Model for Use in the Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment (ILUTE) Modelling System | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-27 | Urban microsimulators have been increasingly used to forecast land use, environmental and transportation conditions in cities and are a major tool for stakeholders to analyze the effects of urban policy. Although demographic and residential land use models have been well developed for the majority of these systems, labour market conditions and the forecasting of future jobs have at best been limited to high-level exogenous processes. This thesis aims to develop and implement a truly endogenous job supply and job matching model for use with the Integrated Land Use, Transportation, Environment (ILUTE) modelling system. Jobs within the system are tracked individually at both the occupational and industrial level, and matching occurs within an open market framework in an effort to simulate the true macroeconomic conditions of the real world. | MAST | labour | 8 |
| Harpur, Cavan Andrews | Mandrak, Nicholas E. ||Harvey, Harold | Assessing the Natural Variability in the Fish Communities of the Lakes of the Northern Bruce Peninsula | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-07-26T19:48:41Z | To monitor and assess direct anthropogenic impacts on an aquatic system requires knowledge of its natural variation. The goal of this study explored natural variation in the lake fish communities of the northern Bruce Peninsula, which may act as a reference condition for other studies. The results of this study indicated there has been a shift towards more small-bodied, native species present in the fish communities, potentially a result of beaver activity in the area. A second goal was to calculate gear sampling efficiencies to enable the design of efficient monitoring protocols for fish communities in small, shallow lakes. It was concluded that a wide variety of gears are required to assess the fish species composition in a lake. Fine-mesh hoops were the most effective gear; however, saturation was never obtained for boat electrofishing; therefore, additional research is required to determine effectiveness relative to the fine-mesh hoop net. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Harris, Rachel | Wilson, Kathi | “We Exist. We’re Not Just Some Fairytale in a Book”: Migration Narratives of LGBTQ2S Aboriginal People in Toronto | Geography | 2015-11 | Over the past 60 years, the urban Aboriginal population in Canada has increased by almost 700 percent. Toronto’s population is no different; from 2001 to 2011, the Aboriginal population in Toronto grew by 87 percent. While it has been suggested that there is a high rate of Aboriginal mobility between reserves and cities, there are few qualitative studies that examine experiences of migration. Within that, little attention has been paid to narratives of Aboriginal people who are marginalized within this already marginalized community, such as the LGBTQ and two-spirited (LGBTQ2S) population. Utilizing Indigenous methodologies and a critical population health theoretical framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-two LGBTQ2S migrants to understand urban transition narratives. The findings suggest that LGBTQ2S migrants have unique migration narratives based on their intersectional identities, which contribute to new challenges accessing housing, employment, culture, and services for this particular population. | M.A. | urban; inclusive; rights | 4, 11, 16 |
| Hart, Lisa | Wane, Njoki ||Feuerverger, Grace | An Examination of the Characteristics of High Achieving Black Students and Practical Recommendations to Help Support All Educational Stakeholders | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-08-11 | The aim is to empower all students to achieve academic success by overcoming the educational barriers that exist within the school system. This thesis examines what sociological factors are at play that encourages the academic success of Black students. The emphasis will be to identify how other Black students can replicate the success of their high achieving peers. Another theme in this thesis focuses around the idea of success and who it belongs to versus which groups of learners are ignored. Other related themes look at the power of educators to transform the lives of students where schooling is viewed as a family approach offering hope for all stakeholders. Furthermore, the resiliency of Black learners and their ability to rise above racial pressures and adversity is an important theme that addresses the need for policy to change and the implementation of anti-racist strategies. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Harten, Maria van | Lawrence, Herenia P. | The Oral Health Status of Incarcerated Youth at a Toronto-area Youth Centre | Dentistry | 2012-11-27 | Canadian correctional institutions provide dental services to incarcerated young people, but data on the dental health of these groups do not exist. Objective: To determine the oral health status of youth in a closed-custody youth facility in the country’s largest urban centre. Methods: A cross-sectional study of male and female youth incarcerated at a Toronto-area facility was conducted from September 2010 till July 2011. Participants completed a survey on social, correctional and dental histories, and underwent oral examination. Results: The 101 adolescent participants had a mean DMFT of 4.39 with 81.2% having DMFT>0. The proportion of DT when DMFT>0 was 0.51. Race, custody history and dental pain were indicators of poor oral health. Conclusions: By quantifying the need for dental services and by identifying variables associated with greater dental disease experience, these findings may assist health care providers in youth correctional facilities with their program planning for their high-needs wards. | MAST | health; urban | 4, 11 |
| Harvey, Monica | Susan, Andrews | The Impacts of UV Direct Photolysis and UV/H2O2 Advanced Oxidation Processes on the Formation of Nitrosamines and Organic Chloramines from Subsequent Chlor(am)ination | Civil Engineering | 2010-01-20T21:54:12Z | Ultraviolet direct photolysis (UV) and the advanced oxidation process UV/H2O2 are new technologies in the water treatment industry. Both treatments can cause the transformation of organic compounds. Nitrosamines and organic chloramines are disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed from the reaction of organic nitrogen compounds during chlorination or chloramination (chlor(am)ination) disinfection. It is therefore possible for UV and UV/H2O2 to affect the organic compound precursors for nitrosamines and organic chloramines and thus their formation from subsequent chlor(am)ination. The precursor compounds, UV and H2O2 doses used for UV or UV/H2O2, and alkalinity were found to have an effect on the formation of nitrosamines and organic chloramines during bench-scale experiments. Full scale studies found UV and UV/H2O2 had different effects on the formation of different nitrosamine species and organic chloramine concentrations, and that a potential correlation existed between the formation of organic chloramines from chlorination and the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine from chloramination. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Hasanbeig, Mohammadhosein | Pavel, Lacra | Multi-agent Learning in Coverage Control Games | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | Multi-agent systems have found a variety of industrial applications from economics to robotics. With the increasing complexity of multi-agent systems, multi-agent control has become a challenging problem in many areas. While studying multi-agent systems is not identical to studying game theory, there is no doubt that game theory can be a key tool to manage such complex systems. Game theoretic multi-agent learning is one of relatively new solutions to the complex problem of multi-agent control. In such learning scheme, each agent eventually discovers a solution on his own. The main focus of this thesis is on enhancement of multi-agent learning in game theory and its application in multi-robot control. Each algorithm proposed in this thesis, relaxes and imposes different assumptions to fit a class of multi-robot learning problems. Numerical experiments are also conducted to verify each algorithm's robustness and performance. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Hasham, Aleem Alnoor | Sinton, David | Microfluidics for Fluid Analysis in Oil Sands and Tight Oils | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | Unconventional oil recovery has advanced over the decades as conventional oil supply declines. In North America, unconventional oil has been commercialized in the oil sands and shale formations. However, as oil prices collapse and emission concerns associated with hydrocarbon recovery increases, producers are seeking cost-effective methods to improve economic and environmental performance. Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) and hydraulic fracturing methods are hindered by massive water demands for stimulating formations. Microfluidics, a fluid analysis tool benefiting from small sample volumes and precise quantification, has emerged as a useful platform for hydrocarbon analysis, particularly for demanding, reservoir-relevant conditions (high temperatures and pressures). In this vein, the presented work demonstrates two microfluidic applications. The first method is a tube-based viscometer with in-line mixing relevant to solvent-based recovery of oil sands. The second method is a physical model of nanopores relevant to hydraulic fracturing with the aim to show fluid interactions at the pore-scale. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Hashimi, Linah Fatimah | Moodley, Roy | The Role of Family and Faith as Resources within South Asian Muslim Newcomer Communities Settling in Canada | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T16:41:58Z | This study examines the psychological and emotional experience of settling in Canada for South Asian Muslim newcomers and the coping systems they use to manage the challenges associated with moving to a new country. Ten South Asian Muslims were interviewed within the Greater Toronto Area. They were posed questions related to the hardships they encountered as they settled in Canada and how they managed those challenges. The data was analyzed using Grounded Theory. A model was developed to illustrate resources used by newcomers to help maintain their mental health and well-being. Upon settling in Canada, the participants experienced psychological stressors and therefore sought help from their Islamic faith, their families, and community services. The combined resources facilitated the immigrants’ resilience and allowed them to maintain a positive outlook towards their immigration experience. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Hasnain, Sarah | Shuter, Brian | Factors Influencing Ecological Metrics of Thermal Response in North American Freshwater Fish | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2012-07-25 | Habitat temperature is a major determinant of performance and activity in fish. I examined the relationships between thermal response metrics describing growth (optimal growth temperature [OGT] and final temperature preferendum [FTP]), survival (upper incipient lethal temperature [UILT] and critical thermal maximum [CTMax]), and reproduction (optimum spawning [OS] and optimum egg development temperature [OE]) for 173 North American freshwater fish species. All metrics were highly correlated and associated with thermal preference class, reproductive guild and spawning season. Controlling for phylogeny resulted in an overall decrease in correlation strength, varying with metric pair relationship. ANCOVA and Bayesian hierarchical models were utilized to assess the influence of phylogeny on metric pair relationships. For both methods, FTP based metric pairs were weakly correlated within taxonomic family. Strong within family associations were found for reproduction metrics OS-OE. These results suggest that evolutionary history plays an important role in determining species thermal response to their environment. | MAST | water; ecology; environment; fish | 13, 14 |
| Hassan, Samah | Einstein, Gillian | Chronic Pain, Opioids and Ovarian Hormones | Medical Science | 2014-06 | Sex differences in pain perception have led researchers to hypothesize that ovarian hormones might mediate these differences. The animal and human literature demonstrates that ovarian hormones modulate pain and its treatments in female rodents as well as women in their reproductive years. While rife with inconsistencies in study design, the general agreement of the clinical literature raises the question as to whether this sex difference and role of ovarian hormones is taken into account in clinical practice. A chart review of 254 patient records of a specialist pain clinic in a large Canadian city revealed sex differences in types of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) conditions, treatments, and in sheer numbers of patients. The majority of patients were women in their reproductive years and many had co-occurring pelvic pain. Interestingly, women’s charts included no information on ovarian hormones or phase of the menstrual cycle suggesting that ovarian hormones are an overlooked aspect of CNCP treatment. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Hassan, Syed Ahmed | Reid, W. Darlene | Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Dual Task Performance in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-06 | The purpose of this study was to compare changes in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) oxygenated hemoglobin (ΔO2Hb), accuracy of backwards spelling, and decrements in gait velocity during single and dual tasks in patients with COPD (n=8), and healthy younger (n=20) and older adults (n=20). Participants performed: (1) backwards spelling cognitive task (CT); (2) preferred paced walk (PPW); and (3) fast paced walk (FPW). The dual tasks then paired CT with PPW and FPW. In older adults, ΔO2Hb was significantly higher in left DLPFC compared to patients with COPD and bilaterally compared to younger adults during FPW+CT versus FPW. Furthermore, older and younger adults exhibited higher decrements of velocity during FPW+CT compared to PPW+CT. CT accuracy tended to be lower in older adults. Decrements in performance during dual tasking highlight the impact of increased cognitive load and need of cognitive-motor interventions to improve cognition and physical function. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Hastie, Robyn | Deber, Raisa Berlin | The Influence of Age and Sector on the Occupational Therapists Labour Market in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2009-08-10T15:05:44Z | The purpose of this thesis was to analyze factors related to labour market survival and withdrawal behaviour in the profession of Occupational Therapy in Ontario from 1997 to 2006. To provide a portrait of the OT labour market in Ontario overall, and in relation to sector and age, three types of analysis were used: descriptive statistics (including “stay, switch, and leave” analysis), “Stickiness” and “Inflow” analysis, and survival analysis. The largest proportion of OTs worked in the Hospital sector, which had a great ability to retain OTs according to the “Stickiness” analysis. However, when controlling for other variables using survival analysis, none of the sector variables had a significant effect on survival. The youngest and oldest age groups had the highest propensity of leave, due to mobility, family commitments, and retiring (oldest group only). Overall, the profession in Ontario had a strong ability to retain OTs working in the profession during the study period. | MAST | labour | 8 |
| Hawkins, Charlene | Langille, Brian A. | The Race for Equality, But How Do We Remove the Hurdles? Affirmative Action Lessons for the U.K. from Canada | Law | 2010-01-26T21:05:14Z | The new Equality Bill in the UK attempts to bring domestic law regarding positive action into line with EU norms. The author addresses two key criticisms of the provisions, namely: a) that they allow positive discrimination; and b) that they will be ineffective in practice. It is argued that the first criticism is misconceived; preference of a minority candidate where they are equally as qualified as a male candidate simply recognises that equality is not about treating everybody the same, but having a relevant reason for treating them differently. The second criticism is more compelling. The author recommends that the UK make the transition to a systemic model and impose positive duties on employers in a similar vein to that which has developed in Canada. However, a delicate equilibrium must be achieved; special treatment of women and minorities regardless of merit is not conducive to a society that values diversity. | MAST | women; equality | 5 |
| Hayashi, Kaho | Malcolm, Jay R. | Climate-induced Tree Migration in Southern Ontario: Pathways and Source Populations | Forestry | 2011-08-24 | Under the current rapid climate change, trees are of critical interest because of diverse ecosystem services that they provide. Although increasing landscape connectivity is though to be crucial in order to maximize their migration capabilities, there are few studies indicating where exactly such increases might best take place. To understand the impact of fragmentation on species climate-change induced migrations and source populations, I calculated migration pathways and source populations under six climate change scenarios in southern Ontario where >70% of forest has been lost through human-use. The results showed that although forest fragmentation increased species required migration rates, the most important migration corridors and source populations were quite similar across all migration models and were concentrated in exiting forest corridors and extensively forested areas, including northeast of Lake Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment, and the Oak Ridges Moraine. | MAST | forest; climate | 13, 15 |
| Hayes, Alyssa | Quiñonez, Carlos | Time Loss Due to Oral Health Issues in the Canadian Population | Dentistry | 2012-11-20 | Objectives: 1. To determine the proportion of people reporting time loss from work, school, or normal activities due to oral health issues. 2. To determine how much time is being lost. 3. To establish predictors of this time loss. 4. To determine the productivity losses. Methods: Data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007-2009) were used. Linear and logistic regressions were employed to determine which variables were predictive of hours lost and reporting time loss. Productivity losses were determined using the lost wages approach. Results: Time loss is more likely among privately insured, high income earners. Experiencing oral pain is the best predictor of reporting time loss. Productivity losses are comparable to those of some musculoskeletal conditions. Conclusions: Participants with higher incomes report time loss more frequently while the total amount of time lost is greatest for those with the lowest incomes. Productivity losses are substantial at the societal level. | MAST | health; wage | 3, 8 |
| Hayhoe, Gail Susan | Iravani, Reza | Impact of Irradiance Change on MPPT and Flicker Phenomenon of Solar-PV Units | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis investigates the effect the solar-PV array's response to a rapid change in irradiance has on the individual solar-PV unit and electric power distribution system to which it is connected. The study system is a weak, radial distribution system with 30% solar-PV penetration levels. Specifically, 3 solar PV units, each 1.5 MW capacity, are distributed downstream in the feeder. First, at the individual, solar PV unit level, an augmented incremental conductance (IC) method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is proposed to improve DC power control performance in response to change in irradiance, i.e., cloud movement. The augmented MPPT algorithm shows up to 2.49 % energy harvest improvement when compared to the classical IC method. Second, at the system level, the impact of rapid changes in irradiance on voltage flicker is evaluated. It is shown that flicker levels are kept well below acceptable levels (the highest Pst observed is 0.21 pu) for citable weather patterns. | M.A.S. | weather; solar; energy | 7, 13 |
| Haynes, Kristine | Mitchell, Carl | Hydrological Controls on Mercury Mobility and Transport from a Forested Hillslope during Spring Snowmelt | Geography | 2012-11-20 | Upland environments are important sources of mercury (Hg) to downstream wetlands and water bodies. Hydrology is instrumental in facilitating Hg transport within, and export from watersheds. Two complementary studies were conducted to assess the role hydrological processes play in controlling Hg mobility and transport in forested uplands. A field study compared runoff and Hg fluxes from three, replicate hillslope plots during two contrasting spring snowmelt periods, in terms of snowpack depth and timing. Hillslope Hg fluxes were predominately flow-driven. The melting of soil frost significantly delayed a large portion of the Hg flux later into the spring following a winter with minimal snow accumulation. A microcosm laboratory study using a stable Hg isotope tracer applied to intact soil cores investigated the relative controls of soil moisture and precipitation on Hg mobility. Both hydrologic factors control the mobility of contemporary Hg; with greatest Hg flushing from dry soils under high-flow conditions. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Hearn, Jason | Cafazzo, Joseph | Improving the self-management of heart failure in low- and middle-income countries using a standalone mobile health intervention | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-11 | Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have recently been investigated as a means of simplifying heart failure (HF) self-management. Though these interventions have been shown to improve the self-care efficacy of HF patients living in high-income countries, they remain underexamined in resource-limited settings. Thus, a user-centred design process was used to develop an mHealth intervention for HF patients and clinicians living in Uganda. An initial, exploratory phase revealed an overdependence of patients on the clinic, and an overburdening of cardiac clinics in Uganda. An mHealth system was developed to allow patients to report daily symptoms, receive tailored treatment advice, and connect with local clinicians when showing signs of regression in their health. In usability testing, the developed system was found to be highly usable amongst Ugandan patients, caregivers and clinicians. Once deployed, the well-accepted intervention is expected to debottleneck the currently-overburdened cardiac clinics and improve the self-care efficacy of Ugandan HF patients. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Helou, Joelle | Bezjak, Andrea||Loblaw, Andrew | A Comparative Study of Quality of Life in Patients with Low-and Intermediate-risk Prostate Cancer Treated at a Single Institution: Stereotactic Radiotherapy vs. High dose-rate Brachytherapy Monotherapy vs. High dose-rate Brachytherapy Boost | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2017-11 | This retrospective cohort analysis aims to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) deterioration at 12 months in 648 low-and intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients treated with three radiation strategies: stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR), high dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR) monotherapy and HDR boost. Urinary, bowel and sexual HRQoL were prospectively measured at baseline and 12 months using the Expanded Prostate Index Composite (EPIC). A minimally important difference (MID) was defined as a deterioration of HRQoL scores at 12 months compared to baseline â Ľ 0.5 standard deviation of baseline score. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses using generalized estimating equations were used to compare the proportion of patients having MID between groups. SABR and HDR monotherapy were associated with less deterioration in the urinary (OR:0.543, 95%CI:0.320-0.922, p-value=0.024, OR: 0.468, 95%CI:0.432-0.507, p-value | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Hemalal, Shilini | Librach, Clifford | Facilitators of, and Barriers to, Accessing Reproductive Care in Canada for Same-sex Male Couples (SSMC) and Single Men (SM) | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Same-sex male couples (SSMCs) and single men (SM) are increasingly using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to have children, yet research on their experience accessing care in Canada is limited. The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate experiences of SSMCs and SM who have pursued ART in Canada. Data were collected from 08/2018 - 01/2019 through convenience sampling using a 58-item anonymous online survey. Seventy-two completed surveys were used for the analysis. Four of five participants (n=58, 80.5%) had a positive overall experience using ART. Resources such as high socio-economic status and social support were facilitators to accessing ART in Canada. Barriers to accessing care included: cost, time commitment, experience of stigma, and difficulties securing third parties when using ART. This research may guide practice and policy implications for reproductive healthcare services in Canada, such as provision of funding to make ART more accessible to all demographics. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Hemmingsen, Emma | Prudham, W. Scott | Producing Barrels from Bitumen: A Political Ecology of Price in Explaining the Classification of the Alberta Oil Sands as a Proven Oil Reserve | Geography | 2010-02-17T19:31:35Z | In December, 2002, the oil sands of Alberta, Canada – earlier seen as an obscure, obstacle-ridden scientific project – were for the first time included in the Oil & Gas Journal’s year-end review of worldwide oil reserves. To explain this decision, the editors of this prestigious international petroleum magazine cited the basic neoclassical economic theory of price-driven resource substitution. This thesis contends, however, that the neoclassical theory in fact explains very little of how it became possible to profitably extract petroleum from Alberta’s bitumen-saturated sands. Merging insights from resources geography on the politics of nature-based production with scholarship on calculation and classification in Science and Technology Studies, this thesis fleshes in much-needed detail and dimension to the neoclassical account by emphasizing the role of key actors and decision-makers, many within the state but also within the private sector, who have actively negotiated supply costs and pursued technological strategies for the oil sands. In doing so, it argues that market prices and supply costs are not independent objects, but are underpinned by a malleable, contingent, and profoundly political process. As evidence, this thesis draws on national and international petroleum statistics, industry publications and public relations campaigns, as well as over 80 years of archived and more contemporary government documents, in order to show that substitution between two materially different resources is rarely an independently propelled or inevitable response. | MAST | industr; ecology | 9, 15 |
| Henderson, Elyse Ann | Donaldson, D James | The Influence of Organic Coatings on Atmospheric Processes at the Air-Water Interface | Chemistry | 2014-03-18 | The air-water interface is abundant in the environment, thus it is an important proxy for atmospheric processes such as the uptake and transfer of molecules, heterogeneous reactions, photochemistry, and cloud condensation. This thesis aims to elucidate the role of semi-soluble and insoluble organic coatings on atmospheric processes at the air-water interface. Using glancing-angle LIF it was found that monolayer coatings of 1-octanol and of octanoic acid have opposing effects on the ozonation rate of pyrene at the air-water interface. LIF was also coupled with a Profile Analysis Tensiometer (PAT-1) to measure the effect of stearic acid coating compression on the uptake of HCl to a water droplet. Due to preliminary issues with this novel technique, no significant uptake suppression was observed. The oxidation of benzene by OH radical was also explored briefly, as were the photophysics of photosensitizers and the angle dependence of Raman signal from a D2O pendent droplet. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Henderson, Gail | Anand, Anita ||Green, Andrew | The Possible Impacts of "Enlightened Shareholder Value" on Corporations' Environmental Performance | Law | 2010-01-26T21:18:05Z | This paper argues that “enlightened shareholder value” (“ESV”) offers a “third way” between the shareholder primacy and stakeholder theories of the corporation; one that maintains the creation of shareholder value as the corporation’s primary function, but requires directors to take into account the environmental impact of the corporations’ operations. ESV requires directors to “have regard to”, among other things, “the impact of the company’s operations on…the environment.” The obligation to “have regard to” should be interpreted as a procedural duty requiring directors to inform themselves as to the environmental impact of the corporation’s operations, which may in itself cause directors to reallocate corporate resources to environmental protection. ESV may also improve corporations’ environmental disclosure and impact social norms of corporate behaviour with respect to the environment. Any negative impact of ESV on present shareholder returns is justified by the obligation to avoid imposing foreseeable severe or irreparable environmental harm on future generations. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Henderson, Ryan | Martins, Joaquim R. R. A. | Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Airframe and Engine for Emissions Reduction | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2010-01-26T21:36:32Z | Consideration of the environmental impact of aircraft has become critical in commercial aviation. The continued growth in air traffic has come with increasing concerns and demands to reduce aircraft emissions and this has imposed new constraints on the de- sign and development of future airplane concepts. In this work, an environmental design framework has been developed to design and optimize aircraft for specific environmental metrics. Multidisciplinary design optimization is used to optimize aircraft by simulta- neously considering airframe, engine and mission design. The environmental metrics considered include fuel burn, landing-takeoff NOx and fuel burn per distance flown. Additional concepts such as the design of large aircraft for short ranges are also presented. Multi-objective optimization is also used to illustrate the tradeoffs between the various environmental objective functions. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Henry, Caitlin R. | Kepe, Thembela | Caring Women and the Intimate Realities of Transnational Belonging | Geography | 2011-01-01T00:27:02Z | Transnational migrants challenge meanings of home, belonging, and citizenship because they exercise their right to mobility and form multiple allegiances abroad, all while negotiating different gender roles and new care deficits. In three parts, I explore the meanings of home and belonging for transnational women and seek to understand the gendered implications of their migration, especially how migrant women meet care needs and confront institutional exclusion. First, I explore how Global South women use transnational friendship networks to migrate and fill welfare-pitfalls in the US. Next, I argue that the concept of the ‘Third World Woman’ helps in understanding belonging and informal support networks both at work and in life. Finally, bringing citizenship, belonging, and care together through multiple meanings of home, I explore how multiple allegiances to multiple places form and how exclusion, inclusion, feelings of belonging, and citizenship shape transnational women’s experiences in and attachments to different places. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Hernandez, Miguel A. | Iacobucci, Edward | The Directive on Alternative Investment Fund Managers: Comparative Analysis of Certain Aspects of the Regulatory Regimes of Europe, Canada and the United States of America | Law | 2012-03-21 | The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive ("AIFMD"), adopted by the European Union on 11 November 2010, has introduced a harmonized set of rules for alternative investment funds (“AIFs”) in Europe. This thesis discusses potential financial risks for the AIFs industry arising from the European regulatory reform, which started before the current financial crisis, and compares relevant European, Canadian and US rules governing AIFs. This comparative analysis is based on four main criteria: i) registration and authorization requirements, ii) general financial transparency requirements, iii) capital requirements, and iv) remuneration restrictions. The analysis of AIFs regulatory reform in Europe leads to three main conclusions. First, the AIFMD requirements are much stricter than analogue regimes in Canada and the United States. Second, as a consequence of this regulation, European AIFs may be in disadvantage. Third, the complexity of the present European institutional framework is not able to fully implement the European regulatory reform. | MAST | industr; institution | 9, 16 |
| Herod, Kris | Evans, Greg J | Analyzing and Optimizing an Array of Low-Cost Gas Sensors for use in an Air Quality Measurement Device with Machine Learning | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-06 | Low-cost gas sensors have been proposed in place of conventional expensive instruments however they have issues due to cross-sensitivity with other pollutants. Several different types of metal oxide and electrochemical sensors and machine learning methods were evaluated. The objectives were to determine which type of sensor, metal oxide or electrochemical, is better at measuring traffic-related air pollution and whether deep neural networks (DNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN) improve sensor performance. Three devices were deployed across three sites, two in Toronto and one in Beijing to evaluate the performance of calibration. Calibration was performed with two weeks of data from only one site and evaluated with the remaining data. The combination of metal oxide and electrochemical sensors were more accurate when measuring NOx. When targets were normalized, the RNN performed better than DNN and linear calibration, however, not when applied to measuring data well outside the range for calibration. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Hershenfield, Sari | Quiñonez, Carlos | No Association between Periodontitis and Obesity in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Adults | Dentistry | 2014-11 | Objective: To study the relationship between obesity and periodontitis in Canadian adults. Materials and methods: Data were obtained from the 2007/09 Canadian Health Measures Survey. The sample included dentate individuals aged 20-79 who participated in both the anthropometric examination, including body mass index and waist circumference (WC), and the periodontal examination, consisting of probing depths and attachment loss (n=2795). Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Approximately 15% of the weighted sample had periodontitis, 35% were overweight and 20% were obese, while 33% had WC above normal cut-off points. A higher prevalence of periodontitis was demonstrated in obese participants, as compared to those who were not obese; however, this difference was not statistically significant. Age, cultural/racial origin, smoking, sex and having no dental insurance were significantly associated with the presence of periodontitis. Conclusion: This study found no statistically significant association between periodontitis and obesity in Canadian adults. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Heslin Piper, Laura Ann | Raboy, Becky E | Social and Environmental Factors Influencing Reproductive Success in a Cooperatively Breeding Primate | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-06 | Cooperative breeding is a system where non-breeding individuals care for another individual's offspring. In primates, cooperative breeding is only found in the family Callitrichidae. Leontopithecus chrysomelas (the golden-headed lion tamarin) is an endangered callitrichid that is facing high rates of habitat loss and fragmentation. For this study, I analyzed the influence of social, parental and environmental variables on reproductive success in L. chrysomelas, using data previously collected during the first long-term study on a wild population of this species. I found that infant survival was negatively associated with group size, but this was tempered by the presence of multiple adult males. The use of secondary forest was associated with high body condition, as well as high resting and reproductive rates, indicating that it can act as a good quality habitat under certain conditions. In addition, secondary forest use and the presence of multiple males were associated with faster infant growth and higher adult weights. | M.Sc. | environment; ecology | 13, 15 |
| Heslop, Lisa K | Scott, Katreena | The Relative Contribution of Mental Illness in Intimate Partner Violence Recidivism | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-03 | To date the literature exploring the relative contribution of mental health-related risk factors to intimate partner violence recidivism has produced ambiguous results. Mental illness has only sometimes been shown to be predictive of IPV recidivism and few studies have examined mental illness alongside other well-established predictors of recidivism. This study seeks to add to the literature by examining the relative contribution of mental health-related risk factors to the rate and timing of adult male IPV recidivism over and above standard predictors. The study found that when controlling for other significant risk factors, recidivists with mental illness were 1.83 times more likely to re-offend and reoffended faster than their non-ill counterparts. This study concludes that extending the eligibility criteria of adult therapeutic court to permit access to perpetrators with mental illness who have offended against an intimate partner may allow for treatment during the highest risk time for reoffending. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Hewitt-White, Caitlin | Bakan, Abigail B. | Old and New Fascism: Race, Citizenship, and the Historical and Intellectual Context of CasaPound Italia | Social Justice Education | 2015-11 | CasaPound Italia is a contemporary fascist movement in Italy. An anti-capitalist movement, CasaPound has emerged under neoliberal conditions of youth unemployment and privatization of education. Although CasaPound uses tactics not typically associated with the extreme right, it shares several features with traditional Italian fascism. Like past fascist movements, CasaPound claims to offer an alternative to capitalism, communism, and the limits of a corrupt political spectrum. It also shares with past fascist movements a populist opportunism that feeds on the middle class's real frustrations, and rearticulates these in anti-immigrant racism. Despite these similarities, CasaPound denies that it is racist. This thesis argues that CasaPound's conscious inheritance of the legacies of Ezra Pound, Giovanni Gentile, and Julius Evola undermines its claims to be non-racist. Its activism further undermines these claims. This thesis also argues that CasaPound's emergence has been made possible by exclusionary and racialized citizenship practices central to hegemonic liberal democracy. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Hicks, Benjamin Lee | Goldstein, Tara||Simon, Rob | ALL-WAYS in Transition: De-sensationalizing Beliefs About Trans Identities in Schooling Through Participatory Action Research. | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-11 | This thesis considers what happens when student teachers are invited to learn about trans and gender diverse (GD) identities through a creative exploration of their own relationship to identity+change. Each participant came to a similar understanding that; in order to actively queer space in their own schools, they would need a) the opportunity to engage in a much slower process of personal inquiry about the topic, and b) the assurance that their colleagues would support and encourage them in this process. In short: they came to believe in the imperative of this work, but were exposed to a supportive collegial community so briefly that they did not yet feel comfortable addressing it in their own classroom teaching. Participants also clarified that they felt unprepared mainly due to a discomfort with the complexity of their own feelings about gender, and not because they were lacking in factual understanding about the topic. | M.A. | gender; educat | 4, 5 |
| Higham, Benjamin | Green, Andrew | Carbon Copies: The United States, Eu ETS and Linkage | Law | 2010-01-26T21:20:01Z | Although many nations have recognized the need to protect the Earth’s climate, human activities are continuing to result in a change in greenhouse gas levels that threaten to result in a detrimental change in the Earth’s climate in terms of ongoing human life. The EU ETS has been developed and implemented in Europe as a key tool to meet the goals set by the Kyoto Protocol. Much political debate has arisen in recent years regarding the implementation of a carbon-trading regime in the United States. Many commentators have recognized that the success of any proposed carbon regime will be determined by how well it is tailored to fit certain economic realities in the United States. However, the adequacy of proposed carbon trading frameworks with regard to potential linkage to existing systems, namely the EU ETS, raises additional considerations. My study seeks to expose these considerations for debate and determine whether existing political considerations in the United States are adequate for the establishment of future linkages or whether further measures are required. | MAST | climate; greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Hill, Daniel Louis | Knowles, J. Gary | The Reflective Practitioner: On the Margins Talking with Métis Educator Dave Skene about his Life's Work | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:16:47Z | In this Arts-informed Life History I use dialogue and narrative to illustrate “pedagogy in practice” and illuminate the life’s work of Métis adult educator Dave Skene. Skene tells stories of experience working cross-culturally to illustrate how individuals are transformed by learning experiences and how they contribute to transformative learning in others' lives. He recounts experiences of working for social justice and community development in the global context of north-south knowledge exchange. Skene’s life crosses many borders and the research account walks readers through a life growing up in an urban setting, surviving on the street, discovering God, working internationally with indigenous peoples, listening to stories in areas of protracted conflict and war, and co-founding a Non Governmental Organization, Global Youth Network. As researcher I interweave reflexive accounts of cross-cultural experiences in Canada and Latin America to contribute to understanding how to undertake life history research and issues in its representation. | MAST | justice; educat | 3, 16 |
| Hill, Jennifer | Sorensen, Andre | Contested Streets: A Case-study Approach to Understanding Bicycle and Car Politics in Toronto, Canada | Geography | 2010-04-06T15:33:24Z | Using qualitative interviews, this thesis examines bicycle and car politics in Toronto, Canada to understand: i) how automobility affects those engaged in contesting and supporting cycling initiatives; ii) why the installation of cycling infrastructure has been politicized; and iii) whether strategies used by cycling activists are effective. The paper concludes that contemporary cultural and economic values surrounding automobility are visible in those engaged in bicycle and car politics. Findings suggest that the politicization of efforts to install cycling infrastructure arise due to how these values manifest themselves in the political realm, and the interrelationship between a lack of coherent transportation policy, the institutionalization of automobiles in planning and a ward-based decision-making system that entrenches suburban and urban biases. Activist strategies could be more effective by moving away from a focus on cycling lanes to address cultural norms associated with automobiles and bicycles and by focusing on a ‘complete streets’ approach. | MAST | infrastructure; urban | 9, 11 |
| Ho, Ezra | Maclaren, Virginia W | 3R Ambassadors and the Governance of Recycling Practices in Toronto | Geography | 2018-11 | The mainstreaming of environmental concern has projected environmental intervention and regulations into all aspects of contemporary everyday life. Yet everyday environmentalisms are often critiqued as ineffectual neoliberal instruments that depoliticise environmental action, and narrow the possibilities of systemic change. In this thesis, I explore the logics of everyday environmentalisms through recycling volunteers in Toronto. Volunteers demonstrated neoliberal tendencies in their narratives of social change, and through affective responsibilisation. But for the most part, volunteers drew meaning from place-based social ties and attachments. Furthermore, volunteers’ experience were often more than about the environment. In some cases, the recycling project was also bound up with multiple politics; for instance, over decision-making or resource allocation authority, the various ways one participated within a supposedly technocratic waste regime, and re-directing flows of discarded materials. Taken together, the case of Toronto’s 3R Ambassadors show that such mundane practices embody possibilities and potential for everyday environmental governance to circumvent dominant neoliberal logics. | M.A. | environment; governance; urban; governance | 11, 13, 16 |
| Hofley, Stephanie Clare | Simpson, Myrna J. | Factors Governing Sorption of Dissolved Organic Matter and Pharmaceuticals in Soil | Chemistry | 2012-03-21 | Pharmaceuticals, personal care products and dissolved organic matter (OM) are introduced to soil via irrigation with reclaimed wastewater. This thesis examines the basic factors that influence sorption of these components in soil. Sorption of dissolved OM samples of varying composition to clay surfaces was examined. Results indicate that preferential sorption is dependent on clay type but not necessarily OM composition. Analysis of soils revealed aliphatic components, carbohydrates and amino acids are prevalent at the soil-water interface whereas aromatics are inaccessible at the soil-water interface. No clear relationship between sorption affinity of 17β-estradiol, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and phenanthrene and soil OM aromaticity or aliphaticity was observed. A negative relationship between sorption and O-alkyl content may be due to these components blocking contaminant access to high affinity sorption sites. Therefore, application of reclaimed wastewater to soils with O-alkyl-rich OM may result in higher mobility of contaminants. | MAST | water; waste | 6, 14 |
| Holland, Kira Michelle | Porter, Trevor J | Holocene Winter Paleoclimate Reconstructions from Ice-Wedge Archives in the Northwestern Canadian Arctic | Geography | 2020-06 | Ice wedges, a direct cold-season precipitation archive, capture a season rarely represented in Arctic paleoclimate proxy records. This thesis utilizes Holocene ice wedges from the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands (Beaufort Sea coast) to i) develop a winter temperature record from ice-wedge stable water isotopes (δ18O and δD), and ii) to explore the potential of marine aerosol contributions to ice-wedge ion geochemistry to inform past sea ice conditions and paleogeography. A long-term increase in water isotopes from ~7,400 to ~640 yr b2k indicates increasing winter temperatures, following increasing winter insolation at 69°N. Likewise, an increase in the sea-salt component of the major ion record from ~4,600 to ~640 yr b2k may indicate increasing open water conditions in the Beaufort Sea or decreased continentality of the study site. This research supports the potential of ice wedges to provide insight into winter climate dynamics in Arctic regions where glacial ice-core records are unattainable. | M.Sc. | marine; climate | 13, 14 |
| Holloway, Justin | Vieta, Marcelo||Sawchuk, Peter | U of T Works Because We Do! Neoliberalism, the Social Economy, and the University of Toronto | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | The University of Toronto is one of the most important social economy organizations in Canada. However, this institution has not lived up to the potential that it has for being a powerhouse leader of the Canadian social economy. Furthermore, it's revealed that this failure is a direct result from the decisions taken by the senior administration of the University of Toronto at the expense of students, staff, faculty, and the broader Canadian public.The research presented here uses a social economy framework as an innovative lens to critically evaluate this public sector non-profit institution and is a contribution to the emerging field of inquiry called Critical University Studies. In doing so this research has been conducted by utilizing critical discourse analysis in order to examine the statements and information provided by key stakeholders existing in the academy, and specifically, those existing within the University of Toronto community. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Hong, Nicole Look | Paszat, Lawrence ||Wright, Frances | Multidisciplinary Cancer Conferences: Exploring Obstacles and Facilitators to Their Establishment and Function. | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2009-02-24T18:57:02Z | Multidisciplinary cancer conferences (MCCs) provide an opportunity for health professionals to discuss diagnosis and treatment options with the goal of providing optimal patient management. No prior studies have explored the experiences of adopting and implementing MCCs in Canada. Methods: Using a grounded theory approach, interviews, participant-observation, and document analysis were triangulated to explore the experiences of implementing MCCs at four hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Constant comparative analysis was used to identify themes and assimilate them into a theoretical understanding of policy, administrative/organizational, and participant contributions to implementing MCCs. Results: Thirty-seven MCCs, in three hospitals, were observed, and 48 interviews were conducted. The core conceptual category was a perceived value for time balance, which was influenced by policy and administrative factors, and themes related to MCC structure and participant interaction. Conclusions: MCC implementation in Ontario is inconsistent. Future efforts should concentrate on a systematic implementation plan involving clinicians and administrators. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Hooge, Nicholas | Macklem, Patrick | Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as Duty to Protect? Reassessing the Traditional Doctrine of Diplomatic Protection in Light of Modern Developments in International Law | Law | 2011-01-01T00:36:15Z | This thesis will reassess the traditional doctrine of diplomatic protection in light of two significant and related developments in modern international law: (i) the proliferation of international human rights law and its granting of rights to individuals as subjects of international law; and (ii) the evolving conception of State sovereignty as including responsibility pursuant to the U.N.’s “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine. It will argue that the traditional doctrine – which holds that States have a discretionary right to espouse claims on behalf of their own nationals for wrongs committed against them by other States, but that the individuals harmed have no right to protection – is outdated and that these developments should lead to the recognition of a limited individual right and concomitant State obligation to provide diplomatic protection in certain circumstances. Responsibility to protect thus confirms a duty to protect using diplomatic means. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Hoole, Grant Russell | Roach, Kent | Proportionality as a Remedial Principle: A Framework for Suspended Declarations of Invalidity in Canadian Constitutional Law | Law | 2011-01-01T00:38:27Z | The aim of this thesis is to provide an analytic framework for the governance of suspended declarations of invalidity in Canadian constitutional law. A suspended declaration is a remedial device by which a court strikes down a constitutionally invalid law, but suspends the effect of its order such that the law retains force for a temporary period. While introduced to Canadian law under circumstances of exigency, suspended declarations have grown to be used liberally by the courts, and the principles that previously confined them have been abandoned. As a result, constitutional rights have sometimes been suspended without just basis. I propose a means to reverse this trend: by adopting proportionality, a core feature of the analytic method used to adjudicate limitations on Charter rights, as a remedial principle guiding the use of suspended declarations. I review the jurisprudence of South Africa’s Constitutional Court to illustrate the merits of this approach. | MAST | governance; inequality | 10, 16 |
| Horowitz, Sarah | Moodley, Roy | Mindfulness beyond the Third Wave: The Role of Mindfulness outside the Cognitive-behavioural Tradition | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-07-24 | Mindfulness has been defined in cognitive-behavioural terms in the mental health literature despite its broader application by many practitioners. Mindfulness is a complex and often ambiguous concept that has historically been understood and applied in myriad ways depending on the context; thus its application to psychotherapy outside the cognitive-behavioural tradition is not necessarily straightforward, and has not been addressed. This study addressed this gap in the literature through interviews with 9 experienced psychotherapists who integrate mindfulness with non-cognitive-behavioural psychotherapeutic modalities or eclectic psychotherapy. Interviews addressed how participants a) define mindfulness, b) apply it to psychotherapy, and c) the aims of that integration. Data were analyzed via the grounded theory approach. The results depicted mindfulness and its potential applications as broader than its presentation in the mental health literature, and emphasized the role of contexts in shaping conceptualization and application. A broad, context-based model of mindfulness/psychotherapy integration is proposed. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Hossain, Mohammed Muddasir | Schneiderman, David | Internation Commercial Arbitration: The Need for Harmonized Legal Regime on Court-ordered Interim Measures of Relief | Law | 2012-11-20 | This thesis is an attempt to consider some of the challenges facing the regime of international commercial arbitration (ICA) in the contemporary global economy. It examines the governance mechanism of the regime of ICA in a globalizing economy. The thesis seeks to analyze the process of harmonization of the law of ICA with particular reference to availability of interim measures from court. In particular, the analytical focus is on how the globalizing economy affects the requirement of “court-ordered interim measures” in the arbitration process and how international arbitral regime attempts to cope with such changing demand of the globalizing economy. The thesis emphasizes the importance of harmonizing the national laws on the above-mentioned issue through ratifying international conventions as opposed to formulation of non-mandatory UNCITRAL Model Law. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Houser, Ezra | Knowles, J. Gary | Creative Engagement Through the Arts as Health Care for Older People: Potential and Problems Provoked | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-11-29 | Programs that use the arts to engage older people promote health, foster community, and give voice and legacy to participants. Creative practice in health care settings facilitates emotional, mental, and physical wellness for participants and staff, while improving the culture of care. Yet there is resistance to arts-in-medicine as a legitimate tool of health care. The predominant biomedical paradigm privileges quantitative assessment methods over qualitative studies which may accept anecdotal, arts-informed, or “common sense” evidence. Successful creative programs face challenges translating their benefits when evaluated inappropriately. This arts-informed inquiry uses creative writing to address multiple dimensions of knowing, integrating autoethnographical insights from work as a caregiver, artist, educator, and administrator of collaborative art. Serendipity and imagination in research were employed to explore how collaborating artists can facilitate creative engagement for elders, embodying preventative, community-based medicine to successfully address and transform myriad challenges and opportunities as the population continues to age. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Hovey, Geanna Roswitha | Tran, Honghi | Drying Characteristics of Biosludge from Pulp and Paper Mills | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-06 | Biosludge disposal has been a problem for pulp and paper mills due to its high moisture content and poor dewatering/drying characteristics. Most biosludge is landfilled, although some has been used as soil amendment. Some mills mix biosludge with primary sludge, dewater the mixture to 15-30% solids and burn it with hog fuel in biomass boilers. For biosludge to burn effectively, its solids content must be increased to at least 30-35%. However, during drying biosludge becomes sticky, agglomerating and adhering to the dryer wall, decreasing dryer efficiency. This study examines the drying characteristics and sticky behaviour of pulp and paper mill biosludge. The cohesive strength of biosludge was found to be stronger than the adhesive strength, reaching a maximum at 20% solids and 13% solids respectively. The moisture and organic appear to influence sticky behaviour. The addition of wood fines and fly ash did not affect the drying rate, but reduced stickiness. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Howe, Holly S. | Sabiston, Catherine M | The Effect of Gender-role Stereotyping on Motivation for and Participation in Exercise | Exercise Sciences | 2016-11 | This document examines how gender role stereotypes influence men and womenâ s motivation for, participation in and performance during resistance and aerobic training. In study one, moderated multiple mediation models examined how participantsâ (n = 225) implicit perceptions of resistance and aerobic training influenced their motivation for and participation in these activities. In study two, performance and self-handicapping were measured as participants (nPart A = 210; n Part B = 26) completed a resistance exercise task following a stereotype threat manipulation. In men, implicit perceptions of the masculinity of resistance training were associated with lower self-determined motivation for and participation in resistance training, but masculine stereotypes did not influence performance on resistance training tasks. In women, masculine gender-role stereotypes did not affect resistance training motivation, participation, or performance. Findings indicate that masculinity poses a significant barrier to menâ s persistence in resistance training but has little effect on women. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Hsieh, Chih-Cheng Sherry | Provart, Nicholas | Characterization of Friable1-like Homologues in Arabidopsis using Bioinformatics and Reverse Genetics | Cell and Systems Biology | 2009-08-10T15:45:33Z | The FRIABLE1 (FRB1) gene is identified to be a novel glycosyltransferase involved in cell adhesion, based on reverse genetics and immunocytochemistry studies. A total of 31 FRB1 paralogues were found in Arabidopsis thaliana using a bioinformatics approach. The following expression analysis has revealed 6 FRB1 paralogues to be pollen-specific. One pollen-specific FRB1 paralogue, At1g14970, exhibits longer silique lengths when exposed to higher than normal temperature at 28oC in its T-DNA insertional knockout when compared to Columbia wildtype plants. This may be due to the loss of temperature sensing and the continuous stimulated pollen tube cell wall growth or the up-regulation of genes that encode other glycosyltransferases. Thus, the identification of FRB1 paralogues and homologues in both rice and poplar may have tremendous potential to increase their yield in global warming for agricultural and industrial benefits. | MAST | industr; global warming | 9, 13 |
| Hu, Wenxun | Shalaby, Amer | Modelling of Transit Reliability and Speed using AVL Data in the City of Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | The objective of this study is developing mathematical models to explain the relationships between transit reliability and speed and a variety of factors, including but not limited to service characteristics of bus lines, physical infrastructures, signal timings, traffic conditions and ridership, by using AVL data of bus lines that are representative of the entire bus network in the City of Toronto with special focus on examining the effect of transit signal priority (TSP). The coefficient of variation of run time is used as the indicator of transit reliability. The modelling results of linear regression at route and segment level suggest that the increase of service distance, signalized intersection density, stop density, volume of boarding and alighting passengers and vehicle volume significantly reduces both transit reliability and speed. TSP, involved as an independent variable in the segment level analysis, demonstrates beneficial influence on improving transit reliability and speed. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Huang, Mu-Qing | Kant, Shashi | Private Environmental Preference (PEP) towards Pollution Reduction: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach | Forestry | 2012-11-20 | Private Environmental Preference (PEP), measured by the willingness to spend on pollution reduction and its casual factors. A PEP model is constructed for Canada, China, India, and USA using data from the World Value Survey and Structural Equation Models. The results revealed that the most important factors are: environmental organization membership, acknowledgement of global environmental problems, Machiavellian attitudes towards money, and confidence in governing bodies. Other significant factors include: the acknowledgement of local environmental problems, income level, occupational characteristics, and work ethic. The acknowledgement of global problems and confidence in governing bodies increase PEP, while Machiavellian attitudes towards money reduce PEP across all four countries. Environmental organizational membership on PEP increase PEP in Canada and USA, but decrease PEP in India. White-collar occupational characteristics have a positive effect on PEP in Canada, but negative in China and India. Policy recommendations are provided given these observations. | MAST | environment; pollut | 13, 14 |
| Huang, Shiming | Peterson-Badali, Michele | Mental Disorder Profiles in Justice-involved Youth | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-11 | As a population, justice-involved youth are characterized by high rates of comorbid mental disorders. However, past research has generally considered disorders singly. It is unclear whether disorders cluster together in a way that has implications for intervention and case management of justice-involved youth. To begin to explore this issue, cluster analysis was used to identify common diagnostic profiles in a sample of 195 youth who received court-ordered assessments. Six mental disorder clusters emerged, which were then examined in relation to youthsâ risk to reoffend, criminogenic needs, interventions received during probation, and recidivism. Two clusters were characterized by relatively higher reoffense rates: youth with disruptive behavior disorders alone, and youth with the profile of disruptive behavior disorders, learning disability, and ADHD. These clusters also significantly predicted odds of reoffense even after accounting for youthsâ static risk and criminogenic needs treatment. Implications for risk assessment and rehabilitation of justice-involved youth are discussed. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Huang, Wei-Chih | Touchie, Marianne | Investigating Wind Catchers and Solar Chimneys to Improve Thermal Comfort in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings in Mumbai | Civil Engineering | 2018-03 | The thesis examines the effect of wind catchers and solar chimneys in multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) in Mumbai to help improve indoor thermal comfort. The implementation of wind catchers and solar chimneys in MURBs was selected as the most applicable passive cooling solution. Fundamental heat loss equations and duct loss design procedures were used to determine the sizing and feasibility of the solution and were verified against discretized calculation methods and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The discretized results were found to be comparable to the CFD with an error margin of 10%. The combination of the wind catcher and solar chimney solution was able to reduce the total annual discomfort time by a minimum of 71% using ASHRAE Standard 55. The preliminary results from the findings are promising and establishes the necessary precedence for further research to be conducted. | M.A.S. | wind; solar; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Hudson, Natasha | Restoule, Jean-Paul ||Bascia, Nina | Contextualizing Outcomes of Public Schooling: Disparate Post-secondary Aspirations among Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Secondary Students | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T17:20:28Z | To understand how Aboriginal youths’ access to post-secondary schooling opportunities is created and constrained, structures of inclusion and exclusion are examined. In particular, the legitimization of unequal treatment and disparate outcomes is problematized; making the case that public schooling systems limit the opportunities of youth. In this study, youths’ post-secondary aspirations are contextualized on the basis of racial identity, gender, programs of enrolment, graduate destinations, parent’s level of schooling, parental income, and community size; binary analyses evaluate the relationships among these variables. The variables were accessed from the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS) and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Findings of this research counter other studies that demonstrate Aboriginal youth with lower post-secondary opportunities relative to their peers. This study substantiates that barriers to aspiration achievement and post-secondary opportunities are not from a lack of ambition or academic preparedness among Aboriginal youth attending Canadian public schools. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Hui, Vivian Chi-Wun | Nurul Habib, Khandker | Role of Urban Transportation Through the Lens of Homeless Individuals: A Case Study of the City of Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Mobility has the potential to improve the quality of life for vulnerable population segments, including provision of opportunities for homeless individuals to break free from the cycle of poverty. Our research seeks to focus analysis on the travel behaviour of homeless individuals in the City of Toronto. The research relies on a specially designed interview instrument, which embodies both revealed preference and stated adaptation questions. The results of 159 face-to-face interviews with homeless individuals in Toronto identify the intricacies of homeless individuals’ travel decisions. We find that both travel time and cost influence street people’s mobility, and their potential to engage in employment and social activities. We find that subsidies can improve homeless individuals’ transport-related social exclusion and freedom of choice in their mode selection. Consequently, the relationship between transport-related social exclusion and homelessness is complex as the role of transportation heavily depends on one’s personal experiences. | M.A.S. | poverty; urban; employment | 1, 8, 11 |
| Hunter, Matthew | Siemiatycki, Matti | Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Innovative Public-Private Partnerships: A Case Analysis of the Red Door Family Shelter Project | Geography | 2017-11 | This research examines the ways in which collaborative advantage outcomes are successfully realized (or not) in innovative multi-sector partnerships between the public, private and third sectors. It builds upon existing research in both public-private partnerships and collaborative advantage by explicitly linking these two bodies of literature within an urban planning context. Document analyses and in-depth semi-structured interviews are used to examine how the theory of collaborative advantage can be applied to a unique case study â the Red Door Family Shelter partnership in Toronto, Ontario. By constructing an in-depth case study narrative of the formation of the Red Door partnership, this research examines how specific factors may contribute to the initial successful realization of collaborative advantage in a partnership context. These case study findings are then presented in the broader context of innovative multi-sector partnerships, with consideration given to the need to consider longer-term outcomes for these types of projects. | M.A. | urban | 11 |
| Hunter, Sarah | Michalko, Rod | Constructions of Autism in Education: Towards a More Radical Inclusion | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-28 | Inclusion of children with autism in public education has become a pressing issue. As more and more children are diagnosed, schools are increasingly unable to provide individualized educational services and one to one aides for each of these children. In this master's thesis, the author describes the ways in which discourses around public education and the ideal neoliberal worker have in turn shaped discourses around students and workers with autism. Reimagining inclusion of students with autism pushes us to reimagine "autism" and "school" itself. Through discussions of the paradoxes of autistic speech and self determination, and the relationship between discourses of autism and discourses of education, the author suggests a new way to imagine autism, inclusion, and education. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Hunziker, Peter | Brudner, Alan | Reconciling Family and Freedom: Hegel and Contemporary Laws of Parental Authority | Law | 2011-01-01T15:17:06Z | The law assigns to parents primary responsibility for their children and invests them with significant powers and discretion to discharge their duties. The considerable deference the law affords parents can appear to undermine important social and political values like equality, tolerance and social stability. The aim of this thesis is provide a rational account of why parents are invested with legal responsibility and authority over their children, and why the law limits state scrutiny of parental choice. To do so, I develop Hegel’s legal and political philosophy in order to show the family to be a necessary part of a system of institutions that constitute human freedom. As such, Hegel’s thought provides grounds to affirm the family, and broad scope of parental authority, even though the family constrains efforts to achieve equality of opportunity and can propagate intolerant and idiosyncratic values to subsequent generations. | MAST | equality; institution | 5, 16 |
| Hussman, Julia Michelle | Goldstein, Abby L | `Drink Like a Man': How Gender Roles Impact Alcohol Use Among Emerging Adults in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-03 | The current study examines how social constructions of masculinity and femininity affect alcohol behaviours among emerging adult men and women, given the recent trend in convergence (Greenfield, 2002) in which gender differences between rates of drinking have narrowed. Specifically, the impacts of gender role conformity and social context (i.e., drinking in same-gender or mixed-gender groups) on alcohol use and problems are examined among emerging adults in Canada. Several important domains of masculinity and femininity emerged as significant and positive correlates of alcohol outcomes, whereas other domains demonstrated negative relationships. Further, gender conformity variables were found to be significant correlates of drinking in various social contexts. Overall, the patterns of relationships were gender specific. Being a `playboy' (for men) and the desire to be thin and sexual fidelity (for women) were the most important correlates of alcohol outcomes. Implications of these findings are discussed from a feminist critical perspective. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Hutchinson, Joy Miranda | Tarasuk, Valerie | The Nutritional Implications of Household Food Insecurity in Canada | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11 | Household food insecurity affects 4 million Canadians and has negative implications for health and diet, as evidenced by the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). The objectives of this thesis were to i) evaluate how household food insecurity status related to nutritional vulnerability among Canadian adults (19-64 y), using CCHS 2015 Nutrition; and ii) compare the nutritional vulnerability of Canadians (1-64 y) stratified by age-/sex-groups in moderately/severely food-insecure households between CCHS 2004 and 2015. Greater nutritional vulnerability was observed among adults on a gradient of worsening severity of food insecurity in 2015 and among older children and women in 2015 compared to 2004, but no differences were observed in the adequacy of men’s or children’s nutrient intakes over time. Considering the strong association between household food insecurity and poor health and the health-eroding effects of chronically poor nutrition, the nutritional vulnerability of individuals in food-insecure households should be addressed. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; health; women | 2, 3, 5 |
| Huynh, Kenneth | Heller, Monica | Loaded Words: Race, Ethnicity, Language and Culture in the Construction in Chinese-Canadian Identity | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T16:34:38Z | This thesis presents an ethnographic study based in the city of Toronto on how ethnic Chinese negotiate their ambivalence towards the category “Chinese-Canadian”, particularly in relation to discourses about race, ethnicity and language. It is the finding of this study that second generation, economically privileged ethnic Chinese women are likely to feel most comfortable with the aforementioned category, in relation to their counterparts. This is because they are most likely to be able to speak Chinese and English, as well as seek out a vocabulary that allows them to make sense of their experience. They are also likely to be most comfortable because, as Chinese is a feminized category, they more easily fit into the mold of what a Chinese person is “supposed” to be like. Ethnic Chinese men, however, are less comfortable with the category and assert their masculinity by engaging in humour driven in racial and ethnic stereotypes. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Hyatt, Ashley Elizabeth | Stewart, Suzanne L | Intersections of Cultural Identity in Aboriginal Youth and Employment Outcomes | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-03 | AbstractMany Aboriginal youth leave their communities to pursue work opportunities in urban areas, but statistics imply there is a pervasive problem Aboriginal youth are facing in terms of securing employment, despite programs and policies which have been designed to increase Aboriginal youth employment rates (Dwyer, 2003; White Maxim, Gyimah, 2003). Previous research examining Aboriginal youth employment has neglected to include the perspectives of Aboriginal youth regarding the barriers they face when seeking employment. Even less research has been dedicated to exploring the role cultural identity plays in an Aboriginal youth's employment experiences. This thesis utilized qualitative methodology to interview and explore the employment narratives of ten urban Aboriginal youth. The results identified four major themes and several meta-themes regarding barriers to successful employment, the role of cultural identity and the hopes for future. | M.A. | employment; urban | 8, 11 |
| Hylmar, Stephanie | Gagliardi, R Anna | Exploring Characteristics of Networks that Enable Knowledge Transfer and Exchange (KTE): A Mixed-methods Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2014-11 | Background: Social interaction promotes research use through knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE). Networks are increasingly used in healthcare to create, share, and apply knowledge for policy and practice. No prior studies explored network characteristics that enable KTE. Methods: Phase one comprised a systematic review of healthcare, organization science, and sociological literature. Phase two entailed qualitative interviews with members of an international healthcare network to learn about characteristics that enable KTE.Results: The literature review yielded 59 eligible studies and led to the development of a descriptive conceptual framework of network KTE. This framework illustrates input and output characteristics important to network KTE and is organized into network backbone, functional units and commodities. Interview findings showed various characteristics allow network members to contribute, learn, and connect internationally.Conclusion: Many network characteristics enable KTE. Future efforts should focus on delineating explanatory or predictive pathways between network characteristics and KTE outcomes. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Hyndman, Kyle C. | Shachar, Ayelet | Skilled Worker Selection and the Flawed Lawmaking Process | Law | 2013-11-27 | While Canadian immigration law has generally evolved incrementally, the law and policy around skilled immigrant selection has undergone generational shifts. The 1960s and 1970s saw the implementation of a human capital model, whereby immigrants were selected based on long-term adaptability to the labour market. This shift was accompanied by a broad national discussion on immigration. In the past decade, Canada has seen another generational shift away from the human capital model towards an employment-based model, where immigrants are chosen based on immediate employment prospects. The consequences of this shift are profound for our economy and society, but this change has not been accompanied by meaningful consultation or debate. Even more problematic has been the use of various lawmaking tools to limit debate and avoid judicial scrutiny. In contrasting recent changes and the accompanying lawmaking processes with the previous changes, this paper argues for a more comprehensive national conversation on immigration. | MAST | employment | 8 |
| Hynes, Melissa Kennedy | Dietsche, Peter | Orthopaedic Surgery Residents Perspectives on the Roles and Tasks Effective to Becoming a Competent Physician: A Mixed Methods Study | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | In Canada, residents’ views on which roles and tasks are effective to becoming a competent physician is not yet part of the research discourse. Ensuring that competency-based curriculum (CBC) objectives are aligned with competencies and evaluation methods is critical to build a curriculum that will produce competent physicians. This research reports on the residents' views of the current Orthopaedic Surgery curriculum (UofT) which is solely competency-based. The residents' views were explored about which CanMEDS Roles and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA’s) would be important to develop for them to become competent physicians. This study employed a mixed methodology. The individual interviews were from CBC orthopaedic surgery residents and the survey respondents were orthopaedic surgery regular time-based stream and competency-based stream residents. This research provides a better understanding of the resident experience so that educational practice and residency education can influence decisions around the curriculum design in postgraduate competency-based medical education programs. | MAST | educat | 3 |
| Hyunjun, Kim | Hinek, Aleksander | Sodium Ascorabe as a Potent Stimulator of Elastic Fiber Production | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2011-11-30 | The complicated problem of efficient stimulation of elastic fiber production in already developed human tissues has not yet been solved. The present study introduces sodium ascorbate (SA) as a stimulator of elastogenesis in cultures of different cell types including fibroblasts isolated from patients with elastopathy genetic diseases. We then elucidated mechanisms of elastogenic action of SA. SA exercises its net elastogenic effect only after being actively transported into the cell interior through two separate mechanisms. These are the “fast effect,” which reflects the greater stability of intracellular tropoelastin, and the “late effect,” which reflects the true enhancement of the elastin gene expression occurring after SA-induced activation of c-src tyrosine kinase and the consecutive phosphorylation of IGF-1 receptor, which triggers the downstream signals leading to activation of the elastin gene expression. In conclusion, for the first time we have established that SA is a potent stimulator of elastic fiber production. | MAST | production | 12 |
| Iacobellis, Vickie Lynn | Bhuta, Nehal | Ending Impunity for International Corporate Crimes: A Review of Domestic Principles of Corporate Attribution and an Examination of their Application under International Law | Law | 2010-02-12T15:24:13Z | Currently there are no mechanisms under international criminal law to hold corporations accountable for their role in the commission of human rights abuses. A primary problem with establishing corporate liability under international law, is that it is unclear how to attribute liability to corporations for international crimes. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of domestic principles of corporate attribution utilized in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia. The domestic principles are then reconciled with current international law principles and enumerated crimes of international criminal law. It is argued that a flexible approach is optimal for the imposition of corporate liability under international law. While some of the domestic principles work better than others at first glance, ultimately all can and should be used at international law to end impunity for corporate crimes. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Iamonaco, John-Paul | Finkelstein, Sarah A. | Pollen based Inferences of Post-glacial Vegetation and Paleoclimate Change on Melville Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada | Geography | 2011-12-08 | Pollen analysis of a sediment core from Lake SP02, Melville Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada provides a ~6300 year record of post-glacial vegetation and climate change. Dominant local and regional taxa identified include Cyperaceae, Ericaceae, Artemisia, Salix, and Oxyria. Fossil pollen assemblages, pollen accumulations rates, and variations in sediment organic matter, indicate a period of optimal Holocene warmth between 5300-3900 yr BP, followed by a prolonged period of Neoglacial cooling, as well as a period of relative warmth between 1300-1000 yr BP, interpreted as evidence for the Medieval Warm Period. Variations in pollen abundances and accumulations during the 20th century suggest a response to recent warming that is unprecedented since deglaciation of the Peninsula. Comparisons of the timing and rates of multi-scale climate variations for Melville Peninsula with adjacent sites reveal a potential late Holocene shift in the boundary separating continental and maritime climate regions in the eastern Canadian Arctic. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| Iannuzzi, Mario | Jamieson, Greg | Usability of Paper-based Industrial Operating Procedures | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-06-25 | Procedures are standardized lists of instructions that designate the safe and accepted way of accomplishing a task. This study intended to develop and compare the usability of paper-based industrial operating procedures. Two procedures at a plant were redesigned with evidence-based guidelines and human factors input. 16 operators of varying experience were asked to read through and assess the new and old procedures. The new procedures were rated significantly or moderately better than their predecessors for efficiency, effectiveness, and subjective satisfaction. On average, inexperienced operators reported fewer inaccuracies, more confusion, and higher workload ratings than their experienced counterparts, regardless of procedure type or area. For satisfaction, experienced and inexperienced operators reported similar ratings across both procedure types and areas. Future studies should attempt to discern which particular change in the procedures contributed the most to increased usability, and whether operator experience significantly correlates with usability ratings. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Ibarra, Kimberley | Gibson, Jennifer | Exploring Ethicists' Perspectives of Healthcare Ethics Program Effectiveness | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-11-28 | Proliferation of ethics programs in healthcare organizations has occurred without rigorous evaluation. This qualitative study explored what makes an ethics program effective from the perspective of 15 practising ethicists across Canada. Objectives were to: describe how practising ethicists define ethics program effectiveness, identify evaluation strategies, and identify critical success factors. Ethicists defined effectiveness as: 1) meeting standards; 2) making a difference; and 3) delivering value for investment. To evaluate, ethicists assessed: ethics program activity data, qualitative feedback, relevant accreditation results, peer review, and pre- and post- results. Ethicist competencies and attributes, organizational understanding of, and support for, the ethics program, and a community of practice were critical success factors. Effectiveness emerged as a multi-dimensional concept. Findings provide a preliminary outline of what an ethics program evaluation framework might include and inform practice standard development, ethicist training programs, and organizational oversight for ethics programs. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ilic, Emilija | Newman, Roger C | The Anoxic Corrosion of Copper in Pure Water and Chloride Rich Brines | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is developing an approach for the permanent geological disposal of nuclear waste. The waste will be encased in copper coated used fuel containers (UFCs) and placed in a deep geological repository (DGR). To support the NWMO in their investigations on the long-term corrosion of copper a lab scale simulation of the DGR environment was created. Copper wires were placed in glass electrochemical cells and exposed to one of two environments; pure anoxic water or chloride-rich anoxic brine. The systems were allowed to freely corrode and accumulate hydrogen within their headspaces over extended durations at 30 to 75 °C. The hydrogen was periodically purged and subsequently analyzed using a highly sensitive amperometric sensor; these measurements were utilized to calculate the corresponding copper corrosion rates. Corrosion with hydrogen evolution was demonstrated in both pure water and brines at slow rates below 1 and 10 nm/year, respectively. | M.A.S. | waste; environment | 12, 13 |
| Ilieff, Maria Elizabeth Peter | Hamza, Chloe A | Maladaptive and Adaptive Perfectionism and Nonsuicidal Self-injury | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-11 | Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), which refers to direct and deliberate alteration or damage to bodily tissue without lethal intent, is a prevalent mental health concern among emerging adults. Recent research and theory suggest that perfectionism, particularly a consistent perceived discrepancy between one’s exacting personal standards and reality (i.e., maladaptive perfectionism), may be an important predictor of NSSI engagement. The current study investigated the associations between maladaptive perfectionism, adaptive perfectionism, and NSSI, and explored two mechanisms through which maladaptive perfectionism may lead to NSSI engagement (via self-criticism and depressive symptoms) longitudinally. A sample of 732 emerging adults (70% female) completed an online survey annually over three years. Path analyses demonstrated a significant direct effect from maladaptive perfectionism to NSSI. Depressive symptoms and self-criticism did not mediate the link between maladaptive perfectionism and NSSI. In a secondary analysis, maladaptive perfectionism predicted self-punishment motivations for NSSI over time. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Illaszewicz, George | Karney, Bryan William ||El-Diraby, Tamer | Bridging Theoria and Praxis: Performance Assessments of Water Transmission and Distribution Systems | Civil Engineering | 2010-03-15T17:47:36Z | This thesis is broken into two parts. The first part, Chapters 1 - 7, focuses on work completed performing partial performance assessments in two case studies: the region of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area, and Tláhuac, Mexico. In both, pressure transients were monitored using high-speed sensors. The second part, Chapters 8 - 10, proposes a framework for performance assessments of water transmission and distribution systems, primarily applicable to analysis and operation yet useful in (re)design or additional design work as well. The framework is a synthesis of concepts ranging from fuzzy engineering to psychology and human factors, and will be of particular interest to larger, more sophisticated water utilities who may have a general understanding of their systems but lack specific insights in its operation and operational effectiveness. Careful consideration is given to not only the type of information and possible information fusion, but also details of necessary software and hardware, including possibilities for the system architecture. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Imbrogno, Spencer | Master, Emma R | Enzymatic Oxidation for Value-Added Applications of Hemicellulose Streams | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Hemicellulose is a largely untapped resource generated as a by-product of forestry and agriculture industries amenable to enzymatic activation for value-added applications. Hemicellulose can be modified to prepare dialdehyde polyol cross-linkers as an alternative to toxic petroleum derived chemicals such as glyoxal which is commonly used for polyol film strengthening and hydrogel formation. A chemo-enzymatic pathway was developed to convert galactoglucomannan oligosaccharides into dialdehyde polyol cross-linkers using lactose as a model. Enzymatic oxidation using glucooligosaccharide oxidase introduced a reducing end acid with high conversion in 6.5 hours. Amidation using an ethylendiamine linker achieved a 37% yield of dilactobionamide in 4 hours. This configuration allowed oxidation of terminal galactose units using galactose oxidase yielding nearly complete conversion to a dialdehyde in 6 hours. Initial cross-linking of poly(vinyl alcohol) was attempted in DMSO with some promise. Activation by galactose oxidase also enabled increased reactivity of lactose toward diamines for thermoset resin applications. | M.A.S. | agriculture; industr; forest | 2, 9, 15 |
| Imoka, Chizoba Mary | Portelli, P John | The Case for an African Centered Education System in Africa: A Case Study on African Leadership Academy, South Africa | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-11 | This thesis makes a case for education reform in Africa. It argues for an education system that is African centered and poised to develop Africans who can serve as the agents and leaders of Africa's transformation.Through a case study of the leadership institution - African Leadership Academy (ALA), South Africa whose goal is to develop the next generation of African leaders that will transform Africa, this thesis illustrates the potential of an African centered education system in bringing about development in the continent. Also, the dreams, aspirations, and views of an important but often neglected group in deliberations about how to develop Africa - the average African (especially African youth) are presented. In so doing, the thesis provides a framework upon which an African centered education system in Africa can be developed from. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Innes, Simon | Johnson, Marc TJ | Adaptation to Climate in Space and Time | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06 | Many species evolve adaptive clines in response to climatic gradients. This thesis investigated adaptation to climate across environmental gradients through time using cyanogenesis (release of HCN upon tissue lysis) in Trifolium repens as a model. First, adaptive responses to recent and rapid climate change were tested. No clear evidence of adaptation to climate change through time was found. Second, the continued evolution of cyanogenesis in T. repens’ introduced range was tested. Although the strength of cyanogenic clines did not increase through time, some evidence of continued adaptation was detected but not as predicted. Finally, the importance of herbivory in maintaining the cyanogenic polymorphism was tested. Higher frequencies of cyanogenesis in lower latitude populations appear to decrease herbivory in these populations in T. repens’ native range. Together these results provide information about the pace at which adaptation in this system is proceeding and the importance of cyanogenesis as an antiherbivore defense. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Ip, David Tai Wai | Calzavara, Liviana | Correlates of Condom Use among Single, Sexually Active Ontario Adults: Data from the 1996/97 Ontario Health Survey | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2012-03-21 | OBJECTIVE: To examine the past-year prevalence and frequency of condom use and to identify correlates of condom use among young, unattached heterosexual Ontarians. METHODS: Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze the 1996/97 Ontario Health Survey (OHS), a cross-sectional, random digit-dialling (RDD) survey of 36,892 Ontario residents of households with a telephone line. RESULTS: Between 1996 and 1997, 61.3% (95% CI=58.5%-64.1%) of the study sample (aged 15-44, n=1,949) reported consistent (always) condom use and 11.8% (95% CI=10.2%-13.5%) reported never using condoms. Significant correlates included, for both sexes, health planning region, age, ethnic origin, and type of smoker; for females only, socio-economic status, age at first sexual intercourse, and past-month oral contraceptive use ; and for males only, number of past-year sexual partners, HIV testing history, and past-year frequency of religious attendance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings constitute a cross-sectional component for examining the long-term trend of condom use in Ontario. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Iqbal, Javaid | Narod, Steven A||Rochon, Paula A | A Population-Based Study of the Impact of Pregnancy on Breast Cancer Mortality in Women in Ontario. | Medical Science | 2017-11 | Population-based, retrospective cohort study, linking health administrative databases of Ontario, Canada, comprising 7,553 women aged 20 to 45 years with invasive breast cancer, from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2014. Women were classified into four exposure groups: no pregnancy (n = 5,832; the referent), pregnancy before breast cancer (n = 1,108), pregnancy-associated breast cancer (n = 501), and pregnancy following breast cancer (n = 112). The 5-year overall survival rate was 87.5% for women with no pregnancy (the referent); 85.3% (age-adjusted HR, 1.03; 95%CI, 0.85-1.27; P = .73) for women with pregnancy before breast cancer; 82.1% (age-adjusted HR, 1.18; 95%CI, 0.91-1.53; P = .20) for women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer; and 96.7% (age-adjusted HR, 0.22; 95%CI, 0.10-0.49; P | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Iqbal, Mustafa | Andrews, Robert C. | The Toxicological Impact of Wastewaters on Drinking Waters Sources | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Surface waters may contain wastewater effluent associated with de facto reuse which can impact their toxicological properties both before and after treatment. This study examined the genotoxic response of three surface waters containing a range of wastewater effluent (5%, 10%, and 25% by volume). The SOS ChromotestTM was used to assay the genotoxicity of both chlorinated and unchlorinated mixtures whereas toxicity index model based on the CHO comet assay was used to predict the contribution of trihalomethanes (THM), haloacetonitriles (HAN), and halonitromethanes (HNM) to overall genotoxicity of chlorinated mixtures. Wastewaters were generally genotoxic whereas raw and chlorinated surface waters were not. Mixtures containing 5% and 10% wastewater generally had similar responses to chlorinated surface waters alone; significant effects were more common at higher ratios (≥ 25%). SOS genotoxicity correlated strongly with predicted genotoxicity, DOC, and THM concentrations, suggesting that THMs may potentially serve as surrogates for toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs). | M.A.S. | waste; water | 6, 12 |
| Iraci, Jessica | Malcolm, Jay R. ||Morris, Dave | Nutrient and Biomass Contributions of Downed Woody Debris in Boreal Mixedwood Forests of Northeastern Ontario | Forestry | 2012-07-25 | Harvest-related decreases of downed woody debris (DWD) in forests may have important ecological implications; however, patterns of nutrient release from decaying DWD are poorly understood. The importance of DWD was investigated relative to biomass and nutrient pools in six, second-growth boreal mixedwood forest stands, differing by harvest regime near Kapuskasing, Ontario. Nutrient concentrations and mineralization trends using ion exchange resins at three proximities during the decay of Abies balsamea and Populus tremuloides were also examined. Concentrations of N, P, Ca, and Mg increased with decay, whereas K decreased. DWD was a minor contributor to biomass and nutrient pools. Inorganic N, P, Ca, and Mn were significant between harvest types with decay class interaction for N, Ca, and Mn. Species and proximity effects were found for Al, Fe, and K. These results suggest DWD may be a minor contributor to biomass and nutrient pools, but highlights its dynamic nature. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Irany, Behrang Mehrbany | Hatzinakos, Dimitrios | A High Capacity Reversible Multiple Watermarking Scheme - applications to Images, Medical Data, and Biometrics | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-08-23 | Modern technologies have eased the way for adversaries to bypass the conventional identity authentication and identification processes; hence security systems have been developed to a great extent for protection of privacy and security of identities in different applications. The focus of this thesis is digital watermarking, security and privacy, as well as the ability to employ electrocardiogram as a method to enhance the security and privacy level. A high capacity reversible multiple watermarking scheme is introduced to mainly target the medical images. Furthermore, the use of ECG biometric signals in the form of the embedded watermark is studied. Experimental results indicate that the reversible data hiding scheme outperforms other approaches in the literature in terms of payload capacity and marked image quality. Results from the ECG mark embedding also show that no major degradation in performance is noticeable compared to the case where no watermarking is needed. | MAST | water | 14 |
| Isen, Jaclyn A. | Miles, Angela | Excavating Lesbian Feminism from the Queer Public Body: The Indispensability of Women-identification | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2013-07-10 | Drawing on my own process of entry into local queer, lesbian and feminist public cultures, I argue that a powerful relationship between feminist and lesbian existence can be felt and that this sensibility bears influence on the way queer erotic and politicized identities emerge in relation to one another. These affective links remain frequently unacknowledged and/or are actively repudiated due to popular accounts of feminist genealogy whereby second wave lesbian-feminist positions are rendered fundamentally incompatible with contemporary queer/third wave feminist ones. I challenge this narrative by building on select early articulations of radical lesbian feminism to show that when affirmed consciously, the sense that lesbianism and feminism are interconnected constitutes a “woman-identified experience” and an opportunity to bear witness to the unrealized possibilities of second-wave radical feminism in the present. I conclude that politicized “lesbian” and/or “woman” identification remain indispensable strategic sites from which to observe and confront heteropatriarchy. | MAST | queer | 5 |
| Islam, Alvi Husni | Goldstein, Benjamin I | Neurostructural Correlates of Body Mass Index & Waist Circumference in Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder | Pharmacology | 2016-11 | Obesity among youth with bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with greater illness severity. In adult BD, obesity is associated with neurostructural differences. We examined this topic for the first time in youth. T1-weighted images of 40 BD and 48 psychiatrically healthy controls (HC) were processed using FreeSurfer to derive cortical region of interest (ROI) volumes/cortical thickness for frontal lobe (FL), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), as well as subcortical ROI volumes for amygdala and hippocampus. Our results show that there was a significant BMI-by-group interaction effect on FL and OFC volumes. In the BD group only, BMI was significantly negatively associated with OFC volume, as well as FL, OFC, and PFC cortical thickness. Our results suggest that elevated BMI is associated with neurostructural changes in youth with BD but not in HC. Treatment studies examining the effect of optimizing weight on brain structure in BD are warranted. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Islam, Farhana | Chan, Arthur W. H. | The Impact of Gasoline Fuel Composition on Air Quality | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11 | In recent years, particulate matter (PM) emissions from the gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, are of significant concern due to their associated health effects as well as for climate impacts. Thus, in this thesis, the effect of gasoline fuel composition on GDI engine PM emissions is investigated. The detailed composition of five regular grade (anti knock index, or AKI, 87) and two premium grade (AKI91) fuels currently used in Ontario was studied. In addition, the impact of fuel seasonal changes on gas-phase emissions (i.e. benzene and toluene), and particle-phase emissions, i.e. black carbon (BC), elemental carbon (EC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particle number (PN) were also determined using a laboratory GDI engine. The observations showed that all summer AKI87 fuels contained higher aromatics and lower paraffins compared to the winter AKI87 grade which led to higher BC, EC, PN, benzene, and toluene emissions. | M.A.S. | climate | 13 |
| Islam, Md. Monirul | Karney, Bryan William | A Transient Model for Lead Pipe Corrosion in Water Supply Systems | Civil Engineering | 2011-01-01T15:20:35Z | This thesis focuses on lead related drinking water quality issues in general and on hydraulic transient induced lead pipe corrosion events in water distribution systems in particular. Corrosion is a complex phenomenon, and particularly in water distribution systems, when its already challenging electro-chemical processes are influenced by numerous other physical and chemical factors. Lead pipe corrosion can itself be influenced by both the hydraulic transients and water chemistry events. To understand the relationship among hydraulic, chemical and material processes, an existing numerical 1-D transient-corrosion model for iron-pipe based systems is modified and extended to apply for systems having lead-pipes connected in series. The coupled hydraulic transient and advection-dispersion-reaction model with improved data handling facilities is applied for analyzing the transient induced lead pipe corrosion behaviors in the system for a range of options and establishes interrelationships among the parameters. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Iwenofu, Linda | Geva, Esther | Examining Student Engagement in Literacy Intervention: Voices of Adolescents Living in an Urban, Marginalized Community | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2013-11-20 | The current study examined the experiences of adolescents considered to be at-risk for academic underachievement in an after-school reading intervention program (called the Vocabulary Learning Project, or VLP), with the goal of identifying the individual and social contextual factors that influence their engagement in the literacy intervention. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 adolescent participants post-intervention to gain their personal insights on relevant contextual experiences, resulting in the identification of key factors that are associated with student engagement at the behavioral, affective and cognitive levels. The findings from this study serve as an important indicator of some of the multiple influences on the literacy engagement of at-risk adolescents. This has implications for the design of future interventions developed for the purpose of improving the academic achievement, and ultimately the economic and personal advancement, of adolescents living in urban, marginalized settings. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Izadpaah, Payam | Sousa, Elvino | Designing ORCIDS: Organizational Communications and Information Distribution System | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | Communication between employees is one of the key factors in success of an organization. The nature of work in many organizations requires employees to be constantly mobile and participate in multiple teams. Traditional communication technologies such as Telephone are not efficient and effective. Designing a system that meets organizational objectives and matches users' behaviour requires a multidisciplinary approach. ORganizational Communication and Information Distribution System (ORCIDS) acknowledges the social nature of humans and facilitates users' communication through a novel communication paradigm. ORCIDS integrates the tools and sources of information and allows users to access them throughout their tasks. Following human centred design paradigm, user analysis is carried out using concepts from organizational behaviour and collaboration with industry. User analysis is the basis for defining system requirements. Then, system functionalities are characterized. System architecture is then designed to facilitate system functionalities. Finally, the designed system is evaluated and a prototype is implemented. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Jacob, Jihan | Shaffer, Martha | Reintroduction of Divorce into Philippine Law | Law | 2013-11-28 | The Philippines and Vatican City are the only states left in the world without divorce. While the Philippines recognize relative divorce, or legal separation as termed under its Family Code, it has not sanctioned absolute divorce in the country except for Muslims and foreigners. During pre-colonial times and the Japanese occupation of the country, absolute divorce was legal and widely practiced. The thesis argues for the reintroduction of absolute divorce into Philippine law on a legal, pragmatic, and rights-based approach. It argues that divorce protects and strengthens the family; it is legal, constitutional, and in compliance with the international human rights obligations of the Philippines; it answers the issues on and inadequacies of the existing legal framework on nullity, annulment, and legal separation; it is one of the solutions to decrease, if not end, spousal violence; and its absence is discriminatory on the grounds of social class, religion, and nationality. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Jacobs, Rebecca C. | Kepe, Thembela | Understanding Neighbourhood Food Access: Practices and Perspectives of Residents of Scarborough Village, Toronto | Geography | 2017-11 | Within food access research, little attention has been given to the perspectives and practices of residents in food insecure neighbourhoods. Taking a people-centred approach and using semi-structured interviews, this thesis explores food access through the day-to-day practices, strategies, challenges, perspectives, and emotions of residents of Scarborough Village, a low-income and food insecure urban neighbourhood in Toronto, Canada. The findings of this research are used to argue that including the voices of those commonly marginalised in the decision-making process of neighbourhood food environments is an important and valuable step towards a more just food system. To include these voices, more urban food access research and action needs to shift its approach from simplistic understandings of food security toward more comprehensive understanding of food access based on the concepts of food justice and food sovereignty. Only by doing so will urban food access research realise the often complex, context-specific needs of those it seeks to assist. | M.A. | food; environment; justice | 2, 13, 16 |
| Jadidian, Parnian | Norval, Graeme | Design of an Integrated Curriculum of Online Learning Modules to Facilitate Delivery of Safety Education within Existing University Programs | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | The need for better safety education of university students has been a critical issue for health and safety associations and industry representatives as far back as the 1980s. In this project, an industry-inspired methodology to address this gap was designed and tested. The proposed integrated curriculum was developed in partnership with subject matter experts external to the university to guide students from low- to high-level learning outcomes defined by the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. This curriculum is intended to be implemented using online learning modules spread throughout undergraduate studies in Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics. A sample eLearning module was developed using this method and tested on students within a university program. The program successfully increased the students’ knowledge in safety and risk management and demonstrated that partnership with subject matter experts can accelerate development and implementation of such programs to maximize impact. | M.A.S. | educat | 4 |
| Jagadeesh, Samyukta | Levine, Joel | The Influence of Dietary Factors on Reproduction in the Fruit Fly, Drosophila melanogaster | Cell and Systems Biology | 2011-08-25 | Food and nutrition are important for energy balance, reproduction and maintenance of health in all species. Drosophila melanogaster feed on yeast and sugar and food availability affects reproduction. In this thesis, I show that mating frequency and fertility are affected by the composition of food in two D. melanogaster wild-type strains, Canton-S and Oregon-R. Canton-S flies mate multiple times in the presence of yeast and sugar, while Oregon-R only remate in the presence of yeast. However, Oregon-R flies have higher fertility counts on all food types compared to Canton-S. These effects of food do not appear to depend on smell or taste, because both chemosensory mutants and artificial sweeteners tested fail to block the effects of food on reproduction. Moreover, Canton-S, but not Oregon-R flies show an interaction between food and group size. I conclude that genetic differences, social context and nutrition interact to regulate reproduction in flies. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Jahangiriesmaili, Mahyar | Roorda, Matthew J | Assessing the Impact of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Canada's Transportation System | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Canada signed the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in October 2016 which was later ratified by the European Parliament in February 2017. This agreement enables Canadian establishments to trade openly with EU members. Despite the Canadian governmentâ s economical analysis, no study has been undertaken to investigate the impact of CETA on Canadaâ s transportation network. The objective of this thesis is to assess the impact of CETA on the transportation network by estimating origin-destination trade flows, mode shares, and transportation flows before and after the agreement. Annual provincial commodity flows are obtained from a Computable General Equilibrium model. Mode shares are determined based on US commodity flow survey data. The model results indicate an increase in freight movement along Eastern Canada and a decrease in trade movement near the US-Canada borders and Western Canada. Accuracy of the results are examined for the road and rail modes. | M.A.S. | trade | 10 |
| Jaimungal, Cristina S. | Christine, Connelly | Language, Power, and Race: A Comparative Approach to the Sociopolitics of English | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-26 | This thesis highlights the sociopolitics of English as a dominant/colonial language by focusing on the linkage between language, power, and race. Grounded in critical language theory, comparative education theory, and anti-racism research methodology, this research examines the inextricable relationship between language, power, and race. With this in mind, this thesis argues that language, specifically English, is not a neutral tool of communication but a highly contentious issue that is deeply embedded in sociopolitical ideologies and practices. The contexts of Japan and Trinidad and Tobago are used to illustrate how colonialism continues to impact English language policy, practice, and perceptions. In sum, this research aims to bridge the gap between critical language theory, comparative education theory, and anti-racism studies in a way that (1) highlights the complexity of language politics, (2) explores ideological assumptions inherent in the discourse of the "native" language, and (3) underscores the overlooked ubiquity of race. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Jain, Ambika | Quarter, Jack ||Ryan, Sherida | Challenges facing Volunteer-managed Nonprofit Organizations with Non-bureaucratic Governance and Non-hierarchical Structures | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-28 | Volunteer-managed nonprofit organizations (VNPOs) are defined as nonprofit organizations managed exclusively by volunteers without paid-staff. There is no well-recognized theory describing how to govern or structure VNPOs, despite their significance in the social economy. This study argues non-bureaucratic governance and non-hierarchical structures are appropriate for some VNPOs. Rothschild-Whitt (1979) proposes six significant challenges for organizations with non-bureaucratic governance. Using multiple case-study methodology, the magnitude of these challenges was assessed in three VNPOs adopting non-bureaucratic governance and non-hierarchical structure. Four challenges, namely, time, homogeneity, emotional intensity, and individual differences, did not adversely affect the selected VNPOs. Two challenges, namely, nondemocratic individuals and environmental constraints, remained obstacles for the selected VNPOs. Five other challenges to non-bureaucratic governance specific to VNPOs were also identified and discussed, specifically, succession planning and recruitment, task completion, minimal socialization, pressure to achieve consensus, and administrative issues. Insights from such studies may help to better manage non-bureaucratic/non-hierarchical VNPOs. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Jalal, Mahdi Moradi | Karney, Bryan William | Performance Measurement of Water Distribution Systems (WDS). A Critical and Constructive Appraisal of the State-of-the-art | Civil Engineering | 2009-02-24T19:20:22Z | Water supply and distribution infrastructures are vital for current life. They have a significant role in public health, providing safe water for drinking and human consumption as well as for essential non-potable uses such as fire fighting. These diverse objectives create challenges for everyone who must address in some way the actual performance of the system. This research critically evaluates all common objectives of conventional design approaches and evaluates the advantages and drawbacks of various performance measures. New ideas for a more realistic and comprehensive approach to the design, operation assessment of WDS are proposed. A new approach, called a Risk-based Performance Assessment, for hydraulic performance evaluation is tentatively proposed. It is based on integration of reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability as three basic operational indices in the operation of WDS. Furthermore, the Total Life-cycle Cost evaluation approach is tentatively proposed based on considering all major costs of a WDS. | MAST | water; infrastructure; consumption | 6, 9, 12 |
| Jamal, Natasha | Hong, Guanglei | Mexican-American Parents’ Working Hours, Parental Involvement, and Adolescent Academic Achievement | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2010-07-27T15:13:49Z | In order to better understand the specific mechanisms that may hinder high educational achievement among Latino students, this study explored the impact of parental working hours on parental involvement and school outcomes across three generations of Mexican-American youth. Results from a longitudinal data set revealed that constrained parental availability, related to increased working hours, had an impact on the amount of parental involvement for third generation students, but not on their academic outcomes. For first-generation students, parental monitoring (a form of parental involvement) was a significant positive predictor for grade 8 and 10 reading scores as well as high school completion among second-generation students. Results from this study suggest that increased parental monitoring may be beneficial for higher academic outcomes for first and second generation students. Future research will need to investigate what types of parental involvement may influence third generation students. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| James, Rachel | Knowles, J. Gary | To Care for the Dying: A Sonic Exploration | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-12-01 | This audio documentary explores the contemporary landscape of death and dying with specific focus on caregiving, the process of cultivating personal death value systems, and the importance of intergenerational exchange for fostering inquiry and acceptance of the aging process. The audio thesis is fluidly presented in three parts, with an accompanying annotation to be read after listening. For the sake of textual clarity, the annotation is separated into chapters. Chapter I explores hospice care and the complexities of the dying process, leading the listener to consider what it is like to work professionally in the field of end-of-life care. Chapter II explores implications of highly technological medical care and advancements in health sciences. Finally, Chapter III implicitly suggests through personal narrative that embodied experiences of caregiving and intergenerational exchange create spaces that subvert cultural and temporal fears of aging and the dying process. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Jandoc, Racquel | Cadarette, Suzanne M | Urban-rural Differences in Oral Bisphosphonate Utilization in Ontario Following Formulary Changes and Introduction of New Formulations | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2015-06 | Rural populations often have less access to health services and information, potentially resulting in regional variation in drug utilization. We examined urban-rural differences in oral bisphosphonate utilization in Ontario following formulary changes and introduction of new formulations. The Rurality Index of Ontario was used to define urban, nonmajor urban, and rural regions. There were 16,367,752 oral bisphosphonate claims dispensed (77% urban, 18% nonmajor urban, 5% rural) to community-dwelling seniors from 2000/01-2014/03. Trends in dispensing following formulary changes were similar between regions. When examining trends in dispensing of new formulations, urban regions had significantly faster uptake than rural regions, and consistently dispensed a higher proportion of claims. These temporal and regional differences persisted over time. Rural physicians may be less aware of new drugs, indicating a need to improve information dissemination to these areas. Further research examining whether urban-rural differences in dispensing translates into differences in clinical outcomes is warranted. | M.Sc. | health; urban; rural | 3, 11 |
| Janes, Sabrina | Darling, Pauline B | Identifying Dietary Fibre and Protein Intakes and their Food Sources in a Pre-dialysis Adult Population | Nutritional Sciences | 2015 | Background: Higher fibre intakes are associated with decreased chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, knowledge is limited on the fibre intakes and dietary meal patterns in pre-dialysis. Objective: To describe the intakes of fibre and protein, and their food sources, in pre-dialysis patients and compare intakes to a healthy population. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study, using the multiple-pass method repeat 24 hour recalls from 76 pre-dialysis CKD patients and data extracted from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Results: The mean fibre intake of CKD patients was 17.6 (+ 10.3g/d), with 71% consuming | M.Sc. | food; health | 2, 3 |
| Jansen, Katrina Marie | Olive, Andrea | The Role of Canadian Zoos and Aquaria in Species at Risk Conservation | Geography | 2016-11 | Though many zoos have been participating in conservation activities for decades, academics have yet to conduct a thorough analysis of how zoos and aquaria are assisting in the recovery of species at risk. This thesis investigates the role of Canadian zoos and aquaria in conservation by using a combination of interviews with zoo staff members, observations of people at zoo exhibits, and multi-level species recovery document analysis. I argue that zoos in Canada are uniquely placed to make a substantial contribution to species at risk recovery in several main areas, including captive breeding and reintroductions, research, education, and recovery strategy development. However, financial limitations are holding these institutions back from growing their involvement in species at risk conservation, despite the pressing need for more non-governmental organizations, such as zoos, to take on a more active role in species recovery. | M.A. | conserv; institution | 15, 16 |
| Janusz, Alexander | Pressnail, Kim D | Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Costs in Canadian Buildings using Thermal Mass | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | In this thesis, two methods of using the thermal mass in Canadian buildings to reduce operational energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are investigated. The first is cooling commercial buildings with night ventilation. By comparing the climates of Canadian cities to the climates of urban centres with existing night-ventilated buildings, Vancouver and Edmonton were found to have strong night ventilation potential. The second method investigated is shifting heating demand in electrically heated high-rise residential buildings by varying the thermostat setpoint in order to use less expensive and less GHG-intensive electricity. A representative high-rise residential building was modeled with 16 retrofits in order to evaluate the most important building parameters. Model results indicated annual electricity cost savings of up to $34,000 and GHG savings of 20 Tonnes eCO2 in a 300-unit building. Further, findings indicated financial savings would increase if residential users were charged for their peak electricity demand. | M.A.S. | energy; greenhouse gas; buildings; cities; urban | 7, 9, 11, 13 |
| Janzen, Ryan E. | Mann, Steve | Hydraulophones: Acoustic Musical Instruments and Expressive User Interfaces | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-01-03T20:27:29Z | Fluid flow creates an expansive range of acoustic possibilities, particularly in the case of water, which has unique turbulence and vortex shedding properties as compared with the air of ordinary wind instruments. Sound from water flow is explained with reference to a new class of musical instruments, hydraulophones, in which oscillation originates directly from matter in its liquid state. Several hydraulophones which were realized in practical form are described. A unique user-interface consisting of a row of water jets is presented, in terms of its expressiveness, tactility, responsiveness to derivatives and integrals of displacement, and in terms of the direct physical interaction between a user and the physical process of sound production. Signal processing algorithms are introduced, which extract further information from turbulent water flow, for industrial applications as well as musical applications. | MAST | water; wind; industr | 6, 7, 9 |
| Jarosz, Alicia Caroline | El-Sohemy, Ahmed | Associations between Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Hormonal Contraceptives, and Premenstrual Symptoms | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-09 | Premenstrual symptoms are experienced by the majority of women and may cause significant personal and professional impairment; however, little is known about their pathophysiology and risk factors. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the prevalence of common premenstrual symptoms in a multiethnic Canadian population and to explore the associations of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hormonal contraceptive use with these symptoms. Symptom prevalence was found to vary widely between common symptoms, ranging from 11% to 75%. Prevalence of individual symptoms did not differ between ethnic groups, with the exception of cramps. Hormonal contraceptive use was associated with a reduction in the risk of experiencing several symptoms at moderate/severe severity. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D was also inversely associated with the prevalence and severity of several premenstrual symptoms. These findings suggest HC use may be an effective targeted treatment and vitamin D status may be a risk factor for individual premenstrual symptoms. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Jayasinghe, Nadeera | Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan | Metabolic Modeling of Spatial Heterogeneity of Biofilms in Microbial Fuel Cells | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-08-25 | Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are alternative energy resources that generate electricity from organic matter, where microorganisms such as the Geobacter species oxidize organic waste and transfer electrons to an electrode. Mathematical models are used to study biofilm processes, in hopes of developing MFCs into commercial applications. Existing biofilm models are based on Nernst-Monod type expressions, and are restricted to studying extracellular electrochemical/microbiological components, separated from the metabolic behavior of microorganisms. In this thesis, a model was developed combining extracellular biofilm conditions, with the intracellular metabolic fluxes of microorganisms under spatial heterogeneities (electron donor/acceptor levels) across the biofilm. This model predicts biofilm processes under varying extracellular conditions (presence/absence of NH4+, shear stress in continuous mode MFCs), and intracellular conditions (ATP maintenance fluxes); and also provides a preliminary evaluation of the pH changes across the biofilm. A sensitivity analysis based on the cell density and the biofilm conductivity was also conducted. | MAST | waste; energy | 7, 12 |
| Jeffery, Katherine | Sawchuk, Peter H. | Learning, Participation and Power: The Community Training Plan at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-08-10T20:18:45Z | Workplace learning and training is often explicitly or implicitly planned to serve the economic interests of the organization. Furthermore, training planning and processes are generally determined by managers, instead of those who will be engaging in the learning. What happens to learning in the workplace when workers themselves determine its content and methods? As seen in the Community Training Plan (CTP), implemented at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation in 2003, control over workplace training by frontline staff has resulted in profound changes in many facets of working and community life. Using testimonials from a recent participatory evaluation of the CTP as well as a series of promotional videos, all of which were created by participants in the CTP, I demonstrate that the CTP has created new forms of engagement and participation; new learning foci; new spaces in the workplace; and finally a sense of staff ownership over learning. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Jensen, Theresa | Green, Andrew | The Role of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in the Constitutionalization of Regional Trade Agreements | Law | 2011-12-08 | This paper discusses the role played by Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the way in which they potentially contribute to the constitutionalization of such Regional Trade Agreements. The European Court of Justice has played a major role in the constitutionalization of the European Union due to the preliminary reference procedure, as well as the principles of direct effect and supremacy. The lack of availability to NAFTA Dispute Resolution Mechanisms of the principles which are so influential with the European Court of Justice mean that NAFTA’s Dispute Resolution Mechanisms are unable to drive constitutionalization in a manner similar to the ECJ. Chapter 11 of NAFTA however has the potential to act as a agent of constitutionalization within the scope of international investment law, but not of NAFTA itself. | MAST | trade; justic | 10, 16 |
| Jeong, Yunni | Coburn, Natalie | Clinical and Economic Outcomes for Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with Gastrectomy at Centres With and Without Cancer Surgery Designation in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | Gastric cancer places high clinical and economic burden on healthcare systems. This study compares patient outcomes between centres with and without cancer surgery centre designation (CSCD). Gastric cancer patients diagnosed 2002-2014, and treated with gastrectomy were identified using Ontario’s linked administrative databases. Outcomes included 90-day mortality, overall survival, and healthcare costs. Institutions with CSCD (n =1,436) were associated with lower 90-day mortality (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.52-0.94, p=0.02), and similar overall survival (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.85-1.04, p=0.24) as institutions without CSCD (n = 1,494). The cost analysis included 1,143, and 1,256 patients treated at institutions with and without CSCD, respectively. Adjusted mean monthly costs were $3,310 (95% CI $2,384-$4,595) for the CSCD group, and $3,430 (95% CI $2,469-$4,765) for the non-CSCD group (p=0.36). Treatment at institutions with CSCD may result in lower 90-day mortality, and similar overall survival, and costs of care for gastric cancer patients. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Jewett, Rachel | Kerr, Gretchen | Sport and Mental Health: Wavering Between Resilience and Vulnerability | Exercise Sciences | 2017-11 | When sport participation reaches competitive levels it can become entangled with stressors such as injury, performance pressures, and vulnerabilities including developing a strong athletic identity that may influence athletesâ experiences with mental illness. A life history methodology was used to explore an elite university athleteâ s experience with an adjustment disorder with mixed moods of depression and anxiety. Seven interviews were conducted and a dialogical narrative analysis was used. The participant developed a strong athletic identity during her sport career which, coupled with a damaging interpersonal relationship, contributed to a period of mental health challenges post-retirement from sport and graduation from university. The findings from this study lead us to question whether the significant support and special access to services provided to university sports stars potentially leaves such individuals vulnerable to feelings of isolation and helplessness once outside the university-athlete bubble and contribute to challenging transitions out of sport. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Jhajj, Anuroop | Bierman, Arlene | What does a Single-item Measure of Self-rated Mental Health tell us? Systematic Review of Literature and Analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey | Medical Science | 2012-11-29 | A single-item measure of self-rated mental health (SRMH) asks respondents to rate their mental health on a 5-point scale from ‘excellent’ to ‘poor’. SRMH is being used increasingly in research and on population health surveys. However, little is known about this item, as there are no literature reviews and few formal validation studies. The aim of this study is to understand what SRMH measures by conducting the first known systematic review of SRMH literature, followed by analysis of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS 1.2). Results of the systematic review reveal SRMH has relationships with mental health scales, mental disorders, self-rated health, health problems, service utilization, and service satisfaction. Analysis of CCHS 1.2 data finds SRMH is associated with psychiatric diagnoses, distress, physical health, and sociodemographic characteristics. Both studies conclude SRMH is measuring mental health and more; however, there needs to be more research to understand the specifics of these relationships. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Jiang, Hao | Bilton, Amy M | Modeling and Proof of Concept of a Passive Irrigation Controller for Efficient Water Use in Low-Income Areas | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-03 | Irrigation has been shown to contribute to the alleviation of poverty around the globe. However, its success is limited by water scarcity. Human Centered Design (HCD) principles were employed to address agriculture's involvement in global water scarcity from an engineering standpoint, particularly in low-income areas. An irrigation controller was developed in partnership with a low-income community in Nicaragua to regulate soil water potential (SWP). Ground research and interviews inspired the adaptation of passive technology using locally available materials such as PVC fittings. A prototype was constructed and presented to the community for feedback. A semi-empirical model of the controller was developed and experimentally verified to enable sizing of the components and evaluation of the system capabilities. The controller model was coupled to an environmental model to predict the performance. The model results show the controller has a potential water savings of up to 69%. | M.A.S. | poverty; water; environment | 1, 6, 13 |
| Jiang, Rui Xin | Shu, Lily H | Predicting Designer Performance in Generating Reuse Concepts for Retired Wind-Turbine Blades by Measuring Individual Differences | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-06 | This work examines identifying reuses for wind-turbine blades that are retired when they reach the end of their technical life. Wind-turbine blades are made from fiber-composite materials, for which effective material-based recycling technologies are extremely limited. An approach to avoid or postpone recycling is to repurpose wind-turbine blades in other applications, as they should not be reused as wind-turbine blades for safety reasons. However, identifying promising reuses for wind-turbine blades is challenging due to their specific shape properties. In addition to issues of functional fixedness, wind-turbine blades are physically much larger than everyday objects with which people typically reason. Following a series of studies where students were asked to identify wind-turbine-blade reuses, a method involving perspective-taking was developed and applied. To better understand and motivate human designers, this work also incorporates psychological concepts, including Need for Closure, Regulatory Focus Theory, and Regulatory Mode Theory. | M.A.S. | wind; recycl | 7 |
| Jimenez, Maria Carolina | Jadad, Alejandro R. | eHealth Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review and Content Analysis of National Policies | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-08 | This study explored the current state of eHealth policy in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC). It is based on a novel methodological approach to the conduct of systematic reviews of documents that are not always published in peer-reviewed journals. 33 countries were included in the study and 19 ICT and 7 eHealth policies were identified. A hybrid inductive and deductive content analysis approach was used to provide an in- depth analysis and comparison of existing national eHealth policies in LAC. The study found that there has been considerable progress in the establishment of ICT policies in the LAC region, but less so for eHealth policy specifically. The findings suggest that the establishment of a strategic framework that may guide and support decisions and choices in the development of national eHealth policies, could prove to be an essential tool in the successful implementation of eHealth in LAC. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Jivraj, Naheed | Wunsch, Hannah | Opioid Prescribing after Surgery among Chronic Opioid users in Ontario: A Population-based Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | Patients who chronically use opioids may undergo surgery; it is unclear if surgery alters the trajectory of opioid consumption in these patients. We sought to determine if exposure to surgery is associated with opioid discontinuation among chronic users, and factors associated with opioid discontinuation after surgery. The study included 4,755 surgical and 14,265 matched non-surgical patients with chronic opioid use. After adjusting for patient characteristics, surgery was associated with an increased likelihood of opioid discontinuation (aHR: 1.34 95%CI: 1.27, 1.42). Among surgical patients, factors associated with a reduced odds of discontinuation included a mean preoperative opioid dose >90 morphine milligram equivalents (aOR: 0.39 95%CI:0.31, 0.49), preoperative oxycodone prescriptions (aOR: 0.74 95%CI:0.55, 0.98), and a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR: 0.75 95%CI: 0.64, 0.88) or dementia (aOR: 0.58 95%CI: 0.37, 0.91). Further research is needed to evaluate interventions that can influence post-operative opioid discontinuation, particularly in high risk patients. | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| John Gnanaraj, Alwish Ranjith | Drake, Jennifer A. P. | Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Hydraulic Conductivity, Snow Depth and Soil Properties of a Bioretention System | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Bioretention Cells (BC) are a Low Impact Development technology that provide distributed storm water management near to its source. Most research envisages BC as a black box with ambiguous processes between the input and the output. This thesis aims to consider BCs as heterogeneous systems with physical processes that vary both spatially and temporally. For this study, a 5-year-old BC at Kortright Centre for Conservation in Vaughan, Ontario is used as an investigation area. The following results were observed. D30 and D60 were lower in the central flow path due to sedimentation and suspended solids deposition. Organic content was negatively correlated with bulk density. Ksat in the central pathway region and non-central pathway region showed a mild rise during and a mild decrease respectively during warm winter days possibly due to freeze-thaw action. However, after statistical outliers were identified and removed from the Ksat data, this effect was not observed. | M.A.S. | water; conserv | 14 |
| Johnson, Kwesi | Olson, Paul | Building Better Schools not Prisons: A Review of the Literature Surrounding School Suspension and Expulsion Programs and the Implications of such Programs on the Lives of Racial and Ethnic Minority Students | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | It has been argued, albeit with some degree of success, that the challenges facing the 21st century Canadian classroom are highly complex. A troubled economy riddled with cutbacks to the education system, ongoing enrolment decline and challenges in embracing a growth in the diversity of students are among the changes that have made classrooms increasingly difficult to navigate. Though the last assertion may be true, disciplinary policies and the tools used to address unwanted student behaviour have remained relatively unchanged within the education system. Using Critical Race Theory, the author examines the implications of school suspension and expulsion programs on students and provides an analysis of current literature on alternative disciplinary methods in public schools. Findings suggest that a mixture of strategies within various disciplinary programs can benefit some students, but more work must be done to address socioeconomic disparities plaguing the majority of students found in these programs. | MAST | socioeconomic; educat | 1, 4 |
| Johnson, Sigrid | Cole, Ardra ||Cooper, Karyn | Further Than Pluto: A Novel and Compendium Based on a Real Case of a Young Woman's Struggle with Autism, Communication, and the Paradox of Simultaneously Inviting in and Shutting out the World | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-30 | This thesis is divided into three texts. The first is a compendium, which situates the major themes of the second text (a fictitious novel) into a scholarly context and delves into the broader academic questions that arise from it regarding the treatment and care of people with special needs. Those themes are put into a context that enables special education teachers to expand thier notions about communicating with and understanding their autistic and special needs students. It not only examines my own autobiographical connection to the novel (by the fact that I have a sister with a combination of Down Syndrome and autism) but also extends the themes into a broader context, and looks at typical expectations in families with mentally handicapped members and the various methods and approaches of communicating with them. The third text elaborates on specific aspects of these themes in an endnote format. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Johnston, Daniel C. | Martell, David Lee ||Wotton, Brian Michael | Quantifying the Fuel Load, Fuel Structure and Fire Behaviour of Forested Bogs and Blowdown | Forestry | 2012-03-21 | A study was undertaken to characterize two dynamic fuel types not included in the Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour Prediction System: forested bogs and blowdown. Fuel load and structure were measured at ten forested bog sites in central Alberta along a 108 year post-fire chronosequence. Canopy bulk density increased following a sigmoidal curve between 0.00 and 0.54 kg•m-3. Crown fire potential was modeled using a general crown fire behaviour model and found to follow a similar sigmoidal pattern increasing with time-since-fire. Blowdown fuel loads were measured at six sites in northwestern Ontario and ranged from 13.4 to 18.9 kg•m-2. Elevated fine blowdown fuels were found to have faster reaction times and dry more rapidly than predicted by the Fine Fuel Moisture Code. Detailed observations were also made of fire behaviour in blowdown fuels | MAST | forest | 16 |
| Johnston, Keith | Sargent, Ted | Solution-processed Schottky-quantum Dot Photovoltaics for Efficient Infrared Power Conversion | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2008-07-30T20:13:20Z | Solar energy harvesting demands low-cost energy conversion in the infrared from 1 – 2 μm. However, solution-processed photovoltaic devices have remained relatively inefficient in this spectral region. Herein, lead sulfide colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots are used to facilitate efficient infrared power conversion. Solution-cast nanocrystal films are employed in a simple metal/semiconductor/metal architecture to produce a photovoltaic effect. It is shown that a Schottky barrier is induced, which is responsible for the charge separating action. Through optimization of chemical processes and device fabrication, the photovoltaic response is maximized. The infrared power conversion efficiency reaches 4.2%, which sets a new precedent for solution-processed photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, the devices exhibit efficient broadband solar power conversion and show promise for multijunction cell architectures. Carrier drift through a large depletion region near the Schottky contact is determined to be the dominant transport mechanism. | MAST | energy; solar | 7 |
| Jongsma, Adam | McIlroy, William ||Mochizuki, George | Getting up to Speed: Understanding the Factors Associated with Post-stroke Gait Velocity | Rehabilitation Science | 2014-03-18 | The factors that influence gait velocity post-stroke are not clearly understood. This thesis sought to uncover the factors associated with gait velocity, particularly those related to maximum velocity. The first of two studies investigated the associations between physical factors and preferred and maximum gait velocity. Analysis revealed that individuals with stroke were able to increase gait velocity from preferred and that this increase, along with the achieved velocity, were related to functional balance. The second study characterized the strategy individuals used to increase gait velocity, and compared between the stroke and healthy population. It also probed the relationships between cadence, step length, strategy, and post-stroke impairment. This study demonstrated that individuals with stroke rely more on cadence than step length to increase gait velocity. These results revealed the role of balance control on limiting gait velocity and the need for specific measures of impairment in research to direct clinical practice. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Jorai, Goolshan Sharma | Anand, Anita | Harmonization of International Securities Markets Regulation: A Trade Perspective | Law | 2012-11-20 | Widespread cross-border securities trading have led to the internationalization of securities markets. No one seriously disputes that such securities dealings require regulation, but there is no academic consensus on the best normative approach to such regulation. The academic debate initially focused on whether regulatory competition or cooperation constitutes the better model. However, the debate seems to have evolved to adopt a hybrid model combining the virtues of these two approaches. ‘Harmonization’ constitutes the dominant hybrid model. Nevertheless, the implementation of the harmonization model has barely received any attention in the literature. The aim of this thesis is hence two-fold: first, justify why harmonization should be the preferred model for the regulation of international securities markets; and second, develop, applying an international trade regulation perspective, a regulatory framework to implement the harmonization model using the World Trade Organization and General Agreement on Trade in Services (WTO/GATS) framework. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Joyce, Katherine Anne | Sandwell, Ruth W. | A Safety Valve to Modern Living: Antimodernism, Citizenship, Leisure, and the Environment in Toronto's Outdoor Education Centres, 1953-1997 | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | In 1960 the Toronto Board of Education opened its first residential outdoor education centre, the Toronto Island Natural Science School, which signaled the beginning of an outdoor education movement in the city. By the mid-1980s the school boards and conservation authorities of Metropolitan Toronto had opened 12 residential outdoor education centres to serve Toronto public school students. This thesis seeks to explain why these programs were developed at this time and in this place. It finds that these programs fit into a broader ‘modernizing antimodernism’ paradigm which shaped many similar formal and informal educational programs in the twentieth century, and argues that democratic citizenship education was the major factor that was used to justify and shape them. This democratic citizenship education had three main components: education for democratic living, education for productive use of leisure time, and education for the environment, each of which is explored in depth. | MAST | educat; environent; justice | 4, 13, 16 |
| Jud, Michael | Falkenheim, Victor | The Long March of Village Democracy: A Survey of the Progress toward Democratic Village Self-governance in China | East Asian Studies | 2012-11-20 | Over the past 30 years, the Chinese policy of village self-governance has promoted a system of democratically elected autonomous committees to wield authority at the village level. Particularly in the period since 1998, the village committee system has made impressive achievements in most areas of electoral rules and procedures. Relatively free and fair elections have become commonplace throughout much of the Chinese countryside, and the level of competition and openness has gradually increased. Nonetheless, village self-governance has had only a modest impact on the actual political configuration of most villages, as Communist Party influence and state-imposed constraints have limited the ability of elected officials to exercise authority independently. It is hoped that future Chinese leaders will continue to strengthen the institutional framework of democratic village governance, and take steps to restrain the influence of non-democratic actors. | MAST | governance; institution | 16 |
| Jun, Yun-seok | Evans, Greg J. | Comparison of Nucleation and Growth at Paired Urban and Rural Locations | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-12-08 | The number and size distributions of particles between 10 and 400 nm were measured in Toronto and rural Egbert during May 2007 to May 2008 to compare nucleation and growth at paired urban and rural locations. Particle formation and growth were observed in Egbert more frequently than in Toronto, and simultaneous events occurred on 34 out of 368 days. In contrast, formation and growth rates were both higher in Toronto. Further, a linear regression analysis suggested that compounds contributing to nucleation and growth processes were different in Toronto and Egbert. Vehicular emissions seemed to suppress particle formation in downtown Toronto. Nucleation also appeared to be suppressed by long-range transported pollutants originating from industrial regions in southwestern Ontario and northern Ohio in the United States. A Nucleation Indicator (NI) was developed by combining relevant parameters, and it was found to provide a reasonable measure of the probability of nucleation events occurring. | MAST | industr; rural; urban; pollut | 9, 11, 14 |
| Juneja, Rahul | Cheng, Yu-Ling | Testing Catalysts for their Activity and Sulfur Tolerance under Simulated Smouldering Environment | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-06 | Catalysts are frequently used to treat exhausts from automotive vehicles and chemical industries but their ability to treat emissions generated from the incineration of human waste is still unexplored. Three catalysts were examined in this thesis: 0.5% Pt/Al2O3 by Alfa Aesar, 0.5% Pt/Al2O3 by Hulteberg Group and 2%Pt-La2O3/25% ZrO2 -75% SiO2 by Riogen Inc. The results show that the three catalysts survived 4h of exposure to simulated smouldering effluent gas compositions. Propane and carbon monoxide oxidations after 12 h of accelerated poisoning conditions showed an increase and decrease in catalytic activity, respectively. Upon regeneration, the Riogen zirconia supported catalyst showed nearly complete reversal of decreases in sulfur-poisoning induced CO activity, while only partial reversal was seen for the two alumina supported catalysts. Lastly, adsorption and desorption studies showed that much more sulfur dioxide was desorbed from the zirconia-based catalyst than alumina-based catalysts - consistent with activity reversal observations. | M.A.S. | industr; waste | 9, 12 |
| Jung, Young Mee Tiffany | Diosady, Levente L. | Simultaneous Protein and Biodiesel Production from Yellow Mustard Seed with Isopropyl Alcohol Extraction | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-02-15 | Aqueous extraction of yellow mustard seed recovers oil in the form of oil-in-water emulsion. In this study, the ternary phase diagram of IPA, oil and water was developed to design an effective oil extraction process of oil-in-water emulsion. A 4-stage extraction process recovered 92.3% of oil from the emulsion into virtually anhydrous IPA-oil miscella. The oil and water separation and IPA usage efficiency was improved by using recycled solvent, but the oil recovery was decreased to 86.0%. The obtained IPA-oil miscella can be used directly in biodiesel production. The use of IPA as a reactant and a co-solvent in transesterification was investigated in this study. Isopropanolysis at 1.2% KOH resulted in 54% ester content in the product. When IPA was used as a co-solvent in methanolysis, the transesterification was drastically improved. The product met the total glycerol limit of the ASTM biodiesel standard within 10 minutes, with over 99% ester content. | MAST | water; production; recycl | 6, 7, 12 |
| Kabanda, John Samuel | Kwon, Oh-Sung | Evaluation of the Frequency and Time Domain Soil-structure Interaction Analysis Methods against the Hualien Large-scale Seismic Test (LSST) Data | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-29 | Nonlinear seismic soil-structure interaction (SSI) analyses are often completed using the equivalent linear frequency domain analysis method as it is simple to use and computationally efficient. However, the method is inherently linear and a better strategy is to employ the nonlinear time domain analysis method, which is computer intensive but can more accurately simulate nonlinear soil behavior. In this thesis, the two methods are evaluated using the Hualien LSST field data. For the nonlinear time domain analyses, the utilized Hualien LSST finite element model is initially verified by comparing its linear responses to those obtained via the linear frequency domain analysis method; which is also verified against the multi-step analysis approach. In the frequency domain, the equivalent linear analyses are completed by an industry collaborator. The results show that two methods generate similar responses for the low intensity earthquakes but differ for the more intense and amplified earthquakes. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Kabbarah, Alaa Jameel | Quiñonez, Carlos R | Social Inclusion and Oral Health in Elderly Canadian Population | Dentistry | 2018-11 | Introduction: The distribution of age groups in Canada has significantly changed over time, with seniors making up an ever-growing segment of the Canadian population. Given this, factors like social inclusion—measured as social participation and social support—has been recognized to play a critical role in people’s health, specifically as people age. Also recognized is the importance of oral health to healthy aging. This study thus aims to examine and explore the association between social inclusion and self-reported oral health (SROH) in the elderly Canadian population age 65 years and above. Methods: Binary and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between social inclusion and SROH. Results: Our study showed that low levels of social support and a low frequency of social participation increased the odds of reporting fair and poor oral health. Conclusion: This study revealed a negative association between social inclusion and SROH. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Kaila, Rishi | Perovic, Doug | Investigation of Mixed Solder Assemblies & Novel Lead-free Solder Alloys | Materials Science and Engineering | 2011-12-08 | Due to the introduction of Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive Pb containing solders have been banned from the electronics industry and a reliable replacement for the Sn-Pb solder is being sought for by industry around the globe. Medical and Defense industries are currently exempt from the directive and use Sn-Pb solder in their manufacturing process. The switch to lead-free has led component manufacturers to use different lead-free solders, thus causing mixed solder joints of lead-free components with Sn-Pb paste. In this study, mixed assembly microstructures and mechanical properties were examined. Furthermore, six novel lead-free solders were prepared using SAC105 solder doped with elements: Ti, Ni, Mn, La, Ce and Y. The solidification microstructures, fracture behavior and wetting properties of these solders were evaluated to find a suitable replacement for SAC105 solder. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Kalajdzic, Jasminka | Sossin, Lorne | Access to Justice for the Masses? A Critical Analysis of Class Actions in Ontario | Law | 2010-02-12T19:56:49Z | Judges and lawyers have embraced class proceedings as fulfilling an access to justice objective. In the more than fifteen years since the introduction of class proceedings legislation in Ontario, however, few have sought to evaluate whether or to what extent class actions have improved access to justice. The author begins to fill that void by first exploring various meanings of access to justice, and then examining in detail the initiation and settlement of class actions, and the controversial issue of counsel fees, using both doctrinal analysis and empirical data representing the class action practices of more than 75 plaintiff-side lawyers. She concludes that there are several aspects of class action practice and jurisprudence that fall short of advancing access to justice to its fullest extent, and calls for further socio-legal analysis to measure the impact, and evaluate the success, of class actions. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Kalb, Natalie | Gillis, Joseph R | Coping Motives as a Mediator in the Relationship Between LGBQ-specific Stressors and Alcohol Consumption and Consequences Among LGBQ Emerging Adults | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2017-03 | Research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) emerging adults (EAs) are at a disproportionally high risk of consuming alcohol and experiencing alcohol consequences. Additionally, research has demonstrated a relationship between LGBQ stressors and problematic alcohol outcomes among LGBQ EAs. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of coping motives on the relationship between LGBQ stressors (internalized heterosexism, parental rejection, homonegative microaggressions, and sexual orientation-based violence) and both alcohol consumption and consequences. 252 LGBQ EAs (18-25 years-old) completed a series of online questionnaires. Two LGBQ stressors were significantly and positively associated with alcohol consumption, whereas the majority of the LGBQ stressors were significantly and positively associated with alcohol consequences. Coping motives emerged as a significant mediator across all tested models. These findings suggest that coping motives are an important target for clinical interventions for reducing drinking among LGBQ EAs. | M.A. | queer; consum | 5, 12 |
| Kalia, Aditi | Zack, Martin | Comparative Effects of a D2 and Mixed D1-D2 Dopamine Antagonist on Gambling Reinforcement in Pathological Gamblers and Healthy Controls | Pharmacology | 2011-12-12 | Pathological Gambling (PG) is an impulse control disorder with lifetime prevalence of 1-3%. Available treatments are limited by uncertain classification and complexity of implicated neurotransmitter systems. Dopamine (DA), a key neurotransmitter implicated in addictive behavior and reward is elevated in response to gambling and psychostimulants. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the D2 blocker, haloperidol (HAL), will enhance slot machine reinforcement in PG but not in Healthy Controls (HC). If this increase reflects preferential stimulation of D1 receptors and group differences in D1 sensitivity, D1-D2 blocker (fluphenazine, FLU) should offset increase in reinforcement seen with HAL in PG subjects. In line with DA's implicated role in 'wanting' vs. 'liking' of the addictive reinforcer, the results suggest that DA release mediated partial D1 activation under FLU led to clear differentiation between groups with increased 'wanting' seen in controls but not in gamblers. DA's role in 'liking' however remains elusive. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Kalnin, Elizabeth | Coloma, Roland Sintos ||Quarter, Jack | Displaced Burmese in Thailand: Refugee Policies and Impact on Access and Rights, 1988-2008 | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-04-05T19:48:10Z | My thesis research centres on the question, how have refugee policy formation and ground level implementation impacted the conditions and experiences of displaced Burmese in Thailand from 1988 to 2008? I examine the effects of the production of subject categories through Thai national laws and practices, a bilateral agreement, and the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, in order to uncover how official policies are used to manage refugees. This study addresses questions regarding policy formation and implementation toward Burmese who have fled political oppression in Burma (Myanmar) and identifies issues related to the recognition of difference and the allocation of rights in the cultural contexts of migration and integration of minority populations. The formulation and implementation of refugee policies has global implications since policy solutions in general are developed from a perspective that ignores the emergence and significance of displacement. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Kam, Andrew | Sargent, Edward H | Optoelectronic Characterization of Novel Photovoltaic Nanomaterials | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2018-03 | Solution-processed nanomaterials such as lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) combine various manufacturing benefits and facile spectral tunability. However, the low mobility of CQD films limits its power conversion efficiency in photovoltaic cells. Here, I employ a novel femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) technique to determine the mobility of PbS CQD films that have undergone state of the art surface treatments. A significant mobility increase from 3 × 10−2 to 5 × 10−1 cm2 V−1 s−1 was determined for iodide passivated and novel perovskite-shelled PbS CQDs, respectively. I performed, for the first time, temperature-dependent ultrafast carrier dynamics in perovskite-shelled CQDs using fs-TA, and determined an activation energy of 14 meV required for carrier hopping. Complementary studies that used time-of-flight measurements to determine the mobility in solar cell configuration corroborated the fs-TA method. Taken together, these results indicate a promising avenue toward improved CQD solar cells. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Kamal Ahmadi, Tara | Widener, Michael | A Systematic Review of the Localities of Food Purchasing and Consumption Behaviors | Geography | 2019-03 | In the past decade, researchers have increasingly explored the environmental determinants of food behaviors to support population dietary health. Recently, numerous papers have begun to integrate actual places of food behaviors, with a notable focus o¬n the concept of activity spaces. In this study, we presented a systematic review of research using activity spaces to conceptualize the food environment. Using the PRISMA systematic review framework, a standardized search query to find research that examined the localities of food-related behaviors since 1995 was submitted. A total of 17 papers were determined to be eligible for inclusion. We synthesized these various findings to better understand the influential factors of the location of food purchasing and consumption behaviors, and particular attention was paid to a range of population subgroups (e.g., adults, adolescents). Finally, gaps in this literature were reviewed, and future research directions were suggested. | M.Sc. | food | 2 |
| Kamm, Caroline V | Isakson, Ryan | Local Food Networks and the Pursuit of Autonomy: Examining Agricultural Risk Management in Jalisco, Mexico | Geography | 2019-03 | The following thesis explores the impact that market structure may have on how small-scale farmers experience and adapt to risk. Through qualitative research within five local food initiatives in Jalisco, Mexico, I explore the particular risks that producers perceive as being most serious, as well as the strategies used within these markets to mitigate those risks. I argue that many of the adaptive choices that farmers use to stabilize their own livelihoods are enabled by distinct features within direct-to-consumer markets, suggesting that market structure plays a key role in determining the production options available to farmers. In further exploring the politics and material practices used within local food initiatives, I introduce the concept of ‘autonomous food geographies’ to highlight those strategies used to develop institutional contexts within which farmers are able to exert greater control over their own livelihoods. | M.A. | food; consum; production | 2, 12 |
| Kandela, Rami | Zee, Robert E | Developing an Advanced Hardware Testing System to Enable Rapid Spacecraft Manufacturing | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2019-11 | The use of small satellites in commercial constellations has attracted much attention in recent days. This necessitates the need to utilize innovative solutions to building multiple identical satellites both quickly and economically. An automated test system is developed for mass production and verification of hardware. It eases the repetitiveness in production verification tests, reduces human errors and increases reliability. The thesis addresses challenges in large-scale hardware testing with a particular focus on two primary areas: (i) specific process and challenges in building a spacecraft power subsystem; and (ii) testing hardware at a large-scale. The first part of this thesis presents the challenges affiliated with hardware production and validation tests. The second part presents the framework developed to generate and track hardware manufacturing information. The third part details the design and implementation of a system comprising of algorithms, instrumentation, and data acquisition units that interface with the device under test. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Kane, Sarah Jennifer | Tackett, Jennifer L. | Testing the Normative Hypothesis of Relational Aggression and Psychopathology through Gender and Age Moderation | Psychology | 2012-07-25 | The gender normative hypothesis of relational aggression and psychopathology states that relational aggression is more detrimental to boys than it is to girls because relational aggression is more normative in girls. In the present study, this hypothesis was tested in a large sample of 6-to-18-year-old children and this hypothesis was also extended to the domain of age norms. Specifically, it was tested whether relational aggression would also be most detrimental outside of the age in which it is most normative. The results showed some evidence supporting the gender normative hypothesis. Specifically, it was found that relationally aggressive boys suffered more internalizing and externalizing problems than non-relationally aggressive boys did. Relationally aggressive girls, however, suffered only more externalizing problems than non-relationally aggressive girls did. Results did not support the age normative hypothesis. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Kang, Nancy | Rao, A. Venketeshwer | Oxidative Stress and the Risk of Osteoporosis: The Role of Dietary Polyphenols and Nutritional Supplements in Postmenopausal Women | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-20 | Previous findings have indicated that oxidative stress plays a role in the development of osteoporosis and that individual polyphenols, by virtue of their antioxidant properties, may mitigate these damaging effects. Nutritional supplements, greens+ bone builderTM, containing polyphenols and other micronutrients beneficial for bone health are of recent interest as complementary strategies in the management of osteoporosis. A randomized controlled study was conducted to explore the combined effects of the nutrients found within the supplement on bone health for 8 weeks. Total polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity increased whereas oxidative stress parameters and the bone resorption marker, crosslinked C-telopeptide of type I collagen decreased after supplementation. There was no significant change in the bone formation marker, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide. This thesis shows an association of polyphenols with other micronutrients acts through their antioxidant capacity to decrease oxidative stress parameters and bone resorption, thus potentially reducing the risk for osteoporosis. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Kang, Yang Heon | Kulkarni, Gajanan | Development of a Transdermal Microneedle Patch for Conscious Sedation in Pediatric Dentistry | Dentistry | 2017-11 | Objectives: Identification of a practical microneedle transdermal delivery system for conscious sedation, identification of drugs that can be used in such a transdermal device, development of a working prototype, survey potential users regarding such a sedation modality. Methods: Available microneedle systems and sedative agents in pediatric practice were evaluated through literature review using clinical and pharmacological criteria. Specifications of a working prototype were established, followed by fabrication. Healthcare professionals were surveyed regarding their likelihood of using such a device, potential concerns, and cost sensitivity. Results: The hollow microneedle design option was determined to be the most suitable for sedation agent delivery. Midazolam was identified as an appropriate transdermal agent. A working prototype was fabricated. The survey of potential users revealed high acceptability for this concept but with potential concerns on the pharmacological profile. Conclusion: The microneedle system will likely be a new, effective modality for the administration of conscious sedation. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Kanji, Shahil | Zee, Robert E | Mechanical Aspects of Design, Analysis, and Testing for the NORSAT-1 Microsatellite | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2015-11 | NORSAT-1 is a multi-payload microsatellite mission funded by the Norwegian Space Center, with three overall objectives: investigating solar radiation, space plasma research, and developing improved methods for detection and management of ship traffic. The successful development of the NORSAT-1 platform aims to lay the groundwork for additional low-cost microsatellites in the NORSAT series, and expand the Norwegian presence in space and space-based ship tracking technologies. This thesis provides some insight into the NORSAT-1 satellite platform design, and focuses heavily on the mechanical aspects of design, analysis, and testing. The structural design is detailed from the early conceptual design phases, and follows the development to the manufacturing, integration, and testing of the flight spacecraft. Validation of the design through finite element modeling is presented, along with the development and design of two honeycomb composite solar panels, and two deployable whip antennas. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Kanraj, Deepak | Panesar, Daman K | Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment – Life Cycle Cost Model for Concrete using Analytical Hierarchy Process | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | The goal of this research is to develop a methodology for identifying the most sustainable concrete mix design based on environmental and economic sustainability. Life cycle cost (LCC) model along with a repair schedule was developed. Functional units that better represent the functional properties of concrete were incorporated in the life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis using concrete’s time to first repair (TFR) and repair schedule. A hybrid LCA-LCC model was developed using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to combine LCA and LCC parameters together for comparison of mix designs. It was observed that the TFR was the most crucial factor in the LCC and LCA analysis. The hybrid LCA-LCC model allocates a higher priority to TFR as a performance indicator of concrete. Use of supplementary cementing materials (SCM) in concrete increases TFR, resulting in lower LCC, lower LCA results, and higher preference through the hybrid model, than for concrete without SCM. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Kanyogonya, Virginia | Ryan, Sherida||Quarter, Jack | Is Corporate Social Responsibility an Effective Intervention for Sustainable Development? The Case of Canadian Mining Companies in Burkina Faso | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-06 | Quite a number of Canadian mining companies claim that their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts can contribute to sustainable development (SD). However, several studies suggest that CSR initiatives in Africa are yet to make a significant, long-lasting socio-economic contribution. This research focuses on six Canadian mining companies operating in Burkina Faso, a country in West Africa that has recently become a hotspot for gold extraction. By employing a qualitative content analysis method to analyze companies’ archives and other textual sources available within the public domain, through the theoretical lens of economic democracy, this study interrogates whether the current neoliberal CSR framework is an effective intervention to address Burkina Faso’s socio-economic challenges. The findings from this research reveal the contradictions between stated CSR intentions and the mining companies’ priorities, thus making noteworthy contributions to literature that investigates CSR and sustainable development in Africa’s natural resource sector. | M.A. | sustainable development | 8 |
| Kao, Ingrid Yunchi | Lupien, Mathieu | Epigenetic Vulnerabilities in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer | Medical Biophysics | 2017-11 | Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst Canadian women. To date, three main histopathological subtypes based on the expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 with different clinical outcomes dictate the treatment approach. Among these, the Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) subtype does not express any of the hormone receptors and has the least survival rate due to lack of targeted therapy and poor prognosis. Recently, a category of highly selective and potent drug-like molecules ideal to assess therapeutic potential of new targets, known as chemical probes, have been designed to target epigenetic enzymes. Here, we determined the impact of 56 epigenetic chemical probes on the proliferation of TNBC cell lines. We identified distinct response across these cell lines after inhibition of the bromodomains, methyltransferases, methyl lysine transferases and lysine demethylases. Our results revealed epigenetic targets that could lead to potential therapeutic opportunities. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Kapoor, Kapil | Thorsteinsdottir, Halla | Paving the Silk Road: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Collaboration with China and India in Health Biotechnology | Medical Science | 2011-12-12 | South-South collaboration has grown significantly over the past decade and can be an important tool to boost development and scientific capacity in Southern countries. This research aims to understand the role of China and India’s collaboration with sub-Saharan African countries’ in health biotechnology development on the African continent. I conducted a scientometric analysis, surveyed biotechnology firms, and interviewed researchers, entrepreneurs, and policy makers to identify the drivers, challenges, and impacts of South-South collaboration in health biotechnology and understand the factors that shape it. The main messages resulting from this study indicate that: China and India are active collaborators of sub-Saharan Africa in technology intensive fields, collaboration in traditional medicine is of high priority, drivers for collaboration with China and India are not uniform, and that shared health concerns are motivate and foster South-South collaboration between sub-Saharan Africa, China and India. This research study illustrates that sub-Saharan Africa can harness South-South collaboration to improve capacity, innovation potentials, and promote the development of health biotechnology solutions appropriate for the African context. | MAST | health; innovation | 3, 9 |
| Karakochuk, Crystal D. | Zlotkin, Stanley H. | Evaluating the Relative Effectiveness of Two Supplemental Foods for the Treatment of Moderate Acute Malnutrition in Children 6 to 60 Months of Age in Southern Ethiopia | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-01-06T19:37:02Z | The purpose of this cluster-randomized equivalence trial was to investigate the effectiveness of two supplemental foods in children with moderate malnutrition by comparing: (i) time to recovery by survival analysis, and (ii) recovery rates (after 16 weeks of treatment). A total of 2,600 children 6-60 months of age were randomized by cluster (district) to receive 16 weeks of conventional (Corn-Soya Blended flour, CSB) or intervention (Ready-to-Use Supplemental Food, RUSF) foods. Overall, time to recovery from malnutrition (mean 74 days) and recovery rates (mean 76%) were equivalent with both foods. The time to recovery outcomes were equivalent, independent of location, whereas the recovery rate in children receiving CSB was significantly higher in the more food insecure southern region. Intra-household food sharing was significantly higher in the CSB group compared to RUSF. Overall, the response to the two different supplemental foods was equivalent for the treatment of moderately malnourished children in Ethiopia. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Karakolis, Evan G | Sinton, David | Laboratory Methods to Improve Quantification of Microplastic Ingestion by Marine Organisms Under Climate Change Stressors | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-11 | Human impacts on the environment pose serious threats to the planet’s oceans. This thesis presents methods to quantify microplastic ingestion by marine organisms under ocean warming and acidification. First, a study utilizing a novel high-throughput screening device with CO2 concentration and temperature gradients was completed to quantify microplastic ingestion by copepod, Tisbe biminiensis, under multiple temperature and CO2 levels. Due to limitations in the methods of that study, three additional methods were developed: (i) a low-cost customizable climate-change incubator capable of regulating temperature and CO2 for larger volumes and longer exposures; (ii) a fluorescent microplastic dyeing method enabling tracking of different microplastic types and shapes in exposure studies; and (iii) a digestible fluorescent microplastic coating method enabling enumeration of microplastic ingestion. The methods developed here enable screening impacts of multiple stressors, and improve realism in microplastic experiments, to properly depict future ocean conditions and their subsequent effects on marine life. | M.A.S. | climate; marine | 13, 14 |
| Karsenti, Nessika | Allin, Sara | Vertical Transmission of HIV: Comparison of Policies in North and Sub-Saharan Africa | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | This project aims to investigate the extent to which differences in the design of national prevention of mother to child transmission policies and strategies between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa help to explain differences in vertical transmission rates between these two regions. To do so, I selected two case countries, one from each region, and conducted a qualitative document analysis of their HIV prevention policies since 2010, guided by two theoretical frameworks, the Analysis of Determinants of Policy Impacts (ADEPT) model of health promotion and the Health Policy Triangle. This project has revealed the importance of 1) civil society organizations in HIV prevention, 2) sufficient monitoring and evaluation systems and 3) the involvement of Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) in the strategic financing of HIV prevention strategies in low- and middle-income countries. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Karumanchiri, Arun | Norris, Trevor ||Stickney, Jeff | Responding to Alienating Trends in Modern Education and Civilization by Remembering our Responsibility to Metaphysics and Ontological Education: Answering to the Platonic Essence of Education | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:05:53Z | This thesis explores the most basic purpose of education and how it can be advanced. To begin to analyze this fundamental area of concern, this thesis associates notions of education with notions and experiences of truth and authenticity, which vary historically and culturally. A phenomenological analysis, featuring the philosophy of Heidegger, uncovers the basic conditions of human experience and discourse, which have become bent upon technology and jargon in the West. He draws on Plato's account of the 'essence of education' in the Cave Allegory, which underscores human agency in light of truth as unhiddenness. Heidegger calls for ontological education, which advances authenticity as it preserves individuals as codisclosing, historical beings. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Katz, Chaim Noah | Valiante, Taufik A | Towards Closed-Loop Stimulation To Improve Human Memory | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-03 | Age-related memory decline is a major health concern. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) without any feedback (open-loop) has proven effective for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinsonâ s disease, but its effects on human memory have shown mixed results. This projectâ s objective was to create a framework to test DBS with feedback (closed-loop) to augment human memory. A memory task was developed based on our hypothesis relating eye movements, brain electrophysiology, and hippocampal-dependent memory. The hippocampus is a key brain memory structure and a prime target for DBS. Participants completed a visual search task featuring targets embedded in realistic scenes. Results revealed above-chance corrected recognition for scenes and associated targets. Closed-loop stimulation based on the recorded response during the task was piloted in a single patient. This thesis will set the stage for further investigating DBS' functional effects on the hippocampus and DBSâ utility in improving human memory. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Kaushal, Nidhi | Sanderson, Douglas ||Drassinower, Abraham | Traditional Knowledge in the Manacles of Intellectual Property Protection - A Study of Indian Indigenous Communities’ Rights and Claims | Law | 2012-11-20 | The present thesis focuses on Indian experience in the traditional knowledge sector. It argues that strong patent protection has not been conducive to the indigenous people and their traditional medicinal knowledge. Moreover, this protection has supported the pharmaceutical sector by entitling it with the patents, sourced from traditional herbal medicinal knowledge on the ground of novelty and usefulness. The thesis also investigates the scenarios, where time and again it has been proved that the current patent tool does not provide free hand to indigenous people. It advocates that the production and dissemination of legal clauses promoted by the Indian patent system is not an adequate legal tool for the protection of traditional medicinal knowledge. Finally the thesis explores India’s obligation to protect and preserve traditional medicinal knowledge and proposes model guidelines for the pharmaceutical sector in order to exploit herbal medicinal knowledge. | MAST | production | 12 |
| Kavoosi, Azad | Farnood, Ramin | Investigating the Fundamental Parameters of Cake Filtration using a Gravity Column Device | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2014-11 | A column device equipped with an imaging system was used to estimate the permeability of filter mesh, and the porosity and permeability of filter cakes formed by the filtration of wastewater. Synthetic wastewater samples containing polyethylene microspheres with mono-sized and bi-modal size distributions prepared and the effect of particle size and its distribution on filter cake permeability and porosity were investigated. Using actual wastewater samples, changes in filter cake porosity and permeability during the gravity drainage process were investigated. Based on the initial slope of the drainage curve, the filter mesh permeability was estimated. A mathematical model was developed based on Darcy's law to predict the drainage rate and the height of wastewater during the column filtration process with an average error of less than 7%. Experimental drainage data collected for various water column heights suggest that cake compressibility may play a role in the drainage of wastewater. | M.A.S. | waste | 12 |
| Kawano, Yumiko | Wane, Njoki | Japanese Indigenous Knowledges and Impacts of Vibrating Energy: Pedagogical Implication in Education | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:07:41Z | The purpose of this study is to engage in a discussion that is currently marginalized in academic spaces, about the notions of energy and impacts of it on students' learning process and accomplishment in the educational space. While teachers' low expectations and negation on racialized students, and hostilities from other peers has been studied, not much attention has been paid to how those teachers' and peers' energy such as hostility has impacted on students' learning process and accomplishment. In this thesis, I employ Japanese Indigenous ways of knowing to explore this theme. However, my discussion about the impact of energy on student learning process is not limited to the Japanese context only; I have expanded the discussion to the Eurocentric educational system as well. My thesis aims to contribute to the instructional and pedagogical implication for classroom teachers. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Keithley, Jake | Scott, Katreena | Understanding Maltreatment: A Secondary Analysis of the 2008 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015 | Little work to date has been done to understand perpetrators of maltreatment within Canadian families. This is especially true for biological fathers and stepfathers. The current study utilized data from the 2008 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect to determine perpetration patterns in two parent, single caregiver, and blended family households. The study also examined risk factors associated with maltreatment. Results suggest that parents come to the attention of child welfare services for different reasons; fathers tend to be investigated for exposing children to domestic violence and mothers for physical abuse. While mothers were identified as perpetrators of neglect more often than fathers, the majority of neglect investigations involved both parents as co-perpetrators. Mothers and fathers showed different risk profiles. Specifically, fathers were more likely to abuse substances but less likely to have mental health issues or poor social support. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Kellar, Aimmie | Gaskell, Jane | Where Are We Now? Changing Demographics and Perspectives of Women in Educational Administration | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2013-07-10 | Women have been underrepresented in administrative roles in education, due to a wide variety of barriers. In the province of Ontario, women comprise approximately seventy one percent of teachers, yet occupy only sixty percent of school principal and vice principal roles. More recently, there has been an increase in the ranks of women working as principals and vice-principals; this study examines one Ontario School Board using quantitative and qualitative data. It finds that the percentage of women working as administrators has moved closer to a reflection of the provincial percentage of women in teaching. Interviews with active school administrators reveal the barriers and supports that are important. Their contributions reveal three distinct themes: the importance of mentorship and peer networks, the challenges of maintaining a work / family balance, and the continued importance of gender in educational administration. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Kelly, Bridgette | Farish, Matthew | The Transformation of Landscapes in Southwest Montréal and Identity Formation During the Quiet Revolution | Geography | 2011-01-06T20:24:06Z | In this thesis I demonstrate how the social and physical construction of spaces in Montréal‘s CBD during the Quiet Revolution marginalized working-class, inner-city manufacturing districts. To address this research question, I work across a variety of secondary sources and employ census data and reports to analyze demographic changes as well as other indices that illustrate the impact of local economic restructuring. In order to understand identity formation that is related to yet distinct from the mechanisms of capital, I examine archival documents that trace the urban growth regime’s nationalist-inflected vision of high-modernity that was inscribed onto the city’s landscape. I focus on the appropriation of landscapes in working-class Southwest Montréal. I situate these landscape transformations in a longer history of class formation in which a colonized Francophone bourgeoisie attempted to reverse its socioeconomic circumstances that were partly a consequence of the British conquest. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Keng, Brian | Veneris, Andreas | Scaling SAT-based Automated Design Debugging with Formal Methods | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2010-02-12T20:58:19Z | The size and complexity of modern VLSI computer chips are growing at a rapid pace. Functional debugging is increasingly becoming a bottleneck in the design flow where it can take up to 60% of the total verification time. Scaling existing automated debugging tools is necessary in order to continue along this path of rapid growth and innovation in the semiconductor industry. This thesis aims to scale automated debugging techniques with two contributions. The first contribution introduces a succinct memory model for automated design debugging that dramatically lowers the memory requirements for the debugging problem. The second contribution presents a scalable SAT-based design debugging algorithm that uses a mathematical technique called interpolation to divide the debugging problem into multiple parts across time which greatly reduces the peak memory requirements of the debugging problem. Extensive experiments on real designs demonstrate the benefit of this work. | MAST | innovation; industr | 9 |
| Kennedy-MacDonald, Tamara | Cockerill, Rhonda ||Barnsley, Janet | Adoption of a Clinical Innovation "Best Practices for Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders" in Ontario, a One-year Follow up | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2008-07-30T20:17:50Z | Objectives: To determine the level of adoption and which characteristics are most strongly associated with the adoption of a clinical innovation in Mental Health and Addiction Service organizations in Ontario, one year after dissemination. Methods: This cross-sectional study included a voluntary quantitative mail-out survey, using a self administered questionnaire that was sent to 260 mental health and addiction service organizations in Ontario. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify significant predictors of the overall adoption-decision of the best practice recommendations. Results: Individuals’ tenure within the organization and the provision of screening (organizational variable) was identified to be predictors of adoption for the organization. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated the majority of the organizations are on the path towards a finale decision of adopting or rejecting the recommendations. The results also demonstrate the importance of individual characteristics and organizational characteristics in identifying predictors of adoption. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Kertesz, Audrey Catherine | Francis, Bruce ||Trescases, Olivier | Modeling and Robust Control Design for Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking in Photovoltaic Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-11-20 | Photovoltaic installations in urban areas operate under uneven lighting conditions. For such a system to achieve its peak efficiency, each solar panel is connected in series through a micro-converter, a dc-dc converter that performs per-panel distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT). The objective of this thesis is to design a compensator for the DMPPT micro-converter. A novel, systematic approach to plant modeling is presented for this system, together with a framework for characterizing the plant’s uncertainty. A robust control design procedure based on linear matrix inequalities is then proposed, which ensures robust performance and stability of the time-varying system. The proposed modeling and control design methods are demonstrated for an example rooftop photovoltaic installation. The system and the designed compensator are tested in simulations. Simulation results show satisfactory performance over a range of operating conditions, and the simulated system is shown to track the maximum power point of every panel. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Keshani, Milad | Lehn, Peter | A Three-phase Fully-integrated Battery Charger for Electric Vehicles Offering Galvanic Isolation | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | Integrated chargers leverage the drivetrain system existing on-board Electric Vehicles (EVs) to minimize dedicated charging circuitry and associated infrastructure cost, thus removing a major barrier to widespread deployment of EVs. This thesis proposes a fully-integrated charger system for EVs by utilizing a double-stator winding induction machine. The proposed charger uses three-phase AC-grid voltage to provide fast charging feature. Unlike the majority of integrated EV chargers, the proposed topology provides galvanic isolation between the grid and EV battery during the charging processes. The proposed integrated charger is able to regulate the active and reactive power exchange between the utility grid and EV, separately; thereby, it can charge EV battery with unity power factor operation. Moreover, this topology provides bidirectional power transferring capability to support G2V and V2G applications. The performance of the proposed integrated charger is verified through simulation and experimental results by using two wounded-rotor induction machines with inter-connected rotor windings. | M.A.S. | solar; innovation | 7, 9 |
| Keshmiri, Reyhaneh | Loutfy, Mona R||Coyte, Peter C | Economic Evaluation of Infant Feeding Modalities for Mothers in Canada Living with HIV | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-11 | Aim: To determine if exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) or exclusive formula feeding (EFF) is more cost-effective when the mother is living with HIV and fully virally suppressed. This research was conducted in Canada where mothers living with HIV are currently advised to practice EFF to eliminate the risk of perinatal transmission. Methods: A micro-simulation model was developed to estimate lifetime costs and effectiveness of EBF and EFF, from the Ontario Ministry of Health perspective. Uncertainties around model parameters were evaluated using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results: In comparison to EFF, EBF was the dominant feeding modality (less costly and more effective) yielding cost-savings of $13,812.49 for each additional quality-adjusted life year. Conclusion: Despite the risk of HIV transmission, EBF was more cost-effective than EFF. These findings suggest that a review be undertaken of current infant feeding guidelines for mothers living with HIV in the context of high-income countries. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Kester, Kevin Andrew Jason | Schugurensky, Daniel ||Goodman, Anne | Assessing the Impact of Peace Education Training Programs: A Case Study of UNESCO-APCEIU | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:09:16Z | Each year the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), operating under the auspices of UNESCO, hosts a peace education training-of-trainer’s program for teacher-educators from across the Asia-Pacific. In this thesis, I examine through a qualitative case study approach the programmatic design and evaluation of the APCEIU training program, seeking to monitor its medium-term impact on educators. The research is framed within a larger study of peace education programs around the world. Frameworks of peace education conceptualized by Betty Reardon and Swee-hin Toh, and critical approaches to peace and development as animated by Paulo Freire and Johan Galtung, provide the theoretical foundations for the study. Research findings are based on consultation records, documentary analysis, observations, and questionnaire responses from evaluations of the 2009 program. In the medium-term impact assessment report, 14 educators offered data pertaining to their post-program implementation of peace education concepts and practices in their work. | MAST | educat; peace | 4, 16 |
| Ketchell, Takara Ann | Titchkosky, Tanya | Re/producing Power: Sex Education and the Queer Identified Subject | Social Justice Education | 2015-11 | This research delves into the complex relationship between sexuality and/or gender identity and sex education. Seven queer-identified adults were interviewed regarding their experiences of sex education curriculum in Toronto, Ontario. This research draws heavily on queer phenomenology and Foucauldian theory in its examination of education and educational influence on identity. It is, further, influenced by disability studies and post colonialism with regard to the role of society in defining and constraining identity categories. Findings show that the curriculum experienced by participants created and reinforced particular heteronormative discourses in regard to sex, gender, and sexuality. This in turn lent itself to experiences of identity which were marked by a degree of ambivalence. This thesis argues that, while indicative of a problem of representation within the curriculum, this ambivalence is also a site whereby identity can be reimagined as a relational process rather than a defining characteristic. | M.A. | queer; educat | 4, 5 |
| Keung, Chris | Hofmann, Ron | Re-evaluating Secondary Disinfectants as Sentinels of Contamination and Using a Systems Vulnerability Model | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | To build a framework in which secondary disinfectants can be quantitatively evaluated, three tasks were performed: (1) A sampling campaign was conducted at a community using an alternative secondary disinfectant (HuwaSan peroxide) to evaluate various water quality parameters; (2) bench-scale experiments examined the efficacy of different disinfectants as sentinels of contamination; and (3) a systems vulnerability assessment was performed (EPANET-MSX). The results show that: (1) HuwaSan, can limit DBP formation while maintaining acceptable water quality in terms of the parameters measured; (2) chlorine was observed to be the most appropriate sentinel of intrusion under the tested conditions; and (3) under modeled conditions, E. coli propagation was controlled by all tested disinfectants. For Giardia intrusions, Cl2, ClO2, and HSP achieved 3-log inactivation between 30-150 minutes, although an assumed inactivation rate for HSP was used. The same inactivation required chloramines and H2O2 between 330-1180 and 170-910 minutes, respectively. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Khaja, Aisha | Sá, Creso | Exploring the Evolution of Credit Transfer Policy: Implications on the Role and Interplay between Colleges and Universities | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2013-07-10 | This thesis examines the historical evolution of the credit transfer policy and its implications on the roles and interplay between colleges and universities. This in-depth analysis of credit transfer evaluates the establishment of College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) in the 1960s, to present day initiatives in place to create a system wide credit transfer system between colleges and universities. The theoretical framework is comprised of two major components: firstly, through an examination of policy tools used over the years, this thesis provides a basis to understand measures that have been employed to address the issue of credit transfer. Secondly, through the organization adaptation approach and resource dependency theory, the credit transfer discussion contextualizes the overall impact on the relationship between colleges and universities. The findings conclude that although higher educational institutions are proactively responding to credit transfer demands, the hierarchical structure between universities and colleges is still prevalent. | MAST | educat; institution | 4, 16 |
| Khalil, Asma | Tamminen, Katherine | In and Out: Exploring Inclusion and Alienation within the Sport Experiences of Hijabi Athletes in Ontario | Exercise Sciences | 2018-11 | Western sport environments may create challenges for young Muslim women who choose to participate while adhering to their Islamic values and principles. In this way, participation in sport may serve to exclude young Muslim women when cultural and religious needs are not met. The purpose of this study was to explore how young Muslim women who wear the hijab experience inclusion or alienation due to their involvement in sport in Ontario. Data collection with seven Hijabi athletes consisted of semi-structured interviews and audio-diaries recorded over a one-month period to examine identity negotiation, social interactions with non-Muslim teammates and coaches, and the influence of broader discourses on the sport experiences of young Muslim women. Results pertained to solidarity as well as Islamophobic interactions with teammates, surveillance due to hypervisibility of the hijab, and behaviour modification. This research highlights the heterogeneity of Muslim women in Ontario and how they navigate sport experiences. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Khan, Muhammad Shahzeb | Thomson, Murray J | Effect of De-Watering Wood Derived Pyrolysis Liquid Biofuel on its Properties, Characteristics, and Combustion Behavior in a Diesel Engine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | Two different methods were employed to successfully reduce the water content of Wood Derived Pyrolysis Liquid Biofuel (also known as wood pyrolysis liquid or bio-oil). Removing water increased fuel heating value and improved its storage stability. Removing moderate quantities of water from WPL was found to be favorable for its emulsification with diesel. Atlox 4196 produced most stable emulsions. Stainless steel was the only material that displayed no corrosion. Reducing water content significantly reduced the fuel corrosion rates. Surface XPS analysis stipulated chemical nature of the corrosion. Four different emulsions of pure and water removed WPL were tested in caterpillar diesel engine at various loads for emissions and fuel consumption. Injector clogging and fuel pump failure were identified as two key challenges hindering WPL utilization in a diesel engine. Although, diesel fuel showed least fuel consumption and lower emissions in most cases differences between diesel fuel and emulsions tends to reduce considerably at higher loads indicating WPL potential for fueling a diesel engine. | M.A.S. | water; industr | 6, 9 |
| Khan, Palwasha | Quiñonez, Carlos | Patient Satisfaction with Dental Services Provided by Dental Students | Dentistry | 2019-11 | Patient satisfaction is important in dental care, and has implications for evaluating services, particularly as quality indicator. A cross-sectional study aimed to assess patient satisfaction with services delivered by dental students at the University of Toronto, and to explore differences in satisfaction by personal and demographic characteristics of patients. Data were collected using the Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ). Mean differences in satisfaction were explored across the subscales of pain, quality, access and overall DSQ using t-tests and ANOVA. A mean DSQ score of 3.9/5.0 was observed, indicating a generally high level of satisfaction (n=389). Some subscales exhibited differences by gender, education, self-perceived oral health, ethnicity and treatment expectations. Males with less education, those with poor oral health, and ethnic minority groups reported lower satisfaction (p | M.Sc. | gender; health | 3, 5 |
| Khan, Sadia | Christendat, Dinesh ||Sain, Mohini | Isolation of Extracellular Proteins from Ophiostoma ulmi and their Effect on Tensile Properties of Thermoplastic Starch | Cell and Systems Biology | 2011-05-24T19:02:25Z | Starch-derived bioplastics are an inexpensive, renewable and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics. Proteins secreted by Ophiostoma ulmi, were investigated for their application in bioplastic product. Proteins were isolated from fungal cultures by anion exchange chromatography and used to treat starch. Subsequently, plastic films were generated by solution casting, with glycerol as plasticizer. Tensile strength of the films was found to increase significantly compared to the control. The relative water holding capacity of the treated starch also decreased dramatically. Attempts to identify fungal proteins by MALDI-TOF MS/MS did not result in positive matches, mainly due to lack of fungal sequence information. Additionally, the effect of non-specific proteins resulted in a modest increase in tensile strength and a slightly greater effect on water absorption. Proteins secreted by O. ulmi were therefore implicated in improving properties of starch-based plastics. Investigation into the role of an extracellular polysaccharide is also suggested. | MAST | environment; renewable | 7, 13 |
| Khan, Shazareen N. | Thomas, Scott | Physical Activity Levels & Correlates 2-6 Years Post-rehabilitation in Cardiac Patients | Exercise Sciences | 2011-12-12 | Many patients do not maintain physical activity (PA) post cardiac rehabilitation (CR),however few studies examine a large enough sample over the long-term. Thus, a retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out to examine PA and its correlates 2-6 years post CR; 584 graduates completed a mailed survey (mean+SD age: 69.8+9.8 years, BMI: 27+5.0 kg/m2, 80% male, 41.4+11.6 months since graduation, 36% response rate). PA was assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE, mean+SD: 122.3+75.9). Seventy five percent of participants met Canadian PA guidelines. Greater PA was significantly associated with male sex, younger age, fear of falling, cholesterol control, self-controlled transportation, marital status, full-time work, rural location, higher VO2max, more comorbid conditions, greater perceived health, PA enjoyment, quality of life (QOL), social support, income, and CR staff support. Age,PA enjoyment, QOL, work status, cholesterol control and CR staff were significant in a multivariate model (R2=0.22, F=18.7, p<0.001). | MAST | health | 3 |
| Khan, Talha | Conway, Tenley | Vulnerability of Common Urban Forest Species to Projected Climate Change: A Case Study of Mississauga, Ontario | Geography | 2017-11 | Changes in temperature regimes, precipitation regimes, and extreme weather events as a result of climate change can cause physiological stress to urban tree species. This study examines the City of Mississaugaâ s urban forest species composition to explore the vulnerability of commonly planted native and non-native species under projected climate change scenarios. A vulnerability matrix was created to highlight the potential vulnerability of species to particular climate conditions and weather. Interviews with urban forest professionals were conducted to gather current perspectives on urban forest management in relation to climate change. Results show that all species analyzed are impacted by the cumulative effects of climate change, but proper urban forest management can mitigate some of those effects. This study addresses a gap in our knowledge of how urban forests may respond to future climate conditions in Mississauga and which species may fare better in projected conditions. | M.Sc. | urban; climate; forest | 11, 13, 15 |
| Khan, Waqas Ullah | Zlotkin, Stanley H. | Controlling Iron Defeciency Anemia and Preventing Calcium Deficiency in Bangladesh Children: A Novel Approach Using a Multi-micronutrient Powder (MNP) Formulation | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-08-25 | Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and calcium deficiency affect millions of children globally. Sprinkles is a multi-micronutrient powder (MNP) that has successfully treated anemic infants and can be modified to include additional micronutrients. The efficacy for treating IDA and preventing calcium deficiency requires evaluation due to potential nutrient interactions. We assessed the efficacy of Sprinkles MNP including iron with and without calcium on hemoglobin (Hb) response in 100 anemic rural Bangladeshi infants for 2 months. Sprinkles MNP with and without calcium resulted in a significantly higher Hb concentrations in both groups (P<0.0001 and P<0.0001). However, infants who received Sprinkles MNP without calcium had a significantly higher change in Hb concentration (P=0.024) and rate of recovery from anemia (P=0.008). No differences in socio-demographic or dietary characteristics were documented between groups. Although both groups had an improvement in Hb status, the antagonistic interaction between iron and calcium requires further study. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Khanijoun, Harleen | Katz, Ariel | Gene Patents and Access to Genetic Diagnostic Tests | Law | 2012-11-20 | The utilitarian theory contemplates rewarding the risks of inventors by providing them with a defined period of exclusivity to recoup their investment. For inventions requiring further investment, patents enable the creation of financial relationships between inventors and investors by providing patent exclusivity during the commercialization process. Innovation, contrasted from invention and conceptualized as commercialization, however, does not necessarily form the best means for delivering to the public inventions intended to improve health. Although patent policy conflates the economic growth and health improvement objectives of innovation, these goals do not always align. While the exercise of BRCA patents instantiates exclusive practicing of patents that failed to adequately deliver health technology, the patent system does not need significant change. Rather, to maintain the expectations of patent holders while balancing the needs of the public, current practices should continue with the encouragement of the creation of voluntary patent pools. | MAST | health; innovation | 3, 9 |
| Khanna, Ashna | Nathan, Paul C | Cardiac Outcomes in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) experience elevated risks for cardiac morbidities and mortality due to cancer treatments such as anthracyclines and chest radiation. Morbidities include heart failure, arrhythmias, valve abnormalities, pericardial disease, and coronary artery disease. However, previous studies have focused primarily on heart failure. We used health administrative data to determine the incidence among 7,289 survivors and 36,205 matched cancer-free individuals. Overall, CCS experienced a higher risk for cardiac events (Hazard Ratio 3.2 95% CI 2.7-3.8), with the risk ranging 2- to 10-fold depending on the specific outcome. Predictors included high doses of anthracyclines (>250 mg/ m2), diabetes, and hypertension. Subsequent childhood cancer was also associated with cardiac risk; however, this was mediated through exposure to chest radiation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This study suggests that survivors are at risk for several cardiac late effects, and highlights the need for directed and continuous follow-up of CCS over their lifetime. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Khodabandeh, Shokoufeh | Anderson, G. Harvey | Effect of Food Advertisements on Satiety and Meal-time Food Intake in 9-14 Year Old Boys and Girls | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-20 | The effect of meal-time exposure to food advertisements (FA) on food intake, subjective appetite and caloric compensation was investigated in overweight/obese (OW/OB) and normal weight (NW) boys (study 1) and girls (study 2). In random order, each participant watched either FA or non-food advertisements (NFA) 30 min after consumption of either a non-caloric sweetened control (CON) or a glucose (GLU) drink. Food advertisements increased food intake only in OW/OB girls. The GLU drink reduced food intake in both girls and boys despite no changes in subjective appetite. Food advertisements did not modify the response to the GLU drink in girls and contrary to the hypothesis they magnified the reduction in energy intake following the GLU drink in boys. In conclusion, FA in a TV program during consumption of a pizza meal by NW and OW/OB boys and girls increased food intake only in OW/OB girls and increased caloric compensation for the GLU drink at meal time in boys but not in girls. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Khoramshahi, Ceara Mae | Childs, Ruth | Student Perspectives on Course Choice in Ontario Secondary Schools | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | This research is concerned with how students experience the current Ontario secondary education system and their ability to choose from a variety of courses in relation to their own educational plans. This study identifies three main factors most important in secondary school course selection: (1) the influence of parents, (2) students’ interest in subjects, and (3) students’ past academic performance. The study is based on 19 interviews with first- and second-year university students in Ontario, Canada. Two main themes of secondary course selection were identified, (1) Self-Elimination from Fields of Study, and (2) Keep Options Open, as well as five subthemes. These themes are described using a framework of the three factors of course selection. Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital is used as a theoretical tool to uniquely assess the experiences of students as they recount their secondary course selections in conjunction with the pressures of transitioning into postsecondary education. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Kidwai, Ammaar | Piran, Niva | The Impact of the Quality of Heterosexual and Homosexual Romantic Relatoinships on a Woman's Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Patterns | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2013-07-10 | Romantic relationships are one of the most important relationships a woman will develop in her life. Women are often socialized to be compliant within their relationships, and are reminded of how a thin body type is ideal. The implications of this socialization can affect the way a woman feels about her body. The current study included 207 women who ranged in age from 18-30, were in a relationship (neither married nor engaged) for 6 months or longer, and identified as either being attracted to the same or opposite sex. Results of the study indicated a significant effect of higher levels of body dissatisfaction between both negative relationship quality, and increased engagement in unhealthy dietary behaviours. In addition, self-silencing was found to be a significant mediator in the relationship between relationship quality and both body dissatisfaction and unhealthy dietary behaviours. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Kim, Erin | Paradi, Joseph C. | An Analysis and Recommendations for Improvements to the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Emergency Department | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-08-25 | In an attempt to improve patient care and compensate for growing demands, new tools and strategies are under constant review and development for improvements and analyses. Advances in technology, analyses of the use of public funding, acquiring additional capital, and adapting practical tools and resources from other industries are commonly considered to improve the situation. This work provides a series of recommendations and analyses of solutions for emergency healthcare developed with Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) in mind that can be scaled and adapted for all hospitals and emergency departments. Solutions applied were analyzed for their effect on patient care and health care providers. Recommendations for future improvements and work have been made and numerous concepts were drawn from previous studies and applications in other industries, and adapted for OTMH. It is concluded that the solutions had a positive effect on both the staff experience as well as patient throughput. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Kim, Eun Gi | Waterman, Stephanie | Listening to Student Persistence: Examining the Academic Experiences of the Korean Immigrant Students at Universities in Toronto | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-06 | As one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in Canada, the continuous increase in the Korean population is projected with its consistent growth in Canada. However, there is a lack of academic literature on the experiences of Korean immigrant students in Canadian postsecondary institutions. Through semi-structured focus group and individual interviews, this study examined the academic experiences of Korean immigrant undergraduate students at two universities in Toronto, particularly what barriers they encountered and what certain skills they developed to succeed, by utilizing Reason’s (2009) persistence framework. Approached as a multiple case study, two cases compared the academic experiences of a total of ten participants studying sciences and social sciences disciplines. Results showed that students encountered a great level of linguistic barriers and low self-confidence, which hindered their desire to actively participate in their studies and that there was still a lack of understanding of this student population. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Kim, Hyunjin Christina | McGeer, Allison | Isolation of Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacteriaceae in the Greater Toronto Area's Sewage Treatment Plants and Surface Waters, and their Comparison to Clinical CPE from Toronto | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2016-11 | The presence and significance of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in Toronto's water system remains elusive. We sampled sewage from 5 sewage treatment plants and 7 surface water (SW) locations. Overall, 57/103 sewage specimens yielded 172 unique CPE and 2/7 SW locations yielded 8 CPE. Klebsiella oxytoca was the most common organism(31.9%) and blaKPC was the most common gene(88.4%) identified. blaKPC, blaOXA-48-like, and blaVIM genes were more frequently detected by raw sewage PCR method than filter sweep PCR, or culture method. In contrast, blaNDM genes were detected in approximately equal numbers of specimens by each method. Two Enterobacter cloacae blaVIM water isolates were clonally related to human isolates. K. oxytoca blaKPC clinical and sewage isolates were not clonally related; however, 3 sewage and 3 clinical isolates shared the same plasmid size and incompatibility group(IncFIIA). CPE are present in Torontoâ s sewage and SW, and some isolates are found in both water and humans. | M.Sc. | urban; water | 6, 11 |
| Kim, Joel | Rochman, Chelsea M. | Microplastics and Other Anthropogenic Debris in Fish and Potential Implications for Human Exposures | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-11 | Microplastics are an inconspicuous environmental threat that have received considerable attention due to global contamination and potential adverse ecological and human health impacts. Recent studies demonstrate that microplastics are ingested by aquatic organisms and can cause physiological and toxicological damage. As a result, concerns have been raised by government agencies and the public regarding microplastics in seafood. First Nations communities around Lake Simcoe have also expressed concern regarding microplastic contamination in their fish. In response, I measured contamination levels in fish from Lake Simcoe and found 93.2% (N=44) contained anthropogenic debris, the majority (86.8%) being fibers. The size of the fish was positively correlated with the quantity of anthropogenic debris found. In addition, I tested the potential for microplastic translocation in laboratory fish to inform exposure routes to humans. No translocation of microplastics was observed, suggesting the consumption of fish fillets is likely not a significant exposure pathway to humans. | M.Sc. | fish; consum | 12, 14 |
| Kim, Min Kook | Green, Andrew | Does the Green Light from the Government Really Mean "Go"?: Challenges Associated with Canadian Tax Instruments on Renewable Energy Development | Law | 2011-12-12 | Various levels of governments in Canada have introduced different types of tax instruments in order to encourage the development of renewable energy. This paper will look at the challenges that render those tax instruments inefficient and/or ineffective. For the ease of discussion, I will divide the said challenges by a hypothetical timeline of “before” and “during” the implementation of renewable energy. “Before” the implementation, some of the current tax incentives are criticized to be ineffective because there are better policy substitutes. It is also found that the inherent characteristics of renewable energy sources themselves render policy instruments inefficient. “During” the implementation, the currently existing “unlevel playing field” with the conventional oil and gas industry is found to be the strongest factor that causes tax incentives on renewable energy ineffective; the introduction of a carbon tax is recommended here. Lastly, even the most comprehensive tax measures are found unable to completely address the “exogenous” factors. | MAST | energy; renwable; governance | 7, 16 |
| Kim, Soomee | Kirton, John | Controlling Climate Change by Asia-Pacific Powers in APP and MEM | Political Science | 2010-02-12T21:26:21Z | The problem of climate change is the major challenge to the world community. However, the full world community still fails to find an adequate solution to this problem. In such a situation, the mutual efforts of plurilateral institutions, such as the G8+5, MEM (now MEF), APEC and APP are major drivers of the successful solution to the problem of climate change. This study examines these informal plurilateral institutions’ role, their effectiveness in policy creation and implementation, and their potential impact on global or regional climate governance to show that the APP and MEF have been effective in inducing climate action by their members. This paper applies an analytic framework of the six dimensions of global government developed by John J. Kirton. The development of environmental initiatives of six Asia-Pacific countries(the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, Korea and Russia) have been accompanied by the introduction of energy efficient technologies policies such as building and clean coal policies. | MAST | energy; climate; institution | 7, 16 |
| Kim, Yesul | Jia, Charles Q. ||Gong, Sunling | Quantification of Vehicle-induced Turbulence on Roadways Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-12-12 | Turbulence is a significant factor in near-road air quality, as it affects the initial dilution, dispersion, and the ultimate fate of pollutants. This study used computational fluid dynamics simulations to model the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) on roadways, focusing on vehicle-induced turbulence. TKE was shown to decay with different power-law exponents depending on vehicle types; vehicle speeds and winds affect TKE; and thermal impacts are negligible. It was found that TKE is superimposed for vehicles in series; TKE does not dissipate far laterally, and the side-by-side interactions are not significant regardless of the directions. Thus, TKE for different traffic compositions may be expressed as a sum of the contribution from each type of vehicle. Insights gained in this study may enable the quantification of TKE for various traffic scenarios based on TKE values of single vehicle of different types, and simplify the TKE estimations in regional air quality models. | MAST | pollut | 14 |
| Kindle, Allison | Green, Andrew | Freshwater, Law, and Game Theory: Strategies for Navigating the Troubled Waters of a Canada / U.S. Bulk Water Export Conflict | Law | 2010-02-12T19:58:54Z | The U.S. is facing a serious decline in its water supply and is likely to turn to Canada as its next major source of water. Under NAFTA, Canada may become legally obligated to allow American companies to begin selling Canadian water. If one province trades its water, Canada can do little to stop water exports nationally. Consequently, it is crucial that Canada takes steps now to legally ensure its water is protected. This paper portrays the Canada / U.S. bulk water export issue as a conflict, and proposes strategies that Canada could take to protect its freshwater. It applies a game theory perspective to the conflict, and illustrates the moves that each country might make to “win” the game and secure Canada’s water supply. The purpose of this application is to better predict future strategies and their consequences when two political allies legally battle over the world’s most precious natural resource. | MAST | water; trade | 6, 10 |
| Kindree, Meagan Mae | Mandrak, Nicholas E | Quantifying the Effect of Sampling Gear and Effort on the Index of Biotic Integrity in two Huron-Erie Corridor Areas of Concern | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-06 | The Detroit and St. Clair rivers were identified as Areas of Concern (AOC) in response to losses in critical fish and wildlife habitat. Implementation of remedial action plans required aquatic monitoring of AOCs using the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), a multi-metric index for biological assessment. In this study, three methods of calculating the IBI were applied to fish communities sampled using two different gears to determine the influence of scoring and sampling methods on IBI scores. IBI score variance between sites was also examined to determine the influence of sample effort. The results revealed that the IBI was not sensitive to gear type in either rivers due to varying catchability of species for each gear type. No significant difference was found between the three methods of IBI calculation. IBI score variance determined that current sampling protocols reduce the variance of mean IBI scores within a river by ~75%. | M.Sc. | fish | 14 |
| King, David | Shalaby, Amer | Analytical Approaches to Investigating Transit Network Resilience | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | The reliability of public transit networks is of critical importance the world over. As transit demand is forecasted to grow, there exists a need to quantitatively measure the operational resilience of a transit network. Such metrics can be used to transit planners and operators to effectively mitigate the impact of service disruptions on commuters. By representing the public transit network in Toronto, Canada as a directional graph, a series of metrics based in graph theory were employed to analyze resilience. Using simulation allowed one to overcome the inherent limitations in a network science approach and introduced the concepts of `Station Importance' and `Exposure'. These indices are based on the demand-weighted increased in travel cost when service disruptions occur. An analysis on the behavior of trip-makers is conducted via a sentiment analysis using Twitter. The result of the combined efforts discussed above is a framework to capture operational resilience. | M.A.S. | resilien | 11 |
| Kirton, Kerry | Kesler, Olivera | An Investigation of the Use of Hybrid Suspension-solution Feedstock to Fabricate Direct-oxidation Nickel-Based Anodes (BaO-Ni-YSZ, CeO2-Ni-YSZ, Sn-Ni-YSZ) by Plasma Spraying | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-20 | The reduction of manufacturing costs and the facilitation of direct-oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels have been identified as means of promoting the commercialization of the solid oxide fuel cell, a technology that offers both environmental and fuel conservation benefits compared to conventional energy conversion technologies. This research was conducted with the aim of realizing the production of direct-oxidation anodes using atmospheric plasma spraying, which has been identified as a fabrication technique that has the potential to reduce the manufacturing costs of solid oxide fuel cells. This thesis details the rationale behind the selection of the anode compositions (BaO-Ni-YSZ, CeO2-Ni-YSZ, and Sn-Ni-YSZ) and the specifics of the specialized fabrication strategy (SPS-SPPS) that was devised with the aim of realizing microstructures similar to those where the secondary phases (BaO, CeO2, and Sn) coat the surfaces of the primary Ni and YSZ phases. Results of XRD, SEM and EDS analyses are presented. | MAST | energy; production; environment | 7, 12, 13 |
| Kish, Gregory | Lehn, Peter W. | Addressing Future Grid Requirements for Distributed Energy Resources | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-12-12 | This thesis first develops a medium-voltage grid code outlining stringent requirements for low-voltage ride-through, high-voltage ride-through and ancillary services based on anticipated grid requirements for distributed energy resources (DER)s. A 100 kW generating capacity DER study system is then formulated taking into consideration key design constraints as motivated by the medium-voltage grid code. Local DER system controls are developed that enable existing systems employing conventional current-control for the grid-interfacing voltage-sourced-converters to comply with the grid code. A supervisory controller is proposed that allows multiple DER units and loads to operate collectively as a DER system with a single point of common coupling. The impact of transformer configurations, fault types and fault locations on DER systems are quantified through a comprehensive fault study using the PSCAD/EMTDC software package. A subset of these fault scenarios are identified for rapid screening of DER system compliance against low-voltage ride-through requirements. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Kislowicz, Howard | Shachar, Ayelet | Freedom of Religion and Canada’s Commitments to Multiculturalism: A Critical Analysis of the Rights-based Approach | Law | 2010-02-12T20:09:00Z | This thesis argues that the current Canadian approach to freedom of religion is inconsistent with Canada’s approach to multiculturalism. It begins by placing Canada’s multiculturalism legislation into the broader intellectual context of the leading political theories on the governance of diverse populations. It then examines the Canadian case law regarding freedom of religion, arguing that the prevailing rights-based approach produces consequences inconsistent with Canada’s legislated commitments to multiculturalism. It posits that the individualism of rights-based analysis, the pressure to frame religion in pre-defined ways, and the tendency of courts to speak in the language of tolerance are all troublesome. Further, it argues that when disputes are framed in terms of rights, meaningful dialogue is less likely and compromises are difficult to achieve. It then proposes an alternative, “difference-based” approach to disputes involving religion, which provides a framework more consistent with Canada’s multicultural ideals. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Kjartanson, Shawna | Lovejoy, Nathan ||WIlson, Chris | Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Canada: Evaluation of Designatable Units for Conservation | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2009-09-22T20:07:30Z | The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), is a species with considerable ecological, social and economic value. Unfortunately, over-exploitation and habitat alteration have led to the collapse of lake sturgeon fisheries across North America. Based on conservation concerns, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) identified eight designatable units (DUs) among Canadian populations of lake sturgeon using the limited information available. These DUs are intended to represent taxonomically, genetically, geographically, or biogeographically distinct units below the species level. In this study, the genetic structuring among 20 lake sturgeon localities was examined using nine microsatellite loci. Lake sturgeon localities conformed to hierarchical partitioning of genetic diversity, with the greatest genetic divergence between localities in the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay drainages. Finally, minimal divergences among the current DUs warrant adjustment of lake sturgeon DU boundaries, to more appropriately reflect the distribution of genetic differentiation among lake sturgeon localities. | MAST | conserv | 14 |
| Klassen, Mike | Sa, Creso | The Politics of Accreditation: A Comparison of the Engineering Profession in Five Anglosphere Countries | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-03 | This study explores the politics shaping engineering accreditation in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa. Using pluralist political theory to analyze literature and relevant policy documents, this study shows important differences in the configuration of the engineering profession in different countries. These historical and organizational configurations shape the extent to which policy changes are centralized or decentralized, and influence the extent to which accreditation supports social closure for the profession. This ultimately shows the importance of analyzing local political factors that affect the implementation of international accreditation policies such as the Washington Accord. The findings lay the groundwork for future empirical studies to investigate the complex implementation dynamics at an institutional level in different national contexts, including the intermediary role of faculty networks and engineering education societies. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Klement, Kathryn | Dawson, Francis P. ||Thorpe, Steven J. | A Series-parallel Resonant Converter for Electrochemical Wastewater Treatment | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-01-03T20:02:12Z | Advantages of electrochemical wastewater treatment over conventional wastewater treatment include its smaller footprint, modularity, and ability to meet increasingly stringent government regulations. A power supply that can be packaged with an electrochemical stack could make electrochemical wastewater treatment more cost-effective and scalable. For this application, the series and series-parallel resonant converters are suitable power converter candidates. With an output current specification of 100A, the series-parallel resonant converter (SPRC) is superior due to its simpler output stage. The thesis presents the design of a 500W SPRC for a wastewater treatment cell stack. A rudimentary cell model is derived experimentally. The closed loop analysis, controller design and simulation results are presented. The output voltage and current are estimated using sensed quantities extracted from the high voltage, low current primary side. Low voltage experimental results verify the operation of the power stage and voltage estimation circuitry in open loop pulsed operation. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| klev, Stian Hå | Hayhoe, Ruth | The Chinese National Top Level Courses Project: Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Quality in Undergraduate Teaching | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T16:35:35Z | The Top Level Quality Project (jingpin kecheng, 精品课程) is a large project in Chinese higher education which uses the production of Open Educational Resources to improve the quality of undergraduate education. Widely understood in the West to be a form of OpenCourseWare inspired by MIT’s example, this thesis traces the roots of the project back to the history of Russian influence on Chinese higher education, the introduction of course evaluation systems in 1985, a string of large-scale funding projects to promote excellence in the 1990’s, and the massification of higher education from 1988 to 1998. After a detailed description of the project, the thesis suggests that university teaching is conceptualized very differently in North America and in China, drawing parallels both to the historical French and German models of the university, and to the Chinese tradition of using “models” to promote virtue and excellence. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Knibbe, Tara Joy | Biddiss, Elaine||McPherson, Amy | User-centred Perspectives in the Design of Innovative Technologies to Promote Physical Activity in Young People with Physical Disabilities | Rehabilitation Science | 2015-11 | Background: Social support networks facilitated by technologies may be one way of addressing young people with physical disabilities' low physical activity levels. Objective: To explore the perceived benefits and impact of social networks on physical activity in young people with physical disabilities, and to identify design considerations when creating social technologies to support physical activity. Method: A 2-stage, iterative design included individual interviews and group design workshops with eleven young people aged 12 to 18 with physical disabilities. Results: Supportive environments for physical activity included those that promote fair and equitable participation, belonging through teamwork, and opportunities for interdependence. Participants perceived some benefits to using social technology for physical activity, provided it is tailored to suit their needs and abilities. Conclusions: This study contributes user-generated design recommendations for social technologies to promote physical activity in young people with physical disabilities that align with principles of inclusive design and self-determination theory. | M.Sc. | inclusive; equitable | 4 |
| Knight, Emma Louise | Krmpotich, Cara ||Mortensen, Lena ||Jonaitis, Aldona | The Kwakwaka’wakw Potlatch Collection and its Many Social Contexts: Constructing a Collection’s Object Biography | Museum Studies | 2013-11-29 | In 1921, the Canadian government confiscated over 400 pieces of Kwakwaka’wakw potlatch regalia and placed it in three large museums. In 1967 the Kwakwaka'wakw initiated a long process of repatriation resulting in the majority of the collection returning to two Kwakwaka’wakw cultural centres over the last four decades. Through the theoretical framework of object biography and using the museum register as a tool to reconstruct the lives of the potlatch regalia, this thesis explores the multiple paths, diversions and oscillations between objecthood and subjecthood that the collection has undergone. This thesis constructs an exhibition history for the regalia, examines processes of institutional forgetting, and adds multiple layers of meaning to the collection's biography by attending to the post-repatriation life of the objects. By revisiting this pivotal Canadian case, diversions are emphasized as important moments in the creation of subjecthood and objecthood for museum objects. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Knight, Hunter | Titchkosky, Tanya | The Making of the 'Problem Child': Egerton Ryerson and the Liberal Project of Ontario Public Education | Social Justice Education | 2016-11 | What makes a problem child? In this thesis, I search for the conditions of possibility for the ‘problem child’, or a student who is constructed as someone who does not belong to the classroom. I focus on the works of Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent at the genesis of Ontario public schooling, who proposed supposedly universal ‘common’ schools as well as residential schools, segregated schooling by race, and institutionalized schooling for disabled students and lower-class students. Rather than creating contradictions, Ryerson’s plans for common schools and separate schools are manifestations of his liberal philosophy, which supported a vision of public schooling that would produce a future civilized state. This conceptualization relies on the production of categories of uncivilized difference, which education can then manage and control. The figure of the ‘problem child’ shows that the very philosophy that promises universal education is dependent on the exclusion of many from that promise. | M.A. | educat; justice | 4, 16 |
| Ko, Youngmok (Youngmok) | Bilton, Amy M | Development, Testing and Optimization of a Pico Hydro Turbine for Pressure Regulation and Energy Harvesting | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-06 | Pressure control valves (PCVs) are conventional devices used to regulate the downstream pressure of a hydraulic process. However, 34% of the pumped energy is typically lost when the flow is throttled by the PCVs. An Energy Harvester consisting of a pico-scale ( | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Kocia, Catherine | Hum, Sean V. | Optically Transparent Reflectarrays for Satellite Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-06 | There is a growing need to improve antennas for microsatellite applications in order to achieve higher gain and improved data rates. This project proposes an optically transparent reflectarray antenna with rectangular patch elements fabricated using transparent conductive oxide (TCO). By incorporating a reflectarray into the solar panels of a satellite, the satellite's surface area can be maximized for both solar power collection as well as antenna gain. TCO thin film technology offers a combination of optical transparency at optical frequencies, and electrical conductivity at microwave frequencies. Using TCO materials introduces conductor losses not usually examined in reflectarray design. In order to reduce these losses, the proposed elements are both single-layer and sub-wavelength. Using these elements, a 392 element optically transparent reflectarray prototype operating at 26 GHz is presented that produces a beam at 20 degrees off-broadside. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Koecher, Austen Rae | Goldstein, Tara | Learning from Life Histories of Queerness in Schools and Experiences with Mental Health Systems | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-11 | This study involves a series of life history interviews with two participants who experienced homophobia as students in school, and who have had contact with mental health systems. The interviews investigate the participants’ school experiences and how they interpret their experiences of homophobia as intersecting with their contact with mental health systems. The analysis will examine how the participants’ stories were told as reflecting what school cultures, the ways queer issues are taken up in schools, and social constructions of “mental illness” are involved in those experiences, and as reflecting how ways of being are made possible and impossible in school and broader communities. | M.A. | health; queer | 3, 5 |
| Koleilat, Ghada | Sargent, Edward H. | Efficient, Stable Infrared Photovoltaics based on Solution-Cast PbSe Colloidal Quantum Dots | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2009-02-24T18:48:06Z | Half of the sun’s power lies in the infrared. As a result, the optimal bandgaps for solar cells in both the single-junction and even the tandem architectures lie beyond 850 nm. However, progress in low-cost, large-area, physically-flexible solar cells has instead been made in organic and polymer materials possessing absorption onsets in the visible. Recent advances have been achieved in solution-cast infrared photovoltaics through the use of colloidal quantum dots. Here we report stable solution-processed photovoltaic devices having 3.6% power conversion efficiency in the infrared. The use of a strongly-bound bidentate linker, benzenedithiol, ensures device stability over weeks. We investigate in detail the physical mechanisms underlying the operation of this class of device. We find that diffusion of electrons and holes over hundreds of nanometers through our PbSe colloidal quantum dot solid is chiefly responsible for the high external quantum efficiencies obtained in this new class of devices. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Kolker, Sabrina M. | Davis, Aileen | The Role of Sex and Gender in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Resconstructive Surgery Outcome | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-03 | Similarities and differences between women and men (M/F) in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and predictors of 1-year HRQoL after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) were explored for the first time using a Sex and Gender Sensitive Analysis (SGSA). M/F differences in variables representing biological sex (S), gender-based sociocultural factors (G) and both SG were evaluated. Males and females in the cohort (n=121, 18-41 years, 77 males) had good 1-year HRQoL but scores indicated potential for improvement. Bivariate analyses showed minimal differences at baseline; males reported more depressive symptoms. In multi-variable regression, 1-year strength (S), change in pain (SG) and physical function (SG) predicted 1-year HRQoL. While a SGSA provided insight into some sex, gender and SG differences, male/female was not associated with 1-year HRQoL. The results suggest the need for the care team to address the psychological as well as the physical aspects of ACL rehabilitation following ACLR. | M.Sc. | gender; health | 3, 5 |
| Konecny, Christina Patricia | Boler, Megan | Preschools and the Pedagogy of Domestication: The Ideologically Haunted Landscapes of Early Learning | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:11:10Z | This thesis analyzes the “home area” learning center in open-ended preschool classrooms to address the various forms of gendered learning and pedagogy elicited by its presence in geographies of early learning. I argue that the home and block areas spatially and symbolically mimic the traditional division of public and private spheres of sociality characteristic of the patriarchal social order. I suggest that the gendered enactments of space and place in open-ended classrooms function to socialize children into heteronormative forms of sex-role consciousness through what I identify as a spatial pedagogy of domestication. I suggest that this pedagogy is enforced by ideologically haunted landscapes like the domestic landscape of the home area. By outlining critical, feminist, and queer interventions in early learning I suggest that taking a spatial approach provides a more capacious explanatory frame for analyzing how, in a neo-Marxist sense, the ideo-culturally bound relations of production are reproduced through the socializing apparatus of the preschool. | MAST | gender; education; queer | 4, 5 |
| Koneru, Anjani | Sigal, Michael | Access to Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities in Ontario: A Focus on Persons with Developmental Disabilities | Dentistry | 2009-02-24T18:49:14Z | This study was undertaken to determine if persons with disabilities encounter difficulties in accessing dental care in Ontario, to identify barriers to accessing dental care and to determine if persons with disabilities and caregivers value oral health. Community organizations providing supports for persons with disabilities were recruited to circulate a questionnaire to their members via mail or internet. Fourteen community organizations mailed out 1755 paper questionnaires. A response rate of 23.9% was calculated from original surveys returned. In total, 634 paper and internet surveys were deemed valid. Data analysis was conducted using the chi square test and logistic regression. Most (73.2%) persons with disabilities, primarily developmental disabilities, were able to access dental services in Ontario. Personal internal factors were more likely to act as barriers to dental care than external factors. The majority of caregivers and persons with disabilities believe that oral health is an important part of overall health. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Kong, Tian | Sinton, David | DEVELOPMENT OF PAPER-BASED MALE FERTILITY DIAGNOSTICS FOR MOBILE HEALTH SCREENING | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-11 | Mobile health technologies are emerging for population health screening applications. Current male fertility diagnostics lag these other health arenas in many aspects. This thesis provides novel methods to aid in and commercialize paper-based male infertility diagnostics. First, to quantify cell concentration and viability a smartphone-based colourometric imaging method was developed that corrects for environmental lighting conditions and provides quantitative measurements from paper-based tests. A fluid delivery system for the colourimetric paper-based assay was also developed. Clinical testing revealed that the device had false-positives from bacteria in some semen samples. To mitigate the false-positive issues, a companion method was developed to purify semen prior to testing. Collectively these works advance the technology and applicability of portable male fertility diagnostics in aid of fertility challenges worldwide. The Appendix reports additional recent work on the development and testing of a deep learning model to correlate single cell morphology parameters to DNA integrity analysis. | M.A.S. | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Kostrinsky, Juliana | Martell, David L | Strategic Management of Flammable Boreal Forest Landscapes that are Subject to Large Scale Windstorm Damage | Forestry | 2015-03 | A linear programming model was developed and used to evaluate how best to manage blowdown disturbances when carrying out strategic forest management planning in the boreal forest region of Ontario. Blowdown occurs when strong winds disturb large areas of standing timber, often more than several 100 hectares in size. My model accounts for wildfire and natural blowdown burning processes that should be considered when deciding if, when and where to initiate harvesting, salvage logging or prescription burning operations in order to maximize the economic value of the forest. Sound blowdown management calls for a mix of salvage logging, prescription burning and leaving some blowdown areas alone. My results suggest that some large blowdown disturbances should be set aside and neither salvage harvested nor prescription burned. Current policy may be inadequate at preparing forest managers for multiple large, infrequent and uncertain disturbance events as contingency may need to be increased at least two-fold. | M.Sc. | forest; | 15 |
| Kotzer, Robert | Lawrence, Herenia P. | Oral Health-related Quality of Life in an Aging Canadian Population | Dentistry | 2011-12-12 | The purpose of the study is to describe the impact of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) on the lives of pre-seniors and seniors living in Nova Scotia, Canada. This cross-sectional study involved 1461 participants, grouped by age (pre-seniors [45-64] and seniors [65+]) and residential status (long-term care facility [LTC] or community). OHRQoL was measured using the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire. Approximately one in four pre-seniors and seniors reported at least one OHRQoL impact ‘fairly/very often’. Of those residing in the community, pre-seniors (28.8%) reported significantly more impacts than seniors (22.0%). Logistic regression revealed that for the community dwelling sample, those who were dissatisfied with their teeth or dentures were 5.16 times more likely to report an impact ‘fairly/very often’, which was the strongest indicator. Among the LTC sample, those who have poor perceived mouth health were 9.87 times more likely to report an impact. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Koulanova, Alyona | Sabiston, Catherine M | Evaluating Team Unbreakable: A Running Program to Improve Adolescent Mental Health | Exercise Sciences | 2019-11 | Adolescents are disproportionally affected by mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Physical activity is an accepted modality for improving adolescent mental health. One physical activity-based program is Team Unbreakable. Widely implemented, no formal evaluation has been conducted to date. Drawing on theoretical tenets of the mastery and social support hypotheses, the present study explored the program’s effectiveness and mechanisms of action through a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods design. Participants (nintervention=58; ncomparison=62; Mage=14.8 years) completed pre- and post-questionnaires on measures of anxiety and depression symptoms, mastery, and social connectedness. Individual interviews were conducted with participants (n=10) to capture program experiences. Repeated measures analysis of variance and mediation analysis indicated no significant effects on outcome variables. Inductive thematic analysis demonstrated that the program was evaluated favourably and theoretical tenets were noteworthy in the participants’ accounts. Findings suggest that mastery and social support are valuable program components, but further exploration of these mechanisms is necessary. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Koyama, Jacklyn Mary Ruth | Page-Gould, Elizabeth | Environmental Attitudes and Election Issues | Psychology | 2016-11 | Research examining the ways in which attitudes towards policy issues may affect or be affected by election outcomes has yet to explore the increasingly relevant area of environmental policy. Over two studies, linear regression and multi-level modeling is used to create predictive models of voting behavior and attitude change over time, with data from the 2015 Canadian national election. The present research engaged 226,892 participants who visited a political website before the election (Study 1) and 81 participants in a longitudinal study that preceded and followed the election (Study 2). These studies show that although attitudes towards national protection may determine the level of environmental voting at the individual level, attitudes towards social issues do so at the regional level. Furthermore, proenvironmental attitudes seem to increase following the election of a relatively proenvironmental candidate, but only for individuals who voted proenvironmentally, following a pattern of cognitive dissonance for proenvironmental concerns. | M.A. | environment | 13 |
| Krane, Joshua | Weinrib, Lorraine | Forfeited: Civil Forfeiture and the Canadian Constitution | Law | 2011-01-07T15:51:12Z | The enactment of civil asset forfeiture legislation by Alberta and Ontario in the fall of 2001, followed by the passage of similar legislation in five other provinces, has signalled a dramatic change in the way Canadian constitutional law ought to be understood. This thesis builds on American legal scholarship by highlighting how deficiencies in Canada’s constitutional law could create space for more invasive civil forfeiture statutes. Following a historical overview of forfeiture law in Canada, the thesis (i) examines how the Supreme Court of Canada mischaracterized this legislation as a matter of property and civil rights; (ii) considers whether the doctrine of federal paramountcy should have rendered the legislation inoperable and the consequences of the failure by the Court to do so; and (iii) evaluates iiithe impact of the absence of an entrenched property right in the constitution, in regard to this matter. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Kraus, Suzana de Paula Queiroz | Edwards, Elizabeth | Aerobic and Anaerobic Biotransformation of Chloroanilines, Chlorobenzenes, and Dichlonitrobenzenes at a Complex Industrial Site in Brazil and Analysis of Associated Microbial Communities | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Environmental contamination is a widespread problem and many industrial sites need significant attention. The potential for using bioremediation as a low cost environmentally-friendly restoration approach was evaluated at a contaminated site in Brazil. Aerobic and anaerobic biotransformation of chloroanilines, chlorobenzenes, and dichloronitrobenzenes were studied in long-term microcosm experiment, where novel reactions were observed, such as anaerobic biotransformation of dichloronitrobenzenes. Further microbial community analysis was performed based on multiple samples with the objective to recommend a course of action at the site. To evaluate the identity and distribution of microorganisms in microcosms and field samples, amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed. Cupriavidus was found to degrade dichlorobenzenes, Diaphorobacter degrades dichloronitrobenzenes aerobically, among others. Statistical analysis was done to interpret the data and identify significant factors that drive a microbial community. The conclusion is that this site has a high potential for being bioremediated, by promoting aerobic biodegradation processes. | M.A.S. | industr; environment | 9, 13 |
| Krishnaraaj, Subhash Raj | Lawrence, Herenia P | Mothers’ Oral Health Status and its Relationship to Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) in an Indigenous Population in Canada | Dentistry | 2019-11 | Objective: To determine the relationship between Indigenous mothers’ oral health status and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) in their children and to examine whether mothers’ oral health-related self-efficacy (OHSE) mediates this association. Methods: The study included 544 Indigenous pregnant women in Canada, who underwent a clinical examination and completed a survey. Their children underwent a clinical examination when they were 2 years old. Results: After adjusting for mother’s age, smoking status, area of residence (on First Nations reserve or off reserve) and OHSE using logistic regression, Gingival Index (Odds Ratio 3.2, 95% Confidence Interval 1.5–6.6) and Debris Index (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3–4.7) were significantly associated with S-ECC. In the mediation analysis, maternal oral health status measures were negatively associated with OHSE and had a direct effect on S-ECC. Conclusions: Clinical normative measures of Indigenous mothers’ oral health status were significant determinants of S-ECC in their toddlers. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Kritikos, Soula | McDougall, Douglas E | Middle School Teachers' Successes and Challenges in Supporting Students' Mathematical Communication Using Manipulatives and Technology in a Professional Development Study | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-11 | The case studies of four inner-city Grade 6 educators involved in a year-long Professional Development (PD) study were examined to determine: a) successes and challenges teachers face supporting students' mathematical communication, b) teachers' manipulatives and technology use to support communication, and c) the study's effects on teachers' attitudes and beliefs. The Ten Dimensions of Mathematics Education Framework (McDougall, 2004) was used to examine the findings. Teachers had success with learning environment, student tasks and teachers’ comfort with mathematics. Teachers faced many challenges, primarily in learning environment, communicating with parents, and teacher’s comfort with mathematics. Teachers provided varied integration of manipulative use, and need to continue to integrate technology, to support mathematics communication. It was determined that, while the PD study was greatly successful in providing support towards aligning teachers' attitudes and beliefs with current mathematical practices, PD alone is insufficient for improving teachers' attitudes. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Kronfli, Monica | Quarter, Jack | Educating For Global Citizenship: An Exploration of Two Curricular Methods | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-08-11 | This mixed-methods study contributes to the limited literature on global citizenship by comparing the impacts of two curricular methods used to educate for global citizenship: international education experiences and a school-wide approach. Using Round Square as the case study, an international association of secondary schools that incorporate both methods to foster global citizenship, and an adapted version of Hartman’s (2008) Global Citizenship Survey, this study examines the global citizenship qualities of 185 graduates from Canadian Round Square schools. Findings reveal that not only is the pursuit of global citizenship within schools valuable and possible, but that a school-wide approach is as effective a method to educate for global citizenship as international education experiences. Results are valuable as many schools lack the resources, capacity, and motivation for global citizenship programming, particularly if programming relies on international education activities. Results also question the necessity of international opportunities to foster global citizenship. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Kshtriya, Jagannath | Zee, Robert Zee | Autonomous Ground Target Tracking, Testing, Commissioning and Operations for Greenhouse Gas Satellite Demonstrator (GHGSat-D) | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2017-03 | Greenhouse gas satellite demonstrator (GHGSat-D) is a microsatellite designed, built, tested and operated by Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) on behalf of GHGSat Inc. that demonstrates the payload technology needed to monitor carbon dioxide and methane gas emissions, which directly contribute to the epidemic that is global warming, using an infrared spectrometer and a hyperspectral imager. Mission background and satellite overview are presented, followed by a deeper look into various methods of ground and environmental testing involving the author in preparation for satellite integration and operations. A more efficient method of downloading data while maximizing use of pass time is established through the implementation of an autonomous ground target tracking algorithm. Finally, results of a successful commissioning phase and daily operations are revealed. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Kubara, Paulina | Prudham, Scott | From Brickyard to Greenspace: The Production of Nature at the Don Valley Brickworks | Geography | 2017-03 | This thesis examines the redevelopment of the Don Valley Brickworks from a former brick-making facility to an urban park. Through an exploration of the social, political, and economic forces that contributed to the production of the site, this thesis demonstrates the relationship between the production of nature, processes of urbanization and urban political economy, and uneven spatial development in the city. Using three theoretical frameworks â the production of nature, production of space, and urban political ecology - this research examines the social and political origins and implications of environmental change, emphasizing the relationship between environmental transformation and social differentiation. The findings of this research demonstrate that the key actors involved in the redevelopment of the site were operating within the context of an urban sustainability agenda, and did not control their circumstances, but rather mobilized based on the resources that they were able to access within their particular context. | M.A. | urban; production; environment | 11, 12, 13 |
| Kucirek, Peter | Miller, Eric | Comparison between MATSim & EMME: Developing a Dynamic, Activity-based Microsimulation Transit Assignment Model for Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-20 | Public transit is becoming an increasing important field of study to combat global issues such as traffic congestion and climate change. Accurate simulation of public transit is therefore likewise vital, as it is an important tool for understanding potential impacts of public transit policies. The research presented in this thesis describes the implementation of a multimodal, dynamic, agent-based supply-side simulation model of public transit implemented in the open-source platform MATSim for the city of Toronto. Transit schedule data was converted from Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) and map-matched to a region-wide road network to obtain a congestion-based multimodal assignment for transit. Volume-based results from the assignment showed under-prediction of subway volumes and slight over-prediction of bus volumes, but were generally comparable with static EMME/3 assignment for the same data. Travel time analysis indicated that further calibration of network specification is needed. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| Kuehner, Zachary | Cockerill, Rhonda | Peace Through Health: Theory and Practice of the International Pediatric Emergency Medicine Elective (IPEME) | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-07-27T15:42:28Z | This thesis seeks to evaluate the International Pediatric Emergency Medicine Elective (IPEME) as a case study of a peace-through-health initiative. Using the reasoning of Scolnik (2006), IPEME is first evaluated in terms of narrow, short-term outcomes and subsequently considered in terms of the greater body of peace-through-health work. A novel evaluation tool was designed to examine change in students’ ethical and professional attitudes over the course of the four-week elective. Supplementary qualitative data was collected to shed light on evaluation findings and provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the IPEME curriculum. Ethics and professionalism were defined in terms of the WHO 5 Star Global Criteria for Global Doctors conceptualized by the World Health Organization (Boelen, 1996). This research discusses these findings in light of the study’s limitations and considers their implications for IPEME as a medical elective and for its contribution to the greater body of peace-through-health work. | MAST | health; peace | 3, 16 |
| Kukar, Polina | Bialystok, Lauren | Locating the Liminal: Discursive Practice and the Challenge of Empathy | Social Justice Education | 2015-06 | Few authors agree on a standard definition of empathy, yet empathy is widely assumed to be easily accessible and innately pro-social regardless of factors such as power dynamics or other manifestations of social injustice within a society. Such assumptions in dominant discursive practices, both academic and popular, obscure the emergence of two important questions: what does it mean when we cannot empathize with another? And could it be that we may gain greater insight from the examination of empathy's limits and failures than the hopes we have for its success? I propose that discussions of empathy must be grounded in social context and that assumptions must be continually troubled if one is to have a cogent conversation, whether as a philosopher, psychologist, social theorist, educator, or policy maker, about what empathy is (or is not) and what it does (or does not) make possible. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Kulandaivelu, Yalinie | Stinson, Jennifer||Lalloo, Chitra | Examining the Development of a Community of Practice in Paediatric Project ECHO® | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | Paediatric Project ECHO® is an innovative, interactive educational model for healthcare providers (HCP) based on the community of practice (CoP) concept, that expands access to and capacity for providing evidence-informed care. This study examined the development of a CoP in Paediatric Project ECHO and barriers and facilitators to its development. A qualitative description design was undertaken with semi-structured, audio-taped interviews. Twenty-one HCPs participants were interviewed. Participants’ responses indicated evidence for CoP concepts including social interaction, knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, and identity building. The main barriers to CoP development were differences in participants’ perceptions of the program aims and challenges in making time to participate in the program. The main facilitator was the interactive program format. This is one of few studies to demonstrate how knowledge creation occurs in an intentionally created CoP. Further development and clarification of the CoP concept for the ECHO model is needed to enhance program delivery. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Kumar, Gaurav | Karney, Bryan William | Ontario’s Energy - A Review of the Present and a Proposal for Future Development | Civil Engineering | 2010-07-27T15:50:56Z | The work presents a framework for analyzing complex decision making in policy from the perspective of planning power supply mix for Ontario. Concepts of sustainability are introduced and analyzed followed by an in-depth view of two case studies. The first analyzes the power supply mix for Ontario and the second analyzes policy impacts in Germany and Denmark. A linear programming model, including energy storage is then developed that would yield an optimized sustainability based development policy for electricity production in Ontario. Future work is recommended to calibrate and run the model. The analysis discusses the new model in relation to the first case study and provides a mechanism to evaluate tradeoffs traditionally unquantifiable, to yield a strategic plan for electricity development in Ontario. | MAST | energy; production | 7, 12 |
| Kung'u, Christine Wanjiru | Cook, Rebecca J. | Criminalization of Marital Rape in Kenya | Law | 2011-12-12 | Marital rape is not a criminal offence in Kenya. This thesis argues that criminalization of marital rape in Kenya is a necessary but insufficient means of addressing marital rape. I shall analyze the Kenyan legal framework and the international framework. The analysis of the international framework shall be focused on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). I shall undertake a comparative analysis of how South Africa and Zimbabwe have addressed marital rape. I will examine the benefits and limitations of criminal law in addressing marital rape. I will argue that an examination of the wrongful gender stereotypes of married women is essential to create effective and holistic remedies; that wrongful gender stereotypes of married women violate their rights to equality and non-discrimination and the right to be free from violence. | MAST | gender; equality; rights | 5, 16 |
| Kunnas, Rachel Marika | Heller, Monica||Sefa-Dei, George J | Inequities in Black et Blanc: Textual Constructions of the French Immersion Student | Social Justice Education | 2019-11 | This thesis is an investigation into Toronto and Ontario French immersion policy, curricula, and other related documents in order to understand if and how current documents contribute to the over-representation of White middle-class students in French immersion. The study found that French immersion policies, curricula, and documents evidenced a middle-class bias due to lack of resources, transportation and promotional materials, and location of programs. It had a White bias through its Eurocentric curricular content. The documents of this study also privileged English above all other languages, and families who were not newcomers. The documents did not entirely mirror the population in French immersion in terms of gender, home language and special education needs. Equity documents highlight that steps are being taken toward a more inclusive immersion program, but there is still much to do, especially in terms of dismantling and transforming hierarchies. | M.A. | educat; inclusive | 4 |
| Kurek, Adele Morgan | Yue, Meng | The Bishan Project: Cultural Production and Place Reconstruction in Rural China | East Asian Studies | 2015-06 | In 2011, curators Ou Ning and Zuo Jing founded the Bishan Project, an effort to address rural-urban inequality in contemporary China through artistic and cultural production, based in Bishan Village of Yi County, Anhui Province. This study will examine how the Bishan Project endeavors to reconstruct rural places in response the decline of rural communities generated by China's marketization and integration with the global economy. Focusing on the material, re-presentational, and symbolic activities that contribute to place construction in Bishan and Yi County, I will reveal how the project attempts to make the rural visible while reconstructing Bishan to symbolize a utopian alternative to the social and spatial realities of China's countryside. | M.A. | equality; rural | 5, 11 |
| Kutnahorsky, Marika Renée | Thorpe, Steven J. ||Kirk, Donald W. | Electroless Copper Deposition: A Sustainable Approach | Materials Science and Engineering | 2011-11-30 | A sustainable electroless copper coating process was developed for plating automotive fasteners shaped from AISI 9255 low carbon, high silicon steel. The objective was to minimize the ionic and organic species present in each step of the plating process. A sulfuric acid solution inhibited with quinine was defined to clean the steel prior to plating. The corrosivity of the solution was examined through electrochemical and weight loss measurements to evaluate the efficiency of the cleaning process at high temperatures and high acid concentrations. An electroless copper coating process was then developed using a simple copper sulfate chemistry inhibited with quinine to extend the possible operating window. Finally, benzotriazole was evaluated as a possible anti-oxidant coating. Accelerated thioacetamide corrosion tests were used to evaluate the corrosion inhibition of benzotriazole on copper coatings. | MAST | wind | 7 |
| Kuwauchi, Yuki | Barati, Mansoor | A Mathematical Model for Carbothermic Reduction of Dust−carbon Composite Agglomerates | Materials Science and Engineering | 2012-11-20 | A mathematical model to simulate the reaction kinetics of dust–carbon composite agglomerates in an RHF was developed. Major chemical, thermal and physical phenomena taking place during RHF treatment were formulated and the corresponding equations were solved to yield the trend of solid composition, temperature and gas composition of the agglomerates. The model calculation results indicate that the pellet reduction is accelerated by the reducing gas from high–volatile reductants if the gas is released after the pellet temperature is sufficiently high for reduction. The reduction of zinc oxide can also be represented using the model by implementing its small particle size caused by the inherent vaporization/re–oxidization process that zinc comes through in a melter. It was demonstrated that the proposed model can be used as an engineering tool to determine the optimum operating conditions for the RHF process to promote recycling a wide range of waste materials. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| Kwon, Elisa | Shu, Li H | Methods Towards Enhancing Divergent Thinking in Conceptual Design | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Divergent thinking, an aspect of creativity, is often measured by performance on the Alternative Uses Test (AUT). Beyond its use as a psychological test, the AUT is also societally relevant when finding alternative uses for retired wind-turbine blades, which have limited disposal options. This work firstly describes a method using visual similarity to aid alternative-use concept generation for retired wind-turbine blades. This partially automated method resulted in more relevant reuse concepts than humans performing the same task. The effect of visual stimuli on alternative-use concept generation was explored in our second study where eye tracking was used to observe visual fixation during the AUT. Visual fixation towards multiple views of an object and towards blank space around the object were related to increased divergent thinking. Eye tracking was used to not only reveal where participants looked during the task, but to uncover the cognitive processes underlying their eye movements. | M.A.S. | wind | 7 |
| LaCarte, Samuel | Martell, David L | Fire Containment Probability in Conifer Fuel Types in Ontario | Forestry | 2019-11 | I undertook a study to identify if a relationship between forest stand age and fire containment probability, identified previously in Alberta, existed in Ontario. I developed a Time Since Fire (TSF) for Ontario, estimating the total years that had passed since a large fire occurred in an area to the time a new fire occurred in the perimeter of the historic burn. I studied fire containment probability in C-2 (boreal spruce) stands in Ontario in relation to the TSF. I built a simulation model to assess the viability of aggregating conifer fuels in Ontario. I built an aggregate conifer fuel type dataset for Ontario to test for relationships with fire containment probability and TSF. I identified a relationship between fire containment probability and TSF in Ontario: increasing TSF was found to negatively impact fire containment probability for fires occurring in fuels with a conifer component. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Lafond, Danielle | Mahtani, Minelle | Multiracial Men in Toronto: Identities, Masculinities and Multiculturalism | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T19:16:24Z | This thesis draws from ten semi-structured interviews with multiracial men in Toronto, Canada. It is an exploratory study that examines how participants experience race, masculinities and identities. Multiracial identities challenge popular notions of racial categories and expose social processes of racialization and the shifting nature of social identities. I explore how gender impacts participants’ experiences of multiple, fluid or shifting racial identities, and the importance of context in determining how they identify themselves. Participants also discussed the impact of multiculturalism and their understandings of racism in Canada. There were differences in the experiences of Black multiracial men and non-Black multiracial men in terms of how gender and race impact their lives. These differences imply that the colour line in Canada is shifting and that categories like ‘whiteness’ are being redefined. Analyses of these topics are taken up from an anti-racist and critical mixed race studies perspective. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Laidlaw, Matthew Douglas | Zee, Robert E | Microsatellite Wiring Harness and Attitude Hardware Development for the Defiant Platform | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2020-06 | Resilient and effective hardware is essential for sustained satellite operation. Any hardware that exists on a satellite must be well designed and undergo rigorous testing to be suitable for space flight. The DEFIANT platform is a microsatellite design that facilitates assembly and integration to shorten the development time of new satellite missions. In this thesis, the design of a wiring harness for the DEFIANT microsatellite platform is presented in detail followed by unit level testing and analysis of two attitude sensors and one attitude actuator. The wiring harness design methodology will be discussed emphasizing the simplistic design for effortless satellite integration and achieving repeatable and consistent assembly results through a straightforward manufacturing process. In addition, various attitude determination and control sensors and actuators present on the DEFIANT platform are tested and analyzed to quantify performance and survivability for operation in space. Throughout this thesis, the author will be assessing the impact on the system level design and assembly of a satellite that stem from unit level hardware designs, or test and analysis results. | M.A.S. | resilien | 11 |
| Laing, Marie | Tuck, Eve | Conversations with Young Two-Spirit, Trans and Queer Indigenous People About the Term Two-Spirit | Social Justice Education | 2018-11 | Since the coining of the term in 1990, two-spirit has been used with increasing frequency in reference to Indigenous LGBTQ people; however, there is rarely explicit discussion of to whom the term two-spirit refers. The word is often simultaneously used as both an umbrella term for all Indigenous people with complex genders or sexualities, and with the specific, literal understanding that two-spirit means someone who has two spirits. This thesis discusses findings from a series of qualitative interviews with young trans, queer and two-spirit Indigenous people living in Toronto. Exploring the ways in which participants understand the term two-spirit to be a meaningful and complex signifier for a range of ways of being in the world, this paper does not seek to define the term two-spirit; rather, following the direction of research participants, the thesis instead seeks to trouble the idea that articulating a definition of two-spirit is a worthwhile undertaking. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Lake-Thompson, Ian Rhys | Hofmann, Ron | Dreissena Fouling Control for Water Treatment Plants and the Investigation of a New Copper-based Molluscicide | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Mussel macrofouling is a major concern for water treatment plants in the Great Lakes region, with the threat typically being controlled through seasonal pre-chlorination. Treatment facilities are now re-evaluating this strategy due to the transition from zebra mussels to cold-tolerant quagga mussels, infestations at certain facilities, and stricter disinfection by-product regulations. Two problems faced when looking for alternative strategies is limited mussel monitoring data to make decisions and the lack of alternatives to chlorination. This project addressed these deficiencies through the implementation of a series of plant-specific monitoring programs to quantify mussel infestation risks to re-evaluate seasonal treatment thresholds and to identify other fouling risks. In addition, a pilot scale study was undertaken to evaluate a new copper-based molluscicide called EarthTec QZ. The research also explored interactions of EarthTec QZ with downstream organics removal during coagulation, and with chlorination decay kinetics. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Lakha, Shehnaz Fatima | Mailis-Gagnon, Angela | Demography and Drug Prescription Pattern of Injured Workers Referred to a Tertiary Care Chronic Pain Clinic by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Staff: A Pilot Study | Medical Science | 2014-06-18 | Opioid prescribing within the workers’ compensation system in general has been a cause for concern. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of opioid users among injured workers, referred at a Tertiary Care Pain Clinic, in 2008-2009. A cross-sectional retrospective study of 110 consecutive workers; male/female ratio was 2.3:1; mean age 45.5 years; mean pain ratings were 7.1±1.8. 21% of the workers were diagnosed with a biomedical problem (Group I), 51% with medical/psychological factors (Group II) and 25.5% had identifiable psychological factors but no physical pathology (Group III). Opioids were prescribed in 81.8%; of those 32.2% were on >200mg of daily morphine or equivalent (MED). A higher proportion of opioid users were in Group II and Group III than Group I. The vast majority of referred injured workers in this study were on opioid therapy with 1 in 3 exceeding the “watchful” dose of 200 mg MED | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Lakhani, Bimal | McIlroy, William E. | Perturbation Evoked Balance Control Reactions in Individuals with Stroke | Rehabilitation Science | 2010-07-27T17:59:52Z | Individuals with stroke suffer from impaired balance that increases their risk of falling. Controlling reactive balance is essential to maintaining stability. The objective of the first study was to identify the role of pre-perturbation stance asymmetry on limb preference for reactive stepping in healthy young adults. This study demonstrated that steps taken with a pre-loaded limb are short, directed laterally and have a rapid swing time. The objective of the second study was to investigate the challenges of reactive stepping among individuals with stroke. This study demonstrated that participants primarily execute reactive stepping with their non-paretic limb, although those steps are highlighted by delays in timing and increased incidence of multiple stepping compared to healthy controls, even though all participants had very good clinical balance scores. Outcomes from this thesis present the need for improved clinical assessment of reactive balance control to help reduce the incidence of falling following stroke. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Lam, Albert | Chan, Warren CW | Automation of a Multiplexed Microbead-based DNA Assay Platform | Biomedical Engineering | 2015-06 | Microbead-based diagnostic technology has been explored in academia for over 30 years. As the technology matured, it became clear that this was a competitive platform for multiplexed point- of-care diagnostics for a number of different applications spanning from healthcare, border defense, food safety and environmental monitoring. To realize the benefits of this technology to Canada and the rest of the world, it is imperative to develop an automation scheme to enable minimally trained users to be able to leverage this technology in a point-of-care setting where there is no access to a full lab, and often without reliable water or electricity. This thesis aims to leverage the use of microfluidics and magnetism to enable a simple way of automating the microbead platform for this purpose. | M.A.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Lambert, Jonathan A | Cummins, James P | An Analysis of How the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum Addresses Issues of Social Justice | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-06 | While it is generally agreed that social studies is the integrated study of history, social sciences, and the humanities, there is significant debate about what to include and what to emphasize. With social justice increasingly on the Social Studies agenda, the most recent version of the Ontario Social Studies curriculum includes an increase in references to social justice and equity. Such curriculum, however, has yet to be thoroughly examined for how it addresses issues of social justice. As a result, informed by Critical Pedagogy, Critical Race Theory, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I examine the 2013 Ontario Social Studies curriculum for how it addresses social justice issues, such as the Indian Residential Schools, racism, gender, and disability. Findings suggest that, despite its increasing use of vocabulary about social justice, the 2013 Ontario Social Studies curriculum remains dominated by forms of bias that whitewash history and social relations in Canada. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Lamoureux, Carl David | Trescases, Olivier | Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Based Power-mix Control Strategy for Improved Second-life Battery Performance | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-06 | Providing degraded Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries with a second-life when they no longer meet vehicle energy and power requirements has the potential to increase the value of the battery and reduce the total cost of ownership for the EV owner. This thesis focuses on increasing the value that can be extracted from second-life lithium-ion EV batteries used in off-grid stationary-storage applications. Battery modeling is performed using impedance data measured using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), and a method to perform EIS measurements online is demonstrated. A control strategy is presented to control the power flow between battery modules at different States-ofHealth (SOH) in an off-grid application in order to reduce the total battery degradation rate. Simulations of the off-grid system show that, on average, the proposed strategy results in a 56% increase in battery system lifetime. Operation of the control strategy is demonstrated experimentally using two custom 3.85kWh battery modules. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Lane-Coplen, Daniel Neil | Mitchell, Carl P.J | Landscape Influences on Hydrological Transit Times in Precambrian Shield Catchments | Geography | 2015-03 | The estimation of mean transit times (MTTs) is regarded as a powerful descriptor of catchment systems since it provides broad information about hydrological mixing and storage processes in a single encompassing measurement. In this study, convolution lumped modeling was incorporated into the R programming language. Approximately 3.5 years of precipitation and streamflow water isotope signatures were used to estimate transit times across six Precambrian Shield catchments in the Muskoka-Haliburton region of south-central Ontario. The main objective of this study was to explore the main physical controls governing catchment-scale transit times by investigating relationships with light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based landscape metrics. The MTTs were best correlated to topographic metrics such as flow path gradient and the ratio of flow path length to gradient (i.e. L/G index). These findings support the notion that within shallow-soil catchments in the Precambrian Shield region, it is topography, especially gradient-driven metrics, which is most meaningful in dictating catchment-scale water storage and movement. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Langer, Christopher B. | Ng, Roxana | "Turf Management Is Trumping Food Security": The Organization Of Access To Community Gardening In Toronto | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | In this study I explore the social organization of community gardening in Toronto. I have done this by: exploring (a) the experiences of community garden coordinators hired by non-profit organizations do to improve poor Torontonians’ access to food, and how this work occurs within and is affected by the larger framework of (b) the City of Toronto’s Community Gardens Program. This inquiry was carried out using institutional ethnography, with data collection occurring through open-ended interviews with garden coordinators and the analysis of non-profit and municipal documents. The results of the study are that garden coordinator’s work to improve access to food for poor Torontonians is at odds with the municipal understanding of community gardens and park space existing to attract economic investment to Toronto via “creative professionals.” | MAST | urban; agriculture; food; governance | 2, 11, 16 |
| Langill, Jennifer Catherine | Abizaid, Christian||Isakson, S. Ryan | Differential Experiences of Climate Change: Local Knowledge and Perspectives of Severe Flooding in the Peruvian Amazon | Geography | 2018-11 | In the context of rapid climate change, the frequency and magnitude of environmental hazards in Amazonia are continually increasing. This study seeks to understand the lived realities of environmental hazards in the Peruvian Amazon, and in particular flooding, and how experiences are shaped by differential positionalities. The study draws upon data from the Peruvian Amazon Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Project community survey (n=919) and household survey (n=3,941), as well as interview (n=24) and survey (n=25) data collected during fieldwork in Éxito, a riverine village in the Department of Ucayali, Peru. The research findings indicate that flooding experience is highly determined by intersecting lines of difference at the individual, household and village levels; that fishing occupies several related yet contested roles within the village; and that given the positive and negative implications identified of four key flood types, we need to reconsider how we define environmental hazard in the Amazonian context. | M.A. | poverty; rural; climate; environment | 1, 11, 13 |
| Langlois, Colette | Sossin, Lorne | Parliamentary Privilege: A Relational Approach | Law | 2010-02-15T14:29:46Z | Parliamentary privilege encompasses certain special rights and immunities deemed necessary to protect legislatures and members from undue interference so that they can effectively carry out their functions of inquiring, debating and legislating. The doctrine has engendered conflicts that have never been wholly resolved between courts and legislatures, and between individual rights and parliamentary privileges. The advent of modern human rights and emphasis on democratic values such as accountability and transparency has brought a new urgency to this problem. The current passive and defensive approach of Canadian legislatures is unsustainable, as is the approach taken by the SCC in recent jurisprudence. The paper argues against expanding the scope of judicial review of privilege claims as a solution, and in favour of open modernization processes led by parliamentarians, and involving public participation. Further, the paper advocates for the application of a “relational approach” versus the traditional “contest approach” to parliamentary privilege. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| LaPlante, Alex | Paradi, Joseph C. | Evaluation of Bank Branch Growth Potential Using Data Envelopment Analysis | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-11-20 | Banks occasionally employ frontier efficiency analyses to objectively identify best practices within their organizations. Amongst the frontier efficiency analyses identified in the literature, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was found to be one of the leading approaches. DEA has been successfully applied in many bank branch performance evaluations using traditional intermediation, profitability and production approaches. However, there has been little focus on assessing the growth potential of individual branches. This research presents six models that examine four perspectives of branch growth. Each model was applied to the branch network of one of Canada’s top five banks to gauge the growth potential of individual branches and to provide tailored improvement recommendations. Using various analysis methodologies, the results of each model were examined and their functionality assessed. Based on these findings, three models were deemed to produce significant results, while the remaining three failed to attain viable results. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Lapshin, Yelena | Feinstein, Anthony | Detecting Cognitive Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: Assessing the Validity of a Computer Generated Battery | Medical Science | 2013-12-03 | Approximately half of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients experience cognitive deficits. Accessing neuropsychological assessment can be challenging due to the considerable time, expense, and expertise required for test administration. Computerized cognitive testing has been proposed as an alternative. The objective was to validate a computer generated cognitive screen for MS patients. Ninety-nine MS patients and 98 healthy controls completed the computerized battery consisting of the Stroop, Symbol Digit Modalities Test (C-SDMT), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PVSAT-2, PVSAT-4), and simple and choice reaction time tests. The Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) was used to define cognitive impairment in the MS sample. A combination of the C-SDMT, PVSAT-2, PVSAT-4 had a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 87.7% in detecting cognitive impairment. Each measure had good test-retest reliability (p < 0.001). High sensitivity and specificity, and brevity emphasize the usefulness of the computerized cognitive screen in busy MS clinics. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Lara Villanueva, Maryacarmen | Dei, George S. | A (M)other Talks to White Women Teachers: A Critical Autoethnography | Social Justice Education | 2018-11 | Using critical autoethnography, I explore relationships between White women teachers and Mothers of Colour. Looking beyond a parent involvement analysis framework, I use a decolonial prism that considers colonial constructions of White Womanhood and Motherhood as critical in the mother-teacher relationship and the marginalization of Black, Indigenous, and Brown mothers in Euro-Canadian school settings. I argue that the intersecting forces of identities formulated within empire (i.e., woman, mother, teacher) multiply their oppressive potential. The antagonism that develops between the Woman-Mother-Teacher and Mothers of Colour precludes the establishment of honest, cohesive, and supportive relations, which results in harmful consequences for students of colour, their families, and their communities. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Larbi, Kingsley Kweku | Barati, Mansoor ||McLean, Alexander | Synthesis of High Purity Silicon from Rice Husks | Materials Science and Engineering | 2010-07-27T18:28:13Z | Impurity optimized silicon is needed for the advancement of terrestrial photovoltaic power generation. In this study the possibility of producing solar grade silicon from rice husks has been pursued. An integrated process flowsheet was developed and practiced that included initial leaching, reduction of Rice husk ash (RHA) and post-reduction purification of silicon. Metallothermic reduction of purified RHA with magnesium was investigated within the temperature range of 500-950 oC. The reduction product was purified by two stage acid leaching sequence. Analysis of the final silicon powder product by XRD and ICP-OES showed crystalline silicon with boron content to be less than 3ppm- corresponding to reduction by a factor greater than 10, whilst the phosphorus content was reduced by a factor of over 20 and reaching less than 73ppm. The effects of temperature, magnesium amount and leaching agents were optimized in this study. A one step test melting was also carried out to convert the silicon powder into silicon chunks. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Larlee, Sarah Marie | Andrews, Susan | Low-tech Photocatalysts for Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is a household water treatment technique that involves adding microbiologically contaminated water to clear bottles and leaving them in full sunlight for at least 6 hours. While SODIS is a low-cost technique that requires few resources, it is a time-consuming process. In order to make SODIS more effective, this work investigated the use of low-tech photocatalysts. Initial experiments examined the ability of fired clay coated with TiO2 and urea to remove colour from a methylene blue solution, but results indicated that bare fired clay performed similarly to the coated pieces. Therefore, different bare clays were investigated further as photocatalysts for SODIS. One of the clays, Low Red, was able to inactivate E. coli within 1 hour of sunlight exposure. Based on the results of these experiments, certain fired clays may be able to serve as photocatalysts for SODIS. | M.A.S. | water; solar | 6, 7 |
| Larrabure, Manuel | Schugurensky, Daniel | Praxis, Informal Learning and Particpatory Democracy: The Case of Venezuela's Socialist Production Units | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:14:01Z | Using a Marxist perspective, this thesis examines Venezuela’s Socialist Production Units (SPU). SPUs have emerged as a clear alternative to the neoliberal model that characterized Venezuela and most of Latin America for the past 30 years. However, SPUs exist within capitalism and their political economy remains contradictory, a reality that manifests in the concrete experiences of their workers. Although facing contradictory experiences, SPU workers are acquiring important learning that challenges dominant market relations and builds the preconditions for a new, more just society. This learning is being acquired informally, in particular, through workers’ democratic participation in their SPU. For these reasons, SPUs should be considered important sites where revolutionary praxis is taking place. Therefore, I conclude, SPUs are making a significant contribution to the building of ‘socialism in the 21st century’, but further struggles, in particular, against the state bureaucracy and large local landowners are needed to advance their goals. | MAST | solar; | 7 |
| Larsen, Christian William Talbot | Passeport, Elodie | Mechanisms of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Removal in Algae-Based Wastewater Treatment | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Algae-based wastewater treatment is a form of passive wastewater treatment used to treat municipal and agricultural wastewaters. While pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) treatment has been observed, the removal mechanisms in these systems are poorly understood. In this study, lab-scale algal bioreactors were used to simulate algae-based wastewater treatment. Concentrations of carbamazepine, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, and triclosan were monitored in these reactors alongside controls designed to isolate and elucidate removal processes. Ibuprofen was primarily treated by biotransformation, which was dependent on interactions of algae with the bacteria and media. Triclosan was rapidly phototransformed, though there was evidence of biodegradation or sorption. There was no evidence of carbamazepine and gemfibrozil treatment in algae-based wastewater systems. Based on the results of these experiments, algae can facilitate PPCP removal in passive water treatment systems. Further research on PPCP removal in these systems should be focused on the interactions between bacteria, algae, and media. | M.A.S. | water; waste | 6, 12 |
| Lasan, Ivan | Kerekes, Julie | EFL Learners' Perceptions of (In)formality: Address Forms in Interaction with Other (In)formal Register Markers | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-11 | Perception and production of stylistic variation is an important aspect of sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence. Whereas most research has focused on the production of (in)formal variants by native speakers, this study compares perceptions of formality by English-dominant (ED) speakers and advanced English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners measured on a 5-point Likert scale for 20 examples of e-mail workplace communications in which (in)formal greetings, address forms, and vocabulary are variously combined as three register markers. Participants also reported how certain they felt about their formality ratings on a 4-point Likert scale, and identified features that they considered significant in their perceptions of formality. Statistically significant differences between the two participant groups emerged in 11 of the formality and 12 of the certainty ratings. A trend which needs to be substantiated by further research was observed suggesting that the EFL learners found address forms more and vocabulary less salient than the ED speakers. | M.A. | production | 12 |
| Latuskie, Kiri Anna | Ito, Shinya | Discontinuation Patterns of Substances of Abuse in Pregnancy in a Cohort of Women Seeking Addiction and Parenting Support: A Mixed Methods Study | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2016-11 | Background: Substance use during pregnancy is a major public health concern, stemming from potential physical and psychosocial harms to both the mother and child. Objective: It was my aim to characterize substance use patterns throughout pregnancy and explore the reasons that women attribute to these patterns of use. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to investigate a group of women that attend(ed) Breaking the Cycle (BTC). BTC is a â one-stopâ comprehensive service available to pregnant or parenting women who have substance use issues. Results: Through a chart review (N=470), I found that the greatest number of women used tobacco and cannabis for the duration of pregnancy (N=231 and N=101, respectively), while the proportion of women continuing opioid use was comparably high (61.8%). The results from the two focus groups highlighted the importance of self-efficacy and quality relationships for women who are trying to make positive changes to their substance use during pregnancy. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Lau, Cyrus Lien-Gi | Karney, Bryan||Drake, Jennifer | An Analysis of Factors Affecting the Design and Performance of Storm Sewer Systems | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Storm sewer systems today are typically designed using the Rational Method. In order to assess the effectiveness of the Rational Method, five models, four theoretical and one calibrated and validated model, are used to explore the influence of hydrologic factors such as soil saturation, depression storage, and peak rainfall timing, and hydraulic factors such as network interactions, backwater effects, and storage on the performance of storm sewer systems. Simulations were run in EPA SWMM 5.1, and peak runoff rates, runoff volumes, and key pipe flow values were recorded, compared, and analyzed to quantify the influence of these hydrologic and hydraulic factors. It is found that the Rational Method is a reasonable starting point for design; however it often underestimates runoff values and cannot assess network and backwater effects. It is recommended that Rational Method designs incorporate basic dynamic analysis as a means to identify and address potential design weaknesses. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Lau, Karen Gah-Ian | Chen, Charles | Career Compromise in Immigrant Professionals in Canada | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:15:27Z | This study presents the investigation of the career transition experience of immigrant skilled workers with a focus on their experiences with career compromise and the coping strategies that they used. The grounded theory approach of qualitative analysis method was used to analyze 20 interview transcripts with participants who had received their education/training and had at least 1 year of work experience prior to immigrating to Canada. The interviews revealed that the career transition journeys of immigrant skilled workers were thwarted with acculturation and career-seeking barriers, which made their career transition experiences quite compromising. The findings support the notion of positive compromise whereby the participants utilized their human agency and open-mindedness to deal with their career compromise. An immigrant vocational theory and an immigrant career compromise theory are proposed. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Lavigne, Mikael Jacob Katz | Laupacis, Andreas | Priority Setting in Pediatric Preventive Care Research | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-06 | Objectives: To identify unanswered research questions in pediatric preventive care that are most important to parents and clinicians and to assess differences in priorities between the two groups. Methods: Unanswered research questions were collected from parents of children aged 0-5 years and clinicians via an online questionnaire using a James Lind Alliance-developed methodology. Similar submissions were combined and ranked. Parents and clinicians selected the 10 most important unanswered research questions at a consensus workshop. The categories of questions from parents and clinicians were compared. Results: 1046 submissions were combined into 79 indicative questions. The top 10 unanswered research questions related to mental health, parental stress, physical activity, obesity, childhood development, behaviour management and screen time. Parents were more likely to ask questions about screen time and environmental toxins. Conclusions: The top 10 most important unanswered research questions in pediatric preventive care from the perspective of parents and clinicians were identified. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Law, Marron | Anderson, Harvey | The Effect of Dairy Products on Satiety, Food Intake and Post-prandial Glycemia in Young and Older Adults | Nutritional Sciences | 2016-11 | The hypothesis that dairy products consumed with glycemic carbohydrate at a breakfast meal decrease appetite, food intake (FI) and post-prandial glycemia (PPG) compared with non-dairy beverages in healthy young and older adults was explored in two experiments. Experiment 1 compared 250 mL of 1% milk, yogurt beverage, soy beverage, almond beverage and water consumed with cereal by young adults (20-30 years). Appetite was lowest after yogurt beverage and FI at 120 min was lowest after milk. Soy beverage resulted in the lowest post-treatment blood glucose but despite higher carbohydrate content, dairy beverages did not increase blood glucose more than almond beverage and water. Experiment 2 also sought to compare different forms of dairy using 250 mL of 2% milk and soy beverage, 175 g of 2% Greek yogurt and 30 g of Cheddar cheese consumed with bread and jam by older adults (60-70 years). Yogurt and cheese suppressed appetite more than milk and attenuated blood glucose compared to milk and soy beverage but there were no differences in FI. In conclusion, satiety is higher and blood glucose is lower after high glycemic carbohydrates are consumed at breakfast with dairy products as well as non-dairy beverages, but semi-solid or solid forms may be more efficacious than liquid forms. | M.Sc. | food; | 2 |
| Lawson, Adam Matthew | Weir, Jason | Latitudinal Gradients in Climatic Niche Evolution | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-03-18 | Either tropical niche divergence or tropical niche conservatism could drive the latitudinal diversity gradient. Greater niche divergence in the tropics could accelerate reproductive isolation leading to more rapid species formation. Alternatively, latitudinal asymmetry in niche conservatism, whereby tropical species are more conserved than high latitude species, could promote more dispersal in to than out of the tropics, leading to greater tropical richness. Here I test whether rates of climatic niche evolution vary across the latitudinal gradient for 164 closely related pairs of species. Using the evolutionary ages at which sister species diverge, and the niche divergence between them, I applied Brownian motion models to test whether rates of climatic niche evolution varied with latitude. My results indicate that climatic niche conservatism is strongest in the tropics. This suggests that the latitudinal diversity gradient is driven by the inability of tropical to adapt to temperate climates and colonize non-tropical latitudes. | MAST | climate; conserv | 13, 14 |
| Lawson, Ainsley Caroline | Joordens, Steve | Digital Labcoat: An Active Learning Tool for Teaching the Scientific Method in the Social Sciences | Psychology | 2014-11 | Active learning methods have established themselves as the "gold standard" of teaching, and are recommended as part of good teaching practice. In high-enrollment university courses, incorporating active learning activities can be difficult, as they are often a resource-intensive undertaking, requiring large time commitments on the part of the instructor. By turning to online technologies, it may be possible to introduce low-cost implementations of active learning activities. To this end, we have created a web application called Digital Labcoat -- a tool for introductory social sciences courses that implements active learning methodology to engage students in the scientific method and improve scientific literacy. The present study examines the use the Digital Labcoat software in large university courses, and assesses its success at achieving its educational goals. The results establish Digital Labcoat as a feasible assessment tool that is associated with increased student understanding of the scientific method. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Le, Ada | Niemeier, Matthias | Neural Mechanisms Underlying Bimanual Grasping | Psychology | 2011-01-07T17:32:35Z | Grasping is fundamentally important for our successful interaction with the environment. Grasping with both hands is phylogenetically older than the hand yet its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The objective of this research is to examine bimanual grasping and its underlying mechanisms. Two experiments were conducted to examine whether bimanual grasping involves both hemispheres equally or only one dominant hemisphere, and to examine whether information crosses at an early visual level and/or at later sensorimotor/motor levels. The first experiment examined participants’ grasping and reaching movements while they fixated either to the left or right of the object. For the second experiment, EEG data was recorded while participants performed a similar task. The results from both experiments suggested that when we grasp an object with both hands, the left and right hemispheres control the action equally, and visual information is shared before it reaches areas that are involved in motor control. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Le, Bao | Veneris, Andreas | SAT-based Automated Design Debugging: Improvements and Application to Low-power Design | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-11-20 | With the growing complexity of modern VLSI designs, design errors become increasingly common. Design debugging today emerges as a bottleneck in the design flow, consuming up to 30% of the overall design effort. Unfortunately, design debugging is still a predominantly manual process in the industry. To tackle this problem, we enhance existing automated debugging tools and extend their applications to different design domains. The first contribution improves the performance of automated design debugging tools by using structural circuit properties, namely dominance relationships and non-solution implications. Overall, a 42% average reduction in solving run-time demonstrates the efficacy of this approach. The second contribution presents an automated debugging methodology for clock-gating design. Using clock-gating properties, we optimize existing debugging techniques to localizes and rectifies the design errors introduced by clock-gating implementations. Experiments show a 6% average reduction in debugging time and 80% of the power-savings retained. | MAST | industr; energy | 7, 9 |
| Le, Katherine | McLean, Alexander | Study of Phosphorus Behaviour in Levitated Silicon-iron Droplets | Materials Science and Engineering | 2016-11 | While the treatment of relatively inexpensive ferrosilicon alloys is a potential refining route in order to generate solar grade silicon, phosphorus is one of the more difficult impurities to remove by conventional processing. In this project, electromagnetic levitation was used to investigate the dephosphorization of ferrosilicon alloy droplets exposed to H2-Ar gas mixtures under various experimental conditions including, refining time, temperature (1450째C-1720째C), H2-Ar gas concentrations and flow rate, iron alloying content, and initial phosphorus concentration. Reaction rates increased with higher refining times, temperatures, and H2 gas concentrations. With unknown parameters associated with the kinetics of gas phase reactions, the approach involved comparison of apparent activation energies derived for the chemical reaction and gas diffusion steps of the dephosphorization process. The phosphorus removal rate is thought to be controlled by the interfacial reaction step; further work is required to confirm this conclusion. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Le, Phu | Limeback, Hardy | Efficacy of Mouth Care Education to Improve the Oral Health of Residents of Long Term Care Homes | Dentistry | 2011-05-31T15:16:21Z | Objective: To assess the efficacy of personal support worker (PSW) mouth care education to improve the oral health of residents of long term care homes. Methodology: Experimental PSWs received mouth care education at baseline before taking the knowledge test. PSWs‟ mouth care knowledge was measured using a 20-item knowledge test at baseline, post-test (supervised); 6-months (un-supervised). Residents‟ oral health outcomes assessed at baseline and 6-months using the modified Plaque Index and modified Gingival Index. Results: Experimental PSWs‟ post-test knowledge (n=32;M=17.59;SD=1.43) significantly increased from pre-test (M=15.34;SD=2.10), F(2,72)=4.90;p<.05. 39 control residents and 41 experimental residents participated. Experimental residents‟ PI significantly decreased at 6-months compared to baseline, F(1,156)=5.52;p<.05, there was no significant difference in their GI between baseline and 6-months, F(1,156)=3.29;p=.07. Conclusion: PSWs‟ mouth care knowledge significantly increased after receiving mouth care education and was sustained over six months. Only experimental residents‟ PI significantly improved after 6 months. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Leake, Patti | Paradis, Elise | Nursing, Power, and Gender in Interprofessional Collaboration | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2018-11 | This research explores how power and gender are used to construct professional hierarchies between nurses and physicians and therefore influence interprofessional collaboration. Through directed content analysis and constant comparison analysis, I analysed top-cited articles about interprofessional collaboration involving nurses and physicians and contextualized the relationship between gender and professional hierarchies with Witz’s occupational closure theory. In my first theme, The invisibility of gender, most authors considered gender incidentally or not at all. In my second theme, Interprofessional hierarchies in nursing work are reinforced by gendered strategies, nurses jockeyed for power by ‘playing the game’, a usurpationary strategy. Physicians used exclusionary and demarcationary strategies, as interprofessional collaboration represented a threat to their hegemonic control over health care. Despite the enduring presence of gendered strategies, gender gradually slid from analytic view. Gender is not recognized in most research as an avenue of potential hegemony that impinges on effective interprofessional collaboration. | M.Sc. | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Leary, Thomas | Roach, Kent | The Nature of Public Law Duty and Citizen Standing in English Law | Law | 2011-12-14 | This thesis explores the often overlooked nature of public law duty and its relationship with the doctrine of standing in English law. Drawing on English and North American legal tradition and thought, it posits that public law obligations should be reconceived of as fiduciary in nature, vesting correlative enforcement rights in citizens to constrain unlawful exercises of public power. This should correspond to the abolition of standing requirements and recognition of the rights of citizens and interest groups to bring administrative and human rights challenges before the courts. This thesis also aims to achieve some synthesis between liberal normativism and communitarianism by recognizing both the individual and the collective interests at stake in public interest litigation. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Lee, Amy | Vuksan, Vladimir | The Effects of Salvia hispanica L. (Salba) on Postprandial Glycemia and Subjective Appetite | Nutritional Sciences | 2009-07-14T18:58:50Z | Dietary interventions have been attempted to lower the risk of obesity, diabetes and CVD by the reduction of postprandial hyperglycemia and prevention of excess caloric intake. Evidence suggests an independent predictive role of postprandial glycemia for CVD. Furthermore, due to the possible role of obesity in the development of CVD and T2D, research has focused on appetite suppression to reduce excessive food intake. Here we investigate the ability of the novel oil-rich grain Salvia hispanica L. (Salba) to lower postprandial glycemia and reduce appetite when added to a carbohydrate meal. In our first study, we investigated the effects of Salba in escalating doses on both parameters in healthy individuals. In our second study we compared the effectiveness of ground and whole forms of Salba on the same parameters. Results confirmed our hypotheses, as Salba given in either form positively affected postprandial glycemia and mildly suppressed | MAST | food | 2 |
| Lee, Cammy S.H. | Trifonas, Peter P||Miller, Jack P | I Eat; Therefore I Am: Constructing Identities Through Food | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2015-11 | This autoethnography focuses on the role food played in my identity formation. In approaching this, the following thesis is divided into the three "meal times" where my personal narratives will function as entry points for a discussion on: how the ethnic food I ate created self-loathing problematizing a sense of belonging yet at the same time, was also capable of bonding a community, the beginnings of curiosity and an appetite for culinary adventure including an exploration of my food related practices, and finally how the gendered food identities of my father, mother, and grandmother contributed to my identity. By highlighting the impact of my food past on my sense of self, I provide insight into how it is sometimes the seemingly mundane, such as our food histories, which inform what we consume that largely define who we are, not only as individuals, but as a culture and society. | M.A. | food | 2 |
| Lee, Gillian | Wilson, Dana | Perceptions about Crime and Safety in the Region of Peel: A Qualitative Assessment of Connections between the Social and Built Environment and Crime in Three Neighbourhoods | Geography | 2013-12-03 | This thesis investigated the role that local environmental factors play in influencing perceptions of crime and safety across three neighbourhoods within the Region of Peel, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with local experts to examine their perceptions of crime and safety, and elements of the built and social environment that may influence these perceptions and identified dimensions of social capital that serve as pathways through which broader environmental determinants of crime and safety can become embedded at the local neighbourhood level. Findings of this research revealed that the perceived relationships between the social and built environment and crime are complex and that dimensions of social capital such as informal social ties serve as a mediator between the environment and perceptions about crime and how perceived and actual crime may be reduced by modifying elements of the built and social environment in order to strengthen local dimensions of social capital. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Lee, Grayson Fisher | Poole, Janet | Reading Korean Popular Culture: The Webtoon as Form, Translation, and Critique of Everyday Life | East Asian Studies | 2017-11 | This thesis conducts a form analysis of the webtoon Annarasumanara, created by Ha Il Kwon and originally released in 2010. The thesis examines this webtoon from multiple directions: as a new form of graphic narrative emerging from developments in digital technology and its powerful use of digital image production, synthesizing digital photography with cartoon art; as a historical narrative of post-IMF Korean everydayness; and as a digital pop culture commodity within the flourishing Korean media industry. This form analysis will highlight Annarasumanara as a piece of art performing a powerful critique of capitalism that particularly speaks to the contemporary South Korean context. However, it must be read as emerging from, and embedded within, an industry that is organized through the relationships of capital. This contradiction culminates in the translation of Annarasumanara, in which its critique of capitalism is filtered through a process of commodification aimed at export to foreign audiences. | M.A. | industr | |
| Lee, HyunWoo | Edwards, Elizabeth A | Characterization of the Microbial Community in a Sequentially Fed Anaerobic Digester Treating Solid Organic Waste | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-06 | A lab-scale solid phase anaerobic digester of novel design that treats organics waste was operated at for 88-weeks at the University of Toronto. Characterizing the microbial community inside the digester enables fundamental understanding of the system performance and operational limits. The microbial community was characterized through amplicon sequencing and correlated with operating parameters such as, biogas production rate. Clostridium spp. and organisms from Candidate Division WS6 were the two most dominant bacterial phylotypes and Methanobacterium and Methanoculleus were the two most dominant archaeal phylotypes. A direct relationship between the population of Clostridium spp., proportion of food waste, and biogas production rate was found while Candidate Division WS6 showed better adaptability to fibre rich substrate conditions. Shortened hydraulic retention time of leachate affected the microbial community. Shifts in dominant hydrogenotrophic methanogen spices were observed when HRT was decreased. Clostridium spp. were largely responsible for the enhanced “synergistic” biogas production from fibers. | M.A.S. | production; waste | 12 |
| Lee, Marilyn Grace | Green, Andrew | How Environmental Tribunals Contribute to Important Advances in Environmental Laws | Law | 2012-11-20 | This article offers an analysis of how environmental tribunals contribute to important advances in environmental laws. The article compares the legislative and adjudicative administrative processes and examines decisions from environmental tribunals and courts in Canada. The author also reviews developments in environmental protection legislation since the 1970s. Consideration is also given to whether environmental laws are better framed on a model of comprehensive rationality or an incrementalist approach. The article concludes such tribunals make significant contributions to environmental laws by articulating emerging principles of environmental law. In doing so, the author examines the legislative underpinning and characteristics of tribunals which enable them to articulate such principles, namely that the statute express as its purpose protection of the environment. Also, the tribunal should have expertise in environmental matters, permit participation by third parties in the proceedings, be independent and be accountable through providing written reasons and the mechanism of judicial review. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Lee, Patricia Pui Shuen | Nathens, Avery B. ||Urbach, David Robert | Injury and Neighborhood Marginalization: Does it Matter Where You Live? | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-02-15T13:40:55Z | Background: Injury is an enormous public health problem in Canada. Recent studies have suggested that characteristics of the residential environment, particularly neighborhood marginalization, may be important in determining injury risk. Objective: To determine whether there is an association between neighborhood marginalization and injury in the largest urban cities of Ontario. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, ecological study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between neighborhood marginalization and injury in 0-64 year olds who resided in the ten largest cities of Ontario between 2003-2005. Results: Neighborhoods with high levels of ethnic diversity had significantly lower rates of unintentional injuries, neighborhoods with high levels of material deprivation had significantly higher rates of assaults, and neighborhoods with high levels of residential instability and material deprivation had significantly higher rates of self-inflicted injuries in adults. Conclusions: The association between neighborhood marginalization and injury differs depending on the type of injury examined. | MAST | health; cities; environment | 3, 11, 13 |
| Lee, Ranee | Rose, Leslie S | An Examination of Participatory Design Framework in a Class Project in Higher Education | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-11 | This study seeks to describe and examine the experiences of persons in a participatory design project between a university and a not-for-profit charitable organization in a large urban center in Canada. In many design programs in higher education, the pedagogies of participatory design create experiential learning for, and with a community to produce mutual, beneficial outcomes. The data was collected by interview, visual research of course work and observations conducted with university students, leader of a women’s sewing collective, a course instructor, and a staff of a not-for-profit organization. At the conclusion of this study, a revised framework for participatory design is proposed. This study suggests that at the intersection of design for social innovation is where power dynamics can be challenged to imagine new ways of thinking to solve complex problems through participatory design. | M.A. | poverty | 1 |
| Lee, Trevor Changgun | Manassis, Katharina | Emotion Recognition in Children with Anxiety Disorders: Effects of Age, Subtype, and Gender | Medical Science | 2013-11 | Objectives: It is unclear whether anxiety disorders are associated with children’s ability to recognize emotions. To elucidate this relationship, the effects of age, subtype, and gender were examined, which have been neglected in past studies. Methods: Sixty-three anxious children and 59 non-anxious children identified various emotions displayed by an animated character. Children also completed questionnaires measuring state anxiety and depressive/anxiety symptoms. Results: Anxious children generally did not have difficulty identifying emotions compared with non-anxious children. However, children with separation anxiety disorder (SAD) and young children with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) showed difficulty. Gender played a minimal role in emotion recognition, but anxious girls were less accurate in recognizing disgust when compared with anxious boys and non-anxious girls. Conclusion: Anxious children as a group may not exhibit difficulty in emotion recognition. When age and subtype factors are considered, however, children with SAD and young children with GAD exhibit some deficits. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Lee, Yoonsoo | Kotanen, Peter M. | Sources of Spatial Variation in Herbivory and Performance of an Invasive Non-native Plant, Common Burdock (Arctium minus) | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2013-07-15 | The herbivory experienced by non-native invasive plants may depend on their local environments, such as herbivore abundance. In this study, I performed a common garden experiment with plants sampled from 11 populations of Arctium minus, from southern Ontario to near its northern range limit. I also compared performance and herbivory of burdock in open and understory habitats. Finally, I conducted freezing tolerance experiments with the lepidopteran seed predator Metzneria lapella, and palatability tests with plants from different populations. Results suggested that the previously described latitudinal trends in herbivore damage among populations are due to environmental differences rather than genotypic differences among populations. At a local scale, plants of open habitat were less damaged and had better performance than understory plants. Burdock has not escaped damage by herbivores in its invaded range; instead variation among sites in herbivore populations and impacts may significantly affect the invasiveness of this species. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Leermakers, Courtney Grace | Mandrak, Nicholas||Cadotte, Marc | Mitigating Mortality of Wildlife in Rouge National Urban Park | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06 | Rouge National Urban Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America, encompassing natural and developed areas, resulting in high numbers of wildlife road mortalities. Ecopassages are a common method to mitigate wildlife road mortality to provide safe crossing. To determine the placement of an ecopassage in the park, six kilometers of road was surveyed for five field seasons to record wildlife road-kill. Landscape features, traffic volume, distance to railway, seasonal movement, and weather were shown to be related to wildlife road mortality. After the installation of an ecopassage, a common tool used to assess its efficacy is PIT-tagging freshwater turtles, and strategically placing antennae at the entrances of an ecopassage. By completing arena experiments, this study investigated how PIT-tag placement, antenna type, environmental conditions, turtle orientation, and tag orientation influenced detection success. Overall, pass-over antenna, external placements, and vertical tag orientation had significantly higher detection. | M.Sc. | water; urban; environment | 6, 11, 13 |
| Lega, Iliana Carolina | Rochon, Paula A. | The Association between Metformin Therapy and Mortality Following Breast Cancer: A Population-based Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-07-15 | Metformin has been associated with a reduction in breast cancer incidence, however its effect on mortality following cancer has not been adequately examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of metformin therapy on mortality in women with breast cancer. Using Ontario health databases, this retrospective cohort examined the impact of metformin on mortality among women aged 66 years or older with diabetes and breast cancer. After a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, there was no association between cumulative metformin use and either all-cause or breast cancer-specific mortality (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.92-1.07; HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.81-1.03 respectively per additional year of cumulative metformin use). Though metformin was not associated with a reduction in mortality in our study of older women with breast cancer, there is still a need to examine whether metformin has an effect on mortality in other breast cancer populations. | MAST | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Lehmberg, Emma Skye | Lovejoy, Nathan R | Biogeography of the Weakly Electric Knifefish Gymnotus carapo (Teleostei: Gymnotidae) in the Guianas | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-06 | The electric knifefishes (Gymnotiformes) are widely distributed across South and Central America, with the highest species concentrations occurring in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. Riverine features such as waterfalls and rapids can cause disjunct populations to form between highland and lowland areas in these basins. The Guiana Shield provides a good model to study the genetic differences between populations precisely because it has upland and lowland areas with extant populations of Gymnotiformes. To examine genetic divergence between highlands and lowlands, mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (S7) DNA was sequenced for members of the Gymnotus carapo species complex (Gymnotidae). Population and phylogenetic analysis indicate a distinct split between upland and lowland populations, with those species in the highlands showing greater genetic similarity to populations from the Amazon basin. | M.Sc. | water; fish | 14 |
| Leish, Kaylyn Mc | Cooper, Karyn | Experiences in Critical Literacy: Students Deemed “At Risk” in Canadian Schools | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-08-11 | Recently Ontario included critical literacy in the Language Arts curriculum. I plan to investigate what impact critical literacy will have on Canadian schools. I will present ideas in a critical narrative framework; drawing on pre-existing data-sets of experiences I gathered teaching in an urban Ontario school board for the last six years. I will also review research by other academics working in critical literacy, student engagement, and democratic education. I plan to investigate the effectiveness of using critical literacy-based activities with students deemed “at risk” in our school system. I will also explore the impact of critical literacy on the relationships between students, teachers and administrators. I believe this process will allow me to reflect, interpret and explore my experiences, as well as encourage others to draw their own opinions about the impact of teaching critical literacy in Ontario schools. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Lemay, Sarah | Knop, Karen C. | Depoliticizing the United Nations Human Rights Council: Mixed Membership for a Brighter Future | Law | 2013-12-03 | The United Nations charter-based human rights apparatus has long been plagued by concerns of politicization. This pervasive issue first brought the demise of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2006 and led to the creation of an entirely new entity, the United Nations Human Rights Council, in the hope of answering the concerns of the international community. Although major reforms were undertaken, politicization is now once again cited as one of the main issues of the new Council. In this essay, we identify the source of politicization as the intergovernmental nature of these human rights bodies, and suggest that mitigation of this issue is possible through the reform of the Council’s membership. The creation of a mixed expert-state body will allow for a more functional, depoliticized body in the protection and promotion of human rights. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Lepone, Christina Elizabeth | Miller, Jack | Exploring the Integrated Curriculum: A Critical Analysis of the Ontario Ministry of Education's Language Curriculum Document | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-11 | Students demonstrate increased engagement and knowledge retention when they are able to make connections between the text and the outside world. Despite the real world not being formed into neat subjects, the Ontario curriculum is. Through integrated curriculum, Susan Drake and James Beane argue that students are better equipped to become life-long learners and global citizens. As leading professionals in the field of integrated curriculum, this document analysis utilizes inductive analysis to explore the Ontario Ministry of Educationâ s 2006 curriculum document for Language (Revised) to determine if Drake and Beaneâ s approaches are explicitly stated. Results found that neither approach was explicitly stated, although the Ministry utilized similar integrated approaches as presented by Drake, while desired student outcomes aligned with Beane. The Ontario Ministry of Education should consider the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary frameworks of Drake and Beane when producing future editions of the Ontario curriculum documents. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Lepp, Shelley Elizabeth | Mojab, Shahrzad | The Practice and Potential of Expressive Writing Groups | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | My research examines the potential of expressive writing groups in non-clinical settings for individuals navigating trauma, transition and life challenges. Writing as a tool for supporting mental health is not a new concept, however, there is renewed interest given the: track record of success; potential as a low-cost treatment; and flexibility for supporting isolated segments of the population. My mixed-methods qualitative research is part self-study narrative inquiry, probing my experience with expressive writing, and part case study analysis looking at the work of an organization offering volunteer facilitated expressive writing workshops in partnership with social service and community organizations. I analyze the data to advance knowledge in regards to how an expressive writing group functions, the role of the facilitator and how success is measured for the individual. This study produces valuable insight into models of expressive writing groups and their potential for healing and inspiring hope. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Leschied, Benjamin | Brunnee, Jutta | An International Approach to Environmental Protection in the Northwest Passage | Law | 2011-12-14 | This paper evaluates the current international environmental regime governing shipping through the Northwest Passage. Significant literature now exists claiming that the sole means by which to afford adequate protection for the Arctic marine environment is through a Canadian assertion of sovereignty. Historically, there have been strong challenges to Canada’s assertion of sovereignty over the waters of the Arctic Archipelago. Further, a focus on sovereignty could in fact be detrimental to the Canadian position, since it distracts from the practical issues involved in protecting the Arctic environment. Based on three primary sources of international law, namely the UN Law of the Sea Convention, the IMO Guidelines for Ships Navigating in Ice-Covered Waters and the activities of the Arctic Council, this paper argues that the current international regime provides a strong and adequate basis on which to pursue protection for the Arctic environment. | MAST | water; environment; marine | 13, 14 |
| Leslie, Michael David | Murphy, Jennifer G | The Fate of Isocyanic Acid (HNCO): Investigation into Aqueous Phase Chemistry of HNCO | Chemistry | 2019-11 | Isocyanic acid (HNCO) is an organic acid pollutant emitted by various sources, including: biomass burning, coal combustion, vehicle exhaust from gasoline and diesel engines, cigarettes from pyrolysis of urea and oxidation of nicotine, and produced via photochemical reactions of amines and amides in the atmosphere. Because of slow gas phase losses, the predominant removal of HNCO from the atmosphere is thought to be through dry deposition and heterogeneous uptake and subsequent hydrolysis. This thesis explores the overall hydrolysis (combination of three reactions with rate constants k1, k2, and k3) of HNCO, khyd, and has re-evaluated its associated rate constants, k1 and k2, for atmospherically relevant temperatures and pH values. The Arrhenius equation for k2 was determined to be k2 = (2.4 ± 5.9) x 1010 exp(-9126 ± 695/T) s-1 but, more data was needed to confidently calculate k1. Additionally, the partitioning characteristics of HNCO in aqueous droplets were investigated through simulated evaporation events. | M.Sc. | pollut | 15 |
| Leung, Kinson He Yin | Gough, William A. | The Influence of Synoptic Weather Conditions on Weekday-weekend Effect of Extreme Ground-level Ozone Events in the Toronto area | Geography | 2011-01-10T16:11:56Z | Ground-level ozone (O3) is a familiar pollutant because it is associated with summer haze and smog alerts. The 2000-2008 weekday-weekend variations of ozone concentration were examined in relation to the Toronto weather conditions. The goal of this work is twofold: (1) To determine whether extreme ozone events were associated with specific weather conditions, (2) To determine whether the weekday-weekend effect of extreme ozone events could be detectable during the nine-year study period. The results show that in the study period, there were totally 313 days having extreme ground-level ozone events with ozone concentration ≥ 80 ppb, which is the current Ontario Ambient Air Quality Criterion for ozone concentration, in the four selected Toronto sites. Additionally, the weather condition mainly associated with these 313 days was the Dry Tropical one. This study also shows the phenomenon of the weekday-weekend effect of extreme ozone events in the past nine years in Toronto. | MAST | weather; pollut | 13, 14 |
| Lewyn, Michael | Weinrib, Arnold | Sprawl in Canada and the United States | Law | 2011-01-10T16:16:15Z | The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain (1) whether suburban sprawl is as widespread in Canadian metropolitan areas as in their American counterparts, and (2) whether Canadian government policies, and in particular Canadian municipal land use and transportation policies, encourage sprawl. The thesis concludes that sprawl is less widespread in two respects. First, Canadian central cities have not declined to the same extent as American central cities. Second, urban and suburban Canadians are less dependent on automobiles than are Americans. The thesis goes on to point out that in Canada, as in the United States, government land use and transportation policies often encourage sprawl. | MAST | cities; urban; land use | 11, 15 |
| Li, Allanah | Wodchis, Walter P | Accumulating Multimorbidity: the Role of Depression, Socioeconomic Status, and Other Factors | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-06 | Multimorbidity is a significant challenge facing patients, clinicians, and the healthcare system. This study examines whether depression and socioeconomic status are associated with incident physical illness and multimorbidity, after controlling for potential sociodemographic, behavioural, and clinical confounders. This is a longitudinal retrospective cohort study. Cohorts were derived by linking adult respondents to three population health surveys to health administrative databases in Ontario and were followed for ten years. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the rate at which participants developed illnesses, and Poisson regression was used to examine the number of conditions developed after ten years. In this study, depression increased the risk of accumulating multimorbidity, in terms of both time to development of conditions and number of conditions accumulated after ten years. Higher household incomes were protective against developing a second and subsequent physical illness, but not the first incident illness in a disease-free cohort. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic; health | 1, 3 |
| Li, Jinghong | Hofmann, Ronald | Quenching H2O2 Residuals After UV/ H2O2 Drinking Water Treatment Using Granular Activated Carbon | Civil Engineering | 2013-12-04 | The ability of six types of granular activated carbon (GAC) to quench H2O2 was evaluated by bench-scale H2O2 decomposition kinetics tests and pilot-scale H2O2 breakthrough tests. Bench-scale studies showed that carbon ageing significantly reduced the performance of H2O2 quenching by the GAC, but that the greatest impacts occurred within the first 25 000 bed volumes of water treated, with performance tending to stabilize afterwards. Pilot-scale studies suggested that both H2O2 exposure and exposure to natural organic matter were important factors in GAC ageing, with exposure to oxygen also suspected of being important. A continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR)-in-series model was proposed for the prediction of H2O2 breakthrough in a GAC column. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Li, Jingjing | Kant, Shashi | Production Structure, Input Substitution, and Total Factor Productivity Growth in the Softwood Lumber Industries in U.S. and Canadian Regions | Forestry | 2010-02-15T13:45:22Z | This study uses a translog cost function to specify the production structures of the softwood lumber industry in three U.S. regions (the West Coast, the Inland, and the South), and four Canadian regions (Ontario, the British Columbia Coast, the British Columbia Interior and Quebec), from 1988 to 2005. First, two separate production models are specified and analyzed, one is a “U.S. model” for the U.S. regions, and the other is a “Canada model” for the Canadian regions. Second, all seven regions are included in one production model, a “U.S.-Canada model”. In the U.S.-Canada model, purchasing power parity over the Gross Domestic Product is used to convert cost and price data of Canada from Canadian into U.S. dollars. The Allen and Morishima elasticities of substitution, price elasticiteis of demand, rate of technical change, and total factor productivity growth are estimated in each model, and the results are presented and compared. | MAST | industr; cities; production | 9, 11, 12 |
| Li, Junting | McCabe, Brenda||Pressnail, Kim | Using Compartmentalization to Mitigate the Impacts of Stack Effect in Tall Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | Natural stack action affects all types of buildings, but it becomes a significant driving force and imposes adverse impacts on tall buildings. Traditional approaches such as corridor pressurization system, revolving doors, and airtight exterior envelope to mitigate stack-action induced problems may not be effective for tall residential buildings; hence, an alternative mitigation strategy is required. Compartmentalization is one potential solution which can be used to effectively control stack induced pressures and airflows. However, there exists little information in the academic literature about the effectiveness of using compartmentalization. This thesis begins by looking at the difficulties faced when assessing the effectiveness of compartmentalization. Then, using computer simulation, a quantitative analysis on the potential improvement resulting from implementing compartmentalization is presented. The simulation results showed that compartmentalization is an effective means of controlling contamination air movements, improving building serviceability, providing sufficient ventilation, and reducing the total energy consumption related to conditioning air. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Li, Lan | Andrews, Robert C. | Ultrafiltration Fouling: Impact of Backwash Frequency and Air Sparging | Civil Engineering | 2014-06-26 | A bench-scale study was performed to optimize backwash frequency and air sparging conditions during ultrafiltration (UF) of natural surface waters in order to maximize water production and minimize irreversible fouling as well as operating and maintenance costs. Surface shear stress representing different air sparging conditions (continuous coarse bubble, discontinuous coarse bubble, and large pulse bubble sparging) was applied in combination with various backwash frequencies (0.5, 2 and 6 h) and fouling was assessed. Results indicated that air sparging with discontinuous coarse bubbles or large pulse bubbles significantly reduced the irreversible fouling rate while providing cost savings when compared to the baseline condition, which assumed a 0.5 h-backwash frequency and no air sparging during filtration. Cost savings were more pronounced at lower backwash frequencies, due to value associated with extra water produced over longer filtration times and longer membrane life resulted from fewer recovery chemical cleans because of lower irreversible fouling. | MAST | wate | 6 |
| Li, Lu | Shalaby, Amer||Persaud, Bhagwant | Using Micro-simulated Traffic Conflicts as a Surrogate Safety Assessment Technique for Evaluating Safety Performance of Transit Design Alternatives at Signalized Intersections | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | This study focuses on crash prediction modelling at intersection-level using micro-simulation to produce an effective surrogate safety assessment measure. The developed crash prediction model followed generalized linear model with negative binomial error structure to correlate the simulated traffic conflicts with the observed crash frequency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Individual crash prediction models were developed for every impact types and for transit-involved crash type. The resulting statistical performance suggested adequate predictive ability. Based on the established correlation between the simulated conflicts and observed crashes, scenarios were developed to investigate the safety impacts of transit infrastructures by making hypothetical transit infrastructure modifications in the micro-simulation networks. The findings implied that the existing transit signal priority schemes implemented in Toronto had negative contributions on safety performance and that the existing near-sided stop positioning and streetcar transit type were safer at their existing states than if they were replaced by their respective counterparts. | M.A.S. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Li, Manjiang | MacIntosh, Jeffrey G. | Exploration of Corporate Governance between Developed Nations and The People's Republic of China | Law | 2011-01-10T16:17:37Z | This article explores the corporate governance in the developed countries and China from a comparative perspective. Following the analysis of principal-agent model, this article examines the dispersion-to-concentration ownership span to explore its influence on the majority/minority ownership and the shareholder/manager conflicts. It compares the positive and negative edges of concentrated shareholding with empirical analysis of Canada, the U.S., and China, and finds the different roles of institutional shareholders in various countries. This article then turns to two-tier agency model which is another way to enhance corporate governance. Compared with the vertical construct with the vanguard of Germany, it illustrates that the supervisory board in china is situated parallel to the board of directors and loses the supervising purpose. This article finally explores the independent director system which has obtained credits in the developed countries. While in China, it lacks legal protection and is not effective as expected. | MAST | institution; governance | 16 |
| Li, Patricia | Guttmann, Astrid | A Population-based Study on the Association of Standardized Protocols in the Emergency Department for Childhood Asthma with Outcomes in Ontario, Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-01-10T16:28:51Z | Objectives: To describe the use of standardized protocols (SPs) in emergency departments (EDs) across Ontario for childhood asthma and analyze the association of SPs with hospital admissions, 7-day ED re-visits, and outpatient follow-up visits. Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study using health administrative data and survey data. EDs were categorized as having the optimal, other, or no SP for each outcome. Associations were tested with generalized estimating equations. Results: Between 2006/04/14-2009/02/28, 46,510 children with asthma were seen in 146 EDs, with 43 (29.5%) having SPs. Children treated in EDs with the optimal SP compared to no SP had no significant differences in hospital admissions (AOR 1.17; 95% CI 0.91, 1.49) or ED re-visits (AOR 1.09; 95% CI 0.85, 1.40) but were more likely to have follow-up visits (AOR 1.27; 95% CI 1.02, 1.59). Conclusions: SPs for childhood asthma are not common in Ontario EDs and had little impact on outcomes measured. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Li, Shuaizi | Makis, Viliam | Joint Optimization of Manufacturing Quantities and Maintenance for a Deteriorating Production System | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-11 | The aim of this thesis is to jointly optimize manufacturing quantities and maintenance policies for deteriorating production systems under the age-based and the condition-based maintenance. In the age-based maintenance model, the time to component failure, the preventive maintenance time and the corrective maintenance time are all assumed to be random variables. Lost sales due to repair delay are permitted and shortage costs are also considered. Preventive maintenance is performed after M production runs to restore the production facility to the 'good as new' condition. Corrective maintenance is performed upon failure. In the condition-based maintenance model, deterioration of the production facility is caused by ageing and environmental factors. The proportional hazards model is employed to evaluate the production facility's hazard rate and the condition-based control limit policy is used to minimize the average cost and guarantee the system's reliability. The deterioration is modeled as a semi-Markov decision process. | M.A.S. | environment; production | 12, 13 |
| Li, Theodora | Murphy, Jennifer G | Soil-atmosphere Exchange of Ammonia in a Fertilized Corn Field | Chemistry | 2019-06 | The dominant source of ammonia to the atmosphere today is agriculture. Urea is commonly used as fertilizer in crop production; after application, it undergoes hydrolysis and produces ammonia in soil. The exchange of ammonia between the soil and atmosphere is thought to be driven by a difference between the atmospheric concentration and the compensation point, the atmospheric amount that would be in equilibrium with the underlaying soil. The objective of this project was to characterize the soil chemical properties and temperature to calculate the emission potential ([NH4+]/[H+]) and compensation point of the soil and to measure the soil-atmosphere ammonia flux directly. Soil and air samples were collected in Ottawa, ON over the growing seasons in 2017 and 2018. Emission potentials ranged from 20 to 4432 and the corresponding compensation points were in the range of 0.1 to 47.4 ppbv. Significant NH3 fluxes were only detected shortly after fertilization application in 2017. | M.Sc. | agriculture; production | 2, 12 |
| Li, Weiwei | Erb, Uwe||Giallonardo, Jason | Microstructural Characterization of Copper Coatings on Nuclear Waste Containers for the Long-Term Disposal of Canada’s Used Nuclear Fuel | Materials Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | The Nuclear Waste Management Organization has proposed a deep geological repository solution for the long-term disposal of Canada’s nuclear waste fuel. A critical part of this solution is the used fuel container which houses the waste fuel. This container is made of steel and is coated with copper via the electrodeposition and cold spray processes to provide corrosion resistance. Microstructural characterization was conducted on the electrodeposited and cold sprayed copper coatings of the UFC, as well as wrought copper reference material through electron backscattered diffraction, focused ion beam microscopy, and SEM imaging. Electrodeposited copper is expected to have the optimal corrosion resistance based on the structure-property relationships for corrosion of pure copper. This is primarily due to its smaller grain size and higher frequency of special grain boundaries. | M.A.S. | waste | 12 |
| Li, Wing Sze Wincy | Seifert, Tricia | Navigating the Canadian Immigration Process: A Study of International Students' Experience and Interactions with the Student Services Provided by Their Host Universities | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-11 | Canada views international students as potential skilled immigrants. The country has implemented multiple immigration streams to retain these students post-graduation in order to remain competitive in the global knowledge economy. However, research investigating these students' experiences holistically was lacking. This study addressed this gap in literature by looking at: (1) how international students decided on Canada as a study-abroad destination, (2) how they ultimately decided on seeking Canadian permanent residence, and (3) which on-campus services and resources they sought and/or utilized to help navigate the immigration process, and what their experiences with these services were. Six former international students who graduated from Canadian universities, and had since applied for or obtained Canadian permanent residence, were interviewed in this narrative inquiry. Bronfenbrenner's developmental ecology theory was used to situate interviewees' experiences in the broader contexts, and Schlossberg's transition theory was used as a framework to holistically study their experiences with transitions. | M.A. | incllusive | 4 |
| Li, Xiaoguang | Tate, Zeb | Estimating Wind Forecast Errors and Quantifying Its Impact on System Operations Subject to Optimal Dispatch | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-12-14 | Wind power is being added to the supply mix of numerous jurisdictions, and an increasing level of uncertainties will be the new reality for many system operators. Accurately estimating these uncertainties and properly analyzing their effects will be very important to the reliable operation of the grid. A method is proposed to use historical wind speed, power, and forecast data to estimate the potential future forecast errors. The method uses the weather conditions and ramp events to improve the accuracy of the estimation. A bilevel programming technique is proposed to quantify the effects of the estimated uncertainties. It improves upon existing methods by modeling the transmission network and the re-dispatch of the generators by operators. The technique is tested with multiple systems to illustrate the feasibility of using this technique to alert system operators to potential problems during operation. | MAST | weather; wind | 7, 13 |
| Liang, Chien Chi Victor | Jia, Charles Q. ||Catalan, Lionel | Reduced Sulphur Compounds in Ambient Air and in Emissions from Wastewater Clarifiers at a Kraft Pulp Mill | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2008-07-25T19:13:23Z | Small quantities of reduced sulphur compounds (RSCs) emitted from Kraft pulp mills can affect air quality due to low odour thresholds. Chromatographic methods were developed for individual RSCs at ppt to ppb concentrations. Analyses of ambient air samples showed that while H2S, CH3SH, DMS and DMDS were linked to the pulp mill, the majority of COS and CS2 was due to other sources unrelated to the mill. The fluxes of individual RSCs from kraft wastewater clarifiers were quantified for the first time. DMDS and DMS were the major RSCs emitted from the primary and secondary clarifiers, respectively. RSC fluxes were one to three orders of magnitude higher at the primary clarifier than at the secondary one. Clarifier emissions were, however, insignificant compared to point sources in the mill. Statistically significant correlations were found between the DMS emission and BOD, COD, as well as TSS in the secondary treatment system. | MAST | water; waste | 6, 12 |
| Liang, William Kun | Balcioglu, Baris | Analysis of Make(Repair)-to-stock Queues with State-dependent Arrival Rates | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-12-14 | In this thesis, we study the repair shop scheduling problem(repair-to-stock) and the production/inventory system pricing and production scheduling problem(make-to-stock). For both types of problems, we compare the performance of different scheduling policies. For the make-to-stock type problem, we also study the performance of different pricing strategies. The optimal repair/production scheduling policy of both problems is difficult to characterize, and, therefore, is only formulated as a Markov Decision Process to numerically compute the optimal cost/profit. As an alternative, we propose the dynamic Myopic policy, which is easy to implement. The numerical study we have conducted demonstrates that the performance of Myopic policy is superior compared to the alternative policies and yields costs very close to the optimal for the repair-to-stock type problem. On the other hand, for the make-to-stock type problems, the performance of Myopic policy is not superior compared to the alternative policies when dynamic pricing strategy is implemented. | MAST | production | 12 |
| Libertucci, Amelia | Troper, Harold M. | Schooling In Little Portugal: The Portuguese Experience | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-08-11 | This thesis examines the problem of low educational attainment rates of Portuguese- Canadian students in the areas of “Little Portugal” and West Toronto. Interviews were conducted with former students, teachers, administrators, and community leaders who have all experienced or are linked to the public education system in those areas of Toronto. The question, “why has there been a low educational attainment rate among Portuguese-Canadian students in Toronto?” was asked of the interviewees. The first three chapters provide background information regarding the struggles of the Portuguese in their homeland as well as Portuguese immigrants in Toronto in order to contextualize the information garnered through the interviews. The final two chapters present the thoughts of the interviewees, regarding the subject matter, which were collected during the study. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Liegey, Stephane | Farnood, Ramin||Tabe, Shahram | Novel DDBAC and TiO2 Functionalized Hydrophobic Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes for Virus Adsorption in Drinking Water Applications | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Waterborne pathogens such as enteric viruses have been identified as one of the main threats to sources of drinking water and aquatic ecosystem in Canada and around the world. Current methods to address viral contamination of water all present high degrees of efficiency. However, they also pose significant drawbacks such as release of potentially toxic/carcinogenic byproducts into the environment, high operating cost, or large land footprint. Nanofibre polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes functionalized with TiO2 nanoparticles were developed. They were found to have a bacteriophage MS2 log removal value (LRV) of up to 1.2 likely through hydrophobic interactions and/or contact-inactivation with TiO2. Similarly, nanofibrous PVDF membranes functionalized with dodecyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (DDBAC) for its positive charge and electrostatic effect were found to have a consistent MS2 LRV of 2.4. These novel membranes could provide a cost effective alternative to other available membrane technologies. | M.A.S. | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Liem, Kin Seng | Janssen, Harry L | Effect of Pegylated Interferon Add-On Therapy to Achieve Disease Remission in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Despite effective vaccination, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) poses a substantial hazard to public health with limited options for finite treatment. A pooled analysis was performed to investigate whether 24-48 weeks of peg-interferon (PEG-IFN) addition could increase response 48 weeks after end-of-therapy compared to continued nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC)-monotherapy in 234 patients from two investigator-initiated trials. PEG-IFN addition hypothetically increases off-treatment response, particularly after prolonged NUC pre-treatment due to partial immune restoration. Response was observed in 38/118 (33%) patients assigned PEG-IFN addition and 23/116 (20%) assigned NUC-monotherapy (p=0.03). The duration of NUC-monotherapy was associated with HBsAg and HBV DNA, but not directly with response. Re-treating initial non-responders with PEG-IFN add-on did not improve response. PEG-IFN naïve patients with low HBsAg and HBV-DNA levels at randomization achieved the highest response to addition therapy compared with NUC-monotherapy (70% vs. 34%; p=0.01), identifying these as the best candidates for PEG-IFN add-on therapy in clinical practice. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Lilles, Jaan | Weinrib, Ernest | The Common Law Right to Privacy | Law | 2010-02-15T13:54:53Z | This paper justifies and delineates a common law right to privacy. The first part of the paper reviews the current state of the law of privacy. The second part defines privacy by distinguishing privacy rights from those otherwise protected by the common law. The paper argues that the appropriate organizing principle behind the legal concept of privacy is the idea of control over one’s interactions with others. The third part argues that protection of privacy at common law is justified both pursuant to the demands of the Charter and with a theoretical understanding of private law based on a Kantian notion of Right. The final part argues that such an analysis determines the substantive nature of the protection that should be afforded at common law, namely that privacy should be protected from both intentional and negligent interference. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Lima, Maira | Macklem, Patrick | Alternatives to Decentralization of Pharmaceutical Policies in Brazil: Case Studies of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis | Law | 2013-12-04 | Increasing attention has been paid to decentralized health care systems in order to evaluate health outcomes. In Brazil, state-run pharmaceutical assistance falls within the scope of a decentralized health care system, also known as SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System). The research intends to shed light on pharmaceutical policy implementation in Brazil through SUS, and argues that it can be used as a guide for institutional reform. This will be accomplished by reviewing the weaknesses and strengths of the SUS decentralized structure as revealed in the pharmaceutical policy responses to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Under the assumption of pharmaceutical assistance improvement conditioned to re-centralization of some functions; it can be argued that a balanced approach to decentralization is more desirable to the pharmaceutical sector than the existing decentralized system. The aim of this study is to highlight the advantages of establishing a hybrid system for pharmaceutical assistance. | MAST | health; institution | 3, 16 |
| Lin, | Falkenheim, Victor | The Asian Renaissance: Reclaiming Centrality | East Asian Studies | 2010-04-06T17:41:04Z | With Asia’s (inclusive of Southeast Asia) re-emergence on the world stage, its civilization origins have become a subject of intense study. Three main value systems define Asian civilization—Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Asians will derive inspiration from the past for the future, a similar phase the West underwent as it emerged from the medieval ages; hence the word 'renaissance' has been applied to Asia's re-emergence. Rediscovery of these heritages is a crucial part of the Asian renaissance. My thesis will expound the economic resurgence of the Asian nations, the emergence of Asian regional institutions and the emergence of an Asian ideology—Samagri. | MAST | institution; inclusive | 4, 16 |
| Lin, Aifeng | Comelli, Elena | Characterization of Murine Intestinal Mucus Layer Gene Expression during Postnatal Maturation | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-01-10T16:45:19Z | The objective of this work was to characterize the expression pattern of the main intestinal mucin and glycosyltransferases genes in the distal ileum, caecum, proximal and distal colon of 5, 10, 15, 21, 25 and 32 days old mouse pups by real-time PCR. We found that all genes considered, except for Muc13 followed a spatio-temporal expression pattern. As a potential modulator of mucin gene expression, gut microbiota composition was also analyzed in the same animals. We found that neither the total bacterial numbers nor the relative abundance of the main microbial phyla vary after 21 days of age. The characterization of the postnatal intestinal mucus layer gene expression may aid to understand disease-related deviations and help designing nutritional interventions to sustain the intestinal barrier. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Lin, Che-Wen | Sanders, Graham | Bai Juyi's Poetry as a Common Culture in Pre-modern East Asia | East Asian Studies | 2012-11-29 | This paper applies a hermeneutic approach to analyze, and a comparative approach to examine, Bai Juyi’s poems referenced in Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, Tongguk Yi Sang-guk Chip by Yi Kyu-bo and Kyewŏn Pilgyŏngjip by Ch’oe Ch’i-wŏn. Through exploring Bai’s poetry in these texts, the author discovers how Murasaki, Sei, Ch’oe, and Yi contributed to transculturuation in Korea and Japan. Furthermore, the transculturation demonstrated by these literati shows a diversity of patterns: cultural mobilization from west to east; the emergence of overlapping histories in different eras and locations; a disappeared culture, recovered through being transmitted to other regions; cultural transplantation or transformation resulting from cultural contacts; and cultural products helped to stimulate economic growth. Subsequently, Bai Juyi’s works stand as a testament to the power of great poetry to improve and enhance cultures across a broad span of time and space. | MAST | economic growth | 8 |
| Lin, Teddy Yen-Ting | Shalaby, Amer S||Miller, Eric J | Transit User Mode Choice Behaviour in Response to TTC Rapid Transit Service Disruption | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Disruption of transit service is a common occurrence in many cities around the world, and these incidents may have serious impacts on the transit userâ s journey. The purpose of this study is to investigate transit user commuting mode choice in response to rapid transit service disruption in the City of Toronto. A joint Revealed Preference and Stated Preference survey is designed to gather information on the respondentâ s actual response to the most recent service disruption and also responses under a set of hypothetical service disruption scenarios. A transit trip planner tool is developed to generate alternative transit options to avoid the disrupted segment. Econometric models are presented, including a joint RP-SP model, showing that the following factors, in addition to travel time and cost, are significant at 95% confidence: frequency of subway trip, trip purpose, subway delay, shuttle bus delay, weather, age, and income. Policy implications are also discussed. | M.A.S. | cities; weather | 11, 13 |
| Linde, Eva | Macklem, Patrick | Consultation or Consent? Indigenous People's Participatory Rights with regard to the Exploration of Natural Resources According to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples | Law | 2010-02-15T13:56:36Z | This thesis examines the development of the right of indigenous peoples to natural resources on their lands and territories in international law. It examines international treaties, the jurisprudence of international courts and other international bodies, as well as the practice of international actors. A special focus is on the UN General Assembly Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The thesis describes the drafting process and the discussions that took place around the issue of land rights and natural resources, and uses this to draw conclusions on the development of a new international customary law of an indigenous right to free, prior and informed consent with regard to natural resources. | MAST | natural resources; rights | 12, 16 |
| Link, Candice | Isaac, Marney | Determining Tree Water Acquisition with Stable Isotope Analysis in a Temperate Agroforestry System | Geography | 2014-07-03 | The water acquisition strategies of trees in agroforestry systems may affect adjacent crops through competition for resources. This study characterizes the water uptake zones of Juglans nigra (walnut) and Populus sp. (hybrid of Populus deltoids X Populus nigra clone DN-177) (poplar) in a temperate agroforestry system. Isotopic analysis (δ18O) of soil water and tree xylem water occurred in early season and late season samples from the Agroforestry Research Station in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Direct inference and multiple source mass-balance approaches showed that poplar exhibited a primary soil water uptake zone at 20 cm in early season, while walnut uptake was higher in the soil profile at 10 cm. Late season water uptake zones shifted to lower in the soil profile (40-70 cm) for both poplar and walnut trees. This study indicates: i) species dependent water acquisition zones, and ii) a shift to lower in the soil profile later in the growing season. | MAST | water; forest | 14, 15 |
| Linton, Jillian | Wakefield, Sarah | Local Food, Global People: Immigrant Counterstories in the Greater Toronto Area | Geography | 2017-11 | Alternative food networks in North America have been critiqued for promoting exclusionary narratives and upholding patterns of inequality. This thesis examines the dominant media narratives surrounding local food, farming and racialized immigrants in Ontario and then presents counterstories of immigrants growing in the Greater Toronto Area to explore their experiences. The media discourse analysis of 224 Toronto Star articles reveals dominant narratives that promote a multicultural, immigrant agricultural national identity and position farming as a way for new immigrants to assimilate into Canadian society. The semi-structured interviews of immigrants growing in the GTA (n=12) show that urban farm spaces play an important role in cultivating belonging, that racialized immigrants do encounter discrimination within the food and farming community, and that participants see local food as a way of challenging a flawed food system. This research shows a distinction between media narratives of local food and farming and immigrant experiences. | M.A. | food; equality; inequality; urban | 2, 5, 10, 11 |
| Lipschitz, Lisa Jodi | Herman, C. Peter | Being Manly Men: Conveying Masculinity Through Eating Behaviour | Psychology | 2010-02-15T14:05:48Z | Males were given false feedback that they scored low, high, or no feedback (control group) on masculinity and given a “masculine” food (meat pizza), a “feminine” food (vegetarian pizza), or the choice between the two to eat. An interaction between masculinity condition and food condition was found when the “feminine” food condition and the Control group were removed, such that low-masculine participants given meat pizza ate a small amount, as did high-masculine participants given a choice. High-masculine participants given meat pizza ate a large amount of food as did low-masculine participants given a choice. In certain situations males want to appear masculine and therefore eat a larger amount of food, or want to appear attractive on other dimensions and therefore eat a smaller amount of food. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Lipszyc, Joshua Chaim | Tarlo, Susan M||Silverman, Frances | Psycho-socio-economic and Health Outcomes of Patients with Work-Related Asthma and Relationships to Different Models of Clinic Organization | Medical Science | 2016-11 | This thesis explored the impact of clinic structure on psychological, socioeconomic, workplace and quality of life (QoL) outcomes among work-related asthma patients between two tertiary clinics (Toronto Western Hospital [TWH] and St. Michael’s Hospital [SMH]). A cross-sectional comparison was carried out between the two clinics and data was collected through administration of five questionnaires: Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Marks’ Asthma QoL Questionnaire, Work Limitations Questionnaire and Survey of Work and Non-work Related Respiratory Symptoms and their Impact. Forty-seven subjects participated from TWH and 30 from SMH. This study reported a better psychological status for SMH patients compared to TWH patients. SMH patients had better QoL for the ‘mood’ domain, and less workplace limitation for the ‘mental-demands’ domain. However, SMH included a greater number of patients with reduced income compared to TWH. Future research should explore the impact of clinic structure on a more homogenous group with larger sample sizes. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic | 1 |
| Liu, Andrew | Liu, Hugh H.T.||Ng, Wai T. | Energy-optimal Flight of a Solar-assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2015-06 | The harnessing of solar energy during the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provides a potential solution to combat the energy constraints. This thesis examines the practicality of a mini solar-assisted UAV and provides experimental validation in regards to energy maximization through solar-electric power management and flight path optimization. A solar-assisted UAV is constructed and shows an increase in flight time. In addition, through the application of power management techniques, an increase in net energy for the solar-assisted UAV is observed. A simulation environment is also developed providing a model for the UAV and estimations for the energy collected and consumed during flight. The simulation results are consistent with real-time measurements during flight tests. Finally, an energy-optimal flight path increasing the net energy is obtained and successfully demonstrated during flight tests. | M.A.S. | energy; solar; consum; environment | 7, 12 |
| Liu, Careesa Chang | Grynpas, Marc D. | Effects of a New Conjugate Drug in a Rat Model of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis | Biomedical Engineering | 2013-12-04 | Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a disease characterized by bone loss and increased risk of fracture, and represents a significant burden on the Canadian health care system. Current treatments lack the ability to simultaneously address the therapeutic needs for promoting bone formation and inhibiting resorption. Our approach employs a novel conjugate drug in which an anabolic agent (EP4 receptor agonist) is reversibly joined with an anti-resorptive agent (alendronate) through a linker. This allows the bone-targeting ability of alendronate to deliver the EP4 agonist to bone sites, thereby mitigating the side effects associated with systemic administration of the EP4 agonist. This study investigated the in vivo efficacy of this drug in a curative experiment to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis using an ovariectomized rat model. Results showed that conjugate treatment dose-dependently stimulated bone formation and restored ovariectomy-induced bone loss, and conjugation between alendronate and the EP4 agonist was crucial to the drug’s anabolic effect. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Liu, Cong | Vecchio, Frank | Modelling of Timber-concrete Composite Structures Subjected to Short-term Monotonic Loading | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | Abstract Timber-concrete composite (TCC) is an innovative and efficient construction material which exploits the best properties of timber and concrete. The presence of shear connectors enables the two dissimilar materials to act together as a whole, resulting in an increase in global stiffness as well as load-carrying capacity. As this composite material is becoming increasingly more popular in the construction industry, there is a need to develop an analysis tool which has general applicability to timber-concrete composite systems with variations in loading schemes, specimen configurations, materials, and types of shear connectors. VecTor2, a 2D nonlinear finite element program developed at the University of Toronto for the analysis of reinforced concrete structures, has the potential to be extended to analyze plain timber and timber-concrete composite structures, provided that an appropriate timber constitutive model is implemented. A generic 2D nonlinear finite element model is proposed in this thesis, and is verified through extensive numerical simulations of six experiment series carried out by researchers around the globe. Good agreement between experimentally observed behaviour and numerical simulations were generally obtained. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Liu, Larkin | Makis, Viliam | COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN STATISTICAL FRAUD DETECTION METHODS ON ECOMMERCE NETWORKS | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-09 | In the eCommerce industry, the problem of consumer fraud is becoming an increasingly troublesome problem posing a multitude of challenges. Large eCommerce firms, such as Alibaba, eBay, Amazon (to name a few) serve the needs of hundreds of millions customers. On a daily basis, a large number of transactions are made and recorded, as more consumers are becoming susceptible to fraudulent behaviour provided the scale of operations. This research aims to develop a robust real-time fraud detection algorithm based on the construction of a behavioural reference model. Time series features pertaining to a data set of customers on a large eCommerce service are collected and assigned to two classes (non-fraudulent or fraudulent) and modelled using a general stochastic model. The classification performance of this model is compared with more conventional classification techniques, such as logistic regression, tree-based methods, and Na誰ve Bayesian Classifier. | M.A.S. | industr; consum | 9, 12 |
| Liu, Li | Lee, Chi-Guhn | The Optimal Distribution of a Perishable Item with Quality Requirements and Delivery Time Windows | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | Food quality deteriorates continuously over time at a speed depending on the storage temperature, and therefore they have to be stored in low temperature to prolong the shelf life, increasing the storage cost significantly. In this thesis, we study a distribution problem in which a temperature controlled warehouse is responsible for supplying a dairy product, using a fleet of homogenous capacitated vehicles, to multiple customers with minimum quality requirements and delivery time windows. The objective is minimizing the sum of the energy cost at the warehouse to maintain the storage temperature low and the transportation cost to deliver the product. Decisions include the storage temperature at the warehouse and the routing of vehicles among customers. We formulate the optimal distribution problem as a mathematical model, and solve it in various scenarios by changing environmental temperature, quality requirements and delivery time windows imposed by customers, energy cost, and transportation cost. | M.A.S. | environment; wind; energy; food | 2, 7, 13 |
| Liu, Tian Mu | Carter, Michael W. | A Generic Bed Planning Model | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-20 | In April 2008, the Ontario government announced its top two healthcare priorities for the next 4 years, one of which is reducing wait time in emergency rooms. To study the wait time in emergency rooms or any other departments in a hospital, one must investigate resource planning, scheduling, and utilization within the hospital. This thesis provides hospitals with a set of simulation and optimization tools to help identify areas of improvement, particularly when there are a number of alternatives under consideration. A simulation tool (a Monte Carlo simulation model) estimates patient demand for beds in a hospital during a typical week. Two optimization tools (an integer programming mathematical model and a heuristics model) demonstrate opportunities for smoothing the patient demand for beds by adjusting the operating room schedule. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Liu, Yao | Ong, Lynette ||Falkenheim, Victor ||Wong, Joseph | Governing the Restless and Young in Contemporary China: in Search for the Chinese Communist Party's Ruling Logic | Political Science | 2011-01-10T16:46:38Z | This thesis explores one particular facet of contemporary state-society relationship in China, i.e. state-student relationship. By arguing against the popular observation that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) retreated from Chinese universities as a way of winning students’ support, this thesis claims that the party-state has adopted a “bird cage” strategy in post-Tiananmen university governance. That is to say, the party-state has not only re-established and strengthened its control institutions in universities, but at same time expanded its zone of tolerance and created new outlets for students’ political enthusiasm and participation. A four-city, seven-university field survey was conducted, the result of which supports the view that the CCP’s post-Tiananmen governance strategy has been effective. Respondents agree that party’s governing institutions are resilient and play important roles in students’ life. They also seem to be in agreement with, at least as the survey results indicate, important political ideas promoted by the party-state. | MAST | institution; governance | 16 |
| Liu, Yiwen | Tarasuk, Valerie | Socio-demographic and Health Factors Associated with Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Social Assistance Recipients | Nutritional Sciences | 2014-11 | While recipients of social assistance have been consistently identified as highly vulnerable to food insecurity, there is still variation in food security status among this population. Our objective was to examine how provincial social assistance policies, recipients' socio-demographic characteristics, and their chronic disease status relate to their food security status. We used logistic regression models to determine these relationships in a sample of single social assistance adults in the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey.The odds of food insecurity were higher in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan compared to Ontario, controlling for socio-demographic factors. Homeowners and respondents with higher incomes appeared to have lower odds of food insecurity. Independent of these effects, having 2 or more chronic conditions, hypertension, or a mental health condition indicated an increased vulnerability. These findings suggest that the needs of social assistance recipients, particularly those chronically ill, are not being adequately met through current benefit structures in order to maintain food security. | M.Sc. | health; food | 2, 3 |
| Liu, Yixin | Sinclair, Anthony N | Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing of Corrosive Resistant Alloy Girth Weld of Cladded Pipes using the Total Focusing Method | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-03 | TFM implementation was adapted to support the usage of Transmit Receive Longitudinal (TRL) ultrasonic probes. A new algorithm was developed to correct for ultrasonic wave velocity variations caused by anisotropic material properties of Corrosive Resistant Alloy (CRA). Experimental testing was conducted on an XRD verified Austenitic Stainless-Steel girth weld sample. A cut-section macrographic image of the weld showing grain orientation and distribution was obtained. Ultrasonic wave velocity when pulse passes normal and parallel to weld grains are measured. The challenges in using TRL probes for TFM delay computation, including curved surface and 3D ray-tracing are addressed. A benchmarking sample was manufactured. The adapted TFM implementation was compared with an industrial phased array scanner. Comparison shows improved resolving capabilities and noise reduction with TFM compared with standard phased array. A velocity correction algorithm is proposed, where individual rays from TFM are analyzed and corrected based on the weld grain structure. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Liu, Yudan | Anderson, G. Harvey | Acute Effects of Navy Bean Powder, Lentil Powder and Chickpea Powder on Postprandial Glycaemic Response and Subjective Appetite in Healthy Young Men | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-20 | In order to examine the effects of industry processed pulse powder (navy bean, lentil and chickpea) on postprandial glycaemic response (BG) and subjective appetite (App) before and after a subsequent meal, three randomized, within-subject experiments on healthy young men were conducted. In experiment 1, all navy bean treatments reduced BG at 30 min and navy bean powder suppressed pre-meal App compared to whole wheat flour. In experiment 2, all lentil treatments reduced pre-meal BG compared to whole wheat flour. However, no App differences were observed. In experiment 3, all chickpea treatments reduced pre-meal BG compared to whole wheat flour. However, no App differences were observed. Therefore, navy bean powder, lentil powder and chickpea powder maintain their low GI and satiating effects, regardless of processing. Pulse powder can be used as a value-added food ingredient to moderate glycaemic response and increase satiety. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Lo, Albert | Habib, Khandker Nurul | Evaluating Longitudinal Impacts of Transit Investments on Transit Demand | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Land use and transportation (LUT) policies have lasting impact on the sustainability of cities. Therefore, these should be examined longitudinally to assess the long-term effects on travel behaviour. Specifically, trends of transit accessibility and transit-oriented developments are considered of the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area from 2001 to 2016. Most of the data used comes from the Transportation Tomorrow Survey and augmented by other sources. At a disaggregate level, location choice models are developed to estimate person accessibility. Generally, people living in highly-mixed areas are more sensitive to transit-walk-access wait time. Regarding the population, several regression models are developed to determine the effect of the considered transit variables on the number of household transit trips. It is found that the variables’ effects increase over time in a positive manner. These results show that these policies have consequences in the long-term and should be considered for future policy. | M.A.S. | cities; land use | 11, 15 |
| Lo, Daniel | Anand, Anita | A Call for Sentencing Enforcement Reform In Ontario Securities Regulation: Restorative Justice, Pyramids and Ladders | Law | 2012-11-20 | This paper is intended, first, to look at the deterrence versus compliance debate, and the various punishment principles that exist in securities regulation. Secondly, a brief overview of the experiences and complexities of securities regulation and sanctioning in Ontario and Canada will be presented. Third, I introduce and apply the “Responsive Regulation” model and the “enforcement pyramid” as posited by Ian Ayres and John Braithwaite to securities enforcement. I advocate for adoption of a three stage enforcement reform process that incorporates restorative justice through an enforcement pyramid and an “enforcement priority ladder”. The expert reports and statistics are used to develop the argument that the OSC is hindered in its enforcement mandate, ultimately, from a lack of sound enforcement guidelines. The end goal is to provide useful recommendations to the OSC and other Canadian securities regulators in achieving a more self-sustaining and investor focused securities regulatory environment. | MAST | environment; justice | 13, 16 |
| Loa, Patrick | Habib, Khandker N||Miller, Eric J | The Design and Empirical Evaluation of the Core-satellite Framework for Urban Passenger Data Collection | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Household travel surveys play a vital role in the operation and development of transportation infrastructure. The urban passenger travel data obtained through household travel surveys play a crucial role in the planning of transportation networks and form the basis of the methods used to forecast the utilization of infrastructure. Traditional household travel survey methods are growing obsolete, owing to technological trends and changing data needs. This thesis proposes a modification to the core-satellite data collection paradigm proposed by Goulias, Pendyala, Bhat (2011), that aims to take a more holistic approach to the collection of urban passenger travel data. The proposed framework presents a method for combining several purpose-specific surveys to create a basis for the analysis of travel behaviour that is greater than the sum of its parts. This thesis also presents two empirical studies that utilize the different types of data outlined in the expanded framework. | M.A.S. | infrastructure; urban | 9, 11 |
| Lobo-Molnar, Bixidu | Connelly, Christine | Entre Nosotras: Latin American Women's Perspectives on Leadership | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-10-09 | This thesis examines the significance of gaining an understanding of leadership that is both culturally appropriate and contextually relevant to its participants. In particular, this study takes up leadership as a process, experienced differently given one’s positionality. It also honors the work of Latin American (LA) women in Canada and interviews members of a LA women’s organization, pseudo-named Nosotras in an effort to begin to unravel the complexities of leadership and leadership training programs for young women. Interviewees contribute to the research through their knowledge on three main questions: (1) What does leadership mean? (2) What are its challenges? (3) How have you come to know leadership? My findings show that having a common vision of leadership is only the tip of the iceberg. A Latina Feminista lens that queers el liderazgo creates spaces to understand nuances, silences, and power dynamics embedded in current leadership processes and models. Key words: Latina Feminista, liderazgo, positionality theory, silence, challenges, and resistance. | MAST | women; queer | 5 |
| Lockwood, Ilana Emilia | Peterson-Badali, Michele | The Relationship between Risk, Criminogenic Need, and Recidivism for Indigenous Justice-involved Youth: A Comparative, Mixed-methods Investigation | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2016-11 | The Risk-Need-Responsivity framework is widely used in Canada to guide the sentencing and case management of justice-involved youth, but there is little research on its applicability to Indigenous populations. The present study analyzed quantitative data for 70 justice-involved youth, together with qualitative data from frontline service providers, to explore how standardized risk assessment, identification of criminogenic needs, and receipt of need-targeted programming related to recidivism for Indigenous youth compared to non-Indigenous youth. The two groups did not differ on overall level of risk, number of needs, match to services, or recidivism rates. However, Indigenous youth were evaluated as higher risk in the peer and leisure domains, more likely to have needs related to education and leisure, and less likely to receive adequate peer-specific intervention. In both groups, risk assessment predicted recidivism, while match to services predicted days to reoffence. Frontline workers shared information with critical implications for research and practice. | M.A. | justice; worker; educat | 4, 8, 16 |
| Lodder, Anton Frederick | Tate, Joseph Z | Evaluation and Visualization of Multi-level Contingencies in Power Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-03 | Contingency analysis is a critical technique for evaluating the operational capability of power systems and characterizing their vulnerability to component faults. The traditional requirement for reliable operations has been an n-1 security constraint --- an electrical network should be resilient to contingencies involving any one element.Contingency analysis is critical to evaluating the operational capacity of power systems and characterizing their vulnerability to component faults. As we look to increase the resilience of networks to element failure, the instance of multiple contingencies is of growing concern for planners and operators in identifying weak points in the system. Multi-element contingencies introduce new challenges for how to reliably and consistently measure the severity of a fault, how to perform contingency analysis on an expanding range of contingency scenarios in a timely manner, and how to interpret the increasingly hierarchical data obtained by contingency analysis. This research explores techniques that can be used to generate, summarize and display the results of multi-element contingency analyses in power systems, including high-performance computational methods for evaluating contingencies and new visualization techniques that leverage visual summarization and live interaction to extract valuable insights from the resulting data. | M.A.S. | resilien | 11 |
| Loeb, Stephanie | Hofmann, Ronald ||Andrews, Susan | Nanostructured Photocatalysis for Water Purification | Civil Engineering | 2013-12-05 | The integration of photocatalytic advanced oxidation into solar disinfection is a robust method of improving the microbial and chemical quality of treated water. This study evaluates the performance of photocatalytic solar irradiated batch reactors through an analytical model that reduces treatment parameters by simplifying photoreactor geometry and relating performance to reactor configuration. Accompanying experiments compare the performance of titanium dioxide coated foams of varying pore size to suspended and fixed film configurations through degradation of organic dyes (acid orange 24 and methylene blue), Escherichia coli, and 1,4-dioxane. Results indicate that a catalyst immobilized on a foam support can match the performance of a suspension due to effective mass transport and association between analyte and foam. Additionally, the potential treatment capacity of solar photocatalysis was compared to conventional treatment methods. Results of this comparison stress the fundamental limitation of solar photocatalysis if visible light wavelengths are not harnessed. | MAST | water; solar | 6, 7 |
| Lombardo, Nicholas Sebastian | Lewsis, Robert | The Haj in the Urbs Prima in Indis: The Regulation of Pilgrims and Pilgrim Traffic in Bombay, 1880 to 1914 | Geography | 2012-08-02 | In this thesis I argue that the management of Muslim pilgrims and the Haj traffic in Bombay was the result of the localization of an international regime of regulation aimed at controlling Hajis as mobile threats to public health and imperial security. International scientists, doctors, and politicians problematized Hajis as diseased, dangerous and disorderly through discourse produced in print material and at international conferences taking place across the globe. Local, elite concerns over their own power, Bombay’s urban spatial order, and the city’s international trade shaped the way these larger global and imperial projects were implemented in Bombay. These findings point to the importance of local, place-based social, political and economic structures in the day-to-day governance of empire. | MAST | trade; urban; governance | 10, 11, 16 |
| Loong, Desmond | Dewa, Carolyn S | The Effectiveness of Mental Health Courts in Reducing Recidivism | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Mental health courts were created to help criminal defendants who do not meet not-guilty-for-reason-of-insanity criteria, but who have a mental illness that is a significant contributing factor to their arrest. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to look at the current evidence on the effectiveness of mental health courts in reducing client recidivism and contact with police. A secondary data analysis was done on mental health court support clients to see what individual level factors were associated with positive recidivism outcomes. From the systematic review, there is some evidence that diversion to a mental health court can lead to a significant decrease in recidivism while the effect on police contact is less clear. From the secondary analysis, age and criminal history were found to be significant factors associated with recidivism. Future research should explore other demographic, socio-economic, or programmatic factors that may be associated with positive recidivism outcomes. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Lopez, Paty Guisella | Santa Mina, Daniel | Physical Activity and Sleep in Gynecological Cancer Survivors | Exercise Sciences | 2020-06 | Sleep disturbances can lead to numerous negatives health outcomes among gynecological cancer survivors (GCS). Sleep disturbances are a common and impactful adverse effect of treatment in GCS and may potentially be ameliorated by increased PA; however, the relationship between PA levels and sleep is poorly understood in this population. This study examined within- and between-individual associations between objectively measured PA and sleep quality. Sixteen women wore an accelerometer for three separate seven-day periods; 24-hour sleep/wake data were obtained to assess PA and various metrics of sleep quality. Multilevel modeling was used to assess if within- and between-individual variability in PA is associated with fluctuations in sleep patterns. Statistical analyses revealed no significant relationship between PA levels and sleep outcomes. While these findings suggest no relationship between daily PA and sleep, further research with larger sample groups is needed to ascertain if increased PA could improve sleep outcomes among GCS. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Lorenzo, Robert Di | Mabury, Scott A. | Perfluoropolyethers: Analytical Method Development for a New Class of Compounds with the Potential to be Long-lived Environmental Contaminants | Chemistry | 2012-11-21 | Perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) are used in a remarkably large number of industrial applications including thin-film lubricants, greases, heat transfer fluids, cosmetics, and EPA-approved food contact paper coatings and are marketed for their chemical inertness. Although desired industrially, it is also the property of most environmental concern. The lack of literature concerning the environmental impact of these compounds suggests a need to assess and characterize their environmental fate and transport. This work describes efforts to develop methods to characterize, identify and quantify various congeners of PFPEs through chromatographic, mass spectral and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The PFPEs exhibited unusual behavior during ionization by ESI, suggesting the possibility of structural lability during analysis. A preliminary assessment of the environmental degradation of a PFPE-phosphate congener is also described, which showed rapid sorption to sewage sludge particulate matter and the possible presence of multiple PFPEs present in the technical product mixture used for analysis. | MAST | industr; environment | 9, 13 |
| Louisy, Terry | Brett, Clare | Multiliteracies, Identity Construction and the Marginalized: Understanding Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) As a Tool to Bridge the Knowledge Society Divide | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-07-10 | Scholars suggest that when students use information and communication technology to complete and present identity texts about their own cultural background, such as self-authored literature, artwork, and multi-media texts, they learn about themselves and others and they can improve literacy skills and proficiency with technology (Chow & Cummins, 2003; Cummins, 2006). In this exploratory case study five middle-school students attending a diverse inner city school, and each representing a different demographic, were asked to complete an identity text project. In question was whether they would consume or critically deconstruct the negative hegemonic discourses they might encounter in the process. Results indicated that student response to these discourses was inconsistent, that students minoritized as black were especially vulnerable to them, and that student-led constructivist projects like this should be preceded by effective inclusive schooling and media literacy pedagogy to help ensure student engagement with multi-literacies is enhanced as intended. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Lozinsky, Cara | Touchie, Marianne F | Improving the Characterization of Infiltration and Natural Ventilation Parameters in Whole-Building Energy Models of Multi-Unit Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | This thesis investigated two low-cost, easy-to-implement procedures to reduce parameter uncertainty for infiltration and natural ventilation inputs in whole-building energy models. Window component infiltration rate testing was conducted at two buildings to develop a component-weighted average infiltration rate. Incorporation of these building-specific measurements reduced parameter uncertainty and accounted for the variation in zone infiltration rates based on type and quantity of leakage paths. The discretization of the infiltration rate can improve energy retrofit models specifically targeting building infiltration, by setting bounds on the maximum possible improvement. Various sensors were tested for their appropriateness in window monitoring applications. An accelerometer, state logger and string potentiometer were tested on both a sliding window and a tilting window. No one sensor distinguished itself as ideal for all applications so selection should be tailored to the window type and monitoring goals. Data on window operation patterns and schedules can improve energy model calibration. | M.A.S. | energy; wind; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Lu, Yan | Karney, Bryan William | Analysis of District Heating Potential in Toronto Using Geographical Information Systems | Civil Engineering | 2013-07-15 | New district heating systems in Toronto have the potential for significant financial and environmental gains. Through the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the data required to estimate heating loads, heat maps were generated on a building-by-building basis for over 4400 buildings at nine different intersections in Toronto. School locations and planned construction maps were used to enhance the data and demonstrate the benefit of considering factors beyond finance and the environment. Out of the intersections studied, Yonge and Eglinton; Yonge and Sheppard; and Yonge and Empress held the largest heating loads. Individual building data allowed for plant locations to be suggested based on their proportional distance to the highest loads. GIS allowed for the visualization of the vast quantity of data. The opportunities for improvement include increasing the availability of location-based data and the application of the methodology to other areas of infrastructure planning and decision making. | MAST | environment; infrastructure; buildings | 9 |
| Luca, Ioana | Prado, Mariana Mota | Canadian Mining Companies, Social Disclosure and Extra-Territorial Human Rights Obligations | Law | 2013-11-27 | The liability of companies for extra-territorial human rights violations does not solely arise from human rights statutes and traditional tort law approaches, but also from the corporate and securities law domains. Securities law requires that public companies disclose any high risk activity that the company is involved in, to the extent that it may affect the viability of the corporation, and this includes possible human rights violations. Management decisions in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility must concern the long-term viability of a company, and therefore accommodating, to the extent possible, the demands of stakeholders – be they traditional shareholders, responsible shareholders, or affected communities. This thesis will analyze the legal obligations triggering such corporate decisions, as well as the industry trends which inform them. The focus will be on Canadian public mining companies. | MAST | industr; rights | 9, 16 |
| Luca, Paola D. | Hamilton, Jill | Adolescents with Severe Obesity: Outcomes of Participation in an Intensive Obesity Management Program | Medical Science | 2013-12-05 | Objective: To evaluate the SickKids Team Obesity Management Program (STOMP), an obesity management program for severely obese adolescents. Methods: Non-randomized study of 6 and 12 month outcomes in STOMP patients vs. a comparison group of obese adolescents. Results: At 6 months, STOMP patients stabilized their BMI (0.08±0.3 kg/m2;p=0.79) and reported improved psychological and health behaviour measures, whereas comparison participants increased their BMI (0.7±0.2 kg/m2;p=0.004) and had worsening of cardiometabolic outcomes. Between-group differences included improved cardiometabolic, psychological and health behaviour measures in STOMP patients. At 12 months, STOMP patients stabilized their BMI (0.8±0.5 kg/m2;p=0.07), had improvements in anthropometric and cardiometabolic outcomes and reported an increase in health behaviours, whereas comparison participants increased their BMI (1.2±0.4 kg/m2;p=0.001) and had worsening of cardiometabolic outcomes. Between-group differences included improved anthropometric, cardiometabolic and health behaviour outcomes in STOMP patients. Conclusions: Participation in STOMP improved anthropometric, cardiometabolic, psychological and health behaviour outcomes among severely obese adolescents. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Luca, Ruxandra Monica | Gerlai, Robert | Behavioural Analysis of Zebrafish: Shoaling and Fear Responses | Psychology | 2010-02-15T14:15:20Z | Zebrafish, a novel vertebrate model organism, has a high nucleotide sequence homology with human genes. Its transparent and fast developing embryo allows the analysis of physiological and anatomical characteristics, many of which are similar to those of mammals. Although the prolific nature of zebrafish can facilitate genetic studies, linking genes and behaviour is difficult because behaviour is not well investigated in zebrafish. The aim of this project is to develop robust behavioural tests that can quantify shoaling with conspecifics and fear responses to natural predators. Eight conditions using different computer-animated stimuli were used to induce behavioural responses. The results demonstrate that shoaling behaviours and fear responses can be successfully induced. More importantly, the behaviours caused by the computer-animated images confirm previous research findings using natural conspecifics and predators. Thus, computer-animated images will help standardize behavioural tests in zebrafish and will lead the way to more sophisticated and better controlled experiments. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Lucato, Lindsay Nicole | Besco, Laurel | Corporate Sustainability Distinctions, Transitions and Perceptions: A Look to Canada’s Big Five Banks | Geography | 2019-11 | Corporate sustainability (CS) is becoming increasingly mistaken for or confused with corporate social responsibility (CSR). Literature in recent years has identified this muddied area and argues for further clarity. Clarifying this confusion and understanding the fundamentals of CS can help to ensure companies implement sustainable strategies that are beneficial for current and future generations, while also ensuring resiliency and long-term success. With the creation of a theoretical framework that sets CS and CSR apart, this research emphasizes the importance of sustainability within business and explores Canada’s Big Five banks as its case study. Through the analysis of 75 past and present reports (2002-2018), as well as interviews with employees of all five companies, the ways in which sustainability and social responsibility are perceived and implemented is investigated. Findings demonstrate clear shifts beyond CSR towards greater focus on CS within Big Five operations, allowing for lessons to be learned across sectors. | M.A. | resilien | 11 |
| Lue, Adrian | Conway, Tenley | Experiences of Community Gardening Participants in Different Garden Settings | Geography | 2017-11 | Community gardens provide a number of social and civic benefits. While most community gardens are at street-level, rooftop might be used to replace green spaces that have been lost during development. Rooftop gardens can provide similar benefits to those provided by street-level gardens. However, there is a lack of research that compares experiences between street-level and rooftop garden participants, as well as urban and suburban contexts. Community garden participants were surveyed in Mississauga and Toronto, Canada to better understand how garden setting affects experiences. Respondentsâ perceived benefits differed from those identified in the current literature, highlighting the need to examine a variety of gardens and participants. In the Mississauga gardens, community benefits were consistently identified. Members from Ryersonâ s rooftop growing space identified broader challenges related to sustainability. Both garden types provide a range of benefits, but to contribute to local sustainability goals, there must be participation from a wider population. | M.A. | urban; food | 2, 11 |
| Lue, Gregory David | Miller, Eric J | Estimating a Toronto Pedestrian Route Choice Model using Smartphone GPS Data: It's Not the Destination, but the Journey, that Matters | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | City planning has an emphasis on working towards creating walkable cities with boulevards, wide sidewalks, and social spaces. This study uses revealed preference GPS data collected through a smartphone-based travel survey and discrete choice modelling techniques to determine pedestriansâ preferences towards street infrastructure, built environment, and land use. A path size logit model with stochastic route choice generation choice set was used for this model. The results of the model showed that distance, the number of turns, the number of signalized intersections, and distance along links with sidewalks on both sides of the street were significant variables in the route choice model. Turns are found to be equivalent to an additional 32m, signalized intersections are equivalent to a reduction of 34m, and travel along streets with sidewalks on both sides of the road is perceived as 33% shorter than streets with other sidewalk conditions. | M.A.S. | infrastructure; cities; environment; land use | 9, 11, 13, 15 |
| Luft, Olga | Levy, Gary | Targeted Deletion of Fgl2 Enhances Anti-viral T Cell Responses and Mediates Viral Clearance in a Murine Model of Chronic Viral Infection | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2014-03-18 | Chronic viral infection is a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Robust anti-viral immune responses are essential for viral clearance. Persistent viruses use a variety of mechanisms to evade immune surveillance including the upregulation of host immunesuppressive factors. Secreted fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2) has been identified as an inhibitory effector molecule in suppressing immune responses in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) disease. In a murine model of chronic infection caused by Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13, we demonstrate that mice deficient in Fgl2 have increased numbers of mature antigen-presenting cells (APC), improved virus-specific cytotoxic T cell immunity and enhanced viral clearance when compared to wild-type mice. These results highlight the importance of the FGL2 inhibitory pathway in immune evasion and provide a rationale to investigate the effects of blocking FGL2 as a novel immune therapeutic in patients suffering from persistent infections. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Lugtu-Pe, Jamie Anne | Wu, Xiao Y | Controlled Release as a Strategy to Prevent Solution-mediated Phase Transformation in Amorphous Solid Dispersions: Effect of Dosage Form Design | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2014-11 | The purpose of this study was to define the limits of developing a controlled-release amorphous solid dispersion (CRSD) system intended for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs. Feasibility of multiple solid oral CRSD dosage form designs, such as spray dried powders, coated beads and compressed matrices (dry granulations and tablets) was evaluated. Solid dispersion powders were characterized in terms of ability to establish and maintain amorphicity in the dry form (by DSC and XRD) and ability to circumvent events leading to solution-mediated phase transformation (SMPT), or recrystallization during dissolution. While all dosage forms could successfully be produced with the amorphous dispersion, great differences in dissolution/recrystallization profiles were found, depending on how the controlled release agent was incorporated. These studies reveal that when designing a solid dispersion system, greater benefit can be derived by selecting the appropriate dosage form design, granting the formulator the much sought-after control over the challenge of SMPT. | M.Sc. | water | |
| Lukovich, Jovan | Kwon, Roy H. | A Look at Model Uncertainty in the Evaluation of Commodity Contingent Claims: A Practitioner's Guide | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2013-07-15 | Model uncertainty in financial markets is prevalent by the very nature of how models are constructed and used by financial practitioners. As such, a proper characterization of model uncertainty should be paramount in the eyes of every practitioner, and furthermore, a proper framework for implementing such a characterization towards financial activities should be implicit. While model uncertainty is acknowledged by practitioners, a cohesive and robust framework for determining a model uncertainty risk measure that is broadly accepted by practitioners is missing. We acknowledge this deficiency and provide a practitioner's guide for evaluating a modern characterization of model uncertainty, specifically that of Li and Kwon, as applied to a subset of derivative related calculations, with the goal of promoting its implementation by practitioners. We promote its implementation by demonstrating the utility and flexibility of such a characterization relative to another modern model uncertainty risk measure, specifically that of Cont. | MAST | financial market | 10 |
| Lum, Rebecca | Kuluski, Kerry | Exploring the Role of Resilience in the Experiences of Family Caregivers of a Patient Requiring an Alternate Level of Care | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Patients requiring an Alternate Level of Care (ALC) wait in the hospital for an appropriate discharge setting despite being cleared for discharge. The increasing ALC rates have negative implications for health system performance and patient and caregiver health and wellbeing. To date, there are few studies focusing on caregiver perspectives during the ALC period and no research has been conducted on caregiver resilience during this period. This thesis describes the development of a conceptual framework on resilience and family caregiving. Using this conceptual framework, a secondary analysis of qualitative data was undertaken to explore how resilience was impacted and reflected in family caregivers who are caring for a patient who requires an ALC. Three themes were identified: becoming an advocate, variable communication with the healthcare team and searching for balance. Findings from this study shed light on how the health system can support caregivers during this stressful time. | M.Sc. | resilien; health | 3, 11 |
| Lupa, Patrick | MacIntosh, Jeffrey G. | The BCE Blunder: An Argument in Favour of Shareholder Wealth Maximization | Law | 2011-01-10T19:51:20Z | The traditional approach to corporate governance in Canada has centered on shareholders. This model of governance is commonly referred to as shareholder primacy. The shareholder primacy model has recently been rejected by the Supreme Court of Canada in Peoples v. Wise and BCE v. 1976 Debentureholders. This paper will be argued that directors should be required to focus exclusively on increasing shareholder value in the change of control context. It is within the change of control context that shareholders most require fiduciary protection. In addition, the shareholder primacy rule provides an enforceable standard for evaluating the actions of directors. As stakeholders have a variety of mechanisms to ensure that their interests are not disregarded, they are not in need of fiduciary protection. In contrast, shareholders face greater risks, which validate a need to be protected by an exclusive fiduciary duty in the change of control context. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| Lyn, Ryan Christopher | Hutchison, Michael G | Exploring Current Nutritional Recommendation Practices by Physicians and Dietary Changes in Patients Following Sport-Related Concussion | Exercise Sciences | 2020-03 | Sport-related concussion is a concern for athletes. Currently, recommendations of initial rest followed by a gradual re-introduction of cognitive and physical activities is common practice among physicians following concussion. However, there is no standard rehabilitation strategy to manage a sport-related concussion. Additionally, the literature maintains gaps addressing nutritional recommendations in the current concussion paradigm. Therefore, this thesis was two-fold: (1) To characterize current recommendation practices of physicians managing SRC, with interest examining frequency of nutritional interventions, and (2) to characterize and identify changes in nutrition status and food behaviours. Collectively, these studies found an undeniable gap between the recommendation practices of physicians regarding nutrition and the observed nutritional changes occurring post-injury in patients with concussive injury. Future research should evaluate physicians’ nutrition knowledge in greater depth and continue to characterize nutritional changes in patients. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition | 2 |
| Lyons, Sarah Jane | Gillis, Joseph Roy | The Role of Social Support and Psychological Resources in Depression in People Living with HIV/AIDS: Examining the Mediating Role of Mastery and Self-esteem | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-04-05T20:03:04Z | The present study explored the influence of social support and psychological resources on depression in people living with HIV/AIDS. The mediating role of mastery and self-esteem was examined. Factor analysis of the MOS-SSS supported three dimensions of social support. Findings from a predominantly gay male sample of unemployed individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the Toronto-area indicated high levels of depressive symptomatology, which were negatively related to emotional/informational support, tangible support, and affectionate/interpersonal support. Mediation analyses indicated partial support of the Cognitive Adaptation Model, revealing significant mediating effects of mastery on the relationship between social support and depressive symptomatology. Self-esteem was not found to be a significant mediator of this relationship. Findings suggest the need for social support interventions that help to strengthen mastery in individuals living with HIV/AIDS in order to reduce depression. Attention should be paid to self-esteem and its relationship with gender and employment status in this population. | MAST | gender; employment | 5, 8 |
| Ma, Eugene | Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan | An In silico Investigation of the Metabolic Capabilities of Anaeromyxobacter Dehalogenans and Field-scale Applications | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-03-18 | In recent years, uranium pollution in the environment has been recognized as a serious threat, and novel in situ microbial bioremediation strategies have been incorporated into field-scale contaminated sites. The Oak Ridge Integrated Field-scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFC) site is one of the largest uranium contaminated areas in the United States, and a literature review has revealed the potential of uranium reduction by dominant Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans species that respire during bioremediation. A genome-scale model of A. dehalogenans, a unique microbe with diverse metabolic capabilities that thrives in the natural environment, has been developed, and applied to an in silico field-scale computational setting for evaluation of the biotic uranium reduction in the Oak Ridge IFC site. The metabolic model of A. dehalogenans was integrated into an expanded microbial community framework for the prediction of chemical profiles, and subsequent scenario evaluation of in situ measured data. | MAST | environment; pollut | 13, 14 |
| Ma, Leanne | Scardamalia, Marlene | The Emergence of Rotating Leadership and Collective Responsibility in Grades 1 and 4 | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | Building cultural capacity for innovation is an educational imperative. Knowledge Building pedagogy aims to engage students in sustained creative work with ideas from the earliest years of schooling, with all students taking responsibility for creating and advancing community knowledge. In this investigation, the online discourse of grade 1 and 4 students was examined to explore the possibility of identifying rotating leadership, a distinctive feature of cyberteams that create knowledge in out-of-school contexts. Network analyses were conducted to examine leadership patterns at the group level, followed by content analyses to understand leadership behaviours at the individual level. Overall, student networks were relatively decentralized, with many students leading the group at different points in time by connecting new or unique ideas to the class discussion. This research represents the first attempt to integrate Collaborative Innovation Network theory and Knowledge Building. Findings are discussed within the context of education for the Knowledge Age. | M.A. | innovation | 9 |
| Macdonald, Katrina Madeleine | Evans, Greg J||Abbatt, Jonathan | The Chemical Composition of High Arctic Snow: Deposition Mechanisms and Sources | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-11 | Recent observations of Arctic temperature increases and ice/snow loss have highlighted the importance of defining pollutant pathways to the Arctic. Fresh snow samples collected at Alert, Nunavut, from September 2014 to June 2015 were analyzed for carbon species, major ions, and metals, and their concentrations and fluxes reported. Comparison with simultaneous atmospheric monitoring found dry deposition to be a dominant removal mechanism for several compounds over the winter while wet deposition increased in importance in the fall/spring, possibly due to enhanced scavenging by mixed-phase clouds. This unprecedented dataset provided an opportunity for a temporally-refined source apportionment of key snow impurities. The majority (73%) of the black carbon in snow, a light-absorbing compound critical to the Arctic radiative balance, was identified as the product of fossil fuel burning with limited biomass burning influence. Both depositional and sourcing analyses suggested the external mixing of black carbon, sea salt, crustal, and sulphate aerosols. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| MacDougall, Jan | Titchkosky, Tanya | Re-addressing Emotional Anguish: Critical Analysis of a University's Mental Health Services | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T19:17:50Z | This thesis works from a disability studies perspective to explore the meaning of ‘mental health and illness’ in a university setting. I use the concept of ‘emotional anguish’ as a way to shift the meaning of pain from its taken-for-granted understanding as a medical issue to a more open conception of pain as a category that is always-already an issue of and for interpretation. I use interpretive sociology to show how all conceptions, including conceptions of health, illness, and disability, are socio-historical phenomena, reflecting the culture from which these concepts arise. I use the work of Michel Foucault to discuss the limits of conceiving of emotional anguish as a 'medical problem.' I draw on Sara Ahmed as her work orients to emotions as social phenomena. I conclude by discussing how we might begin to think about emotional anguish as more than a ‘medical problem.’ | MAST | health | 3 |
| MacFarlane, Stephen Sohier | Fortin, Marie-Josée | Creating Useful Road Mortality Models: Identifying Drivers of Road Mortality at Different Resolutions in the Greater Toronto Area | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-06 | Road propagation has led to landscape level threats due to habitat destruction, pollution, and mortality. Road mortality risk prediction converges on three drivers: habitat availability, landscape connectivity, and traffic volume. This study assessed the relative importance of mortality drivers in a peri-urban landscape at different taxonomic levels. Road mortality data and land cover data were provided by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and traffic data from governmental sources were used. I modelled landscape connectivity using circuit theory algorithms. Driver significance was assessed using univariate multiple regression models and multivariate redundancy analyses, using total road mortality, taxa-based road mortality, and species level road mortality for American toads and grey treefrogs. Local scale drivers such as wetland patchiness and amount had the greatest effects on road mortality. Greater divergence occurred at the species scale, though conserved patterns were seen across multiple taxonomic levels. | M.Sc. | urban; pollut; conserv | 11, 14 |
| MacKay-Lyons, Renée | Christopoulos, Constantin | Performance-based Design of RC Coupled Wall High-rise Buildings with Viscoelastic Coupling Dampers | Civil Engineering | 2013-03-18 | A new damping technology, the Viscoelastic Coupling Damper (VCD), has been developed at the University of Toronto for reinforced concrete (RC) coupled wall high-rise buildings. These dampers are introduced in place of coupling beams to provide distributed supplemental damping in all lateral modes of vibration. This thesis presents an analytical investigation of the application of VCDs in a high-rise case study building located in a region of high seismicity. A parametric study has been conducted to determine the optimal number and placement of the dampers to achieve enhanced seismic performance without compromising the wind response of the structure. Nonlinear time history analyses have been carried out in order to compare the seismic performance of a conventional coupled wall building to alternative designs incorporating VCDs. Results highlight the improved performance of VCDs over RC coupling beams at all levels of seismic hazard. A design procedure for seismic-critical buildings is proposed. | MAST | buildings | 9 |
| MacKinnon, Stephanie Milo | Mojab, Shahrzad | Youth Crisis: Unemployment and Outmigration in Nova Scotia | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-11 | In recent years, the unemployment, underemployment, and outmigration of youth from Nova Scotia have been widely researched. The subject is often referred to as the “youth crisis”. Much of this work analyzes the experiences of youth who have left the province, as well as those who remain and the communities impacted by youth migration trends. But insufficient attention has been paid to how social and historical relations have created this moment. This thesis explores these relations, the ideology behind them, and how young people in Nova Scotia understand both these relations and this ideological framing. Through two complimentary entry points – document analysis and narrative-based interviews – this thesis examines and challenges the dominant way of conceptualizing the “youth crisis”. This research will inform the project of imagining and building an alternative future, a future where all Nova Scotians can feel secure to pursue the things that make them feel most fulfilled. | M.A. | employment | 8 |
| Mackwood, Daniel J. | McEwen, Rhonda | Wholesale Broadband Access and Regulatory Appeals in the Canadian Telecommunications Industry: An Institutional Analysis | Information Studies | 2017-06 | This thesis focuses on Canada’s federal regulatory appeal procedure, the “Petition to the Governor in Council” (GiC), and questions how it integrates with other institutional actors in the country’s telecommunications policymaking apparatus. The research applies the Institutional Analysis and Development framework methodology to a recent GiC appeal decision in favour of mandated wholesale broadband access to fibre-to-the-premises facilities. This appeal decision, the thesis suggests, helps to illustrate how Canada’s telecommunications regulator, the CRTC, has maintained its ability to shape the specifics of policy outcomes. Despite GiC jurisdiction over the direction to telecommunications regulation, as well as obstructions to CRTC policy development that can transpire as a byproduct of GiC appeal decisions, the findings show that the CRTC has nevertheless defended its status as the lead actor in the regime. The thesis also points to areas where the GiC procedure would benefit from improved transparency and strengthened conduits for regional representation. | M.I.S. | institution | 16 |
| MacLennan, Rosannagh | MacNeill, Margaret | Navigating Athlete Citizenship: The Negotiation of Rights, Roles and Responsibilities by Canadian Olympians | Exercise Sciences | 2018-06 | Forms of citizenship expand beyond those based on nation-state to involve populations at both sub-national and transnational levels (Roche, 2002; Yuval-Davis, 2006; Sindic, 2011). This research examines the athlete citizenry including (1) institutionalized meanings related to rights, roles, and responsibilities of high-performance athletes; and (2) the range of meanings of athlete citizenship negotiated by athletes. Document analysis and interviews with athletes and key informants have been deployed to synthesize an athlete citizenship framework. Findings from this research are: (1) athletes express a sense of belonging to a transnational community of high-performance and Olympic athletes; thus, it is possible to derive a definition of athlete citizenry by examining the athlete community through broader models of citizenship; (2) further work is needed to uphold and expand athletes’ rights; (3) athletes with recent high-performance success tend to engage in social initiatives to derive ‘deeper’ meaning from their sporting experiences. | M.Sc. | institution; rights | 16 |
| MacMullin, Laura Nicole | VanderLaan, Doug P | Testing an Intergroup Relations Intervention Strategy to Improve Appraisals of Gender Nonconformity in Children | Psychology | 2019-11 | Past research has linked poor psychosocial adjustment amongst children who express gender nonconformity (GNC) to poor peer relations (e.g., facing ridicule and rejection); however, very little research has explored whether it is possible to improve children’s appraisals of GNC. The present study employed an experimental vignette design aimed at improving appraisals of GNC amongst 4- to 5-year-old (n = 176) and 8- to 9-year-old (n = 182) children. In the intervention condition, targets were presented who displayed mostly gender-nonconforming preferences, some gender-conforming preferences, and positive attributes. Following the intervention, participants’ appraisals of gender-nonconforming and gender-conforming targets were assessed through verbal reports, a sharing task, and a rank-order task. Overall, the intervention did not improve appraisals of GNC, and there were no differences based on age or gender of the participants, or gender of the targets. This study provides insight into how future intervention work might be strengthened. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Madan, Gita Rao | Razack, Sherene H | Policing in Toronto Schools: Race-ing the Conversation | Social Justice Education | 2016-03 | In 2008, fully armed and uniformed police officers were deployed to thirty public high schools in Toronto to patrol the hallways on a full-time basis. The permanent assignment of police to the city’s schools represents an unprecedented turn toward a disciplinary strategy rooted in a paradigm of security and surveillance. This institutional ethnography traces the chronology of the program, exploring how race-absent official discourses of safety and relationship building are used not only to legitimize the program but also to conceal how it works to produce and sustain social inequalities in schools. I argue that racial power is constitutive of the SRO program itself—that it is not simply an effect or consequence of the program’s existence but the very instrument through which it operates. As such, a framework for school discipline that is rooted in equity and justice would require the complete removal of police officers from school spaces. | M.A. | institution; justice | 16 |
| Maghraby, Mohamed Karim Hisham Ali | Bandsma, Robert HJ | Using Milk-derived Exosomes To Repair Malnutrition-induced Gut Barrier Dysfunction In Mice | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-06 | Malnutrition is linked to 45% of death below the age of 5 and intestinal dysfunction, including intestinal barrier breakdown and mucosal atrophy. Exosomes are minute extracellular vesicles that were shown to influence intestinal stem cell function, which could stimulate intestinal repair. This study aimed to investigate the effect of exosomes in malnutrition-induced mucosal atrophy and barrier dysfunction. C57BL/6J mice received a control or isocaloric protein deficient diet for 14 days to induce malnutrition. From day 10 to 14 they received daily oral gavage of milk-derived exosomes or PBS control. Malnourished mice demonstrated villus blunting, increased permeability as evidenced by significantly increased FITC levels and loss of Claudin-3 which were improved with exosomes. Small intestinal cellular proliferation was increased with exosomes (Ki67 staining) and associated with signs of increased leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 stem cell activity. Exosomes could be an attractive therapy to restore intestinal function in malnourished children. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Mahamed, Fowzia | Livingstone, David W. | There is No Choice: Examining Somali Parents' Experience with Special Education | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-04-05T20:08:08Z | We now have a student population that is culturally, linguistically and economically diverse. This, in turn, has resulted in school board initiatives in response to this diversity, primarily; it appears, in ways that harden social class and racial divisions in the society (Roberston & Kushner, 2006). One clear example of this is the over-representation in Special Education of poor, immigrant students of colour, whose culture and language differs from that of English-speaking Canada. This thesis focuses on the experience of Somali parents whose children have been placed in Special Education or where an attempt has been made to place them. The purpose of this study is to examine if high or low cultural capital among Somali parents’ influences the placement of their children in Special Education. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, I look at the experience of 8 Somali parents. Thematic analysis of the data is used to understand the findings. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Mahdi, Hayder Ali | Magalhaes, Marco A.O. | Characterization of the inflammatory infiltrates associated with oral epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma | Dentistry | 2017-11 | Oral cancer is a devastating disease which represents a serious public health challenge. In this study, we evaluated a total of 49 patientsâ samples diagnosed with hyperkeratosis without dysplasia, benign polyps, epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Fluorescent Immunohistochemistry (FIHC), confocal microscope and multichannel colocalization (multichannel fluorescent confocal analysis or MFCA) were used to characterize the inflammatory infiltrate in OSCC and epithelial dysplasia and compare it to other conditions. Our results show a distinct profile of inflammatory cells in OSCC when compared to other lesions. Also, gradual increases in the CD4/CD8 and NLR ratios were identified when moving from hyperkeratosis to more severe pre-malignant conditions and SCC. This is an important line of research that describes a novel method to identify the population of different inflammatory cells in oral biopsies and our result supports the implementation of MFCA as a potential diagnostic marker and predictor of malignant transformation. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Mahdian, Mina | Jia, Charles Q||Kirk, Donald W | Production, Characterization and Application of Monolithic Biocarbon for Water Desalination | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11 | Desalination is a process of removing salts from saline solutions to produce fresh water. Currently, the challenges of desalination technology are high energy consumption and material cost. This project suggests sustainable and affordable ways to purify water via evaporation process under sunlight or capacitive deionization using monolithic biocarbon. Biocarbon was produced from woody biomass during 60 hours of slow pyrolysis. After pyrolysis, the macrostructure of wood is preserved in the produced biocarbon. The morphology, chemical composition, permeability and electro capacitance of biocarbon was measured. The effect of biocarbon amount, biocarbon particle size range, light intensity, light distance, salt concentration, and wood orientation on evaporation rate was studied. The use of monolithic biocarbon increased the evaporation rate 8 times higher from saltwater. The permeability of biocarbon and evaporation rate in axial and radial orientation was significantly different. The measured capacitance of biocarbon was 113 F/g in 1 M NH_4Cl solution. | M.A.S. | water; energy; consum | 6, 8, 12 |
| Mahentharan, Mayuri | Kurdyak, Paul | A Population-based Study of Individuals with Schizophrenia and Correctional Involvement | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-06 | The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics of individuals with and without schizophrenia within a Canadian correctional population. This cohort study included 46,928 individuals who were released from Ontario’s provincial correctional facilities from January 1 to December 31, 2010. Survival analysis was used to examine how schizophrenia, incarceration, comorbidity and healthcare utilization were associated with recidivism in this cohort; each of these variables showed a decrease in the risk rate of recidivism. The study results show that the schizophrenia prevalence within this cohort was 7%. Approximately 67.5% of schizophrenic individuals were reincarcerated within five years following the index incarceration, compared to 58.8% of individuals without schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia were 40% (aHR: 1.39) more likely to have a reincarceration event following release than the comparative group. Descriptively, individuals with schizophrenia experienced a higher number of correctional events and higher rates of healthcare utilization throughout the observational period. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Mahmood, Maryam | Arhonditsis, George | Contaminants in Lake Erie Fish Communities: A Bayesian Evaluation | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2012-11-22 | Increasing awareness about the presence and ecological ramifications of toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants within the Great Lakes system spurred the implementation of numerous bans and emissions restrictions over the past few decades. Due to their high trophic status in food webs and the critical link they serve with human consumers, fish species have historically been monitored to assess the relative success of such remedial efforts within the region and to simultaneously ascertain the current risks posed to local humans. Using Bayesian dynamic linear modelling, this project first aimed to evaluate temporal trends of various organochlorine contaminants within Lake Erie fish communities, the results of which generally indicated decreasing trends through time. The second half of this study used a similar Bayesian approach to propose a framework for updating fish consumption advisories, with specific attention paid to the acknowledgment of uncertainty and natural variability when producing such consumption guidelines. | MAST | food; consuml fish | 2, 12, 14 |
| Mahmoud, Ahmed | Bilton, Amy M | A Passive Solar-thermal Aeration System for Rural Pond Aquaculture | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-11 | Dissolved oxygen is one of the most critical aspects of water quality in a fish culture system. For small-scale aquaculture farmers in resource-constrained communities, aeration systems -- which introduce oxygen to pond water -- are out of reach due to their high capital cost and lack of access to electricity. This thesis presents an alternative, passive, affordable, aerator concept to meet the needs of those farmers. Using a solar-thermal absorber and heat conductor, the device induces convective circulation in the pond, thereby producing an even dissolved oxygen distribution. In order to evaluate this concept, a tool to predict temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles in a water column was developed, along with CFD simulations of the device. Using results from those simulations, prototypes of the device were designed, constructed and tested in Vietnam and Bangladesh. Field trials of those prototypes showed a dissolved oxygen improvement of ~18% near the device. | M.A.S. | water; solar; fish | 7, 14 |
| Mahmoud, Hamdi | Buckley, Michelle | From Smuggling to Social reproduction: Migration and Livelihood Strategies of Young Somali Men in Toronto, Canada | Geography | 2018-06 | This research paper traces the methods, modes and networks that young Somali men between the ages of 25-30 have used in order to migrate, gain entry and seek asylum in Toronto, Canada from Somalia. This thesis goes further to analyze the ways in which this group of young men seek to carve out a livelihood once they arrive in Canada. Using in depth interviews with a group of 9 young men in the Toronto area, I explore how legal status, statelessness, race and gender norms, clan affiliations and masculine kinship obligations intersect to produce a particular migratory and settlement experience for these young men. Furthermore, I suggest that these networks do not just structure the migration experience for this group of young men but they play an important role in shaping these men’s access to work and ability to survive once they arrive in Canada. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Majeed, Haris | Doria, Andrea S | Understanding Early Hemophilic Arthropathy in Children and Adolescents Through Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based on T2 Mapping | Medical Science | 2019-06 | Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive disease, which mainly affects males. This disease results in bleeding events targeting mainly the joints, which leads to arthropathy and cartilage degeneration. Human cartilage is primarily composed of water; as a result, past studies have noted that magnetic resonance imaging through T2 mapping can hold great promise for assessment of early changes in the cartilage. Hence this cross-sectional study seeks to validate T2 mapping as a tool for studying children and adolescents with hemophilic arthropathy. T2 relaxation times of hemophilia and healthy ankle/knee joints were compared, and found to have significant differences in mean T2 relaxation times. Furthermore, significant negative associations between age and T2 relaxation times were noted in both groups. Therefore, this investigation suggests that future studies may be able to use T2 mapping as a tool to better understand early hemophilic arthropathy in children and adolescents. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Mak, Jordan | Tarasuk, Valerie | Food Insecurity during Pregnancy in Canada | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11 | Using the Canadian Community Health Surveys (2005-2014), the objectives of this thesis were to characterize the relationship between household economic circumstances and food insecurity during pregnancy; and to explore the health and well-being of food-insecure pregnant women. 13% of pregnant women reported experiences of food insecurity in this pan-Canadian sample (n=4,817). Adjusting for confounding sociodemographic variables, lower household income, reliance on social assistance, renting one’s dwelling and the presence of children in the household were associated with moderate-severe food insecurity. Moderate-severe food insecurity was associated with greater adjusted odds of multiple measures of poorer mental health. Food insecurity during pregnancy is a public health problem, requiring evidence-informed policy solutions explicitly aimed to reduce food insecurity. Specifically, policy action should focus on factors associated with vulnerability identified in this study, such as low income and reliance on social assistance. | M.Sc. | food; health; women | 2, 3, 5 |
| Makin, Alexander Clive Oliphant | Sykes, Heather | Deconstructing a Nunavut Educators Experience: My Personal Journey towards Decolonial Praxis | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-06 | Nunavut has committed to the implementation of a bilingual educational strategy. A contemporary legacy of colonialism in Nunavut, however, has complicated the implementation of a bilingual educational strategy contributing to important concerns about the presence of Inuit culture and languages. To disrupt my relationship to a contemporary legacy of colonialism, I ask how I may begin the process of decolonizing my experiences with cultural inclusion policy and language as a white male settler teacher? Applying a poststructuralist perspective that couples autoethnography and deconstruction I interrogate my subjectivity as a white male settler teacher. Several journal entries provide the basis for my analysis that through persistent questioning depart from familiar interpretation to produce openings regarding what could be happening and what could be. To conclude, I discuss both the implications and limitations of my analysis in relation to responsibility, emerging epistemology, and the potential to transition from reflection to action. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Malcolm, Alison | Farrell, Joseph P. | Second Chances: A Study of Rural Malawian Youth in a Complementary Basic Education Programme | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2009-12-14T16:21:57Z | In Malawi, an estimated 202 000 children are out of school and of those in school, less than 50 percent reach grade five. Increasingly, alternatives to the formal school system are gaining traction as a means to reach these excluded children. Recognizing the necessity, the Malawian government recently stipulated a non-formal provision in its education plan. As demand increases, it is important to consider what makes these programmes appealing and sustainable. Using qualitative interview methods, this study explores the lives of ten rural Malawian youth who are participating in an alternative initiative and investigates factors that have influenced the students to initially join and remain in the programme. The study sheds light on experience with alternative education initiatives as seen from the student perspective and provides insight into influences, motivation and successful non-formal programming by linking the theoretical framework to the findings. | MAST | educat; rural | 4, 11 |
| Malcolm, Gabrielle Olivia | Jackson, Donald A.||Mandrak, Nicholas E. | An Objective Method to Quantify the Location Criterion used to Classify Species at Risk in Canada | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-01 | Location is an indicator often used in the conservation assessments of species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The guidelines on the definition and calculation of location have received criticism for their ambiguity. To examine the application of location, I summarized the use of locations in COSEWIC assessment reports for 86 Canadian freshwater taxa. I propose an alternative method for calculating location using a standardized geographic buffer. Simulations to test the applicability of the buffer were conducted in ArcGIS using distribution data, scale of the primary threat, and minimum area for viable population for 20 imperiled freshwater fish species of southern Ontario. The shape of the buffer is dependent on the species habitat and the primary threat to the species. My proposed objective method of calculating location will contribute to more accurate conservation assessments of species, and subsequent development and implementation of conservation strategies. | M.Sc. | fish; conserv; water | 14 |
| Malczyk, Evan | Branfireun, Brian | Assessing Mercury Exposure Risk in the Lake Zapotlán Watershed, Mexico | Geography | 2010-02-15T20:47:01Z | Mercury is an environmental contaminant of global concern. The distribution of mercury in freshwater systems is poorly characterized in Mexico, despite widespread contamination from industrial and urban effluents. The land use, geology, and hydrology of the Lake Zapotlán basin, Mexico are conducive to the delivery of elevated mercury in water to the lake due to untreated wastewater discharge, deforestation, and local volcanic history. To assess a mercury exposure risk to fish consumers, the concentrations of total Hg (THg) in water inputs, surface waters, sediments, and the commercial catch of tilapia and carp were investigated. Results indicate that despite high particle-bound inputs of THg to the lake in runoff and wastewater, THg in sediments and surface waters were low. Dense Typha latifolia dominated wetlands are believed to retain THg inflow from water inputs. Concentrations of THg in tilapia and carp were low, suggesting low mercury bioavailability in this system. | MAST | water; industr; urban; consum; waste; environment; fish; forest; land use | 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Maleki, Afarin | Pressnail, Kim D. | Life-cycle Cost Evaluation of Building Envelope Energy Retrofits | Civil Engineering | 2012-01-17 | Improving the energy efficiency of our existing building stock is attainable by upgrading the building envelope through carrying out various retrofit measures. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the life-cycle cost implications of energy retrofits for existing buildings. Measures examined include improving insulation and air-tightness with overcladding strategies. The life-cycle costs of the upgrades are determined for an existing building and compared with model energy performance. A life-cycle cost evaluation for the building envelope upgrades is provided, together with the payback period and the projected return on investment (ROI) for two energy escalation rate scenarios. A costbenefit matrix for various over-cladding strategies is provided to facilitate the evaluation of each option. Further, this thesis presents a simplified ROI algorithm to enable owners, architects and engineers to evaluate the cost-benefit of their building envelope retrofit options. | MAST | energy; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Mancuso, Marcello | Goldstein, Tara | Teacher Understanding of Student Success and Failure | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-06-24 | Social reproduction is well established in educational literature. Diminished outcomes for students marked by class and race persist despite analysis and educational policy. Teachers articulate discourse to explain student success and failure and satisfy personal and professional investments (Miles, 1989; Popkewitz, 1998). Interviews with teachers in urban secondary schools point to the operation of discourse in the reproduction of inequality with profound effects on students on the margin. Meritocratic, individualist discourses privilege white, middle-class students, excluding others. Constructing students as Other and beyond reason (Popkewitz, 1998), teachers articulate discourses of motivation as explanatory of student success and failure and posit a neoliberal normative subjectivity as explanatory of success. Social, historical and economic factors are silenced. The instability and arbitrary closure of discursive articulation offer possibility for a progressive, ethical pedagogy. | MAST | educat; equality; inequality; urban; production | 4, 5, 9, 12 |
| Mandelis, Alexandra Dorothy | Alaggia, Ramona | "Wealth and Stealth": The 21st Century Challenge to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Education and Services in Canada | Social Work | 2011-01-12T18:17:27Z | This qualitative study explored the information available on abortion, contraception and parenting from websites accessible to internet users in Canada. The research questions focused on a comparison of pro-life and pro-choice websites on the discourse in Canada around reproductive rights. A textual analysis was conducted of five websites, with data analyzed using phenomenological research methodology. Themes emerged highlighting key differences between pro-choice and pro-life websites. Pro-choice websites offer accurate and up-to-date information presented in a static resource format, while pro-life websites offer value-laden and inaccurate information presented in an interactive, user-friendly fashion. The analysis highlights how the internet, as an emerging 21st century information resource, is also a site of production for reproductive rights discourse in Canada. These results have direct implications for social work practice and policy, particularly emphasizing the need for client referrals to accessible and accurate websites, and engagement with reproductive rights advocacy and public health education. | MAST | health; educat; production; rights | 3, 4, 12, 16 |
| Mann, Erin | Wania, Frank | Developing Methods for Studying the Fate and Transport of Contaminants in Snow and Ice | Chemistry | 2011-08-23 | Snow and ice can significantly affect the environmental fate of contaminants. This thesis presents a laboratory technique for measuring mercury in metamorphosing snow, and a computer model for organic contaminants in a seasonally ice covered ocean. The laboratory method to study the fate of mercury in snow was developed using laboratory-made snow of controlled composition made in a cold room, aged and melted, with mercury quantified in air, snow, and dissolved and particulate fractions of the melt water. It was found that the method gave a mass balance for mercury, and can be used to look at mercury fate in snow representative of different environments. The fugacity based fate and transport model for organic contaminants in a seasonally ice-covered ocean was parameterized to Barrow Strait, and tested against environmentally derived net air to sea water fluxes. It was found that the model could reproduce these environmental data. | MAST | water; environment; ocean | 13, 14 |
| Mann, Louise Alison | Brett, Clare | Navigating Paradigmatic Waters: Using Concept Mapping As A Tool for Paradigm Dialogue Amongst Emerging Qualitative Researchers | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | Emerging educational researchers are often faced with significant challenges as they enter into and navigate the expansive qualitative research field. Growing evidence supports the claim that increased focus needs to be placed on paradigm and methodology in order for educational researchers to make informed choices, situate their research, and to justify their methodological choices. On a wider scale, there is a call for a collaborative research culture and paradigm dialog[ue] amongst researchers to strengthen the qualitative inquiry community. As a result, this study reports on the findings of a socio-constructivist, collaborative concept mapping activity that was conducted in a graduate level introduction to qualitative inquiry course as a means of paradigm dialogue. Results of the analysis reveal the significant role of social interaction and storytelling as a lens for understanding qualitative inquiry. The study also addresses limitations and potential of both to face-to-face and online concept mapping applications. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Markowitz, Benjamin | Advani, Andrew||Parsons, Janet A | The Three I's of Diabetes Integration in Emerging Adulthood: Developing a Framework to Individualize Diabetes Care | Medical Science | 2019-06 | Transition to adult diabetes care occurs during a challenging stage of life known as emerging adulthood. As emerging adults are tasked with increased responsibility for diabetes management, they are faced with competing demands in work and education. This study employed a narrative approach to elucidate the lived experiences of emerging adults with Type 1 diabetes. In-depth interviews were performed with 33 participants (18 to 24 years of age). Narrative analysis defined story typology and themes across first-hand accounts. Participants narrated life with diabetes through one of three ‘lenses’: ingrained (n=14), intrusive (n=12) and inconspicuous (n=7). Participants conveying an ingrained lens described actively integrating diabetes within their lives. Through an intrusive lens, participants described struggles trying to accept diabetes and striving for control. Participants conveying an inconspicuous lens expressed a desire to minimize attention towards diabetes to protect their normalcy. This conceptual framework presents opportunities to individualize support accordingly. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Marquis, Andreas Olivier Robbins | Zee, Robert E | Software Development and Environmental Testing for New Frontier Microspace Missions | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2019-06 | This thesis presents contributions to the Vector Gravimeter for Asteroids (VEGA) and a microsatellite formation flying mission developed at the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL). Due to growing interest in space mining, SFL is helping to develop VEGA, an instrument to enable early prospecting of rich metal asteroids. The first focus of this thesis is software development hardware acceptance for the VEGA Power Board. In addition, constellations of multiple small spacecraft are an effective tool for reducing cost and risk while increasing mission flexibility. The ability for spacecraft to perform formation flight allows for sophisticated and lucrative applications of constellations such as geolocation of radio frequency signals. The second focus of this thesis is development of automated testing software for a three-spacecraft formation flying mission based on the improved SFL NEMO platform and system level environmental testing of all spacecraft prior to launch in the fall of 2018. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Marquis, Patrick | McCabe, Brenda | Performance and Policy Analysis of Cladding Systems with Large Window Areas in Tall Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Highly-glazed modular systems such as the curtain wall and window wall have been the most popular cladding systems for modern tall buildings in North America. There exists little in academic literature about the window wall, prompting a detailed analysis of the system in comparison with the curtain wall. The systems were analyzed and compared for building science and construction management parameters. Further, energy codes around the world have been restricting window-to-wall ratios (WWR) in an attempt to help reduce the energy loads of building envelopes. As ambitious goals are trying to be reached, there are concerns that maximum WWRs will be lowered to levels that might harm human comfort and liveability of multi-unit residential building (MURB) units. A different way to calculate glazing area from an occupantâ s perspective is introduced. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Martin, Khalil J | Miller, Eric J | Complex Questions for the Study of Urban Agglomerations | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | This thesis attempts to construct a framework for answering perennial questions about urban agglomerations, called the Cooperative Capital framework. It takes the view of the city as complex system and relates the process of urban agglomeration to the city’s adaptive capability. It illustrates how the benefits of proximity are not simply reductions in the costs of moving goods, people, and information but, also in how it allows the exploratory recombination of the means of production and, relatedly, the reassociation of people. In contrast to firm-based theories of agglomeration, this thesis emphasizes that firms are transitory, and sometimes intermediate, forms of human organization, and thus argues that the city itself should be the fundamental unit of analysis for studying urban agglomerations. The cooperative capital of a cooperative system is the arrangement of components that reduce four barriers – trust, communication, transportation, computation – allowing many strangers to live in proximity peacefully and productively. | M.A.S. | peace; production; urban | 11, 12, 16 |
| Martinez Malagon, Martha Gabriela | Kohler, Jillian C | Examining Civil Society Participation in the Health Sector: The Case of Brazil's Health Councils | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2017-06 | This thesis focuses on Brazil's Health Councils (Conselhos de Saude) to explore challenges in institutionalizing civil society participation. By conducting interviews with Health Council members at the municipal, state and national levels, this thesis examines how Health Councils operate and identifies some of the challenges evident in institutionalizing civil society participation. The thesis reports that Health Councils lack autonomy from the government to fulfill their mandate, membership guidelines limit the level of inclusion of civil society members, government representatives manipulate other members and provide limited support for Health Councils. In addition, it also reports that there is a lack of resources necessary to run Health Councils, there is an inadequate level of training of Health Council members, and there is a reported strong sense of individualism amongst members. These issues appear to have an impact on Health Councilsâ ability to successfully fulfill their mandate. | M.Sc. | health; institution | 3, 16 |
| Marvin, Jeffrey Thomas | Drake, Jennifer | Winter Maintenance of Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement: Examining Opportunities to Reduce Road Salt Pollution and Improve Winter Safety | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) rapidly drains surface water through its paver joint spaces and therefore has the potential to prevent ice from forming during winter conditions. As a result, PICP may reduce the amount of road salt needed for de-icing paved surfaces, and it may also reduce the risk of pedestrian slipping and vehicle skidding. PICP also has the potential to reduce chloride concentrations released to the environment from winter salting practices, as melted ice and snow are temporarily retained within the aggregates of its base and subbase layers. This study evaluates the performance of an outdoor PICP and asphalt test pad over two winter seasons in Vaughan, Ontario by assessing differences in surface conditions, surface friction, surface temperatures, and chloride concentrations. PICP was found to prevent melted ice and snow from refreezing, have less drastic reductions in surface temperatures at sunset, and attenuate and delay chloride concentrations. | M.A.S. | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Mashford-Pringle, Angela | Restoule, Jean-Paul ||Olson, Paul | The Impacts of Health and Education for Children and Families Enrolled in Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Communities in Ontario | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2008-07-30T20:32:31Z | Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Communities (AHSUNC) Initiative in Ontario provides an early childhood development program specifically for urban Aboriginal children between 3 and 5 years old. Twenty-nine families from Waabinong Head Start in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, completed two questionnaires given four months apart covering a range of health and education topics. The completed surveys supported a trend toward healthier lifestyle choices, improved education of the children, upward mobility in employment, increases in self-perceived general and mental health of primary and second caregivers, and decreases in smoking, illegal drug use, and alcohol use. Families reported an increased sense of pride in being Aboriginal shown by their children, plus learning of culture and Ojibwe language, which has lead to improvement in all of the child’s skills and abilities. | MAST | urban; employment; educat; health | 3, 4, 8, 11 |
| Masih, Shannon | Kim, Young-In ||O'Connor, Deborah Louise | Maternal Intakes and Sources of Folate and other One-carbon Nutrients in the Post-fortification Era | Nutritional Sciences | 2013-12-05 | This study characterizes B vitamin supplement use prior to and during pregnancy, changes in dietary one-carbon nutrient intakes (folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, choline, betaine and methionine) and most significant dietary sources. In Canadian women (Toronto, Ontario) supplemental (n=364) and dietary intakes (using a food frequency questionnaire) (n=290) were assessed during early and late pregnancy. Majority reported using a B vitamin-containing supplement prior (60%) to and during early (93%) and late (89%) pregnancy. Median supplemental intakes of folic acid, B12 and B6 were 1000 µg/d, 2.6 µg/d and 1.9 mg/d, respectively. Dietary one-carbon nutrient intakes did not change appreciably between early and late pregnancy. Most significant sources of folate and B6 were fruits and vegetables, of folic acid were cereals and grains and of B12 were dairy and egg products. Overall, this study provides novel information about one-carbon nutrient intakes in pregnancy which are crucial in maternal and child health. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Massey, Melanie D. | Rollinson, Njal | Measurement and Modelling of Primary Sex Ratios for Species with Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-11 | For many oviparous animals, incubation temperature influences primary sex ratios through temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Currently, few reliable methods are available to estimate sex ratios under natural incubation conditions using a temperature proxy. This study proposes a new, semi-mechanistic approach for estimating sex ratios under TSD in natural nests, based on a nest's probability of masculinization (PM). I test the PM approach against existing approaches using two experiments in snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) from Algonquin Park. I show that the PM method is overwhelmingly supported as the best method for estimating primary sex ratios, and is effective under a wide range of thermal conditions. My findings also suggest that the PM approach is universally applicable to all types of TSD. Finally, my data suggest that the Algonquin Park population of snapping turtles possesses resilience to climate-driven biased sex ratios. | M.Sc. | resilien; climate | 11, 13 |
| Masucci, Lisa | Coyte, Peter C. | Health Care Service Provision Over the Palliative Care Trajectory | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-05-31T16:03:21Z | Health system restructuring combined with the preferences of palliative care recipients to be cared for at home has lead to a shift in the delivery of care from the hospital to the home setting. An analysis was conducted on five main home-based palliative care health service components: home-based nurse visits, home personal support worker visits, home-based physician visits, ambulatory physician visits, and other ambulatory and home-based visits. First, we assessed the proportion of total cost associated with the main services at different time points over the palliative care trajectory. Second we examined the socio-demographic and clinical factors that predict the propensity and intensity of service use, using a two-part model. The results suggest that the greatest contributor to the total cost of home-based palliative care was personal support worker visits, followed by nurse visits. The regression analysis revealed that patient age as well as functional status most often predicted health service use. | MAST | worker; health | 3, 8 |
| Matrim, Jair | Boler, Megan ||Ford, Maureen ||Salah, Trish | The Distinction between Morals and Ethics: Discourses of Sex that Reciprocate with Students’ Learning Needs within the Toronto District School Board and other Secular School Boards of Ontario | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | By analyzing surveys, census data, policies and curriculum, it is demonstrated that the Toronto District School Board’s policies for equitable, anti-heterosexist, and anti-homophobic curriculum become stymied by how students and sex are routinely treated as subjects of moral control in curriculum. According to Gilles Deleuze's (1988) interpretation of Baruch Spinoza's (1632-1677) philosophical works, the distinction between morals and ethics is also the difference between slavery and freedom. Together with theoretical perspectives of sex and sexuality from Michel Foucault, Judith Butler and Gayle Rubin, the distinction between morals and ethics works to specify how particular discourses of sex can work to enslave or to empower students. Comprehension and circulation of the distinction between morals and ethics is proposed to increase the potential for curriculum to reciprocate with students’ individual learning needs, support the free and autonomous organization of desire, and promote the possibility of a democratic, inclusive, pluralistic, and secular society. | MAST | inclusive; equitable | 4 |
| Matthews, Hollie | Shear, Harvey | Incentives and Barriers to Adopting Aquaponic and Biofloc Systems in Canada | Geography | 2017-03 | Aquaponic and biofloc systems can contribute to increasing food security while reducing environmental impacts of aquaculture. Other countries are promoting and investing in aquaponics to increase their competiveness in the food and marine sector but there are a limited number of aquaponic and biofloc facilities in Canada. Give the limited research regarding the adoption of commercial aquaponic and biofloc systems, this thesis identifies influences and barriers of implementing biofloc and aquaponic systems in Canada. Through interviews with aquaponic facilities, aquaculture facilities, government officials and biofloc professionals, this research provides insight into the aquaponic and biofloc industry in Canada. This thesis found that there is potential for an increase in both systems in Canada. Adoption of these systems would increase with collaboration and partnership opportunities, examples of profitable systems, increased access to sustainable energy, grants or benefits for creating jobs, grants for implementation and support for sustainable initiatives. | M.A. | food; energy; industr; environment; marine | 14 |
| Maxson, Natalie | Razack, Sherene | Tee Peez, Totem Polz, and the Spectre of Indianness as Other | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-07-19 | The purpose of this thesis is to destabilize notions that representations of ‘Indians’ as they appear in contemporary Switzerland, Germany, and France are benign. Rather, Europeans in this region rely on ‘playing Indian’ and consuming Indianness to understand themselves as white modern subjects. I demonstrate how this operates through two case studies and argue that colonialism persists through symbolic dialectical processes between North America and Western Europe. Colonial discourse, and regimes of representation, concerning Indianness circulate across geographical locations. I link these symbolic representations to ongoing material struggles of Indigenous peoples for self-determination and land rights. Switzerland’s foreign investments and free trade with Canada for natural resources on unceded Indigenous territories implicates them in a neoliberal colonial paradigm that continues to dispossess peoples of their land. I turn to Indigenous artists and international solidarity networking as potential strategies that address both symbolic and material processes of colonization. | MAST | trade; consum; natural resources; rights | 16 |
| Mazen, Islam | El-Diraby, Tamer | Business Models for Selling AEC Knowledge over the Cloud | Civil Engineering | 2013-12-05 | Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms are in need to modify their business models to exploit available opportunities by the increasing role of knowledge management and information technology in the global economy. This thesis will propose business models for AEC firms to sell consulting knowledge on-line. The three proposed business models are: business and management intelligence, design optimization and innovation and; software customization and real time data analytics. The business models are based on selling online consulting knowledge services customized to the customers' business needs through enabling emerging information technologies like cloud computing. The models were developed through benchmarking cases in other industries, previous classifications in the area of business models and, experts insights. The suitability of these models to different clients will be assessed in addition to the most suitable revenue streams. Finally, the validated final business models will be presented in the framework by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010). | MAST | innovation; industr | 9 |
| Mazengwe, Olinda | Wane, Njoki||Dei, George | The Trials of African Women in Patriarchal African Society: A Critical Study of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions | Social Justice Education | 2019-11 | This thesis engages with Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions (1988), a novel that reflects how the organization and use of space mirrors the entanglement of hierarchies of class, race, and gender in colonial societies and the subordination of women. The novel captures the destructive impacts of colonization on the African people of then Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and tension in postcolonial structures where family members struggle with their identity, between African tradition and modern culture. The thesis provides an in-depth analysis of the novel and gives attention to the various female characters and the struggles they encounter that stem from gender oppression in their community. In providing a feminist analysis the thesis examines the different ways in which African patriarchy manifests itself regarding the subaltern position of women. It demonstrates that the tension between modern and tradition accounts for the negative representation of women and oppression in Nervous Conditions. | M.A. | women; gender | 5 |
| Mazur, Maxwell | Mitchell, Carl | Factors Affecting Gaseous Mercury (Hg) Emissions from Soils: Insights from Disturbance due to Frest Harvesting and Hg Source Depth Manipulation | Geography | 2013-12-05 | This thesis explored the impacts of forest harvesting on gaseous elemental mercury emissions from forest soils in both field and laboratory studies, through novel use of enriched mercury isotope tracers. Forest floor Hg emissions, sourced from legacy deposition, increased proportionally to the vegetation quantity removed, with biomass harvesting most exacerbating emissions. Contemporary Hg deposition did not appear to be influenced by harvesting. Some of the tracer was rapidly lost to the atmosphere (~8%), but most was sequestered within the soil. Two regimes facilitating Hg emissions were observed in low-light conditions. Under extremely dry conditions deeper Hg sources (> 2cm depth) were as equally susceptible to emission as shallower sources. Following wetting to field capacity, emissions were elevated only from shallow sources, likely as a result of upward capillary transport. Impacts of vegetation removal and dry fluxes are previously uncharacterized and may constitute large additional sources to regional atmospheric Hg cycling. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| McCartney, Jill Susanne | Deber, Raisa Berlin | Disclosure of Safety Incidents Involving Pediatric Patients: A Review of Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Legislation and Related Policies of Health Care Organizations Providing Care to Pediatric Patients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-07-15 | Law and health policy converge with pediatric patient safety incident (PPSI) disclosure. Disclosure is vital for patient safety efforts, while respecting the decision-making autonomy of pediatric patients involves balancing parental and legal obligations with the developing independence of children. This study examined legislation potentially relevant to PPSI disclosure, along with disclosure policies from organizations providing pediatric care. Health professionals have limited legislative guidance for disclosing PPSIs and developing institutional policies. Relevant legislation is complex and varies between jurisdictions. Three jurisdictions legislatively require disclosure, including PPSI disclosure to substitute decision makers. In jurisdictions without disclosure legislation, guidance may be obtained from other legislation, including consent and capacity, substitute decision making, and child welfare. Organizations in jurisdictions with disclosure legislation may be more likely to have policies. Such policies vary between organizations. Within the policies reviewed, PPSI disclosure is based on capacity, made to a substitute decision maker, or not addressed. | MAST | health; institution | 3, 16 |
| McCollum, Erica | Schugurensky, Daniel | Participatory Governance in Public Housing? Understanding Spaces for Participation and Empowerment through the Tenant Representative Role | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2008-07-25T19:31:54Z | In order to address the disconnection between the governing and the governed in our democracies and bureaucracies, many practitioners and academics are looking at models such as participatory governance to increase empowerment and foster better decision- making. Although this model has some encouraging possibilities, there are challenges to implementing an empowering and participatory process. To better understand these issues, this research focused on tenant representatives’ understanding and experience of their role in a recently implemented participatory process in the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Representatives reported taking on extensive responsibilities to improve their communities and interviews with tenants suggested empowerment and citizenship were often products of tenant participation. The research also found limitations on empowerment and the extent to which tenants saw themselves as agents and decision-makers in the Tenant Participation System. The paper connects how structure and education impacts the possibilities for agency and empowerment of participants. | MAST | governance | 16 |
| McCormack, Anna | Touchie, Marianne | Characterization of Pre-retrofit Air Flow in a 1970’s Multi-unit Residential Building in Toronto, Ontario | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Many multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) constructed in the 1970s do not meet current energy standards. Air leakage through the building envelope contributes significantly to energy losses in these buildings. Retrofits such as window replacements and over-cladding can improve the air tightness of the envelope but may have unintended consequences for the ventilation of the building. Pressure distributions throughout the building may change because of reduced leakage across the exterior walls leading to increased inter-zonal air flow. Air flow tests were performed in a 1970s MURB in its pre-retrofit condition. The tests showed significant leakage across building components including the windows and balcony doors. Occupant surveys indicated odour transfer between suites despite field tests that showed adequate air change rates and low inter-zonal air transfer between suites. Air flow network modelling showed that inter-zonal air flow will likely increase between select suites after envelope air tightening retrofits are completed. | M.A.S. | energy; wind; buildings | 7, 9 |
| McCoskey, Jacqueline | Hutchison, Michael G | The Association Between University Sport Participation and Well-Being of Former Athletes in Mid-Adulthood: A Focus on Prior Concussions and Type of Sport Played | Exercise Sciences | 2018-06 | Sport-related concussions and collision sport participation have been associated with long-term cognitive, neurobehavioural, and psychiatric issues. However, research to date has primarily examined former professional male athletes. This thesis examined the association between sport participation and well-being in middle-aged male and female former university athletes, with specific focus on prior concussions and sport type. Former athletes reported fewer depressive symptoms, greater mental and physical health, and higher life satisfaction than non-athletes. Former athletes with a history of concussion reported more anxiety symptoms than athletes without a history of concussion. Sport type (i.e., collision, contact, non-contact) was not associated with self-reported well-being after controlling for concussion history, gender, and age. Results suggest former athletes in mid-adulthood generally report greater well-being than non-athletes. Furthermore, compared to research examining former professional male athletes, prior concussions and participation in collision sports at the university level are not associated with profound negative health outcomes. | M.Sc. | gender; health | 3, 5 |
| McDonald, Shawna | Wagner, Laura | Examination of the Association between Voluntary Accreditation and Resident Safety in Ontario Long Term Care Homes | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-03-18 | Objective: determine whether accreditation through Accreditation Canada is associated with more favorable resident safety in Ontario LTC homes and which facility characteristics are predictive of accreditation. Methods: logistic regression was used to determine predictors of accreditation. To examine the association between accreditation and safety, safety was operationalized as five MDS-RAI quality indicators: prevalence of falls, restraints, catheters, pressure ulcers, and infections. Separate multivariable models were developed for each indicator. Results: the odds of accreditation were approximately six times smaller for municipal (p < 0.001) and non-profit facilities (p < 0.001) relative to for-profits; three times greater for chains relative to non-chains (p < 0.001); and twice as large for urban relative to rural facilities (p = 0.04). Of the five quality indicators examined, only one (falls) was associated with accreditation. After adjusting for confounders, accredited homes were estimated to have 8% lower fall rates than non-accredited homes (p = 0.01). | MAST | urban; rural | 11 |
| McDougall, Pascal | Rittich, Kerry ||Cossman, Brenda | Human Rights and Contracts as Labour Governance: A (Post-)legal Realist Inquiry | Law | 2013-12-05 | Law and development mainstream conceptions of labour market policies, while still marked by long-dominant views of contract law as economically superior to any labour regulation, have recently incorporated certain specific labour (human) rights. Core labour rights are thus accepted by global policy-makers, on the basis of their radical distinction from non-core labour standards and their rationalization according to certain foundational principles. This thesis criticizes the prevailing dichotomies between core labour rights and non-core standards, on the one hand, and contract law and regulation, on the other, bringing to bear the post-legal realist idea of legal indeterminacy. It argues that the organizing legal concepts that justify these dichotomies contain gaps and ambiguities that often lead to contradictory and indeterminate outcomes. It thus suggests that the core/non-core labour standards and contract/regulation distinctions are unproductive and should be rejected if a better conception of labour governance is to come to fruition. | MAST | rights; governance; labour | 8, 16 |
| McGeough, Robin | Slotta, Jim | mHealth and Empowerment Education in the Rainbow Nation: A Study of the CHAT program in South Africa | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-03 | Maternal and child health and nutrition (MCHN) disparities remain prominent influences in sustained high infant mortality rates for children under five living with HIV in South Africa. Empowerment processes used in critical health literacy regarding disease management and nutrition can address issues of contextual references to educational content by identifying problems, critically reflecting and acting upon social, economic and political barriers to health. This thesis explores the role of the Community Health Worker Assistive Technologies (CHAT) program to open space use dialogue, supported by educational media delivered by handheld tablets and booklets, as a means of addressing MCHN health disparities in South Africa. Videos recorded of household visits elicited inferential statistics regarding media usage, and further thematic areas emerging from participant/community health worker interactions. This thesis suggests educational media in conjunction with sufficient training can improve references to participant context and increase quality of care and opportunities for empowering dialogue. | M.A. | nutrition; health; educat; worker | 2, 3, 4, 8 |
| McGloin, Martha | Jang, Eunice | An Achievement Gap Revealed: A Mixed Method Research Investigation of Canadian-born English Language Learners | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-29 | This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate an achievement gap observed in the reading of Canadian-born students with a first language other than English. Quantitative analyses of large-scale reading assessment data identified characteristics of these students and showed a relationship between reading levels and students’ home language environments. This relationship was further explored using a case study approach based on interviews with students and parents. Interviews revealed the role that parental language learning can play in children’s reading. The study revealed the relative invisibility of Canadian-born English language learners, and the consequent difficulties educators have responding to their English language learning needs. School registration data was shown to be an inaccurate indication of students’ home language use. The study’s findings point to the need for policies that support the systematic identification of Canadian-born English language learners and a deeper understanding of the language learning needs of these students-at-risk. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| McGoey, Brechann | Stinchcombe, John | The Effects of Competitive Context on Shade Avoidance Syndrome Evolution in Impatiens Capensis | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-02-15T21:06:12Z | Competition plays a fundamental role in structuring ecological communities, and is a particularly important interaction for sessile organisms such as plants (Goldberg & Fleetwood 1987; Tilman 1994). To mitigate the negative effects of competition on fitness, plants can alter their phenotypes and reproductive traits through plastic responses. For example, decreases in the red to far-red ratio of light signal the presence of competitors, inducing a suite of responses known as shade avoidance syndrome (Franklin 2008). My thesis examines the impact of the competitive environment on reproductive output, the phenotypes Impatiens capensis produce and natural selection acting on shade avoidance responses. I found that heterospecific competitors affect both the phenotypes of I. capensis, and selection on shade avoidance traits. I also found evidence of population differentiation in hypocotyl lengths and flowering time. My thesis elucidates the influence of competition on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in Impatiens capensis. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| McGovern, Peter | Gough, William A. | East-West Asymmetry in Coastal Temperatures of Hudson Bay as a Proxy for Sea Ice | Geography | 2013-12-05 | The seasonal asymmetry in coastal temperatures on Hudson Bay was explored and evaluated as a proxy to hindcast sea ice conditions prior to 1972. Various indices of air temperature difference (∆T) between Churchill, MB and Inukjuak, QC were tested for linear correlations with spatially averaged sea ice concentration (SIC) and ice-free season length (IFS). A multiple regression equation employing a 31-day average of peak ∆T and a 61-day average of temperature during freeze-up reproduced the IFS record with an average error of 8.1 days. This equation was employed to extend the IFS record by 28 years. The resulting 68-year time series revealed a significant increasing trend most pronounced from 1985 to 2011. Hindcast data helped eliminate low-frequency climate oscillations of periodicity <68 years as a source of this trend, lending further evidence to the growing consensus of a declining sea ice being the result of anthropogenic climate forcing. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| McGrath, William | Beaulieu, Paul-Alain | The Diagnostic Series SA.GIG: Ancient Innovations and Adaptations | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2016-11 | The following thesis study will explore and contextualize the tradition of Mesopotamian medical diagnostics for the reader, with a particular focus on the first millennium canonical series SA.GIG. It charts the rise of the ancient diagnostician, the āšipu, as well as the emergence of the early diagnostic texts which predate the SA.GIG series. It problematizes the role of the series’ (alleged) 11th century editor, Esagil-kīn-apli, and seeks to qualify his role by delineating between editorial innovations and editorial adaptations. With reference to recent in-depth structural studies of the texts, it will argue that the head-to-foot order of the second subseries is an adaptation while the real innovation lies in the grouping of the entries within that order. This thesis will also argue for the association of the diagnostic and divinatory traditions based on an examination of the structure of the diagnoses and the modus operandi of the diagnostician. | M.A. | innovation | 9 |
| McIlveen-Brown, Emma | Tannock, Rosemary | Motor Control in Adolescent ADHD | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:24:55Z | This thesis presents two manuscripts on motor control in ADHD. The first is a literature review that identifies fine motor control and postural stability as areas of robust abnormality in ADHD. Further, the review suggests that motor performance in adolescence has been understudied, and reveals a paucity of data on sex differences. The second study is an empirical assessment of postural control and fine motor skills in an adolescent ADHD sample, which investigated potential sex differences. This latter study revealed that males with ADHD were especially impaired on fine motor tasks, whereas females with the disorder were particularly impaired on tasks of postural stability. Deficits were most prominent under conditions where visual information was removed, across genders. It is unclear whether motor performance deficits are central features of ADHD or instead artifacts of overlap with Developmental Coordination Disorder and other psychiatric comorbidities. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| McInnes, Taylor | Charles, Chen | The Career Re-training Experience of Professional Immigrants to Canada: An Existential Perspective | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-07-19 | New professional immigrants, who come to Canada with significant education and work experience, often find themselves underemployed after immigration. As a result, many immigrants undergo some form of re-training post-immigration. This study was a sub-study of a larger Canada Research Chair project exploring the career development and re-training experiences of new professional immigrants to Canada. This particular study focused on exploring such experiences from an existential perspective. Within a qualitative research framework, 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with new professional immigrants to Canada. A grounded theory approach was adopted for data analysis. Several themes emerged and key findings, including participants’ relationship with the core existential concepts of death, freedom, and meaning are introduced. Results also compare how existential considerations were related to participants’ level of career satisfaction in Canada. Results have theoretical implications for career and vocational psychology and implications for practice, including professional and self-helping. | MAST | unemployment | 8 |
| McIntosh, Nicholas David | Drake, Jennifer | A Study of Underground Stormwater Detention Chambers and the Creation of the Model for Underground Detention of Sediment | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | This thesis investigates the hydraulic and runoff treatment capabilities of Underground Stormwater Detention Chambers (USDC) and compares them to stormwater management ponds, the industry standard system for runoff detention and treatment. Runoff characteristics were monitored at a USDC in Markham, Ontario. Characteristics include: total suspended solids, turbidity, nutrients, metals, bacteria, temperature, and hydrocarbons. The Model for Underground Detention of Sediment (MUDS) was created to predict the removal of suspended solids by a USDC. The results indicate that the Markham USDC meets all provincial hydraulic requirements and most water quality requirements. Also, the Markham USDC provides equivalent or improved level of service compared to stormwater management ponds for runoff treatment in most cases. MUDS was proven capable of accurately predicting USDC hydraulics and suspended solids removal for both event based and continuous based simulations. | M.A.S. | water; industr | 6, 9 |
| McIntyre, Laura | Connelly, Christine | An Analysis of the Ontario Health and Physical Education – Through the Eyes of Toronto Youth | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | This study examines discourse on youth health embedded in the current Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum in an attempt to unveil any discrepancies between students’ beliefs regarding physical activity and body image and the curriculum they receive in physical education classes. This study will explore how students who participate in this curriculum narrate and experience their bodies to explore any contradictory or complimentary relationships that exist between the curriculum and the students it serves. Recent academic work in the area of health and physical activity has placed undue emphasis on obesity and on an individuating view of the inactive, unhealthy individual to be remediated by a corrective physical education program. This is not only damaging to the self-esteem of youth, but unrealistic as a program aligned with middle-class access to resources associated with ‘active living’ in the ways advocated for by proponents of this version of health promotion. | MAST | educat; health | 3, 4 |
| McKenzie, Braeden Corrie | Mainwaring, Lynda | The Circuit of Concussion Knowledge in Youth Sport: Regulating Guidelines and Athlete and Maternal Framing Experiences | Exercise Sciences | 2019-11 | This thesis shifts the lens of analysis concerning sport-related concussion (SRC) knowledge in youth sport from traditional knowledge translation research based in behavioral psychology, to a theoretically grounded, cultural studies approach. The research explores a discourse analysis of the 2016 Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (McCrory et al., 2017) and a thematic analysis of interview data collected with youth athletes and mothers of youth athletes. The circuit of SRC knowledge framework is explored in relation to the complex social processes that influence the construction of knowledge. These constructs are investigated through the following moments: production (e.g., scientific knowledge), distribution (through media, educational efforts, and assessment tools), consumption (across audiences), reproduction (through the individual’s experience or institutional application), regulation (e.g., media censoring or audience regulation), and identity (e.g., gendered identity or athletic affiliation) The results provide important insight into the state of SRC knowledge in the youth sport setting. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| McKenzie, Kisrene | Razack, Sherene | Multiculturalism and the De-politicization of Blackness in Canada: the case of FLOW 93.5 FM | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2009-12-11T19:20:32Z | This thesis presents a case study of Canada’s first Black owned radio station, FLOW 93.5 FM, to demonstrate how official multiculturalism, in its formulation and implementation, negates Canada’s history of slavery and racial inequality. As a response to diversity, multiculturalism shifts the focus away from racial inequality to cultural difference. Consequently, Black self-determination is unauthorized. By investigating FLOW’s radio license applications, programming and advertisements, this thesis reveals just how the vision of a Black focus radio station dissolved in order to fit the practical and ideological framework of multiculturalism so that Blackness could be easily commodified. This thesis concludes that FLOW is not a Black radio station but instead is a multicultural radio station – one that specifically markets a de-politicized Blackness. As a result, multiculturalism poses serious consequences for imagining and engaging with Blackness as a politics that may address the needs of Black communities in Canada. | MAST | inequality; equality | 5, 10 |
| McKie, Michael James | Andrews, Robert C||Andrews, Susan A | Engineered Biofiltration for the Removal of Disinfection By-product Precursors, Genotoxicity and Emerging Contaminants | Physical Therapy | 2015-06 | Biofilters have been operated in a passive manner without operator control, but the focus has shifted to the potential for enhancement. This pilot study compared conventional treatment (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, non-biological filtration) to passive and engineered direct biofilters for the removal of disinfection by-product precursors, and genotoxic precursors for two different source waters (Lake Ontario and Otonabee River). Additionally, 9 pharmaceuticals and 2 artificial sweeteners were spiked into the pilot to observe the reduction of these emerging contaminants through the biofilters. Conventional treatment provided superior performance compared to biofiltration for the removal of DBP precursors, but performed equally well with respect to genotoxicity reduction in Otonabee River samples. Lake Ontario water was best treated by filters receiving 0.8 mg/L PACl. Engineered biofilters, enhanced with nutrients or hydrogen peroxide, were typically no better than a passively operated biofilter. The removal of pharmaceuticals and sweeteners was improved with a combination of biological and chemical treatments. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| McKinley, Andrew | Desrochers, Pierre | The Drivers and Performance of Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility in the Canadian Mining Industry | Geography | 2009-02-24T19:15:48Z | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a movement which seeks profitable solutions to environmental and social problems facing corporations and society. In this document firm level drivers of CSR adoption are examined to develop a business case for social/environmental factor integration, built on the link between each driver and profitability. A review of CSR is followed by an examination of a set of short case studies involving the Canadian mining industry and an analysis of the environmental/social efforts of mining organizations, focusing on the industry’s environmental performance and its relationship with aboriginal peoples. It is argued that a positive link exists between firm level profitability and environmental/social performance in the Canadian mining industry. As a result, mining firms have undertaken initiatives which have led to improved environmental and social performance. | MAST | industr; environment | 9, 13 |
| McLeod, Catherine Anne | Simon, Roger I. | Transformative Community Art: Re-visioning the Field of Practice | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Community art is a multidisciplinary practice that was engendered by two main perspectives on art; a functionalist approach and an ‘art as essential to humanity’ approach. These differing ideological positions led to the construction of polarizing dichotomies that divided the field of practice and stagnated the community art discourse. This thesis re-visions community art as transformative community art (T.C.A.) to integrate a diverse range of practice into a distinct, recognizable field, transcend the binaries inherited from its founding fields, and identify the field as an innovative artistic movement and radical practice for social change. In this thesis T.C.A. is employed as a framework for theorizing practice. Threats to T.C.A. from funding structures, cooptation, and institutionalisation are explored and strategies of resistance identified. The concept of T.C.A. is mobilized to identify areas for future work; raising questions and ideas that can contribute to advancing a more complex, nuanced, and productive discourse. | MAST | institution; gender | 5, 16 |
| McMinn, TL | Sykes, Heather||Titchkosky, Tanya | Sex Education as Neoliberal Inclusion: Hetero-cis-ableism in Ontario' s 2015 Health and Physical Education Curriculum | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2017-03 | In this thesis, I investigate how hetero-cis-ableism and neoliberalism are tied to the production of “good” LGBT2SQ and disabled people and the expulsion of “bad” queers and crips within Ontario’s 2015 Health and Physical Education Curriculum. I argue that the move towards explicit or social justice education and the implementation of LGBT2SQ dialogue is not (simply) a way to represent equality, but a way of insuring the production of a specific type of person. Analysing the curriculum through Foucauldian and poststructuralist discourse analysis, I examined how the new content is being used to illicit hetero and cis-normative identities onto those that have otherwise been see as “less desirable.” Through a pedagogical mix of Queer and Crip Theory, this paper points to inconsistencies and flaws that are inherent within curriculum design itself, and how, regardless of intent, anything created for or within a neoliberal institution can never be fully inclusive. | M.A. | health; educat; inclusive; equality; queer; production; institution; justice | 3, 4, 5, 12, 16 |
| McNaughtan, Harrison | Ferrari, Michel | Romantic Consent in Emerging Adults with Autism (ASD) | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-11 | This thesis explores how emerging adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) understand and practice consent in romantic contexts. Participants included 26 emerging adults (age 18-25) with ASD and 39 neurotypical (NT) emerging adults recruited online across Canada and the USA. Participants were presented with multiple vignettes detailing common romantic situations that emerging adults encounter and asked to decide how the main character should proceed. Thematic analysis was performed on participants’ decision making and reasoning. While overall the ASD and NT groups offered similar responses, differences did emerge: The ASD group was more likely to refer to social rules and norms, less likely to abstract the characters’ emotions, and less likely to articulate their reasoning. Gender difference also emerged: Females were sometimes more cautious and more likely to include apologies in their decisions. Implications and recommendations discussed. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Megan, Appleton | Katz, Ariel | Whose Balance? Divergent Directions in Canadian Copyright Reform | Law | 2009-12-15T20:44:21Z | Over the last decade, Supreme Court copyright jurisprudence has undergone dramatic changes, concurrent with governmental copyright reform initiatives. Both the Supreme Court and the government have used the popular but unhelpful language of “balance” to explain and justify their initiatives. Unfortunately, there is no consensus as to what constitutes an appropriate balance or how to facilitate this and the two initiatives have been moving in opposite directions. The changes in the Supreme Court have altered the purpose and application of copyright law in a way that favours user access to works. Conversely, had they passed, government amendments would have increased owner rights and incentives, moving in a protectionist direction and restricting access and use. This would have the potential to impede future innovation. This thesis suggests that balance is an inadequate metaphor, examines the differences between the Supreme Court and governmental conception of “balance” and proposes reasons for these differences. | MAST | innovation; right | 9, 16 |
| Mehranvar, Ladan | Schneiderman, David | Constructing and Contesting Hegemony: Counter-hegemonic Resistance to the International Investment Law Regime | Law | 2010-02-15T21:24:11Z | I examine five international investment cases that embrace the neoliberal vision. This economic model provides a new, contested space between the construction of hegemonic globalisations from above and the contestation of these globalisations from below. The first objective is to describe this space. Each ends the same way: the exit of an unwanted foreign investor after intense social mobilisation. The second objective is to show that counter-hegemonic victories are difficult to achieve: the regime relegates the voice of the subaltern to an inconsequential role, limits public interest state projects that may interfere with investor rights, and often includes a compensatory promise to foreign investors irrespective of the host state’s fiscal capacity. The third objective is to demonstrate the ambivalent role of the state in promoting such neoliberal projects, which necessitate that it adopt a more active role in either policing investment or policing society. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Men, Xinqiang | McLean, Alexander | Desulphurization of Ferronickel Alloy using a Waste Material from Alumina Production | Materials Science and Engineering | 2012-07-23 | Red mud is a waste product of alumina production and has an adverse effect on environment. About 90 million tonnes of red mud are produced annually throughout the world and little is recycled for useful applications. The world nickel reserves consist of approximately 30% sulphide ores and 70% oxide ores. Despite the relative abundance of oxide ores, 55% of nickel and nickel alloys produced today are derived from sulphide ores. However, with the production of nickel and its alloys from low-grade oxide ores becoming increasingly important, a major concern is high sulphur level in the resultant alloy. For this reason, desulphurization of the ferronickel becomes an important consideration. In the present study, experiments were conducted to determine if red mud could be used as a major ingredient of custom designed fluxes for the desulphurization of ferronickel alloy. Factors investigated included desulphurization rates, contact angle measurements and flux-refractory interactions. | MAST | production; waste; recycl; environment | 13 |
| Meng, Meng | Chan, Arthur W.H. | Composition of Wildfire-Derived Particulate Matter and Impacts on House Dust after A Major Wildfire | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | The wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada was the costliest disaster in Canadian history to date, burning over 2000 homes in Fort McMurray and over 1.5 million acres of forest land. Since wildfire smoke has been shown to induce pulmonary oxidative stress and contain gene mutagens, there are significant concerns over the long-term health impacts of exposure to wildfire smoke and residual house dust. In this work, we characterize the chemical composition of the smoke generated from the wildfires, and impacts on indoor house dust. Both fire smoke particulate matter and house dust samples were collected in the area, during and after the wildfire respectively. A high-throughput method was developed to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from house dust. The spatial differences are discussed in this report. | M.A.S. | forest | 15 |
| Menon, Nisha | Dickens, Bernard | Regulating Reproduction - Evaluating The Canadian Law On Surrogacy And Surrogate Motherhood | Law | 2010-02-15T21:26:55Z | Certain provisions of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act 2004 appear to have been enacted as a legislative response to the objections to surrogacy noted by the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies in 1993. However, the legislation may not be successful in tackling concerns generated by recent developments in assisted reproductive technologies. This thesis identifies the shortcomings of the AHRA provisions that impact its ability to effectively regulate the surrogate act in Canada. The discussion suggests shifting the existing regulatory framework away from the imposition of legislative prohibitions on commercial surrogacy and towards a model that is more effective in dealing with the current reality of the surrogate arrangement. Upon consideration of regulatory regimes in Israel and the United Kingdom, a framework for surrogacy is suggested that balances the reproductive rights of the individuals who participate in such an arrangement, while minimizing the potentially exploitative aspects of the surrogate act. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Mensah, Nana Pokua Wiafe | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | Nana Yaa Asantewaa, The Queen Mother of Ejisu: The Unsung Heroine of Feminism in Ghana | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T19:05:19Z | This thesis examines the life story of Nana Yaa Asantewaa and its pedagogical implications for schooling and education in Ghana and Canada. Leadership role among women has been a topic in many debates for a long period. For many uninformed writers about the feminist struggles in Africa, Indigenous African women are docile bodies with little or no agencies and resistance power. However, the life history of Nana Yaa Asantewaa questions the legitimacy and accuracy of this misrepresentation of Indigenous African women. In 1900, Yaa Asantewaa led the Ashanti community in a war against the British imperial powers in Ghana. The role Yaa Asantewaa played in the war has made her the legend in history of Ghana and the feminist movement in Ghana. This dissertation examines the traits of Yaa Asantewaa and the pedagogic challenges of teaching Yaa Asantewaa in the public schools in Ghana and Canada. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Meras, Armen Michael | Damaren, Christopher J | Solar Sail Trajectory Optimization | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | The present study investigates minimum-time and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) approaches to the solar sail trajectory problem. The system consists of combining the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CRTBP) with a solar radiation pressure model to accurately simulate a real solar sail. Once this is done, the artificial equilibrium points are obtained, which are then used to examine case studies. The Geostorm and polar observer missions have been examined using both methods and practical results have been achieved. Furthermore, a terminal feedback controller has been implemented to ensure that the sail remains at its destination. The time-optimal approach for a given desired trajectory proved to produce much faster trajectories than the LQR method. However, the LQR approach yielded much faster computational times and is also a slightly more accurate representation of a real solar sail. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Miao, Lika (Li) | Harvey, Danny | Net Zero Energy Potential and Parametric Analysis for Multiunit Residential Buildings in Toronto | Geography | 2019-11 | This research studies how multiunit residential buildings (MURB) of varying heights can achieve a net zero energy balance in Toronto. A real 38-storey MURB was created in EnergyPlus and calibrated against an existing reference model in eQuest. A series of sensitivity analyses was then conducted in EnergyPlus to study the tradeoffs involved in the net zero MURB design, and the most impactful design parameters are identified. This research produces a deep physical understanding of how key design parameters interact, identifies design practices that should be prioritized in order to reach net zero, and determines the maximum number of floors allowed for a MURB to achieve net zero with various energy efficiency measures and photovoltaic configurations, all of which provide crucial information that will help the building sector to reduce its energy use, and in turn help Canada to transition to a low-carbon economy. | M.Sc. | energy; buildings; trade | 7, 9, 10 |
| Michael, Beeler | Aleman, Dionne ||Carter, Michael W. | The Use of Simulation Methods to Understand and Control Pandemic Influenza | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-20 | This thesis investigates several uses of simulation methods to understand and control pandemic influenza in urban settings. An agent-based simulation, which models pandemic spread in a large metropolitan area, is used for two main purposes: to identify the shape of the distribution of pandemic outcomes, and to test for the presence of complex relationships between public health policy responses and underlying pandemic characteristics. The usefulness of pandemic simulation as a tool for assessing the cost-effectiveness of vaccination programs is critically evaluated through a rigorous comparison of three recent H1N1 vaccine cost-effectiveness studies. The potential for simulation methods to improve vaccine deployment is then demonstrated through a discrete-event simulation study of a mass immunization clinic. | MAST | urban; health | 3, 9 |
| Mijares, Laura Patricia | Yoon, Albert | Compensation for Wrongful Convictions: A Study towards an Effective Regime of Tort Liability | Law | 2012-11-22 | How would you feel if after having spent many years incarcerated for a crime that you did not commit and when finally you are released to a broken life where there is nobody to respond effectively to all the damages that you have and that you will continue to endure due to an unfortunate miscarriage of justice? In Canada, compensation for wrongful convictions is a legal issue which has yet to find a solution for those who the government has denied to pay compensation for and the damages such wrongful conviction brought to their lives. This thesis will analyze the legal problem of compensation for wrongful convictions in Canada from a tort law perspective and will present an alternative to the existing regime to serve justice to those who have been victims of miscarriages of justice. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Mikalson, Daley Travis | Adams, Barry J. ||Guo, Yiping | Development of Analytical Probabilistic Models for the Estimation of Rainfall Derived Inflow/Infiltration Frequency | Civil Engineering | 2011-12-14 | Rainfall derived inflow and infiltration (RDII) is a cause of sanitary sewer overflows and sewers exceeding capacity before the end of their design lives, but it is not well understood. Several methods exist to model RDII in existing sanitary sewers. These models are not applicable for design, which is frequently accomplished by applying constant unit rates. Two analytical probabilistic models are developed to estimate the contribution of RDII to peak flow and volume. The analytical models have been tested against computer simulations using long-term rainfall records and parameters calibrated using actual field data. One model relies on calibrated parameters from the RTK method; a commonly used method requiring a time-consuming calibration process. The second model relies on the R-value parameter of the RTK method, and a time of concentration parameter. By providing better information to designers, these analytical models aim to improve engineering decision-making in the design of sewer systems. | MAST | sanitation | 6 |
| Mikel, Melissa D. | Feuerverger, Grace ||Cooper, Karyn | Pebbles for Peace: The Impact of Holocaust Education | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-03-17 | “Studying the Shoah (Holocaust) forces students to consider what it means to be human and humane by examining the full continuum of individual behavior, from ultimate evil to ultimate good” (Lindquist, 2011, p. 26). The Pebbles for Peace project was created with the intention to explore these character extremes and to provide tangible examples of choices that can be made in life. This thesis is an autoethnographic exploration of the Pebbles for Peace project that will include the researcher’s narrative reflection on her personal journey through education, specifically Holocaust education, as well as observations of the impact on classroom participation in the project. | MAST | educat; peace | 4, 16 |
| Milinkovic, Alexander | Olson, Paul | Critical Civic Education: When History Becomes Geography | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2013-11-20 | This tri-theoretical study of globalization attempts to contribute to the limited scholarly research on global citizenship in education. Utilizing three important critical theories: neo-Marxism, gender and postcolonialist theory; this study analyzes in-depth the hidden process behind the formation of current global citizenship education. The findings reveal that it is possible to teach global citizenship education through critical civic education; however, a better understanding and application of critical theory and especially the critical sociology of space is required in current curriculums. In the absence of resources, motivation and infrastructure within school boards to implement a more state-guided critical citizenship education within their global citizenship education programs, assimilation of critical theory by teachers becomes absolutely necessary. | MAST | educat; gender; infrastructure | 4, 5, 9 |
| Mills, Aldous | Zee, Robert E | Mechanical Design and Analysis for a Maritime Monitoring Microsatellite Mission | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2019-11 | There is an increasing need for monitoring and regulation of maritime vessels. This regulation can have positive environmental and economic impacts, such as improved oceanic ecosystems and fish stocks, by reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Historically, maritime monitoring has been achieved through ground-based observation stations, but the use of satellites has been proven as an effective method to improve on monitoring capabilities. The NorSat-3 microsatellite mission aims to demonstrate a novel approach to ship tracking with an experimental Navigation Radar Detector payload. NorSat-3 will utilize the Next-generation Earth Monitoring and Observation satellite platform, developed at the University of Toronto's Space Flight Laboratory. This thesis describes the mechanical design and analysis for NorSat-3's structural subsystem. The methodology followed to create the satellite structure is described, as well as the methods used to verify acceptable performance. Finally, the method used to test the manufactured structure is discussed. | M.A.S. | environment; ocean; fish | 13, 14 |
| Min, Yimeng | Sargent, Edward H | Accelerated Discovery of New Materials for Oxygen Evolution Reaction | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-06 | This thesis investigates new electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction, which is critical for the feasibility of water electrolysis. The evolution reaction can be used to store renewable energy that is produced intermittently. The discovery of new electrocatalysts is hindered by the vast chemical space. By developing a high-throughput method, I first targeted a group of promising crystal structures and narrowed the searching space for the oxygen evolution reaction using computational screening based on density functional theory. A machine learning algorithm was then implemented based on the database constructed. The 1st ionization energy and the atomic number were found to be accurate descriptors for the adsorption energy of 𝑂𝐻 and 𝑂𝑂𝐻. I used these two parameters as input for the random forest regressor for predicting the adsorption energies on doping materials. This method has thus far identified around 400 doping materials for a single type of crystal structure. The predicted catalyst properties agree with the reported experimental results and accelerate finding the top candidates for experimental validation. I validated the predicted results with reported data to ensure that the models are grounded in practice and consistent with experiments. | M.A.S. | water; energy; renewable; forest | 5, 6, 15 |
| Mir, Gulshan Ara Tabassum | Evans, Mark | What is my Pedagogy? Shifting Understandings and Practices of Teachers in Government Schools in Kashmir, India | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-07-10 | India’s pledge towards universalization of elementary education by 2015 is a desirable goal. Having achieved progress towards universal accessibility to schooling, the problem of providing quality schooling through a necessary paradigm shift, is still a major challenge. This qualitative research study seeks to portray the nature of pedagogy in four elementary classrooms in Srinagar, Kashmir and understand its shifting nature with reference to the National Curriculum Framework (2005). Specifically, this study examines teachers’ classroom pedagogical practices, their understandings of pedagogy, the ways they encourage and manage student participation in classroom and the level of support and training they receive from government agencies. The findings of this study will have implications for both teachers and students, their specific roles, their understanding of pedagogy, classroom practices and more importantly students. This study recommends ‘contextually suitable’ pedagogical methods, informing teachers about effective teaching strategies, and outlining specific classroom participation strategies for students. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Mirdamadi, Kamelia | Ito, Shinya||Koren, Gideon | Salivary Melatonin Levels in Pregnant Women with Insomnia: A Prospective Cohort Study with Two Comparison Groups | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2016-03 | Insomnia in pregnancy is associated with depression, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm labor. In normal pregnancies, maternal plasma melatonin levels increase significantly as pregnancy proceeds, reaching its peak near term. However, the role of melatonin in insomnia during pregnancy is not known. The objective of this study was to measure nocturnal saliva melatonin levels in pregnant women with and without insomnia. Results did not show a significant difference in melatonin levels between insomniac (treated and untreated) and healthy pregnant women in all trimesters. However, sub-group analysis showed significantly lower melatonin levels in untreated insomniac pregnancies compared to healthy pregnancies and those treated with sleep medications. Results of this study confirmed lower levels of nocturnal melatonin in untreated pregnancies with insomnia. Future research is needed to investigate the safety and efficacy of melatonin supplementation for the treatment of insomnia in pregnancy, replacing psychotropic drugs. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Mirian, Raha | Piran, Niva | The Effects of Body Violation on the Lived Experiences of Young Women | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-07-19 | The experience of one’s self as ‘living in and through the body’ has been coined embodiment. The interactions between felt inner states and interactions with one’s environment mutually construct the level and quality of this experience. Embodiment relies on a sense of safety and ownership over one’s body territory. Existing research cites the emotional, psychological,physical, and interpersonal effects of violence against women, yet the underlying disruption to body ownership that follows such violation has largely remained unidentified. Using the framework offered by the groundbreaking Developmental Theory of Embodiment, this study examines the effects of a broader spectrum of violation to body ownership than what has been examined to date. Three interviews of each of seven women, over a period of two years, provide insights into experiences of living in and with the female body as this relates to various forms of trauma. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Misra, Aarshabh | Roorda, Matthew J. ||MacLean, Heather L. | An Integrated Modelling Approach to Estimate Urban Traffic Emissions | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-22 | Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to poor air quality in urban areas. An integrated modelling approach is adopted to estimate microscale urban traffic emissions. The modelling framework consists of a traffic microsimulation model, a microscopic emissions model, and two dispersion models. This framework is applied to a traffic network in downtown Toronto to evaluate summer time morning peak traffic emissions during weekdays for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The model predicted results are validated against sensor observations with a reasonably good fit. Availability of local estimates of ambient concentration is useful for accurate comparisons of total predicted concentrations with observed concentrations. Both predicted and observed concentrations are significantly smaller than the National Ambient Air Quality Objectives established by Environment Canada. Sensitivity analysis is performed on a set of input parameters and horizontal wind speed is found to be the most influential factor in pollutant dispersion. | MAST | wind; urban; environment; pollut | 7, 11, 13, 14 |
| Mistry, Pritej R. | Weinrib, Arnold | The Impact of Environmentalism on the British Land Use Planning System | Law | 2010-02-15T21:29:06Z | This paper is an exploration of how the foundations of the land use planning system in Britain originally rooted in altruist reform and in bettering society has evolved within the context of the modern environmental agenda. This paper examines how the planning system has been changing and what further change may be required in order to cope with current environmental challenges, particularly in dealing with societal adaptation to climate change. | MAST | land use; environment; climate | 13, 15 |
| Mitchell, Laura E. | Livingstone, David W. | Workplace Learning of Canadian Retail Bank Branch Workers in Conditions of Organizational Restructuring | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-07-19 | This thesis examines retail bank workers’ informal learning practices in a major Canadian bank under conditions of rapid organizational restructuring and ongoing automation during the mid- to late-1990s. Based on a national survey of bank workers’ learning practices and ethnographic fieldwork in three branches, the thesis’s key findings are as follows. The poor learning environment in the branches, combined with the bank’s adoption of a formal study training policy, are at odds with both empirical surveys of adults’ informal learning practices and with adults’ preferred ways of learning at work – which are predominantly informal in nature. There is also evidence that informal on-the-job learning is being displaced and crowded out by work-related formal study via the “substitution effect” (Livingstone, 2010, 424). The heavy formal study pressures are heightened by the lack of trade unions and job security, and the vulnerable position of many women workers, particularly those without higher education. | MAST | women; worker | 5, 8 |
| Mitchell, Perry | Simpson, Myrna J. | Wastewater Contaminant Sorption and Dissolved Organic Matter Characterization | Chemistry | 2013-07-15 | Irrigation using reclaimed wastewater can introduce organic contaminants and dissolved organic matter (DOM) to soils. Sorption of three common organic wastewater contaminants to five soils of diverse organic matter composition was studied both before and after the removal of soil carbohydrate and peptide components using acid hydrolysis. Results suggest that these polar components may block organic contaminants from accessing higher affinity sorption sites in soil organic matter. The sorptive fractionation of DOM by three mineral soils was studied to assess the terrestrial fate of this complex environmental matrix. Carboxyl- and aromatic-containing moieties appear to preferentially and reversibly sorb to mineral soils. Conversely, carbohydrate and peptide components of DOM preferentially remain in the aqueous phase while aliphatic moieties were selectively retained only by a soil with high surface area. This thesis illustrates that reclaimed wastewater should be applied to soils cautiously as it may degrade soil and groundwater quality. | MAST | environment; waste; water | 6, 12, 13 |
| Mix-Ross, Derek | Benson, Peter | Exploring the Charter’s Horizons: Universities, Free Speech, and the Role of Constitutional Rights in Private Legal Relations | Law | 2010-02-15T21:31:19Z | Universities have traditionally stood as bastions of academic freedom and forums for open discourse and free expression. In recent years, however, this role has been questioned in instances where university administrators have, either directly or complicity, denied students the opportunity to express certain viewpoints they deem “controversial”. This research paper explores whether a university, or its delegates, should be allowed to deny students access to campus facilities and resources solely on the basis of ideological viewpoint. The relevance of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, statutory human rights provisions, and common law doctrines to the student-university relationship are explored in turn. It is argued that, notwithstanding the fact that universities may be “private” actors to whom the Charter does not directly apply, they are institutions invested with a public interest, and as such ought to be subject to special duties of non-discrimination. | MAST | institution; rights | 16 |
| Mizbani, Sharon | Ostapchuk, Victor | The Final Flow: Istanbul's Fountains in Nineteenth-century European Narratives | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2016-11 | This thesis explores how developments in hydraulic technology and mentalities in Europe and the Ottoman Empire affected European depictions of Istanbul’s water system, particularly the fountain. This study advances our understanding of how the fountain came to be recognized by the late nineteenth century primarily for its artistic merit, and decontextualized from its role in the greater water network of the city. By comparing and analysing early nineteenth-century travelogues and news articles on fountains and water-systems to those from later on in the century, within the greater context of water history, we can uncover how these narratives were driven not only by “orientalizing” tendencies, but also a new, more hygienic focused “hydromentality.” This contextualization of European narratives lies less in asserting their reliability as testimony to the changes in Istanbul’s water system, but rather how their writings were a reflection of the changing attitudes and predilections of Europeans. | M.A. | water | 6 |
| Mladenovic, Ninoslav | Cook, Rebecca J. | The Legacy of Cuerrier: Issues Unresolved, Questions Unanswered | Law | 2011-01-12T18:57:07Z | A large body of jurisprudence has developed in Canada criminalizing the conduct of HIV positive persons who transmit or expose others to the HIV infection in an equivocal attempt to be seen to be doing something about individuals who are perceived to be driving the HIV epidemic. Convictions have been obtained for charges ranging from aggravated assault to, most recently, murder. The Cuerrier judgement, a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, left a number of issues unresolved. Given the ambiguities in the decision, this Thesis will address the unfortunate consequences resulting from the Cuerrier’s decision. The conclusion I will attempt to reach is that criminalization is an inadequate strategy to prevent further HIV infection, its increased use in practice is misguided, and counterproductive to public health goals, thus alternatives to the routine criminalization of HIV transmission that may enhance the goals of public health should be considered. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Mobedi, Babak | Nejat, Goldie | A Novel 3D Sensory System for Robotic Urban Search and Rescue Missions | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-01-12T19:29:34Z | Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is the emergency response function that deals with the collapse of man-made structures. USAR environments contain concrete rubble, dust and debris, and provide poor lighting conditions. Due to the dangers that USAR rescue workers and their canines face, robots have become of interest in aiding rescue workers in searching. Experiences with robots in USAR missions have shown that a compact 3D sensor for 3D mapping of the environment is beneficial in providing the robot and identified victims’ locations within the structurally unstable environment. This thesis presents the developments of a novel 3D sensory system that provides both 3D and 2D texture information for mapping of cluttered unknown USAR environments. The sensor has been integrated into a robot platform, and experiments conducted to validate its usability in such applications. The experimental results show the potential for using this sensor in USAR robot mission. | MAST | worker; urban; environment | 8, 11, 13 |
| Moeinedin, Fatemeh (Marjan) | Wiljer, David | Assessing Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes Towards Adoption of an Electronic Tool to Support Cancer Diagnosis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-15 | The objective of this study was to assess Primary Care Physicians’ attitudes towards adoption of the Diagnostic Assessment Program-Electronic Pathway Solution (DAP-EPS), an electronic tool for improving cancer diagnostic processes. The implementation of DAP-EPS is a provincial activity supported by Cancer Care Ontario in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society. We conducted an online survey of Ontario PCPs. To guide our study, we used an integrated theoretical framework combining the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovation. Study results suggested a strong influence of perceived usefulness of the DAP-EPS tool on physicians’ attitudes towards adoption of the tool. The results also found that perceived usefulness was more important than perceived ease-of-use within the PCP context. The study revealed that perceived usefulness is the main predictor of physicians’ attitudes. The findings also suggested that the management and implementation team should emphasize the usefulness of the DAP-EPS to increase adoption among PCPs. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Moes, Calvin | Hibbard, Glenn | Melt-stretched Thermoplastic Honeycomb Sandwich Panels | Materials Science and Engineering | 2016-11 | Melt-stretched honeycombs were developed as a novel polymer honeycomb for structural applications. A fabrication process was devised in which a molten polymer is expanded between two flat platens, one of which is perforated with a pattern of holes. The resulting honeycomb structures show predictable internal architecture based on the locations of holes (air ingress sites) during manufacture. The process has been successfully applied to several grades of both polypropylene (PP) and polycarbonate (PC). Honeycombs have been created with hexagonal, square, triangular, and mixed cell geometries at cell sizes ranging from 5 - 40 mm. Despite the architectural differences as compared to their PC counterparts, low melt flow rate PP was found to produce the strongest structures in out-of-plane compression. Some honeycombs manufactured in this study demonstrate significantly better out-of-plane specific compressive strength than commercially-available thermoplastic honeycombs or structural foams, while maintaining a higher degree of recyclability. | M.A.S. | recycl | 7 |
| Mohamed, Hodan Ahmed | Mojab, Shahrzad | The Activism of First Generation Somali Canadian Women within a Neoliberal Multicultural State | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2016-11 | This thesis aims to explore the activism of first generation Somali Canadian Women (FGSCWA). It specifically asks 1) how do Somali women activists engage, contest and modify existing social relations within their community and mainstream society to foster anti-racist, anti-Islamaphobic feminist spaces; 2) in what ways does their activism challenge the systematic racism and Islamaphobia that is explicitly and implicitly imbedded in Canadian institutions and social relations and; 3) how has their activism and advocacy challenged the normative discourse of neoliberal multiculturalism, while simultaneously contesting gender norms and cultural dogma within the Somali community. This study combines two theoretical approaches to understand issues of citizenship, boundaries of Blackness and Muslim identity, power, representation and knowledge production in relation to Somali women activists. Working within a post-colonial and Black feminist framework, this research paper utilizes the in-depth interviews I conducted with eight Somali women activists, narrating their perspectives and lived experiences. | M.A. | gender; women | 5 |
| Mohammad, Shazalyna Binti | Fadel, Mohammad | The Paradox of Women's Rights: Malaysia's Struggle Towards Legal And Religious Pluralism | Law | 2012-11-21 | Family is the foundation society. Women are the backbone of families even in fundamental patriarchal society like Malaysia. However, Malaysia’s system of religious accommodation results in different rights available to individuals based on the states diverse religious affiliation. Contemporary family issues are inadequately addressed in current Malaysian Family Law: one for the Muslims and one for the non-Muslims. Most cases highlighted inconsistencies when conversion to Islam affected the rights of women during breakdown of marriage. In permitting a path to accommodate diversity, and to reach a new engagement between the civil and the Shariah courts, it is necessary to appreciate Malaysia’s history, sentiment, constraints and strengths. This paper proposes that not only Malaysia has adequate strengths to provide a strong platform to address the conflict, but possesses the mechanisms to create a dynamic set of joint governance of Family Laws to enhance religious accommodation. | MAST | women; governance; rights | 5, 16 |
| Mohammed, Yanar | Mojab, Shahrzad | Theorizing Feminist Struggle in Post-War Iraq | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-03 | The 2003 imperialist occupation of Iraq brought out the worst in the society, unleashing Islamist religious extremism, ethnic division, and misogyny, causing atrocities on women such as enslavement, trafficking and misogynist legislation. This research is based on personal experience of founding the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, a secular feminist organization to confront patriarchy and capitalism. The research begins with an analysis of the forced socio-political changes and proceeds to investigate the problematic of extreme patriarchal violence against women and demonstrates the ways in which feminists of the organization resisted and challenged patriarchy through establishing a network of women’s shelters. This research is a Marxist feminist analysis of systemic patriarchal violence, concluding a theoretic framework of its concepts, power relations, and social structures; thus, informing the articulation of an organizational feminist platform to guide the struggles of Iraqi women to dismantle patriarchy and capitalism within a revolutionary movement. | M.A. | women; | 5 |
| Moizumi, Erica Miyuki | Evans, Mark ||Bennett, Barrie | Examining Two Elementary-Intermediate Teachers' Understandings and Pedagogical Practices About Global Citizenship Education | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-07-27T19:16:02Z | In this qualitative study, I examine two elementary-intermediate teachers’ understandings and pedagogical practices of global citizenship education in the Ontario and British Columbia classroom contexts. Key findings reveal contrasting portrayals of global citizenship education that foreground particular themes and practices found in the literature and curriculum guidelines. One teachers’ understandings and goals highlight an environmental global justice angle whereas the other teacher focuses on critical thinking. Three broad themes appeared to underpin their pedagogical practices – child-centred learning, critical thinking, and authentic performance tasks – although each theme is portrayed in distinctive ways. Both teachers identified factors such as the departmental and school culture, a collaborative learning community, and suitable resources as either encouraging or hindering their ability to transform their preferred learning goals into practice. These findings reveal a level of ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the teacher participants’ understandings and practice, which is complicated by varying levels of support. | MAST | justice; educat | 4, 16 |
| Moloodi, Sina | Thomson, Murray J. | Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Fuel Properties on Combustion Performance and Emissions of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Liquid-ethanol Blends in a Swirl Burner | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-12-14 | Biomass fast pyrolysis liquid, also known as bio-oil, is a promising renewable fuel for heat and power generation; however, implementing crude bio-oil in some current combustion systems can degrade combustion performance and emissions. In this study, optimizing fuel properties to improve combustion is considered. Various bio-oils with different fuel properties are tested in a pilot stabilized spray burner under very close flow conditions. Effects of solids, ash and water content of bio-oil as well as ethanol blending were examined. The results show the amount of solids and ash fractions of the fuel were correlated with combustion efficiency. The CO and unburned hydrocarbon emissions decreased with both water and ethanol content. Increasing the fuel’s volatile content by blending in ethanol has been shown to improve flame stability. Also, the organic fraction of particulate matter emissions was found to be a strong function of the thermogravimetric analysis residue of the fuel. | MAST | renewable; water | 6, 7 |
| Moneypenny, Crystal (Christelle) Rebecca | Austin, Zubin | Understanding the Experiences of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in Ontario, Canada: A Qualitative Study | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2018-06 | In recent decades, Canada has employed a neoliberal approach to its immigration strategy. Numerous, highly-skilled immigrants, including International Medical Graduates (IMGs), have been granted entry under this system. IMGs are crucial to Canada’s physician workforce (i.e. 40% in rural areas). However, only 10% of IMGs will become licensed (CaRMS, 2014). The Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act was created to help tackle systemic barriers to licensure. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of IMGs in Ontario as they navigate the licensure process. A qualitative research design was employed. I conducted in-depth interviews with twelve IMGs. The overarching theme of this research was that the licensure process was perceived as unfair (procedurally unfair, partial and inequitable) and that it causes social suffering. Unfairness was noted through barriers of: a lack of transparency and inaccessibility of information, age, gender, class and a lack of “Canadian experience” as hidden criteria to licensure. | M.Sc. | equitable; gender; rural | 4, 5, 11 |
| Montreuil, Jasmine Marie | Knowles, Gary | Tea, Toast and Red Lipstick: Understanding Perceptions of Food, Body Image and Age in Older Women | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | Though life history methodology, I explore the question: what do the life histories of older women reveal about how lived experience influences perceptions of food, body image and age? The purpose of this research is to develop a deeper understanding of food, body image and age, as it relates to women over 70 years of age; a context infrequently explored in this generation of women and therefore, underrepresented in the literature. It also facilitates a healing process for my personal struggles. In committing to the defining elements of life history research, the stories of Sam and Lina are explored with intentionality, reflexive writing, holistic quality, communicability, aesthetic form and with respect and appreciation for the knowledge life history brings to our broader social context (Cole Knowles, 2001). Themes, such as family relationships, peer influence, life achievements financial stability and the effects of a decline in health are explored. | M.A. | women; health; food | 2, 3, 4 |
| Moore, Carlin | Schneiderman, David | Importing U.S. Establishment Clause Principles in Canada: Changing the Debate on Funding for Faith-based Schools in Ontario | Law | 2012-11-22 | Ontario is the only Province that publicly funds Roman Catholic separate schools, while providing no public funds to any other faith-based schools. This thesis explores the history, politics, past and current litigation surrounding Ontario’s education system. It looks at the education systems in other Canadian Provinces. I argue that focusing the debate around equality and fairness, and preventing the perceived establishment of the Roman Catholic Church in respect for multiculturalism will allow for an appealable solution. In many church and state cases, the Supreme Court of Canada made its decisions similar to the U.S. regarding the establishment of religion in public schools. This thesis suggests that Ontario should adopt a bilateral constitutional amendment that includes Establishment Clause principles similar to the U.S. Constitution. It concludes that the treatment of all faith-based schools equally, respects the historic rights of the Roman Catholic schools, and demonstrates a commitment to multiculturalism in Canada. | MAST | educat; equality; rights | 4, 5, 16 |
| Moore, Jennifer Bronwen | Cole, Ardra | Walking (or Jogging) the Talk: Healthcare Professionals' Experiences of Taking Care of their Own Health | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:26:58Z | Many healthcare providers are at risk of compassion fatigue and burnout from prolonged occupational stress, which can adversely affect workers, patients, and the healthcare system. This qualitative research project inquired into eight female healthcare providers’ experiences of sustaining their own wellbeing. Participants (27 to 60 years old) engaged in semi-structured interviews and participant observation of a self-care activity. Themes were found relating to the variety of self-care strategies used, challenges and supports in the work context, and the important role of authenticity in health promotion practice. Self-care strategies included: social support, pacing, taking breaks, exercise, nutrition, emotional self-care, adapting self-care routines over time, goal setting and prioritization. Supports to wellbeing included: flexible scheduling, taking personal responsibility for wellness, workplace wellness programs, and positive relationships with supervisors, colleagues, friends and family. This arts-informed research project is presented in graphic novel form to enhance its accessibility. | MAST | worker; health; nutrition | 2, 3, 8 |
| Moorhouse, Emily Alanna | Razack, Sherene||Mahtani, Minelle | Who Needs Hybridity? The Political Limits of Mixed Race Identity | Social Justice Education | 2016-11 | This thesis examines how non-white, mixed race women with Asian heritage understand, participate in, and resist colonialism, anti-blackness and anti-Indigeneity. The study finds that mixed race identification is contextual and shifts according to the racial make-up of spaces. Participants performed their identities in white spaces differently than in communities of colour. Although all participants could name whiteness, their awareness of the racial and colonial basis of citizenship was situated on a spectrum. The thesis explores how race is understood through multiple axes of identity such as disability, gender, and sexuality. Although the family is often a good space to learn about race, multiracial families sometimes reproduced ableism, queer-phobia, anti-blackness and shadism. Lastly, I focus on how hybridity is a sexualized discourse that contributes to the fetishization of multiraciality. I highlight the sexualized forms of violence that multiracial women encounter. | M.A. | gender; women; queer | 5 |
| Moran, Olivia | Kotsopoulos, Joanne | Predictors of Mammographic Density among Women at a High Risk for Breast Cancer | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-11 | Whether mammographic density, a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, is associated with breast cancer risk factors in women at an increased risk of familial breast cancer is unclear. Therefore, this study evaluated the associations between reproductive, hormonal, anthropometric, and lifestyle risk factors and measures of mammographic density (percent density, dense area, non-dense area) among high-risk, BRCA mutation-negative women. Overall, parity and body weight were inversely associated with percent density and positively associated with non-dense area. Increasing height was positively associated with percent density and inversely associated with non-dense area. A later age at smoking and alcohol initiation were positively associated with mammographic density. Among postmenopausal women only, past smoking was inversely associated with mammographic density. In premenopausal women only, an increasing duration of smoking was inversely associated with mammographic density. These findings suggest that mammographic density is associated with several modifiable breast cancer risk factors among this high-risk cohort. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Mordoukhovski, Leonid | Lu, Zhenghong | Fabrication of Nickel Oxide Thin Films and Application thereof in Organic Electronics | Materials Science and Engineering | 2011-01-12T19:37:55Z | This work investigates fabrication methods of nickel oxide thin films and their use in organic electronics. Two fabrication techniques were studied: UV-ozone oxidation of pure nickel films and reactive RF magnetron sputtering. The former was used to produce Ni/Ni2O3 bi-layer anodes to use as a substitute for the de facto standard ITO anode. OLEDs fabricated using Ni/Ni2O3 bi-layer anodes exhibited comparable device performance to standard ITO devices. UV-ozone oxidation was also used to fabricate Ni2O3 buffer layers for OPVs. Solar cells fabricated using Ni2O3 coated ITO exhibited an enhanced power conversion efficiency of up to 90%. RF magnetron sputtering was used to produce NiOx buffer layers with tunable conductivity and optical transparency for OPVs. Solar cells fabricated using NiOx coated ITO exhibited an enhanced power conversion efficiency of up to 60%. Nickel oxide films have been characterized with various techniques: sheet resistance measurements, optical transmission, XPS, UPS, AFM, and TEM. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Morency, Marie-Elssa Anna | Maguire, Jonathon L. | CONSUMPTION OF NON-COW’S MILK BEVERAGES AND HEIGHT IN CHILDHOOD | Nutritional Sciences | 2017-11 | ABSTRACT Background: Non-cow’s milk beverages among children are increasingly being consumed due to perceived health benefits. However, non-cow’s milk contains less protein and fat than cow’s milk and may not have the same effect on height. I hypothesized that consumption of non-cow’s milk beverages would be associated with lower childhood height. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of TARGet Kids! data on healthy children 2-5 years of age was conducted. Multivariate linear regression models were used to test the association between daily volume of non-cow’s milk beverage consumption and height-for-age z-scores. Results: Higher non-cow’s milk consumption was associated with lower childhood height. Each daily cup of non-cow’s milk was associated with a lower height-for-age z-score of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.05, P | M.Sc. | health; consum | 3, 12 |
| Moreno-Bautista, Gabriel | Sargent, Edward H | Efficient Spray-coated Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-06 | Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) offer the promise of low-cost, high-performance solar cells due to their ability to be synthesized and deposited from solution, which makes it possible for this material to be adapted to production-scale manufacturing protocols such as roll-to-roll (R2R) processing. Here we describe the design and implementation of a spray- coating process for the fabrication of CQD solar cells. We find that spray-coated films are morphologically superior to films that were fabricated using the conventional spin-coating method. Spray coating is found to be effective at removing an electronic trap caused by an organic impurity, enhancing the diffusion length of the CQD film and leading to an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.5%, which is higher than the average PCE of spin- coated cells (5.2%). We also show that the spray process can be adapted to R2R methodologies and can be used to fabricate efficient solar cells with unconventional form factors, such as surfaces with multiple dimensions of curvature. | M.A.S. | production; solar | 7, 12 |
| Morgan, Andrew | Klenk, Nicole | The Everyday Evaluations of Public Participation by Urban Planners | Geography | 2017-11 | Public participation evaluation research has identified a need for better tools to evaluate the effectiveness of this complex practice. Despite many theory-based evaluation approaches having been developed for public participation, practitioners are unlikely to incorporate structured evaluation into their work. By describing the informal and/or tacit judgements that urban planners make to improve their practice of public participation, this study seeks to understand what evaluation tools practitioners might actually use in their practice. Planners make tacit judgements of their practice of public participation, which have greater evaluation utility to them than structured theory-based techniques. Focus on tacit, unstructured judgements is a potential strategy for public participation research to have greater realisations in practice. | M.A. | urban | 11 |
| Morris, Matthew Ryan | Dei, George S||Todorova, Miglena | The Fresh Prince Syndrome: Experiences of Urban Black Males in Educational Settings | Social Justice Education | 2016-11 | This thesis examines how urban Black males shape and negotiate their identities and how they situate themselves within schooling experiences. I take a phenomenological approach and use principles of CART to explore and analyze the stories of six individuals who claim an urban Black identity, including myself. This study is distinct in that it examines how identity is fostered inside of schooling environments as well as how it undergoes transformation from high school to university. This study also closely examines identity of urban Black males who find themselves clinging to a hip-hop cultural allegiance and the implications that has on their schooling. These experiences of aesthetic representation, space, and peer relationships combine to extend a narrative regarding urban Black male experience in school while providing insight into how educational institutions can facilitate more productive and engaging learning environments. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Morrison, Andrew | Emon, Anver | No to Rawlsian Public Reason and Yes to the Enlarged Mentality: An Affirmative Role for Moral and Religious Arguments in Canadian Public Discourse in light of Charter Values | Law | 2011-12-15 | This paper examines two different theories in relation to the optimal modes of public deliberation about constitutional values and the public good in the context of democratic pluralism: Rawlsian Public Reason and Nedelsky’s Enlarged Mentality. I challenge Rawlsian public reason’s claim to epistemic abstinence, autonomy and its claim to reflect a political conception of justice by examining certain contradictory aspects of its theoretical rendition. I argue that significant aspects of the picture of democracy that Rawlsian public reason reflects are unempirical. I argue that Rawlsian public reason’s concept of bracketing moral and religious argumentation from public deliberation is unjustifiable, unattainable and derogates from Canadian constitutional values. I proffer that Nedelsky’s enlarged mentality is preferable as it is more realistic and consonant with Canadian constitutional values. I argue that Nedelsky’s enlarged mentality is facilitative of genuine and meaningful dialogic exchange in spite of difference whilst managing the risk of democratic instability. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Moses, Zev | Prudham, W. Scott | Neo-Liberalism, the Islamic Revival, and Urban Development in Post-War, Post-Socialist Sarajevo | Geography | 2012-11-22 | This thesis examines the confluence between pan-Islamist politics, neo-liberalism and urban development in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After tracing a history of the Islamic revival in Bosnia, I examine the results of neo-liberal policy in post-war Bosnia, particularly regarding the promises of neo-liberal institutions and think tanks that privatization and inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) would de-politicize the economy and strip ethno-religious nationalist elites of their power over state-owned firms. By analyzing three prominent new urban developments in Sarajevo, all financed by FDI from the Islamic world and brought about by the privatization of urban real-estate, I show how neo-liberal policy has had unintended outcomes in Sarajevo that contradict the assertions of policy makers. In examining urban change, I bring out the role played by the city in mediating between both elites and citizens, and between the seemingly contradictory projects of pan-Islamism and neo-liberalism. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Mossaed, Shadi | Eysenbach, Gunther | Patients' Incidental Access to their Hospital Paper Medical Records; What do patients think? | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-01-12T17:23:21Z | The objective of this study was to explore inpatients’ opinions on their hospital paper medical records after they had incidental access to them. One hundred inpatients in the C.T. department at St. Michael's Hospital were surveyed: 65 patients who read their records and 35 who did not. Overall, 75.4% of readers found their records easy to understand, and most found their records correct, complete and did not find anything unexpected or distressing. Seventy-nine percent of all respondents would trust the hospital, approximately half would trust Google Health or Microsoft Healthvault and 5.6% would trust Facebook to provide online medical records. Being female, under 60 years and having a higher education predicted readership. Younger patients were also more likely to think that accessing their records would help decrease errors. Patients with higher education were more likely to find their records useful and trusted the hospital to provide online medical records. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Mou, Leping | Hayhoe, Ruth | The Liberal Arts Curriculum in China’s Christian Universities and Its Relevance to China’s Universities Today | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-06 | This thesis considers the historical background, the development, and the characteristics of China’s Christian universities, with a special focus on their curriculum design. Through the lens of postmodern theory, the thesis explores the concept and essence of liberal arts education as reflected in the curriculum of the Christian universities through a qualitative methodology, focusing on the analysis of historical archival material. The purpose is to find insights for today’s trend towards reviving liberal arts education in China’s elite universities as a way of countering the influence of utilitarianism and neo-liberalism in an era of economic globalization. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Muehlegg, Kyle Everett | Lehn, Peter W | Modelling and Energy Management for DC Microgrid Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2017-11 | Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and climate change has generated a need for renew able energy sources. DC microgrids require less complex power conversion and commu nication equipment, making it a promising candidate for renewable energy integration. This thesis investigates modelling techniques to demonstrate modularity and scalabil ity of DC microgrid systems. SpeciďŹ cally, a ďŹ exible state-space modelling technique is developed to accurately represent a complete DC microgrid system to investigate the eďŹ ects additional energy storage media and generation sources have on stability. An autonomous energy management scheme is proposed to further DC microgrid robustness and reliability. The goal of the thesis is to further prove that DC microgrids can operate as an alternative to the traditional AC grid infrastructure. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable; infrastructure; climate; greenhouse gas | 7, 9, 13 |
| Mui, Kenneth | Quinonez, Carlos | Predictors of Dentists’ Participation in Government Dental Programs and Pro Bono Care: Are There Gender Differences? | Dentistry | 2019-03 | Objectives: To determine factors influencing provision of publicly financed dental care and pro bono care among Ontario dentists and whether there are any gender differences. Methods: Secondary data analysis of a 2012 mail survey using bivariate and multivariable linear regression. Results: Dentists in non-married relationships, with more paediatric patients, and non-owners were more likely to participate in government dental programs. Females that hired someone to complete household chores had practices with a lower percentage of patients on government subsidy. Dentists earning $100-200k/year, of European ethnicity, and internationally-trained were more likely to provide pro bono care. Female dentists earning $100-200k/year, of European ethnicity, and internationally-trained were more likely to provide pro bono care. Recently graduated and older male dentists were reported to provide more pro bono care. Conclusion: Male and female dentists have varying predictors influencing provision of publicly financed dental care and pro bono care. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Mukhtar, Maria | Wilson, Dana ||Wilson, Kathi | Settlement Service Providers in Peel Region, Ontario: Challenges, Barriers and Opportunities in the Shadow State | Geography | 2013-12-05 | This research examines the challenges and barriers to service provision that newcomer settlement service providers (SSPs) encounter in Peel Region, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews are used to examine if suburban SSPs in the cities of Brampton, Mississauga and town of Caledon, encounter challenges related to providing services to both adult and youth newcomers. The findings indicate that government funding, and the conditions tied to that funding, are the greatest challenge for SSPs in Peel. Funding restrictions also produced challenges related to the structure and continuity of services and competition between service providers. Due to Peel's varied geography, transportation and organization location are challenges for some rural service providers. Service specific challenges are encountered largely in providing employment and mental health services. Reconsidering government policies around funding for settlement services is necessary. It is recommended that both SSPs and municipalities be integrated into settlement policy decisions. | MAST | health; employment; cities; urban; rural | 11 |
| Munroe, Jake Warner | Isaac, Marney E. | Nutrient Availability in the Rhizosphere of Coffee: Shade-tree and Fertilization Effects | Geography | 2013-07-15 | Shade tree incorporation is beneficial in coffee cropping systems under sub-optimal conditions. This study was performed in lowland Costa Rica, at a 12-year-old experimental coffee farm. The main objective was to compare the effect of a nitrogen fixing shade tree, Erythrina poeppigiana, on nutrient availability in the rhizosphere of coffee under conventional fertilization. Accumulation of nutrients (mineral N, available P, and exchangeable base cations) in rhizosphere relative to bulk soil was greater under shade than full sun. Low nitrate availability in rhizosphere soil of full sun coffee was explained by root-induced acidification relative to bulk soil, as abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), which mediate nitrification, were positively correlated with pH. Organic fertilization enhanced AOB abundance and altered soil bacterial community structure relative to conventional fertilization. This study indicates clear effects of shade-tree presence on nutrient availability at the micro-scale, management of which is critical for stability of coffee agroforestry systems. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Murdoch, Graham | Lu, Zhenghong | Transparent Conductive Oxides for Organic Photovoltaics | Materials Science and Engineering | 2010-04-06T18:53:28Z | Organic solar cells and organic light emitting diodes are on the forefront of emerging technologies aimed at harnessing light in ways never thought possible. Largear installations of OLED solid state lighting (SSL), as well as organic photovoltaics(OPVs), will become possible as the efficiencies of these devices continue to rise. All organic solar cells and OLEDs require the use of transparent conductive electrodes.Indium oxide (ITO) is currently the transparent conductor of choice for these applications, due to its unique combination of transparency, high conductivity, durability,and favourable surface properties. Indium, however, is a rare and expensive metal; proposed large-area installations of OPV cells and OLEDs will add further strain to global indium supply. Transparent conductive materials that are abundant, inexpensive, and which enable efficient and robust organic devices must therefore be developed. In the present work, suitable ITO anode replacement materials are demonstrated for OLEDS, small-molecule, polymer, and PbS colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Murfitt, Justin Charles | Brown, Laura C | Monitoring Ice Phenology and Characteristics in Mid-latitudes using RADARSAT-2 | Geography | 2018-11 | This study investigates the use of remote sensing for monitoring ice phenology and ice characteristics (ie. ice thickness). The primary data used were RADARSAT-2 images acquired over Central Ontario between 2008 and 2017. In order to monitor ice phenology, an automated threshold method was developed to identify freeze and melt events. During the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 ice season 12 out of 17 identified freeze events and 13 out of 17 identified melt events were successfully validated. The radar determined dates were validated using in situ data, and visible remote sensing data. Temperature models and radar backscatter were used to estimate ice thickness in Central Ontario. The results of this analysis were validated using a combination of in situ measurements and data from a Shallow Water Ice Profiler (SWIP), correlation statistics for temperature models were >0.9 and an R2 of 0.6 was observed for backscatter models. | M.Sc. | water | 5 |
| Murie, Stacey | Wakefield, Sarah | Expanding Food Justice: Gender, Race and Hunger in Toronto | Geography | 2017-11 | Hunger is a significant issue in Toronto, particularly among racialized individuals and female lone-parent households. Canadian critical food scholarship generally attributes hunger among these marginalized groups to financial insecurity, disregarding the ways gender and race intersect with poverty. To challenge this pattern, I argue that a food justice framework can elucidate how intersecting systems of oppression impact the ability of marginalized communities to access food. Drawing from participant observation at The Stop, a leading food justice organization in Toronto, and interviews with staff members from various food security organizations, this project examines the utility of a food justice framework in understanding how gender and racial inequality shape the experiences of The Stopâ s participants and analyzes how The Stop works to dismantle gender and racial injustices through food activism, and what barriers to this work exist. Doing so highlights the possibilities for re-framing how hunger is understood and addressed in Toronto. | M.A. | poverty; food; gender; equality; inequality; justice | 1, 2, 5, 10, 16 |
| Murphy, Cara | Barnsley, Janet | Access to Colorectal Cancer Screening in Canada: Does Immigrant Status Matter | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2012-11-26 | Background: In 2010, immigrants comprised 20% of the Canadian population. Canada has one of the highest incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the world. This study seeks to explore factors that are associated with CRC screening and to determine whether immigrants are less likely to be screened for CRC compared to non-immigrants. Methods: Data were obtained from Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey, 2008. The Behavioral Model of Health Services Use was used as a theoretical framework. Chi-square statistics and multiple logistic regression models were employed. Results: Recent immigrants were less likely to be screened by endoscopy within 5 years (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.29 – 0.77), endoscopy within 10 years (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.24 - 0.60) and be up-to-date with screening (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.37 - 0.91) compared to non-immigrants. Conclusions: A formal screening program and patient navigators may address disparities among recent and non-immigrants. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Murphy, Peter James Henry | Evans, Gregory | Transferability of Inexpensive Air Quality Monitoring Sensors | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-03 | Air pollution is the world's largest environmental burden on health, associated with 7 million premature deaths globally each year. Inexpensive air quality monitors are a growing requirement for air quality monitoring systems for public health evaluation. Prototype sensor-based air quality monitoring devices, which measure PM2.5, NO, NO2, O3, and CO, were evaluated against reference grade devices at two different locations to test transferability. CO, NO, and PM2.5 transferred well between measurement sites while NO2 and O3 experienced linear biases from the reference when the location was changed. Mixed calibration using data from both locations improved calibration across the board. NO2 and O3 were improved by combining calibration sets, however they failed to maintain that improvement when deployed at a third testing location. As both NO2 and O3 are key components of the AQHI, these sensors should not be used for urban health evaluations until these transference issues are resolved. | M.A.S. | health; urban; environment; pollut | 3, 11, 13, 14 |
| Murphy, Sarah Alexina Barbara | L'Abbé, Mary R | Beyond the Menu: Assessing the Nutritional Quality of Canadian Restaurant Foods | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11 | One of the primary preventative measures of non-communicable diseases is a healthy diet. There is currently no oversight of the nutritional quality of foods served in the restaurant industry, meanwhile increasing numbers of Canadians eat outside the home on a regular basis. This thesis aimed to assess mean saturated fat, sodium, and sugar levels in restaurant foods in Canada, and to determine the proportion of menu items that would require one of Health Canada’s ‘high-in’ labels if applied to the restaurant sector. Analyzing data from 10,950 menu items from 96 chain establishments, this thesis represents the largest study of its kind in Canada. Our results showed the majority of menu items evaluated were high in nutrients of public health concern, and would require at least one ‘high-in’ label. This highlights the urgent need for more legislation and strategies to improve the nutritional quality of restaurant foods in Canada. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; health; industr | 2, 3, 9 |
| Murray, Chelsea | L'Abbé, Mary R | Examining the Nutritional Content of Prepackaged Foods and Beverages Marketed to Children in Canada | Nutritional Sciences | 2014-11 | Banning the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to Canadian children has been suggested as a strategy to combat childhood obesity. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence of marketing to children in a large database of Canadian prepackaged foods and beverages and to examine the nutritional quality of products marketed to children. Marketing to children was largely found in subcategories with products high in sugar, fat and/or sodium, and in some subcategories, products marketed to children were of lower nutritional quality than comparable products without such marketing. A nutrient profiling model classified most children's products as "less healthy". Children's products from companies participating in the voluntary code were not healthier than comparable children's products from non-participating companies. Therefore, these findings suggest that there are limitations in the current voluntary code, as product packaging is not covered, and the products marketed to children through this strategy can be considered unhealthy. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; health | 1, 3 |
| Murray, Samantha K | Trescases, Olivier | A Modular Bi-directional Current-controlled Inverter with Masterless Interleaving and Active Power Decoupling | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-06 | Single-phase inverters are critical for many applications, including solar energy harvesting, residential energy storage, and electric vehicle charging. This thesis presents two main innovations in the context of a bi-directional, power-dense, silicon carbide inverter that is modular and fault-tolerant. 1) Masterless interleaving between sub-inverters operating with variable frequency current control, and 2) a versatile Active Power Decoupling (APD) module using a unique topology variation that re-purposes a sub-inverter, and allows current-mode operation using the same hardware. Masterless control allows for system operation to continue in the presence of sub-module failure. The Interleaving of three sub-inverters decreases the peak current into the system EMI filter by 29\%. Reusing the sub-inverter full-bridge, inductors, and current sensing for APD improves the system modularity and allows for a symmetrical mechanical and thermal design. The proposed topology uses two half-bridges with a modified capacitor connection to enable hysteretic current control with a single current sensor. | M.A.S. | energy; solar; innovation | 7, 9 |
| Murthy, Sanjay K. | Steinhart, A. Hillary | Impact of Clostriduim difficile colitis on Five Year Health Outcomes of Ulcerative Colitis Patients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2012-11-26 | Clostridium difficile colitis (CDC) is associated with a higher risk of acute death among hospitalized ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. However, the risk of colectomy with CDC in these patients has varied across studies. No study has assessed the long-term health impact of CDC in UC patients. Therefore, the present study evaluated the impact of CDC on five-year health outcomes of hospitalized UC patients based on Ontario health administrative data. No overall association was observed between CDC and five-year risks of colectomy or death in overall cohort. However, patients who were discharged from hospital without undergoing colectomy demonstrated marginally higher five-year risks of colectomy and hospital re-admission. Mortality risk and length of stay during index hospitalization were also higher in patients with CDC. Analysis of a parallel cohort of UC patients derived using a published case definition corroborated most of these results, but demonstrated a higher five-year mortality risk with CDC. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Musisi, Lwanga Gasuza | Dei, George S||Wane, Njoki | Autism and Social Justice Education: Toward an Inclusive Education System in Uganda | Social Justice Education | 2017-06 | Autism and Social Justice Education: Toward an Inclusive Education System in Uganda Master of Arts Social Justice Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) The University of Toronto 2017 Lwanga G. Musisi Abstract This thesis draws from a critical disability studies framework to examine the extent to which students with autism are excluded from the educational system. Using secondary sources and in-depth review of the literature, it investigates three related questions. a) How does the Ugandan education system perceive social justice education? b) What is the status of autistic children within this system? c) What are the gaps and challenges faced by learners and educationists in as far as autism is concerned in Uganda? I argue that while Uganda has some progressive legislation regarding the provision of education to persons with disabilities, and subscribes to the international idioms of human rights, human capital and social justice; Uganda continues to privilege the medical model of disability over the social model of disability. Consequently, Uganda has been slow to provide a truly inclusive learning environment that promotes social justice education for all students. | M.A. | educat; inclusive; justice; rights | 4, 16 |
| Mutlu, Azer Ebru | Schneiderman, David | The Kurdish Quest for Self-determination: Looking to Individual Experiences to Administer Differences | Law | 2013-12-05 | The issue of Kurdish self-determination within the highly centralized Republic of Turkey has been a controversial issue with its local, national and international dimensions over the years. Without solving this issue, Turkey might not reach the aims of joining the European Union (EU), economic sustainability, literal democracy, pluralism, and peace. After 40 years armed struggle between Kurdish and Turkish sides, two significant suggestions are currently being discussed: a provincial system similar to what the Ottoman Empire accepted with its own multicultural system; second, the current unitary system with more powerful local authorities. This paper analyzes the problem in an inductive method and takes the second approach to evaluate Turkish centralization, modernization, and transformation to French Republicanism. This evaluation concludes with the critique of the French universal citizenship understanding and requirement of more pluralistic, democratic citizenship and administrative model as a solution of minority rights and self-determination problem in Turkey. | MAST | peace; rights | 16 |
| Myatt, Eleanor | Malti, Tina | Helping Others and Receiving Help: Refugee Children's Narration of Post-Transition Prosocial Experiences | Psychology | 2018-11 | This study examined refugee children’s narratives about giving and receiving prosociality. Children and their primary caregivers (N = 86, 5 – 12-year-olds, M = 8.05, SD = 2.22, 47 girls; 55%) were asked to recount a time they provided help to someone and a time they received helped from someone else. Narratives were coded for themes (e.g., behaviours and prosocial motives) that reflected prosocial tendencies. Both children and their caregivers also completed measures assessing children’s dispositional sympathy and overt prosocial behaviour. Children most frequently reported providing direct help and receiving teaching help. The motivations children reported did not significantly differ between providing and receiving help narratives. We also found developmental differences in the types of help and prosocial motives children reported. No overt links between narrative themes with sympathy and prosocial behaviour were observed. The findings will be discussed in relation to previous research on prosocial development in adverse contexts. | M.A. | girl | 5 |
| Myrans, Katharine | Harvey, Danny | Comparative Energy and Carbon Assessment of Three Green Technologies for a Toronto Roof | Geography | 2010-02-15T20:49:23Z | Three different green technologies are compared in terms of net energy and carbon savings for a theoretical Toronto rooftop. Embodied energy values are calculated through Life Cycle Analysis and compared to the estimated energies produced and/or saved by each technology. Results show that solar photovoltaics displace the most carbon per m2 of roof space and solar thermal (for hot water) displaces the most energy. An in-depth analysis of an intensive green roof for growing food indicates that the high embodied energy of the materials is not quickly repaid by the sum of six energy savings that were examined (direct and indirect cooling, run-off treatment, transport of food, on-farm energy use, and activities that would otherwise be carried out). However, the energy and carbon benefits are not insignificant, but depend strongly on various assumptions. The methodology used is replicable and therefore useful for other locations. | MAST | energy; solar | 7 |
| Naamatova, Gulnaz | Cook, Rebecca J. | Promotion of the Availability and Accessibility of Misoprostol under the CEDAW: Postpartum Haemorrhage among the Rural Women of the Kyrgyz Republic | Law | 2011-12-15 | Maternal mortality in Kyrgyzstan is a discrimination of women not only based on sex, but also on rural/urban setting. Rural women are most likely to die of haemorrhage than urban women in Kyrgyzstan. Postpartum haemorrhage constitutes 45 per cent of all maternal deaths in Kyrgyzstan. This work concentrates on the obligations of Kyrgyzstan under articles 12 and 14.b of the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The work analyses the nature and scope of state obligations under respective articles. Kyrgyzstan has obligations to respect, protect and fulfill rural women’s human rights to address discriminations against rural women, provide appropriate health services and ensure availability and accessibility of misoprostol to rural women. Misoprostol is more suitable to the conditions of rural area than traditionally used oxytocin. Therefore, the availability and accessibility of rural women to misoprostol will prevent avoidable maternal deaths in haemorrhage. | MAST | rights; rural; urban; women; health | 3, 5, 11, 16 |
| Nabbijohn, Aysha Natisha | VanderLaan, Douglas | Children’s Appraisals of Gender Variance: Understanding the Emergence of Negative Attitudes | Psychology | 2018-11 | Among children ages 4-to-5- and 8-to-9-years-old (N = 142; 47.2% boys), multiple measures of social preference were employed to gauge appraisals of target boys and girls depicted as gender-typical or gender-variant. Children’s gender-typed behaviour and implicit attitudes as well as parental endorsement of gender stereotypes were also assessed. Social preferences did not precisely align across measures—although some consistent patterns were observed. Among boys, gender-typed preferences increased with age; older boys preferred the gender-typical boy and rated gender-typical peers more favourably. Girls showed a same-sex preference; but older girls also showed interest in being friends with the gender-variant boy. Older children rated the gender-variant boy as less preferred by others; and all children rated gender-variant children as less happy. Boys and girls expressed preferences for boy-typed and girl-typed activities, respectively. Parental endorsement of femininity was particularly associated with more positive appraisals of feminine peers. Implications for future research are discussed. | M.A. | gender; girl | 5 |
| Nachman, Alex | Nathan, Paul | Mental Health Outcomes in Survivors of Childhood Cancer | Medical Science | 2016-11 | The current literature surrounding their mental health outcomes is limited. This study addresses limitations in the field by using healthcare administrative databases to compare the rates of mental health care utilization and the risk for a severe mental health episode between pediatric cancer survivors and matched population controls. Additionally, this study assesses the impact of demographic, disease, and treatment level predictors on mental health outcomes. Overall, pediatric cancer survivors were more likely to utilize mental health care (Adjusted Rate Ratio 1.31, 95% CI 1.16-1.48), but were not at greater risk of severe mental health episodes (Hazard Ratio 1.11 95% CI, 0.99-1.25). Pediatric cancer survivors were identified to be at increased risk of mood/affective disorders and psychotic disorders. In general, predictors of mental health outcomes in survivors were similar to those in the general population. This study provides novel information to a limited field, and a strong platform for future studies. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Nadarajah, Parthiban | Newman, Roger C. | Chemistry and Corrosion Mechanisms of Steels Embedded in High-density Slag Concrete for Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-12-15 | The chemistry and corrosion mechanisms associated with reduced sulfur compounds such as calcium sulfide, present in ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), have been studied in high-density concrete, mortar and simulated pore-water environments. The high-density concrete and mortar samples were produced to replicate the high-density GGBFS concrete, in the dry storage containers (DSCs), used for radiation shielding from used nuclear fuel. Electrochemical measurements on embedded steel electrodes in high-density GGBFS concrete and mortar samples, showed that sulfide is capable of consuming oxygen to create a stable, reducing environment, though not in all cases, and the high-frequency electrolyte resistance increases with hydration time. Ion chromatography on simulated pore-water environments determined that thiosulfate is quite kinetically stable as a sulfide oxidation product and magnetite is capable of oxidizing sulfide. Microscopy has also been used to provide visual evidence of GGBFS hydration and elemental quantification of the hydrating microstructure in different environments. | MAST | water; consum; environment | 6, 12, 13 |
| Nadeau, Bobby | Kishen, Anil | Role of Free-water Loss on Residual Strain and Fracture Predilection in Root Dentin: A Three-dimensional Digital Image Correlation Analysis | Dentistry | 2019-06 | Free-water loss induced residual strain, with and without axial loading, and the mechanical effect of cyclic loading in fully hydrated and partially dehydrated root dentin were evaluated using 3D-Digital Image Correlation and Micro CT imaging. 2 hours of free-water loss resulted in the formation of residual compressive strain with areas of tensile strain localized to root canal and outer dentin. More residual compressive strain was observed in the apical dentin compared to the cervical dentin. More residual shear strain was observed in the outer dentin compared to the inner dentin. Axial loading resulted in an increase in the load-induced compressive strain in the direction perpendicular to dentinal tubules. Fully hydrated samples displayed a higher mean number of cycles to fracture with micro-cracks characteristic of toughness when compared to partially dehydrated samples. Free-water loss occurring in endodontically treated teeth may play a significant role in their predisposition to vertical root fractures. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| naini, Sheida Shoai | McCabe, Brenda | Studying Best Practices in Acquiring more Responsibly-built University Buildings in Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | Investment in construction and renovation projects represents long-term plans for improving and expanding the existing facilities at Ontario universities. Ontario Universities, as parts of the public sector, are committed to implement projects that are integral to their academic missions, and that provide high quality design incorporating appropriate functionality and environmental responsibility. The primary objective of this research was to examine the key success factors in the domain of public procurement, specifically in the construction of Ontario University buildings. This goal was achieved through discussing the different aspects of common universities decisions in regards to the key factors that contribute in project success. The results of this study have provided insight into Ontario universities suggested approach to construction. Although there is no single best approach for all the universities projects, recommended approach by experienced experts may help to select the best option. | M.A.S. | buildings; environment | 9, 13 |
| NANZIRI, TRACY | Trebilcock, Michael | Beyond Bribery: Rethinking the Form of Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa's Extractive Industries | Law | 2014-11 | Abstract: There has been a rise in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Sub-Saharan Africa's extractive industries. Currently, the relationship between graft and FDI is widely perceived as one in which FDI inflows are either positively or negatively affected by bribery corruption. With the focus on bribery corruption, legal measures have been implemented to combat graft in this area, yet less attention is being paid to other forms of corruption that relate to FDI and Sub-Saharan Africa's extractive industries. This thesis will argue that the definition of `corruption', with respect to FDI and extractives in SSA, should not be understood only as bribery corruption, but should include graft of other forms. | LL.M. | financial market | 10 |
| Nardozi, Angela | Muzzin, Linda ||Restoule, Jean-Paul | Perceptions of Postsecondary Education in a Northern Ontario Community | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-08-11 | From my position as ally to an Anishnawbe community in Northern Ontario, I explored the relationships of community members to postsecondary education. Eight current and former students, a teacher at the school and a band councilor, shared with me their experiences and their knowledge about the Community and its school system. The data revealed that in Northern Ontario, the transition from the on-reserve school system to whitestream education at any level is very difficult for Community members, and is exacerbated by family violence and tensions and a perception of lower quality teaching and resources in the community schools. Participants also chose more college programs when first entering postsecondary education, and attended the college in the nearby town most frequently. Suspicion of and isolation from the whitestream school system as a result of the impact of residential schools still exists, and continues to have an effect on community participation in education. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Nasielski, Joshua | Isaac, Marney E | Soybean N2-fixation Rates and Yield in Tree-based Intercropping Systems: Effects of Water Limitations and Environmental Modifications | Geography | 2015-06 | In Ontario, where 80% of Canada's soybean crop is grown, a lack of reliable soil moisture during the growing season is an anticipated outcome of climate change. Di-nitrogen (N2) fixation rates in soybean are well known to be highly sensitive to water deficits. The objective of this study was to examine i) the effect of a full season water deficit on soybean N2-fixation rates and yield in the field, and ii) whether tree- based intercrops (TBI) could modulate the impact of a full season water deficit on these two parameters. This study used rainfall reduction shelters to reduce available soil moisture in monoculture and in a TBI agroforestry system in southern Ontario. Fixed N was significantly reduced in the water deficit treatment in both monoculture and TBI systems. Soybean yield was significantly reduced in the water deficit treatment but only in monoculture, not in the TBI system. Results demonstrate that important N pathways are restricted under water limitation but that TBI systems may induce yield stability under water deficit scenarios. | M.Sc. | water; climate; forest | 6, 13, 15 |
| Navaratnam, Kubes | Orange, Jennifer | The Need for Post-conflict Investigatory Mechanisms in the R2P Doctrine | Law | 2011-01-12T20:17:15Z | In the wake of atrocities arising from internal armed conflicts in the 1990s, the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty introduced the Responsibility to Protect doctrine (“R2P”) as a solution to reconcile the notion of state sovereignty with the need to protect citizens. The lack of available protection for internal armed conflicts and the subsequent evolution of the humanitarian intervention debate facilitated the unanimous acceptance of R2P’s fundamental principles by all UN member states. This paper examines the development of the R2P doctrine and its current status as customary law. By identifying its inadequacies, the paper raises questions of the doctrine’s viability in fulfilling the emerging norm of the collective responsibility to protect. In order to remedy these shortfalls and ensure the doctrine’s effectiveness, the paper argues the need to incorporate post-conflict investigatory mechanisms into the R2P. | MAST | instituion | 16 |
| Navaratnam, Sangeetha | Coloma, Roland Sintos | Guilt, Shame and Model Minorities: How South Asian Youth in Toronto Navigate the Canadian Educational System | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | The present study examines issues that South Asian youth face as members of a model minority group. Using 14 semi-structured interviews, South Asian youth (aged 18-26) discussed issues they encountered as they navigated educational institutions in Canada. The study found that participants were not aware of the term model minority. Furthermore, participants received input, either directly or indirectly, from family and community members regarding their career choices. Lastly, participants experienced guilt and shame during decision-making processes, but ultimately chose their own path with [eventual] acceptance from parents. Results indicate that schools in the GTA are not attuned to the needs of South Asian students which often left students at a disadvantage when making future career and educational choices. There is a need for educators, administrators, and policymakers to develop more specialized programs toward helping South Asian youth navigate the Canadian educational institutions. | MAST | educat; equality | 4, 5 |
| Naveed, Hareem | Stinchcombe, Adam | Comparing Prediction Methods for Early Warning Systems | Mathematics | 2018-03 | In this study, we investigate the use of prediction modeling to build an early warning system to identify students who are at risk of interacting with the criminal justice system in the future. First, we review algorithms for supervised learning and formulate the problem in a precise modeling framework. In the data cleaning phase, we match between the two datasets for an 86% match-rate. We then apply different supervised learning methods and identify the best model for our problem. Using detailed variables, temporal cross validation and our final prediction method of Random Forests, we achieved a precision of 0.3 at 1% of the student population. This greatly out-performs the current threshold-based system that flags a larger percentage of the student body while correctly identifying fewer at-risk students. We also describe the results of a similar approach to developing an early warning system for public safety. | M.Sc. | justice | 16 |
| Nazemian, Zohreh | Casper, Robert | Infertility and Women’s Age | Medical Science | 2011-08-24 | In the first part of study, our objective was to determine the effect of CoQ10 supplementation of culture media on preimplantation mouse and human embryo development. CoQ10 supplementation of culture media did not improve mouse or human embryo development in vitro. Since the results appeared to be negative, we decided to move on to research the effect of age on female infertility. In the second part, we investigated the effect of female age and ovarian stimulation protocols on IUI outcome in 411 infertile women. We found that the ongoing/live birth rate per cycle in women ≤ 37 years was significantly higher than in older patients. In the third section, we determined if very young age (≤25 yrs) has an impact on pregnancy outcome in women undergoing IVF-ET. Our results demonstrating lower pregnancy rates in very young patients and egg donors compared to the patients in their early thirties were surprising. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Nejad, Romina | Zadeh, Gelareh | Exploring Clinical and Biological Subtypes of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Mutant Gliomas | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumours in adults. Due to their diffuse nature and significant inter- and intra-tumoural heterogeneity, conventional therapies fail to prolong patient life expectancy beyond 12-15 months upon diagnosis. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are critical early genetic alterations in glioma and confer a significantly improved prognosis. We sought to establish the importance of IDH mutations in glioma through three approaches. We show an overall support from the Neuro-Oncology field for the recent integration of IDH mutation in the World Health Organization diagnostic criteria for gliomas. Next, we report clinical utility in utilizing the oncometabolite, 2-hydroxyglutarate as a surrogate biomarker for IDH mutation detection. Lastly, we report distinct metabolic, clinical and epigenetic profiles in a cohort of IDH mutated lower grade gliomas, that “mimic” high grade glioblastoma. Our results support the clinical importance of IDH mutation and provide novel insights on its underlying biology. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Nemani, Vivek Aditya | Andrews, Robert C | Impact of Operational Parameters and Nutrient Enhancement on Biofiltration Performance | Civil Engineering | 2016-06 | This research examined operational efficiency and performance enhancement of passive and engineered biofiltration. Pilot studies were carried out to evaluate the impact of backwash frequency, empty bed contact time, and nutrient enhancement on biofiltration systems treating different source waters (Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe). Performance was evaluated in terms of organic carbon, ultrafiltration foulant (biopolymer), and disinfection-by product precursor removal. Increasing empty bed contact time from 4 to 8 min enhanced organic carbon degradation, while there was no statistically significant impact on biopolymer removal. Extending filter run time beyond 15 days had a detrimental effect on turbidity; however, no significant impact was observed in the monitored parameters when biofilters were backwashed every 10 days, which would result in economic benefits. Phosphorus addition (0.3 mg/L) improved organic carbon and disinfection by-product precursor removal, while nitrogen addition (0.8 mg/L) had no significant impact in spite of being consumed entirely through the biofilter. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Nembhard, Gillian N. | Broad, Kathy ||Feuerverger, Grace | Storying for Social Justice: A Professional Learning Journey | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-07-19 | This thesis was an examination of my own practice in critical literacy teaching for social justice in Language Arts. The intention was to evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher inquiry process in improving social justice based instructional practice. Particularly, developing critical literacy skills with students was a focus. Emphasis was placed on the role of “text analyzer”, who “understands that texts are not neutral, that they represent particular views and perspectives, that other views and perspectives may be missing, and that the design of messages of texts can be critiqued and alternatives considered” (Freebody & Luke, 1990). By examining perspectives and points of view in text, students moved toward understanding agency, oppression and empowerment. Learnings included identifying an operational framework for developing a social justice orientation to teaching and integrating social justice teaching across a variety of curriculum areas. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Nesbitt, Amy Elizabeth | Sabiston, Catherine M. | Global or Body-Related Self-Conscious Emotions: What Matters Most for Mental Health? | Exercise Sciences | 2018-11 | The purpose of this study was to examine the relative relationships between global and body-related self-conscious emotions and indicators of mental health. Adult men and women (N = 520; Mage = 35.4, SD = 10.1; 42% female) completed an online questionnaire to assess global and body-related shame, guilt and authentic pride, and multiple indices of mental health. Body-related shame and guilt were stronger predictors of the mental health indicators of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, eating pathology, self-esteem and the mental component of role functioning (β = -.51-.63, p | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ng, Joseph | Touchie, Marianne||El-Diraby, Tamer | Investigating Smart Thermostat Data And Its Potential Relationship To Occupant Thermal Comfort | Civil Engineering | 2019-06 | Crowdsourcing and advanced hardware have provided new ways of collecting data about energy use and occupant behaviour in residential buildings. This research uses machine learning algorithms to predict an occupant’s thermal comfort using general building properties by using data analytics to understand thermal comfort patterns from smart thermostat data. The analysis utilized classification algorithms and temperature data collected from smart thermostats. The dataset consists of 7500 homes in major cities in North America. Over 100 models were trained using a variety of clustering algorithms and combinations of features. The highest-performing models had classification accuracies ranging between 7-9% higher than random. The study did not observe a relationship between thermostat adjustments and general building properties. Instead, the study found positive correlations between the number of thermostat adjustments and the age of the home. The contribution of this work is to showcase a detailed approach for conducting such analysis. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Ng, Kevin | Mitchell, Carl PJ | Mercury Methylation in Riparian Areas Across Minnesota | Geography | 2017-11 | Five rivers in Minnesota have been identified to have particularly elevated mercury concentrations in fish despite relatively low total mercury concentrations in water and sediment. One hypothesis is that methylmercury production in riparian areas and hydrological connectivity of riparian areas to streams are important contributors to river methylmercury loads and bioaccumulation. We conducted methylation (Kmeth) assays, using enriched mercury isotopes, across two geomorphically distinct riparian zones in each of five Minnesota watersheds and across seasons from 2015 through 2016. Kmeth was generally higher in-stream and lower with increasing distance away from the stream. Results show that although methylation does occur in riparian areas, it is not likely that these areas are the primary source of MeHg found in fish due to hydrological flow patterns observed at these sites. More research is needed to determine the source of elevated MeHg concentrations found in the fish of these â high-5â watersheds. | M.Sc. | water; fish | 14 |
| Ngo, Mai | Ng, Roxana | Canadian Youth Abroad: Rethinking Issues of Power and Privilege | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-07-24 | Since the 1960s, over 65,000 young Canadians have participated in volunteer abroad programs (Tiessen, 2008). Lately, the media and academia have questioned and criticized the benefits of volunteerism as development. This study highlights how issues of power and privilege extend beyond the individual, and reaches into institutional structures. The research design uses Institutional Ethnography (IE) as a method of inquiry, and maps out the social relations between the experiences of seven former youth volunteers and field staff, and their organizations. The aim is to explore how to improve individual and organizational pedagogy in the field of international volunteering, so that equity becomes a commitment by everyone in the development of sustainable and just communities. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Nguyen, Christine | Polivy, Janet | Counteractive Control and the Dieter: The Role of Food Cue Specificity in Food Selection and Eating Behavior | Psychology | 2011-12-15 | Research on counteractive control theory suggests that exposure to food cues should bolster the dieting goal in restrained individuals. However, other research has found food cues to increase eating. The present study investigates whether cue specificity influences whether counteractive control or hyper-responsiveness to food cues takes precedence in dieters’ food selection and eating behavior. Restrained eaters were assigned to view a cookie, cake, or flower cue, then they selected a snack to take (apple or cookie). Participants also had an opportunity to eat cookies. Results showed that restrained participants exposed to the cake cue chose the apple more often than those receiving any other cue; exposure to a tempting cue not specific to the snack offered elicited counteractive control. However, participants exposed to either food cue ate more cookies than those exposed to the neutral cue. The role of food cue specificity in counteractive control and its limits are examined. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Ni, | Zhu, Jianwen | Instruction-set-simulator-less Virtual Prototype Framework for Embedded Software Development | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-12-15 | With continuous advancement in silicon technology and high feature demands on consumer electronics, the complexity of embedded software has led the software development effort to dominate System-On-Chip (SoC) design. Virtual Prototype (VP) addresses the problem by enabling early software development before hardware arrival. However, VP still poses challenges: 1) Instruction Set Simulator (ISS) degrades simulation time, 2) Development is restricted to embedded processor specific tools and 3) Applications and drivers are dependent on system software completion. In this work, we propose an abstraction framework which: 1) Removes ISS from VP, achieving native host software execution time, 2) Activates rich suites of desktop development tools in host by compiling embedded software in host binary and 3) Allows system software independent application and driver development. With this framework, we successfully demonstrated up to 2000% speed-up in VP run-time over conventional VP and improved software development productivity significantly. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Nicholls, Julian | Martell, David | Simulating the Use of High Altitude, High Endurance Drones for Wildfire Monitoring | Forestry | 2020-06 | The threat of wildfire in Canada will increase as climate change results in weather conditions that are more conducive to fire ignition and spread, and as more Canadians decide to spend time in and near our forests. To improve fire management, wildfire agencies must consider the adoption of new tools and processes such as pseudo-satellite unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Using solar energy, these UAVs can theoretically remain stratospheric for months. With an appropriate thermal imaging system, these UAVs could be an asset for earth observation. To determine their fire monitoring potential, daily fire monitoring problems were created, and the shortest route observing all fires was found by solving integer linear programming problems (ILPs). These optimal routes were modelled as Traveling Salesperson Problems (TSPs) and solved using IBM’s CPLEX solver. A simulation of fire seasons using historic data was facilitated by Python and CPLEX to evaluate the performance of these UAVs. | M.Sc. | energy; solar; climate; weather; forest | 7, 12, 13, 15 |
| Nicholls, Rachael | Knowles, J. Gary | School in Community, Challenges and Transformation: A Beginning Teacher Reflects on Experiences and Collective Histories in a Rural, Southern Ontario School | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-01-01T18:29:19Z | This research account centers on the life history-inspired narratives of engaged teachers, parents, and community members associated with King Albert Public School (KAPS). Since early 2000 to 2008 staff at KAPS collaborated with students, community parents, businesses, and organizations to meet the needs of students and to make positive connections within surrounding neighbourhoods. In the process KAPS witnessed substantial transformation. Paramount in connecting with the community was the construction of a new school gymnasium. KAPS became a hub for students, parents, and community. In the process of construction and subsequent use of the gym, the school itself developed a new sense of meaning in the community. As I navigate the process of becoming a teacher I use a reflexive inquiry approach to parallel my process of development to the transformation that occurred at KAPS. Also, this project contributes to the rural and small-town Ontario research literature on poverty and schooling. | MAST | rural; poverty | 11 |
| Nikitovic, Milica | Cadarette, Suzanne M. | Direct Costs of Hip Fractures among Seniors in Ontario | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2011-12-15 | Osteoporosis is a major public health problem resulting in substantial hip fracture related morbidity. Using healthcare utilization data, we determined the 1- and 2-year direct attributable healthcare costs associated with hip fractures among Ontario seniors in comparison to a matched non-hip fracture cohort. Over a four-year period (2004-2008) we identified 22,418 females and 7,611 males with an incident hip fracture. Approximately 22% of females and 30% of males died in the first year after fracture. The mean attributable cost in the first year was $36,929 ($52,232 vs. $15,503) among females and $39,479 ($54,289 vs. $14,810) among males. Primary cost drivers included acute hospitalizations, complex continuing care, and rehabilitation. Attributable costs remained elevated into the second year, particularly among those who survived the first year ($9,017 females and $10,347 males). Results from this study will aid policy decision makers in allocating healthcare resources and help feed into future health economic analyses. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ning, Ashley | Wilson, Kathi | Mobilities of Aboriginal Youth: Exploring the Impact on Health and Social Support through Photovoice | Geography | 2013-03-18 | Dramatic growth in Canada’s urban Aboriginal population has led to high rates of Aboriginal mobility. Despite much quantitative data, very little is known about the mobility experiences of Aboriginal peoples or its impacts. Furthermore, while mobility may present barriers for shaping social connections important to individual health, research in this area is minimal, especially among Aboriginal youth. Using community-‐based participatory research (CBPR) the purpose of this thesis is to examine how mobility shapes the social networks and health of Aboriginal youth in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. While highlighting the use and valuableness of CBPR methods, the research demonstrates that mobility impacts both the development and maintenance of social relationships among Aboriginal youth as well as influences the types and qualities of these relationships. Additionally, mobility indirectly shapes health through its effect on social support, which was shown to impact health positively and negatively through direct and indirect pathways. | MAST | health; urban | 3, 11 |
| Nishikawa, Sandra | Macklin, Audrey | Diversity on Adjudicative Administrative Tribunals: An Integrative Conception | Law | 2010-02-15T22:21:08Z | This thesis applies arguments for greater diversity, and more specifically, racial diversity, on the judiciary to administrative tribunals with an adjudicative function. I draw from both formal arguments, such as institutional legitimacy, and substantive arguments, such as the different perspectives that diversity would provide, to propose an integrative conception of diversity. By relying upon concepts such as structural impartiality, I argue that an integrative conception of diversity more fully reveals the transformative potential of diversity in legal decision-making. This integrative conception is particularly well-suited to the administrative context because it demonstrates how diversity will enhance the values of participation and justification, which are instrumental to the principle of fairness. Through interviews with adjudicators and legal clinic lawyers, I offer a preliminary view of the potential impact that diverse administrative adjudicators could have in practice. Finally, this thesis offers recommendations on how this potential could be further realized. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Nishimura, Naomi | Flessa, Joseph | Educator Sexual Misconduct and the Problematic Culture of Silence | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | This study aims to gather more information about the presence of educator sexual misconduct within public secondary schools in Ontario. There are two distinct directions: (i) the field research as originally designed, and (ii) ideas for future research. Initially, I sought to examine how principals manage allegations of educator sexual misconduct. No eligible person was willing to participate. Consequently, I aim to define research agendas for studying this phenomenon within different contexts of the education and political systems. This study provides a comprehensive review of existing academic literature, current legislation, prevalence in Ontario schools, patterns of abuse, and perpetrator characteristics. While studies are limited, it is apparent that more research needs to be conducted to gain an accurate understanding of how cases are handled, and how related policies function within each regulatory body. | M.A. | instituion | 16 |
| Nitsou, Christina | Farmer, Diane | Exploring how Civics Education in Secondary Schools Constructs Social Action in a Changing Participatory Landscape | Social Justice Education | 2015-06 | This study explores the effect of the changing participatory landscape on the ways in which students engage in social justice. Student involvement in social justice-orientated activities via digital technology has challenged current perceptions of youth engagement. The presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in schools and student clubs dedicated to fund-raising for the Global South has supplemented school programs in the area of civics education. The central focus of this study is how civics education constructs social action for students in a new participatory culture. Bourdieu's conceptual tools of "field" and "doxa" are used to question how different players in civics education structure student participation. Findings from the document analysis reveal that civics curriculum and NGO documents use the themes of citizenship and education for participation to restructure the field of civic education. The contribution of this study accentuates how the unique positioning of NGOs in schools has narrowed the understanding of social actions. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Noorhosseini, Sheida | L'Abbe, Mary R | Evaluating the Prevalence, Nutritional Quality, and Marketing Characteristics of Nutritionally-enhanced Foods in Canada | Nutritional Sciences | 2016-11 | Nutritionally-enhanced foods are a fast-growing sector of the global food industry. Concerns have been raised that the consumption of these products may have negative repercussions on population health, such as high nutrient intakes inappropriate for certain population subgroups (e.g. children) and the shifting of dietary patterns to include more unhealthy foods. This thesis aimed to evaluate the prevalence, nutritional quality, and marketing characteristics of foods with added nutrients in the Canadian market. Many nutritionally-enhanced foods contained high levels of nutrients beyond recommended intakes, despite these nutrients having no evidence of inadequacy in the Canadian population. Additionally, a large proportion of foods with added nutrients had poor nutrient profiles and carried heavy marketing on their labels, regardless of their nutritional quality. These findings support concerns surrounding the consumption of foods with added nutrients and suggest the need to further evaluate these concerns by investigating consumer attitudes and decision-making towards these foods. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; health; industr; consum | 12 |
| Noss, Kaitlin E. | Nestel, Sheryl | Knowledge is Made for Cutting: Genealogies of Race and Gender in Female Circumcision Discourse | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:32:49Z | This thesis analyzes examples of current female circumcision discourse within U.S. feminist contexts and western-based anti-circumcision projects operating in Kenya. This analysis reveals that, despite recent critiques from postcolonial scholars and activists, the knowledge produced around female circumcision perpetuates discursive and material violence against Kenyan Maasai communities. I explore how this violence has persisted in neo/colonial eras as part of the white western feminist ‘care of self’ technique of displacing female abjection through the pleasure of whiteness. I trace how these formations of race and gender have become attached to understandings of genitalia through colonial-era race science, Freudian psychoanalysis and some feminist texts from 1949-1970. I suggest that these western feminist constructions of sexual liberation rely on depicting racialized women as primitive and degenerate. Finally, I argue that these racial and gendered constructions now inform concepts of ‘developed’ versus ‘underdeveloped’ bodies and nations in contemporary international development work. | MAST | gender; women | 5 |
| Nourinejad, Mehdi | Roorda, Matthew | Dynamic Optimization Models for Ridesharing and Carsharing | Civil Engineering | 2014-03-19 | Collaborative consumption is the culture of sharing instead of ownership in consumer behaviours. Transportation services such as ridesharing, carsharing, and bikesharing have recently adopted collaborative business models. Such services require real-time management of the available fleets to increase revenues and reduce costs. This thesis proposes two dynamic models for real-time management of carsharing and ridesharing services. In ridesharing, an assignment problem is solved to match drivers with passengers. The model is expanded to include multi-passenger and multi-driver matches. In carsharing, vehicles are relocated between parking stations to service the users. Results of the two models are compared to benchmark models which provide lower-bound solutions. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Nugent, James | MacDonald, Kenneth | Changing the Climate: Labour-environmental Alliance-forming in a Neoliberal Era | Geography | 2010-02-15T22:28:23Z | This research explores how unions, corporations and the federal government in Canada are responding to the dual economic and climate change crisis. Climate change politics have fostered alliance-forming both between the labour and environmental movements as well as between the state and capital. Climate change policy over the past two decades has been a planned, coordinated neoliberal project by the state and capital that has led to increasing emissions. Meanwhile, most unions successfully transcended the ‘jobs versus the environment’ dichotomy being used by business to propagate a voluntarist climate change policy. After giving their support to the ratification of Kyoto, labour has struggled to operationalize labour-environmental alliance-forming. Recently, both labour and the state-capital alliance have drawn on an ecological modernist discourse to frame climate change as an opportunity for jobs or capital accumulation, respectively. But this discourse fails to address the transnational dynamics of climate change, and economic and environment justice. | MAST | labour; climate; environment; justice | 8, 13, 16 |
| Nuta, Elena | Christopoulos, Constantin ||Packer, Jeffrey A. | Seismic Analysis of Steel Wind Turbine Towers in the Canadian Environment | Civil Engineering | 2010-04-06T18:56:45Z | The seismic response of steel monopole wind turbine towers is investigated and their risk is assessed in the Canadian seismic environment. This topic is of concern as wind turbines are increasingly being installed in seismic areas and design codes do not clearly address this aspect of design. An implicit finite element model of a 1.65MW tower was developed and validated. Incremental dynamic analysis was carried out to evaluate its behaviour under seismic excitation, to define several damage states, and to develop a framework for determining its probability of damage. This framework was implemented in two Canadian locations, where the risk was found to be low for the seismic hazard level prescribed for buildings. However, the design of wind turbine towers is subject to change, as is the design spectrum. Thus, a methodology is outlined to thoroughly investigate the probability of reaching predetermined damage states under seismic loading for future considerations. | MAST | wind; buildings; | 7, 9 |
| O'Brien, Sinéad Erin | Stewart, Hamish | The Search for a Model System which Balances Freedom and Respect for End of Life Decisions and Strict Regulation to Protect the Vulnerable from Abuse | Law | 2011-01-13T15:48:25Z | This thesis proposes a model for legalized Physician-Assisted Suicide [PAS] for adoption into Canadian legislation. The basis of this model is one which respects the individual freedom to make end-of-life decisions free from state interference. The research herein supports the provisions contained in Oregon legislation where PAS has been legalized on the basis that the Oregon model is consistent with the guarantees afforded under s.7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Oregon maintains strict regulatory barriers which protect against the threat of abuse which the Supreme Court reasoned in Rodriguez outweighed her s.7 rights to autonomy. This thesis will engage in the theories of Ronald Dworkin who supports the preservation of the sanctity of human life which Sopinka J. held prevailed over s. 7 violations in Rodriguez and seeks a model which respects individual freedom without compromising that sanctity or value of life. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| O'Connor, Aine | MacIntosh, Jeffrey | The Democratization of Financing | Law | 2014-11 | This thesis seeks to contribute to the existing literature on equity crowd funding in Canada by putting forward the proposal that effective regulation of equity crowd funding offers a solution to counter Canada's poor track record of productivity and innovation vis-à-vis other developed nations. The equity crowd funding market is the future of early stage financing for start-ups. This emerging market presents an opportunity for the Canadian securities regulators to expand the exempt market in a cost-effective manner. For this market to succeed it is vital that a workable model is established, which is compelling to both investors and entrepreneurs, to realize significant benefits to the Canadian economy. | LL.M. | innovation | 9 |
| O'Grady, Aubyn | Springgay, Stephanie | Swimming Lessons—Developing a Water Pedagogy to Examine the Entangled, Material, and Intra-Active Enmeshments Between Water, Bodies, and Knowledges | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-03 | Faced with the reality of an impending global water crisis, the Swimming Lessons project was developed as a research-creation event to encourage different ways of thinking and learning in and about water, from a posthuman, new materialist theoretical orientation. Taking the playful position that in order to think about water we should be wet, an â Aquatic Lecture Seriesâ was held at the Hart House Pool on the University of Toronto campus. By organizing an aquatic lecture series for students and faculty of the University of Toronto, this thesis hopes to develop a water pedagogy, which I consider a way of figuring a research-creation event that encourages a new way of thinking, teaching, and learning water across disciplines, and underwater. Further documentation of the Swimming Lessons events here: https://swimminglessonsweb.wordpress.com/ | M.A. | water | 6 |
| O'Malley, Stacey Lee | Gross, Mart | Predicting Vulnerability of Fishes | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-07-27T19:43:37Z | Conservation biology would benefit from methods that identify species at risk in a proactive manner, rather than through post-hoc conservation assessments. This study examines the utility of four potential indices for predicting vulnerability in fishes: total body length; trophic level; intrinsic vulnerability score; and, resilience. Statistical analysis was done to determine if correlations existed between any of these four indices and known levels of risk in marine and freshwater Canadian fishes. Results show the success of two of these indices to predict risk: fished species over 78.33 centimeters total length, or with intrinsic vulnerability scores over 57.41 are more highly vulnerable to becoming at risk. Over 20% of Canadian fished species of unknown conservation status are therefore currently vulnerable, and possibly at risk of extinction. This study shows vulnerability indices allow a rapid prioritization of fishes at risk of extinction, and can thus help achieve proactive conservation even in the absence of population decline data. | MAST | water; resilien; marine; conserv; fish | 11, 14 |
| Oakley, Philip | Sain, Mohini | Reducing the Water Absorption of Thermoplastic Starch Processed by Extrusion | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-01-13T15:47:19Z | Novel plastics that are biodegradable and made from renewable natural resources are currently being researched as alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. One such plastic, thermoplastic starch (TPS) is produced from starch processed at high temperatures in the presence of plasticizers, such as water and glycerol. However, because of its hydrophilic nature, TPS exhibits poor mechanical properties when exposed to environmental conditions, such as rain or humidity. The overall objective of this thesis was to produce a thermoplastic starch based material with low water absorption that may be used to replace petroleum-based plastics. Three different methods for reducing water absorption were investigated, including the following: extrusion of starch with hydrophobic polymers, starch modifying chemicals, and citric acid/sorbitol as plasticizers. It was found that all methods reduced the water absorption of TPS. | MAST | renewable | 7 |
| Oduwole, Oluwakemi Titilayo | Prado, Mariana Mota | Institutional Assessment as an Agent of Reform: An Analysis of Nigerian Legal Education | Law | 2012-11-26 | The quality of Nigerian Legal Education is fast deteriorating and in addition, the current structure of monitoring the training of lawyers is grossly ineffective. This thesis discusses steps that can be taken in reforming the current structure of Nigerian legal education to revert this trend. This thesis proposes a sytem of internal institutional assessment by law faculties in Nigeria. Financial, social-cultural constraints and politicl economy interference are obstacles to reforming Nigerian legal education, but institutional assessment can mitigagte these obstacles. Using Mariana Prado's concept of institutional bypass as a solution to overcoming these obstacles and also as a means of advancing reforms in the training of lawyers in Nigeria, this thesis proposes the adoption of institutional assessment as a strategy to create an avenue for stimulating reforms and promoting quality in Nigerian legal education. | MAST | educat; institution | 4, 16 |
| Ogston, Lindsey Marie | Krkosek, Martin||Short, Steven | Attempt to Detect a Salmon Viral Pathogen from Seawater Collected in British Columbia | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-03 | Wild Pacific salmon populations are subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors leading to marked declines in British Columbia. One important stressor may be disease, and disease linkages between Atlantic salmon aquaculture and wild Pacific salmon populations. Macroparasite transmission between farmed Atlantic salmon and wild Pacific salmon has been studied extensively in British Columbia. The potential for viral transmission and the abundance of viral pathogens in the marine environment has not been rigorously assessed. We collected water samples from 62 fish farm sites in B.C., where roughly half were active farms and half were inactive. Presence of the salmon viral pathogen piscine reovirus (PRV) was analyzed using quantitative PCR. PCR detection of common picorna-like virus was used to test for amplifiable material. Ultimately, the methods failed to detect PRV, most likely due to sample degradation linked to the relative instability of RNA. | M.Sc. | fish; marine; environment; water | 13, 14 |
| Ohayon, Adam | Qui単onez, Carlos | Gender Differences and Predictors of Referral in a Sample of Ontario Dentists | Dentistry | 2017-11 | Introduction: Very little is known about what influences a dentistâ s decision to refer to specialists. Research suggests that male and female dentists practice differently, but it is unknown whether or not a gender difference exists in referrals to specialists. This study explores what predicts referrals and to see whether or not a gender difference exists amongst the predictors. Methods: A secondary data analysis of a mail-in survey of Ontario dentists. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to obtain referral likelihood for fifteen dental services. Results: Dental services requiring multiple appointments or more chair time had the highest number of predictors. Male and female dentists had different predictors of referral indicating a gender difference. Conclusion: Referral to specialists appears to be a complex function of personal, familial, and professional factors with a high variability amongst dentists and across dental services. Gender differences exist with respect to considerations for referral. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Ohberg, Lisa Ann | Wakefield, Sarah | What’s Stopping Us? Identifying Barriers to the Local Food Movement Using Ontario, Canada as a Case Study | Geography | 2012-11-26 | The local food movement has been offered as an alternative to the conventional food system. This thesis identifies the barriers that are constraining the local food movement using the case study of Ontario, Canada, by performing qualitative analysis of informal interview responses. In addition to generating a comprehensive account of the barriers constraining local food, barriers to local food procurement in the institutional context are also identified. Findings suggest that the barriers to the local food movement can be related to a lack of access, lack of resources, poor governance structures, poor information sharing and uncooperative relationships between local food actors. I argue that these barriers are reflective of the broader challenges associated with attempting to create food systems change from within the dominant system. Daunting as they may be, they can be overcome in an incremental, pragmatic way. Nineteen recommendations are made to this end. | MAST | food; institution; governance | 2, 16 |
| Olatunde, Shade | Boon, Heather | Roles and Responsibilities of Pharmacists with Respect to Natural Health Products: Stakeholder Interviews | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2008-07-30T20:39:07Z | Background: Although many pharmacies sell natural health products (NHPs), there is no clear definition as to the responsibilities (if any) of pharmacists towards these products. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore and compare pharmacy and stakeholder leaders’ perceptions of pharmacists’ professional NHP responsibilities. Methods: Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with pharmacy leaders and stakeholder leaders representing: consumers, complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, conventional healthcare practitioners, and industry across Canada. Results: Nearly all participants believed safety monitoring was a key responsibility of pharmacists. One challenge identified was pharmacists’ general lack of NHP knowledge. Stakeholder leaders did not expect pharmacists to be NHP experts, but should have a basic level of education on NHPs. Many pharmacy leaders seemed unfamiliar with current pharmacy NHP policies. Conclusion: Participants described pharmacists’ professional responsibilities for NHPs as similar to those for over-the-counter drugs. More awareness of existing NHP-related pharmacy policies is needed. | MAST | industr; consum | 9, 12 |
| Olubanjo, Olugbenga OlufemiI | Saxe, Shoshanna||Ghafghazi, Mason | Embodied Emissions in Rail Infrastructure: A Critical Study | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | This study investigates the state of knowledge in quantifying the embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rail infrastructure and develops a novel underspecified model to evaluate the effect of external design factors on the embodied construction materials of an excavated rail station infrastructure. Starting with a critical literature review that identified 22-publications, containing 57 rail infrastructure case studies, the study examines the GHG impact per kilometre of infrastructure reported across the case studies and compares the boundaries, functional units, methods, and data used. This study presents the need for standardization in embodied emissions reporting and shows that different external factors (which are water table, soil type, floor height, number of train cars, station length and building codes) uniquely influence the embodied rail infrastructure construction materials. The study provides a flexible planning level method for engineers, urban planners, and policy makers to preliminarily analyze embodied emissions associated with rail station infrastructure. | M.A.S. | water; infrastructure; urban; greenhouse gas | 6, 9, 11, 13 |
| Omran, Janine | Faulkner, Guy E | Exploring the Acceptability of Exercise in Students Seeking Treatment for Depression: 'Another tool in the tool-box.' | Exercise Sciences | 2016-11 | The high prevalence of depression in university students is placing an increasing demand on campus mental health services to provide adequate and timely treatment. Exercise is an effective and accessible treatment for depression; however, acceptability of exercise as a treatment remains unclear. By employing a qualitative research design that incorporated the use of semi-structured interviews, the current study explored the perceptions of exercise as a potential depression treatment among fifteen students (thirteen females; 18-30 years) seeking treatment for depression. Students' acceptance of exercise for treating depression was informed by prior interest in exercise and physical activity, belief in the benefits of exercise on psychological well-being, and an open attitude towards alternative approaches to managing depression. Referral to supervised exercise may be required to facilitate exercise participation. Findings strengthen the case for recommending exercise within University mental-health services and provide useful insights into students preferences for designing exercise for depression interventions. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Ooms, Matthew | Sinton, David | Evanescent Photosynthesis: A New Approach to Sustainable Biofuel Production | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-26 | Immobilization of photosynthetic cultures has been used to generate biofuels and high value compounds through direct conversion of CO2 and water using sunlight. Compared with suspended cultures, immobilized bacteria can achieve much higher densities resulting in greater areal productivity. Limitations exist however, on the density that can be reached without compromising access to light and other nutrients. In this thesis an optofluidic approach to overcoming the challenge of light delivery to high density cultures of cyanobacteria is described and proof of concept experiments presented. This approach uses optical waveguides to deliver light to cells through bacterial interaction with the evanescent field and is tailored to meet each cell's need for light and nutrients. Experiments presented here demonstrate biofilm proliferation in the presence of evanescent fields. Illumination of surfaces by surface plasmon enhanced evanescent fields is also shown to be an effective and potentially useful technique to grow biofilms within optofluidic architectures. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Opalinska, Beata | Cowling, Sharon | Influence of Biogenic Silica from Terrestrial Vegetation on Riverine Systems and Diatom Evolution | Earth Sciences | 2014-07-04 | Presently within the scientific literature no terrestrial biogenic silica models exist that compare by magnitude, processes transporting silica. Change in vegetation type has the potential to alter dissolved concentrations of Si in rivers and ultimately the oceans. Diatoms greatly depend on Si concentrations for growth, and as a result land cover change may have influenced onset diatom radiation during the Cenozoic. To expand our understanding of this cycle, a terrestrial biogenic silica model is proposed. This model accounts for biogenic silica production, dissolution and leaching through soils, as well as providing estimates for annual silica soil storage. A case study performed using the constructed biogenic silica model, showed an increase in oceanic DSi concentration during the Miocene (period of diatom diversification). However, this increase does not appear to have been sufficient to trigger global diatom radiation, suggesting multiple geographically isolated locations for this diversification. | MAST | production; ocean | 12, 14 |
| Opie, Josselin Brian | Macklem, Patrick | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in New Zealand: Their Current Legal Status and the Need for Change | Law | 2011-01-01T19:12:10Z | In this thesis I examine the status of the rights recognised in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in New Zealand‘s domestic law. I contrast that status with the constitutional guarantees that Brazil, South Africa and Finland provide for these rights, and critique the principal objections made in New Zealand and elsewhere against them. I argue that greater domestic legal protection of economic, social and cultural rights is necessary and propose that they be incorporated into the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Orobko, Melissa | Krkosek, Martin||Molnar, Peter | Alternate Stable States in Coupled Fishery-aquaculture Systems | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-06 | Stagnating capture fisheries production has led to rapid aquaculture development due to an increasing shortfall of wild fish in meeting demand. Farmed fish can negatively ecologically affect nearby wild fish and they can interact economically by supplying similar products to the market, but general theory on how these interactions affect fishery-aquaculture population dynamics and system resilience is lacking. I develop simple theoretical models integrating the ecology, economics, and management of capture fisheries and aquaculture and demonstrate that alternate stable states and hysteresis of equilibrium population abundances can exist, indicating decreased system resilience. Abrupt transitions from a capture fishery-dominated state to an aquaculture-dominated state with few or no wild fish can occur that are difficult to reverse. Empirical patterns of salmonid capture fisheries and aquaculture production data are examined considering the developed theory, which may apply to other systems with wild and domesticated species that are coupled ecologically and economically. | M.Sc. | ecology; fish; production; resilien | 11, 12, 14, 15 |
| Oshobugie, Osholene | Lopez, Ann||Wane, Njoki | An Autoethnography: A Research into my Educational Journey of Self Discovery and Coming to Know through the Lens of African Indigenous Knowledge | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | This is an autoethnographic study that examines the personal, professional and scholarly aspects of my learning, unlearning and relearning, with the goal to find my African Indigenous cultural roots. Beginning this study as a colonized African woman, I achieved this goal by considering critically the ongoing challenges of how colonization, through western education inflicts spiritual and mental injury upon African/Black people through imposing its alien systems; while systematically endeavouring to annihilate and extinguish any traces of Indigenous education, knowledge and collective ancestral memory. Working with a theoretical framework of African Indigenous Knowledge, I articulate some of the knowledge gained from this autoethnographic research, which was by way of undergoing the most challenging process of decolonizing the self. Through the result of this process, I found my spiritual core – my centre - within my African Indigenous cultural roots, which now grounds/intertwines my personal, professional and scholarly practice, thus creating a holistic being. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Oskin, Stepan | Miller, Eric J | A Prototype of a Machine Learning Workflow to Classify Land use from Housing Market Dynamics. Part of a Longitudinal Analysis of Housing Sales in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area | Civil Engineering | 2019-11 | There is ample evidence of the role of land use and transportation interactions in determining urban spatial structure. The new data sources introduced by increased digitization of human activity, such as Teranet’s dataset of real estate sales, offer opportunities for development of integrated urban models or studies conducting longitudinal analysis of changes in land value distributions. To facilitate this, data from various sources (Census, TTS, etc.) needs to be merged at the land parcel level to enhance datasets with additional attributes, while maintaining the ease of data storage and retrieval. In addition, accurate land use information needs to be added to Teranet records to allow separating sales data by major property types. This thesis proposes a prototype of a workflow to augment Teranet’s dataset with data from multiple sources and use machine learning to classify land use of each Teranet record based on the housing market dynamics. | M.A.S. | urban; land use | 11, 15 |
| Ouellet, Julie Xuan | Miles, Angela | Re-valuing Revolution: Women's Rights Activism in Swaziland and Potentials for Transformative Non-violence | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | The patriarchal systems, stories, and powers that govern our world have made women extremely vulnerable to the threat of physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual violence. Despite efforts of millions of people working to end this attack, personal violation is a daily reality for many women and one that I believe will not change until efforts to end violence against women begin to address the very roots of dominant culture. This research will explore the personal experiences of five women’s rights activists in Swaziland who are engaged in a transformative practice to end violence against women. Through in depth open-ended interviews, I look at the ways each activist’s life journey reflects her changing understanding of formative values. Following this, I consider ways in which this personal development has led each woman to a deeply transformative, rather than simply a reactive, response to violence against women. | MAST | women; rightd | 5, 16 |
| Overmars, Danika | Stewart, Suzanne | Finding a Path among the Concrete: Work-life Narratives of Urban Aboriginal Young Adults | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-05-31T18:38:11Z | Aboriginal peoples are the fastest growing population in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008). Over half of the Aboriginal population is under the age of 24 and, according to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2008), Aboriginal young adults are two to three times more likely to be unemployed than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Although well defined statistically, little is known about the career-related experiences of Aboriginal young adults. The study addresses the question: “What are the career-related experiences of Aboriginal young adults living in an urban setting?” The study employed a narrative inquiry method to explore the work-life narratives of five Aboriginal young women living in Toronto. The results of this study identified three metathemes that were evident across participant interviews: carer journey, community and importance of education. This study describes implications of the results on employment supports, education and government policy while identifying areas for future research. | MAST | employment; urban | 8, 11 |
| Pacholczyk, Julita Sara | Feuerverger, Grace | What Kind of Poland? Exploring the Role of the National Education Reforms (1999-2015) in the Neo-colonialist Expunging of Polishness and the Production of a New European-Unionized Subject. | Social Justice Education | 2015-11 | This thesis examines the role of Poland’s post-communist national education reforms (1999-2015) in the reproduction of (neo)colonial relations within Polish society. By focusing on Polish literature education in public high schools in Poland, this study investigates how literary curriculum reform contributes to Poland’s neo-colonial subjugation through Western, European-Union-centered postmodern hegemonic constructions of nationality/citizenship, fracturing Polish society into an Enlightened colonial elite, and Poland’s backward internal Orient, demystifying the post-communist transformation as neo-colonial oppression versus independence, and the current III Republic as a neo-communist construct, rupturing continuity with the self-governing I and II Republics. In proposing a colonial view of Polish education and society, past and present, from the 19th century partitions, 20th century Nazism and communism, to present-day EU liberalism, this study inducts Poland/Central Eastern Europe into colonial discourse. In its call for decolonization, both educational and social, it propounds modernization based on indigenous Polish traditions versus imported Western models. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Packer, Jeffrey Ethan | Moore, Daniel R | Amino Acid Metabolism and Protein Requirements in Active, Trained Adult Males Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) Technique | Exercise Sciences | 2015-11 | To better understand the nutritional requirements of active populations, the present study utilized the minimally invasive Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique to evaluate the impact of variable intensity exercise on protein requirements in active, trained young adult males. It was hypothesized that protein requirements would be: 1) greater than the current requirements established on the basis of NBAL, and; 2) greater than those requirements previously determined by the IAAO technique in non-active populations. Six active, trained males (23±1 years; 177.5±6.2 cm; 82.3±5.7 kg; 13.5±4.3% body fat; 52.3±5.4 ml O2/kg/min; means±95%CI) partook in 1-10 sequential metabolic trials each consisting of a variable intensity exercise protocol (modified Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test) followed by 8 hourly meals providing a variable amount of protein (0.2-2.6g/kg/d), 6g/kg of carbohydrate, and sufficient energy. Protein was provided as crystalline amino acids modeled on the basis of egg protein with the exception of tyrosine (40mg/kg/d) and phenylalanine (30.5mg/kg/d with 5.46 mg/kg over 4h as L-[13C]phenylalanine). After determination of breath 13CO2 by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry and CO2 production by indirect calorimetry, the estimated average requirement (EAR) was determined from the breakpoint of the 13C02 excretion after application of bi-phase linear regression. Analysis for the correlation between protein intake and 13CO2 excretion revealed the EAR to be 1.35 g/kg/d (r2= 0.64). Accounting for a safe intake encompassing the upper 95%CI, the protein requirement of 1.64 g/kg/d determined herein exceeds the current dietary reference intake for non-active individuals as determined by NBAL (EAR = 0.66 g/kg/d; RDA = 0.80 g/kg/d) (FAO, WHO 2007) and the minimally invasive IAAO technique (EAR = 0.93 g/kg/d; RDA = 1.2 g/kg/d) (Humayun et al., 2007). In addition the minimum intake determined herein is at the upper range of general recommendations for athletes (i.e. 1.2-1.7g/kg/d) (American Dietetic Association et al., 2009). These results suggest that intensive exercise increases daily protein requirements in healthy, active young men and underscore the need to further evaluate the adequacy of protein recommendations in other active populations (e.g. women, children). | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Pak, Ho Ting Jeffrey | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Procurement Optimization under a Flexible Bill-of-materials | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-06 | Traditionally, a product's design is fixed to a bill-of-materials but, in some industries, substitutions exist for some components. This flexibility allows the manufacturer to intelligently source components and take advantage of economies of scale. Working with a specialized light manufacturer, we present a mixed-integer linear programming formulation to model the procurement of electronic specifications from multiple vendors over a time horizon. Storage, order multiples, all-unit quantity discounts and opportunities to waive shipping costs are practical elements captured in our model. Large scale discrete problems are computationally challenging and we study the use of a Lagrangian branch and bound heuristic, combinatorial auction and a time-based separation methodology to address this issue. Despite numerical studies showing inconsistent performance in our algorithms when compared to Gurobi, we demonstrated a potential reduction of 33.72% in procurement costs for our client. Moreover, the experiments show that finding a good feasible solution can be done efficiently. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Palander, Namam | Hayhoe, Ruth | Higher Education Policy-building in Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Perceptions of University Representatives | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2013-07-10 | This study examines the perceptions and operational assumptions of university representatives with regard to the new higher education policy-making in Kurdistan. It attempts to explore the development and implementation of the policy’s first priority, the aim to bridge the gap between quality and quantity in higher education. A mixed-methods case study research is employed by applying qualitative methods in a series of interviews carried out with nine faculty members from a University in the Kurdistan Region. The interviews were followed by a survey of a representative sample of 305 faculty members from all faculties of the university, with responses from 148. Both research methods explored the implementation of quality assurance initiatives under the quality teaching reforms. The aim is to identify what type of quality culture in higher education is being encouraged and if it will enable higher education to serve as a bridge for Kurdistan to the global knowledge economy. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Palangi, Angela | Gillis, Dr. Joseph Roy | HIV Health Literacy for African, Caribbean, and Black Men Living with HIV/AIDS | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-06 | This qualitative study explored the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and non-status men from the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto regarding gaps in current HIV health literacy initiatives, and propose appropriate solutions. The focus group was conducted at a local AIDS Service Organization (ASO) with 8 ACB men living with HIV/AIDS who self-identified as either gay or heterosexual. Based on a modified Grounded Theory analyses of the transcripts and on thematic coding, a range of issues faced by the ACB men emerged that increased the risk for HIV infection, delayed seeking and getting timely and appropriate care, and created obstacles to testing and treatment. Our findings suggest the need for more culturally specific support services; greater involvement on the part of ASO's, greater sensitivity from Canadian immigration officials, more specific guidelines regarding HIV disclosure for healthcare providers; and extra efforts to tackle HIV related stigma. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Palmer, Jordan | Yoon, Albert | Justice for All: Ontario's Civil Access to Justice System | Law | 2011-12-15 | This paper argues for increased access to civil justice in Ontario for citizens who cannot privately afford it (“needy citizens,” defined as those unable to engage in meaningful civil legal action due to financial inability). Access to justice is defined as access to trained legal representation as well as access to knowledge about Ontario civil law. The paper first articulates the theoretical underpinnings necessitating access to justice for all citizens. The paper then explores 5 common areas of Ontarian civil law (tort, residential, family, small business, and standard contract law) regarding access to civil justice within these regimes, and discusses 3 potential ways to remedy Ontario’s civil access to justice gap. These reforms are increasing government funding, an increase in activity by the legal profession of Ontario, and finally limited deregulation of Ontario’s law licensing process. The first two reforms are rejected, while the third is recommended. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Palmer, Katelyn | Silvey, Rachel ||Leslie, Deborah | Spaces of Belonging: Filipina LCP Migrants and their Practices of Claiming Spaces of Belonging in Toronto | Geography | 2010-07-27T19:54:11Z | Much current literature on women and migration tends to approach the study of migrant domestic workers as victims of global capitalism—or according to Parrenas’s evocative phrase as “servants of globalization”—from one of two vantage points. The first vantage point focuses attention on how the conditions of exit in various sending countries make overseas domestic servitude one of the few employment opportunities available for many women (Parrenas 2001). The second draws attention to the ways in which these migrant women experience stratification—along the lines of gender, race, and class—as part of their settlement experiences in their host countries (Pratt 1998). Both of these vantage points reinforce aspects of the “servants of globalization” discourse in that they pay relatively little attention to the coping practices of migrant domestic workers. In order to extend the thesis beyond the “servants of globalization” discourse, this thesis examines the coping practices that migrant Filipina domestic workers develop in their efforts to create communities of affirmation, care, and belonging. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Palynchuk, Kristen | Diosady, Levente L. | Fortified Rice Premix Formulations for the Alleviation of Micronutrient Deficiencies: Stabilization of Vitamin A in the Presence of Iron | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2011-01-13T16:04:54Z | Micronutrient deficiency maintains the cycle of poverty. A steady intake of essential nutrients is not available in developing areas due to factors of socioeconomic constraints, limited variety of food sources, and single-carbohydrate based diets. Fortification of a staple food is an effective way of combating micronutrient deficiencies. The food product developed in this study is an extruded, micronutrient-fortified, rice-shaped premix. The target rice premix formulation contains iron, zinc, a B-vitamin complex, and vitamin A and is blended with market rice in a 1:100 ratio. Iron furthers the oxidation of vitamin A, thus various micronutrient encapsulation techniques and antioxidant systems are explored in this study. It is technically and economically feasible to combine the micronutrients in a single formulation by introducing efficient physical and chemical barriers. Optimal formulation designs used coated vitamin A sources and retained >85% vitamin A at 6 months storage with acceptable sensory attributes. | MAST | food; socioeconomic; poverty | 1, 2 |
| Pang, Qiying | Ong, Lynette ||Testa, Bart | China's New Documentary Movement: Alternate Realities and Changing State-society Relations in Contemporary China | Political Science | 2011-01-13T16:07:46Z | Independent documentary films in contemporary China articulate a vision of Chinese politics and society that deviates from official state discourse. This thesis explores how China’s New Documentary Movement (NDM) – a spontaneous, independent phenomenon in Chinese cinema – serves as an important arena to study state and society struggles in the aftermath of the post-Mao reforms. This study first explores the politicalization of Chinese national cinema to demonstrate how the degree of control exerted over filmmaking and the documentary genre functions as a useful indicator of Chinese state-society relations. Focusing on the contentious issue of land disputes and rural rightful resistance in two documentaries – Feng Yan’s "Bing Ai" as well as Zhang Ke and Dong Yu’s "Where is the Way" – it contrasts the lived reality of displaced peasants to the official rhetoric disseminated in the state media. Also discussed is the state’s response to the NDM and its implications for greater societal autonomy in contemporary China. | MAST | rural | 11 |
| Pantin, Sophie | Hofmann, Ronald | Impacts of UV-H2O2 Treatment for Taste and Odour Control on Secondary Disinfection | Civil Engineering | 2010-02-16T19:23:05Z | The Cornwall Water Purification Plant collaborated with the University of Toronto to monitor UV-H2O2 treatment performance. This study includes a review of engineering and operational aspects of UV-H2O2 implementation. A number of operational challenges were experienced with retrofitting UV-H2O2 into the existing treatment plant, and an overview of the challenges and solutions faced at Cornwall is given. The project also includes a thorough water quality analysis. Taste and odour (T&O) events have been monitored for three years and the efficiency of UV-H2O2 on T&O removal is reported. Furthermore, little is known about any potential side effects of the treatment on downstream processes, especially secondary disinfection. The impact of UV-H2O2 on natural organic matter alterations, chlorine stability and disinfection by-product formation is reported using results from full-scale water quality monitoring campaigns at Cornwall, combined with laboratory experiments. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Papoff, Sarah | Cameron, Linda | The Influence of Drama and Dance on Urban Elementary Students Critical Engagement with Questions of Social Justice and Equity | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11 | What is the influence of drama and dance on urban elementary students' critical engagement of questions of social justice/equity? This Masters thesis explores a critical participatory process drama unit as implemented, co-created and reflected upon in a Junior classroom. This paper asks what influence this kind of teaching has on critical thinking. I reflect on my subject position in terms of gender, race and class, and the positions of my students and their communities through an auto-ethnographic examination of dance and process drama practice and by documenting and examining the influence of this approach on critical pedagogy, grounded in research in an urban grade 5 classroom. This thesis contributes to the growing body of knowledge around why arts-based learning contributes to the skills and pedagogies that aid learners with a strong sense of equity and social justice. | MAST | gender; urban; justice | 5, 11, 16 |
| Paralusz, Colin | Levine, David | The History of Compliance, Non Compliance, and Alienation of Ontario Educators between 1969 and 1999 | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2013-11-20 | From 1969 to 1999, teachers and principals in Ontario exercised a degree of compliance, non-compliance, and resentment towards educational reforms imposed by provincial authorities. Historically, there has been a struggle between those who govern society and those who labour in society. Through the use of state laws, institutions, and corporate interests, those in positions of powers have introduced change without the consultation of the workers. In retaliation, these groups have opposed reform through collective and individual acts that involve passive and aggressive forms of opposition in order to contribute to the political, socio-economic discussion of how a society should be both governed and educated. | MAST | educat; labour; worker; institution | 4, 8, 16 |
| Parikh, Himanshu | Bhattacharyya, Onil | Innovations in Chronic Disease Management (CDM) from Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-12-09 | Chronic disease is rising globally, but LMICs may require novel approaches to management suited to a low-resource setting. Private health care providers in LMICs have experimented and developed new models for organizing, financing, and delivering care. This thesis examines some of the innovations that have emerged in LMICs to manage chronic disease. Using a common performance measurement framework and drawing from a database of over 1200 innovative health programs, I identify and evaluate 46 programs addressing chronic disease in LMICs. I then go on to identify, innovative practices used by the subset of 19 diabetes focussed programs and catalogue them according to the Chronic Care Model (CCM). Delivery system design is the most commonly used domain of the CCM, which even earlier has shown to have great potential to impact health outcomes. Few of the identified innovations may also have the potential for ‘Reverse innovation’ in high income countries. | MAST | health; innovation | 3, 9 |
| Park, Michael | Glogauer, Michael | Oral Health Status In Children Undergoing Treatment For Neuropenia | Dentistry | 2011-05-31T17:42:49Z | The purpose of this observational cross-sectional study was to assess the oral health of children between the ages of 6 to 18 with neutropenia attending the Marrow Failure and Myelodysplasia Program at The Hospital for Sick Children and compare the results to healthy control patients attending the Children’s Clinic, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto. Fifteen patients with neutropenia and 26 healthy controls participated in this study. Patients with neutropenia reported an increased incidence of mouth sores and bleeding gums while brushing. However, clinical examination showed no statistical differences in the presence of ulcerations, gingival recession, tooth mobility, gingival inflammation or plaque and calculus levels. The dmft/t and DMFT/T scores were lower for the group with neutropenia, but only the dmft/t score was significant. This data suggests that patients with neutropenia that are being treated by a haematologist do not experience any more severe oral problems than healthy dental patients. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Park, Yeonkyeong | Meng, Yue | Voice and Silence of the Subaltern: Rural Women in the Public Culture of Post-Socialist China | East Asian Studies | 2014-11 | This study examines rural women's self-narrations about their sufferings in post-socialist China both in the official media and in the documentary films. The central question this study asks is whether it is possible for the post-socialist subaltern, such as rural women, to speak. The thesis first demonstrates how the official media efface the voices of rural women by constructing a unified discourse on suzhi or quality development in the post-socialist era. This is followed by an analysis of rural women's writings on their struggles with the official rhetoric channeled through TV documentary programs in the official media. This works concludes with a discussion of the possibility for rural women to speak via the medium of new documentary films. Known as "alternative archives," new documentary films examined rural women's articulations, which in turn can be seen as forms of talking back to the suzhi development discourse. | M.A. | women; rural | 5, 11 |
| Parker, Aalia | Boon, Heather | Ontario Homeopathic Practitioner Survey: Are homeopaths prepared to be regulated? | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2013-11 | Ontario homeopaths are to be granted self-regulatory status under the Regulated Health Professions Act. The objectives of this study were to describe homeopaths currently practicing in Ontario and determine the proportion of practitioners that are eligible to become regulated. Questionnaires were distributed to Ontario homeopaths (n=831). The response rate was 56% (n=442/789, 43 ineligible participants). The majority of active practitioners were female (62.0%) with a mean age of 48 years. Almost two-thirds (66.3%) reported working part-time. The majority (77.5%) had at least a College/University/ diploma/certificate/degree. The majority was in favour of the regulation of homeopathy. Almost two-thirds (64.1%) appeared to be eligible for registration. Practitioners that appeared to be ineligible for registration were older, and had been in practice longer. In conclusion, only two-third of active practitioners that responded appeared eligible for registration when regulations are enacted. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Parker, Caleb | Pressnail, Kim D. | Improving the Effectiveness of In-suite Ventilation Systems with Respect to Cross Contamination and Odour Transmission in MURBs | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-26 | As in-suite heat recovery ventilator (HRV) use increases, cases of cross-contamination and odour transmission in MURBs are beginning to appear. To mitigate these issues and maximize HRV benefits, a better design and construction methodology specific to MURBs is required. Previously conducted condition surveys suggest the possibility of the fresh air supply becoming contaminated by the exhaust air stream from adjacent units. It is suggested that the intake and exhaust configuration has a significant influence on the potential for cross contamination. The results show cross contamination is an issue in high-rise condominiums. With a low exhaust vent angle and the right wind direction and speed, contaminants can travel from an exhaust source to a fresh air supply in a significant quantity. The potential impact here is to protect the health and safety of all home owners living in high-rise condominiums that utilize in-suite ventilation systems. | MAST | buildings | 9 |
| Parkinson, Craig | Kepe, Thembela | The Political Ecology of Community Conservation in northern Kenya: A Case Study of the Meibae Community Wildlife Conservancy | Geography | 2012-11-26 | The majority of Kenya’s wildlife exists outside the network of national parks and reserves, predominantly in private and community-owned lands. Although works must be acknowledged for having explored the community conservation approach, the body of research examining how Kenya’s wildlife conservation approach is being negotiated by local stakeholders and incorporated into local livelihood strategies is limited. Based on a case study of the Meibae Community Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, this study examines the motivations of local and non-local groups to pursue wildlife conservation. Viewed through a political ecology lens, this paper analyzes how local people moderate the influence of external conservation values and interests. Findings suggest that local people adopt wildlife conservation projects to access better systems of rangeland management, pursue strategic linkages with external stakeholders and develop basic industries. I conclude that this process represents how Samburu pastoralists strategically embrace externally driven wildlife conservation efforts in self-defining ways. | MAST | ecology; conserv; industr | 9, 15 |
| Partridge, Elizabeth Kate | Dei, S George | Schooling for Colonization and White Supremacy: Failures of Multicultural Inclusivity | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2014-06 | Discourses around the exclusions of racialized and Indigenous students from schooling often follow familiar scripts of deficiency that perpetuate white supremacist and colonial logics. Policy-driven attempts to address inequities in schooling have not led to transformative change. Instead, through the institutionalization of multiculturalism and 'inclusivity', the school site legitimizes the colonial state through depoliticizing Indigeneity and 'difference'. This thesis focuses on the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) as a site to analyze how white supremacy and colonization are legitimized and reproduced through schooling and the actions of white people. I employ Critical Discourse Analysis and anti-racist and anti-colonial theory to engage with Ontario Ministry of Education and TDSB policy and curriculum documents. This thesis considers ways to reconceptualize the purpose of schooling to dismantle the white supremacist and colonial status quo. | M.A. | institution; educat | 4, 16 |
| Pashaie, Ashkan | Pavel, Lacra | Population Dynamics Approach for Resource Allocation Problems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | Resource allocation management has become a challenging problem in many aspects all around the world and can be more complicated by high production costs and scarcity of the resources. In this thesis, a water distribution system (WDS), as an example of resource distribution problems, has been investigated. To achieve an adequate level of service to satisfy the demands, the flow of water should be controlled. Here, we utilize a novel game-theoretic approach along with a convex-optimization-based controller to keep the WDS under control. The feedback interconnection of the WDS and controllers reaches an asymptotically stable equilibrium point where its stability analysis uses passivity concepts and the Lyapunov stability theorem for the closed-loop system. Furthermore, an improvement has been made to controllers to make the system robust to reject a certain type of disturbance and to converge to desired equilibrium points in the presence of disturbances. | M.Sc. | production; urban; water | 6, 11, 12 |
| Patel, Ronak | Goldstein, Benjamin I | The Neurostructural Phenotypes of CACNA1C rs1006737 in Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls of Caucasian Race | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Background: CACNA1C rs1006737 has been implicated in structural brain differences in adults with bipolar disorder (BD) and/or healthy controls (HCs). No prior study has examined associations between rs1006737 and brain structure in adolescents. Methods: Seventy-one adolescents (14-20 years; 38BD, 33HC) underwent 3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). ROI and whole-brain vertex-wise analyses examined cortical and subcortical volume, surface area (SA), and/or thickness. General linear models included main effects of diagnosis and rs1006737, and an interaction term, controlling for age, sex, and total intracranial volume. Results: Vertex-wise analysis found significant diagnosis-by-rs1006737 interactions for prefrontal and occipital brain structure Main effects of rs1006737 were found on anterior cingulate cortex SA from ROI analysis, and occipital SA from vertex-wise analysis. Conclusion: The current study identified neurostructural intermediate phenotypes relevant to the impact of CACNA1C rs1006737 on adolescent BD. Further investigation is warranted into the relevance of rs1006737 associations with BD-specific elevations in regional SA. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Patel, Viral Prakash | Feinstein, Anthony | Using Computers to Assess Cognition in MS: Improving Tried and Tested Indices to Capture Real World Challenges | Medical Science | 2016-11 | Cognitive dysfunction is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and causes limitation in activities of daily living. Current cognitive screens are limited by time and cost requirements and they lack ecological validity. The objective of the present study was to develop an improved method of cognitive assessment using real-world distracters. A sample of 102 MS subjects and 69 healthy controls underwent testing with a modified computerized Symbol Digit Modalities Test (c-SDMT) and the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Functioning in MS battery. Half completed the distracter c-SDMT and half non-distracter. Relative to the traditional SDMT, significantly more MS subjects were impaired on the distracter c-SDMT, but not on the non-distracter test. The distracter test had a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 80% in detecting global cognitive impairment. The incorporation of distracters improves the sensitivity of the c-SDMT and offers a quick and easy method for detecting cognitive dysfunction. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Paterson, Linda Jane | Darling, Pauline Beatrice | Prevalence of Hyperhomocysteinemia in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease After Folic Acid Food Fortification of the Canadian Food Supply | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-05-31T17:58:06Z | Elevated plasma total homocysteine (ptHcy) or hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcy) independently predicts cardiovascular disease in predialysis chronic kidney disease (pCKD). Folate status is one of the known nutritional determinants of ptHcy. In the era of folic acid food fortification, this cross-sectional study aimed to describe in pCKD subjects (n=48): 1) Prevalence of hHcy. 2) Intake and status of nutrients involved in homocysteine metabolism. 3) Determinants of ptHcy. The prevalence of hHcy was 93.8% (95% CI: 81.8 to 98.4). Median (25th, 75th percentile) total folate intake from food and supplements was 389 (282,640) µg DFE/d. No subject was folate deficient (red blood cell < 317 nmol/L). Red blood cell folate (r = - 0.406, p=0.004) and energy-protein undernutrition (r = 0.357, p=0.013) independently predicted ptHcy. To conclude, total folate intake among subjects with pCKD was sufficient to prevent folate deficiency but not able to prevent a high prevalence of hHcy. | MAST | food; nutrition | 2 |
| Patino, Ernesto Diaz Lozano | Siegel, Jeffrey | Indoor Environmental Quality in Social Housing: review, thermal comfort and odour control | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | In this work, I explored the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in social housing, and also discussed the indoor pollution associated with the operation of sources of scents that may be common in these units. I found that public housing residents may be disproportionally exposed to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and pesticides. I also found that poor thermal comfort conditions are prevalent in social housing, mostly due to excess heat. Lastly, I found that incense and ultrasonic oil diffusers, which are commonly used to produce pleasant scents indoors, generate considerable amounts of PM2.5. Considering the negative health effects associated with poor IEQ conditions, my results suggest that minimizing sources of pollution and improving comfort conditions should be prioritized in any retrofits planned in social housing developments, as similar improvements have been found to be effective in improving occupant health and reducing exposure to pollutants. | M.A.S. | pollut; environment; health | 3, 13, 14 |
| Pattison, Kira | Salbach, Nancy ||Brooks, Dina | Factors Influencing Physical Therapists’ Use of Standardized Measures of Walking Capacity Post-stroke across the Care Continuum | Rehabilitation Science | 2013-12-09 | Abstract Background. Physical therapists report inconsistent use of valid and reliable measures of walking post-stroke. Objective. To describe the methods physical therapists use to evaluate walking, reasons for selecting these methods, and the use of the evaluation results in clinical practice along the continuum of an organized system of stroke care. Methods. A qualitative descriptive study involving semi-structured telephone interviews of physical therapists in Ontario was conducted. A thematic analysis was performed. Results. Participants (n=28) used both standardized and non-standardized methods to assess walking. A hierarchy of factors influencing use of both methods was observed. Assessment results were commonly used for communication with other healthcare professionals or education of the patient. Conclusions. A variety of factors influence physical therapists to use standardized assessment tools. Future knowledge translation interventions should focus on these factors to improve the standardized assessment of walking post-stroke. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Paudel, Ambika | Martell, L David | Characterizing the Forest Fire Initial Attack System in Northeastern Ontario, Canada | Forestry | 2014-11 | The objective of this research was to study the forest fire initial attack system in northeastern Ontario using historical fire data for the period from 1960 to 2012. Exploratory data analysis and cleaning operations were carried out to both assess and enhance the quality of the data before studying initial attack time components of interest, in particular, the response time and its two components, the getaway time interval and the travel time. Weibull and Gamma distributions fit the getaway time interval and the travel time reasonably well. Logistic regression analysis of factors that may influence the probability that initial attack begins on the day that a fire is reported indicated that the daily fire load, the time of day that a fire is reported and the initial spread index were statistically significant. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Pautler, Brent Gregory | Simpson, Myrna J. | Climate Change Impacts on the Molecular-level Carbon Biogeochemistry in Arctic Ecosystems | Chemistry | 2010-07-27T20:00:01Z | The goal of this thesis was to characterize and quantify changes to Canadian Arctic organic matter (OM) induced by a physical disruption to the permafrost active layer by employing molecular-level techniques such as biomarker extraction and NMR to help elucidate its contribution to carbon turnover and global climate change. The initial biomarker characterization study determined that the extractable plant lipids were unaltered originating from the deposition of new vascular material or permafrost melt where a high alteration of lignin-derived OM was observed suggesting a long residence time in the ecosystem. Analysis of samples where there was a new and historical physical disruption to the permafrost landscape showed an initial increase in bacterial biomass biomarkers, and was corroborated with increased bacterial protein contributions and peptidoglycan signals in the NMR spectra. It is hypothesized that this increase in bacterial biomass resulted in a faster rate of degradation, possibly leading to OM priming. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| Pawluk, Debra | Lawrence, Herenia P | The Impact of Oral Health Training Taken by Personal Support Workers Caring for a Geriatric Population in a Long-term Care Facility: A Mixed Methods Study | Dentistry | 2019-11 | Personal support workers (PSW) employed in long-term care (LTC) facilities provide the majority of primary resident care. Oral health care is a primary care provision that is rarely carried out to an acceptable standard. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if and how a mandatory oral health online education module impacted the PSWs’ knowledge and beliefs in their care for a geriatric population at an over 400 bed LTC facility in Ontario. The mixed methods convergent design study included a quantitative pre/post-test design and qualitative face-to-face focus groups and one-on-one interviews with 88 and 23 participants, respectively. The results indicated that the online module had limited impact on the PSWs’ oral health knowledge and beliefs in their resident oral health care. Personal support workers recognize their need for training to care for residents with complex needs and often requested dialogic hands-on training with a self-initiated dental hygienist. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Paz-Soldan, Daniel Alexander | Sargent, Edward H. | Plasmonic Enhancement for Colloidal Quantum Dot Photovoltaics | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2013-07-16 | Colloidal quantum dots (CQD) are used in the fabrication of efficient, low-cost solar cells synthesized in and deposited from solution. Breakthroughs in CQD materials have led to a record efficiency of 7.0%. Looking forward, any path toward increasing efficiency must address the trade-off between short charge extraction lengths and long absorption lengths in the near-infrared spectral region. Here we exploit the localized surface plasmon resonance of metal nanoparticles to enhance absorption in CQD films. Finite-difference time-domain analysis directs our choice of plasmonic nanoparticles with minimal parasitic absorption and broadband response in the infrared. We find that gold nanoshells (NS) enhance absorption by up to 100% at λ = 820 nm by coupling of the plasmonic near-field to the surrounding CQD film. We engineer this enhancement for PbS CQD solar cells and observe a 13% improvement in short-circuit current and 11% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Peckham, Alexandra | Neysmith, Sheila ||Williams, Paul | Caring for Caregivers: Balancing Formal and Informal Care for Frail Older Persons | Social Work | 2010-02-16T19:26:17Z | The decrease in hospital recovery time created a transition to more care being performed in the home. There is a need to balance care needs from both demand and supply characteristics. This research sets out to address how the presence or absence of informal caregiver(s) impacts on resource allocation decisions made by home and community care case managers. This research used a mixed methodologies approach employing both semi-structured interviews with frontline workers and secondary data analysis of the Central and Toronto Central LIHN Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC). Overall total average hours of formal services did not differ between care recipients depending on the presence or absence of a caregiver. It is evident from the responses provided by the participants that street-level bureaucracy plays a large role in service allocation decisions. That is, decisions are being made based on diverse idiosyncratic observations, opinions and feelings. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Peermohamed, Nabeel | Alarie, Benjamin | The Impact of Intent in the Characterization Analysis of a Worker | Law | 2013-12-09 | The Tax Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal are regularly asked by taxpayers and the Canada Revenue Agency to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. The distinction has significant tax consequences. The analysis and various legal tests used by the courts to determine the characterization of a worker have been through significant transformations over the last 15 years. The analysis remained objective for several years. However, in 2002, courts began to consider the common intent held between the taxpayer and the worker when characterizing that worker’s status as either an employee or an independent contractor. Since its introduction, the courts have placed various levels of importance on this common intent in the characterization process. This paper seeks to quantify the varied emphasis placed by the courts on the intent held between a taxpayer and its worker. | MAST | worker | 8 |
| Peleato, Nicolas Miguel | Andrews, Robert C. | Applications of Principal Component Analysis of Fluorescence Excitation-emission Matrices for Characterization of Natural Organic Matter in Water Treatment | Civil Engineering | 2013-07-16 | Quantification of natural organic matter (NOM) in water is limited by the complex and varied nature of compounds found in natural waters. Current characterization techniques, which identify and quantify fractions of NOM, are often expensive and time consuming suggesting the need for rapid and accurate characterization methods. In this work, principal component analysis of fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (FEEM-PCA) was investigated as a NOM characterization technique. Through the use of jar tests and disinfection by-product formation tests, FEEM-PCA was shown to be a good surrogate for disinfection by-product precursors. FEEM-PCA was also applied in order to characterize differences in humic-like, protein-like, and Rayleigh scattering between multiple source waters and due to differing treatment processes. A decrease in Rayleigh scattering influence was observed for a deep lake intake, and multiple processes were found to significantly affect humic-like substances, protein-like, and Rayleigh scattering fractions. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Pelletier, Marianne | Piran, Niva | An Examination of the Role of Parental Influences on Girl’s Development of Embodiment | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-07-24 | Adolescence is marked with significant changes in how girls feel and act within their bodies, and is considered a special risk period for body image disruptions. Cross sectional quantitative research within this area suggests that parents represent an important contextual and developmental contributor to body image. The present study aimed to address gaps in previous research by investigating parental influences, including both protective and risk factors, on girls’ embodied experiences through utilizing a prospective qualitative design with a diverse sample of twelve girls, ages 9-18, interviewed annually over four years. Results revealed the presence of both protective and risk factors related to embodiment experiences within the parental relationships, including aspects of relational qualities, self-care, evaluative gaze and social location. Results are discussed in relation to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and to previous research. The implications for future research are also discussed. | MAST | girl | 5 |
| Penton, Grant | Olive, Andrea | Fracturing the Prairies: An examination of small-scale, high-frequency energy development and cumulative effects management | Geography | 2018-11 | Hydraulic fracturing is an innovative technology that has allowed for the exploitation of previously unextractable resources. The province of Saskatchewan has embraced this technology, allowing for its deployment in high-frequency with little regulation. Hydraulic fracturing is associated with many negative environmental, and human health effects, and its frequency can lead to cumulative impacts far greater than that of a single well-site. Further, the area in which Saskatchewan is employing hydraulic fracturing is an endangered landscape, inhabited by 38 federally-listed species at risk. This thesis examines the Saskatchewan case study and performs a comparative analysis of other sub-national Canadian jurisdictions’ regulatory approaches towards the technology. The analysis presents regional management frameworks as a ‘best practice’ and suggests the lack of public opposition as a reason Saskatchewan has taken a minimalist regulatory approach. Further, this thesis identifies adoptable frameworks and highlights how such a framework would benefit Saskatchewan without hindering the economy. | M.A. | environment | 13 |
| Penton, Patricia Castellanos | Chow, Chung-Wai ||Scott, Jeremy A. | Syk Inhibition Attenuates Airway Hyperresponsiveness in a Murine Model of Asthma and Exacerbation by Air Pollution | Medical Science | 2012-11-21 | Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a cardinal feature of asthma that is aggravated by environmental air pollution (EAP). Splenocyte tyrosine kinase Syk has been associated with asthma pathogenesis. Therefore, we sought to investigate the effect of Syk inhibition on AHR and its exacerbation by EAP. For this purpose, we examined Syk protein expression in lung homogenates from three murine models of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma expressing different pathophysiological features of the disease: airway inflammation, AHR and remodeling. Increased Syk expression was observed only in the chronic model of airway inflammation and remodeling. In vivo Syk inhibition attenuates AHR in this model, and further augmentation induced by EAP without affecting the underlying airway inflammation. We demonstrated, for the first time, that Syk inhibition effectively reverted AHR in an already established chronic model of asthma. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting Syk for the treatment of asthma and its exacerbations by EAP. | MAST | environment; POLLUT | 13, 14 |
| Pereira, David | McCready, Lance T. | Dropping Out or Opting Out?: A Qualitative Study on how Young Men of Portuguese Ancestry in Toronto Perceive Masculinity and how this Informs Educational Attainment | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | Young men of Portuguese heritage in Toronto continue to demonstrate lower levels of educational attainment. American and Canadian research increasingly points to gender and masculinity to address boys’ academic underachievement, yet studies have not focused a gender lens on Portuguese male youth in Toronto to interrogate educational achievement. This qualitative exploratory study explores gender through constructions of masculinity to better understand young Portuguese-Canadian men and their choices concerning education. Through their narratives, participants revealed that masculinity does inform their attitudes and choices concerning education and school. Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field are used to explore how masculinity and educational mobility generate considerable struggle and tension in participants’ lived experiences. This study ultimately surfaced more questions surrounding resistance to help-related educational resources, effects of educational mobility on ethnic identity and cultural cohesiveness, and how and when young men of Portuguese ancestry arrive at decisions to de-select education. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Perreault, Maxime | Behdinan, Kamran | Analysis and Development of a Halbach Array Motor for Application into a Novel Delivery Drone Driving Cycle for Powertrain Optimization and Maximization of Delivery Radius | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-06 | Large companies such as Amazon and Google are currently testing deliveries using unmanned drones, with the intent of using these drones on the market. Topics tackled in this field of research include delivery routing optimization, object collision routing optimization, battery management optimization, and the addition of solar panels on the drones. Little publicly available research has been found to have been conducted on the developing methods to optimize the powertrain of the drones to maximize their delivery radii. To achieve this end, this work puts forth a delivery drone driving cycle simulation written in MATLAB with which to monitor their performance and fine-tune their properties. A halbach array motor is designed and analyzed in ANSYS Maxwell, and a data processing tool is written in MATLAB to manipulate the halbach array motor and propeller data into useable states for the simulation. The driving cycle simulation is tested on fifty-four drone configurations. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Peters, Samantha | Dei, George ||Cannon, Martin | Whose Classroom Is It? Unpacking Power and Privilege in University Women's Studies Classroom Spaces | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-02-28 | Women’s Studies students’ accounts of their experiences academically, emotionally and politically in feminist university classrooms will be investigated in this thesis. Central to my work, through an anti-racist feminist and intersectional analysis, is to demonstrate the way in which Women’s Studies university classroom spaces are neither ‘innocent’ nor are they devoid of racism/white supremacy as it is present in the bodies who are allowed to enter the space, voices allowed to speak and knowledge being taught. As this research is informed by a personal experience in an undergraduate Women and Gender Studies course at a local university, I will use both auto-ethnography and interviews as method in and through anti-racist feminist research methodology. Highlighting the importance of anti-racism education as a call to action in attending to this disjuncture and also to erode superficial notions of sisterhood will demonstrate white feminist supremacy as an implication for the sociology of race. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Peters, Samantha Erika | Dei, George ||Cannon, Martin | Whose Classroom Is It? Unpacking Power and Privilege in University Women's Studies Classroom Spaces | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:34:41Z | This thesis will investigate the accounts from Women’s Studies students regarding their experiences academically, emotionally and politically in feminist university classrooms. Through the lens of an anti-racist feminist and intersectional analysis, I seek to demonstrate the way in which Women’s Studies university classroom spaces are neither ‘innocent’ nor are they devoid of racism and/or white supremacy. These maladies are present in the student and teachers who enter the space, voices allowed to speak and knowledge being taught. This research is formed by my personal experience as an undergraduate in a Women and Gender Studies course at a local university. I will use auto-ethnography and interviews as method in and through anti-racist feminist research methodology. By highlighting anti-racism education as a call to action in attending to this disjuncture and also to erode superficial notions of sisterhood, I will demonstrate white feminist supremacy as an implication for the sociology of race. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Peto, Jennifer | Nestel, Sheryl | The Victimhood of the Powerful: White Jews, Zionism and the Racism of Hegemonic Holocaust Education | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-07-27T20:02:38Z | This paper focuses on issues of Jewish identity, whiteness and victimhood within hegemonic Holocaust education. I argue that today, Jewish people of European descent enjoy white privilege and are among the most socio-economically advantaged groups in the West. Despite this privilege, the organized Jewish community makes claims about Jewish victimhood that are widely accepted within that community and within popular discourse in the West. I propose that these claims to victimhood are no longer based in a reality of oppression, but continue to be propagated because a victimized Jewish identity can produce certain effects that are beneficial to the organized Jewish community and the Israeli nation-state. I focus on two related Holocaust education projects – the March of the Living and the March of Remembrance and Hope – to show how Jewish victimhood is instrumentalized in ways that obscure Jewish privilege, deny Jewish racism and promote the interests of the Israeli nation-state. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Pettes, Tyler | Tarasuk, Valerie | An Examination of Community-based Meal Programs for Homeless and Under-housed People in Five Canadian Cities | Nutritional Sciences | 2013-12-09 | The provision of free or low cost meals is an integral component of community services working to address problems of poverty and homelessness in Canada. However, there has been little systematic examination of how they function relative to clients’ nutrition needs. The objective of this research was to investigate the scope and nature of meal programs by examining an inventory of charitable food provisioning activities, created between 2010 and 2011, in five Canadian cities. Of 290 agencies offering meal programs, 548000 meals were served every month. However, service scheduling varied throughout the week, and the majority of agencies were reliant on volunteer labour, donated food supplies, and experienced difficulties managing the current demand for food assistance. Findings from this study highlight the strengths and limitations of the current food provisioning system and a need to improve the capacity of agencies to respond to populations experiencing food insecurity in Canada. | MAST | poverty; food; cities; labour | 1, 2, 8, 11 |
| Phan, Cathy | de Oliveira, Claire | Improving the Understanding and Care Management of Mental Health High-Cost Patients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-11 | High-cost patients are a small group of health care users who account for a relatively large proportion of resources. Among these patients, our literature review confirmed that limited work has focused on those who use a high amount of mental health and addiction services. We found that the majority of these patientsâ costs were due to psychiatric hospitalizations, some of which could be reduced through better care management. Among this mental health high-cost subgroup, our predictive model identified those at risk of any psychiatric hospitalization in Ontario. Identified patients were more likely to be male, younger, and a first-generation immigrant; live in low-income neighbourhoods or rural areas; have a past hospitalization with a main diagnosis of mood disorder; and have a high number of recent psychiatric hospitalizations. For some of these identified patients, our business case analysis supported investments in interventions that could reduce unnecessary hospitalization costs. | M.A.S. | health; rural | 3, 10 |
| Philipupillai, Gillian Geetha | Razack, Sherene | The Marking of Tamil Youth as Terrorists and the Making of Canada as a White Settler Society | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2013-11-20 | This thesis examines the production of Tamil youth in the state of Canada as threats, extremists, radicals, terrorists, and as subjects to be engaged in de-politicized humanitarian discourses of reconciliation and peace. By drawing attention to the exclusion of Tamils from rights in legal proceedings, the positioning of youth protesters as harbingers of a multicultural 'crisis,' and the role of education in securing Canada's response to the MV Sun Sea as a 'humanitarian' project, I argue that the targeting Tamils is not only integral to Sri Lanka's ongoing genocide, but is also crucial to the Canadian state's project of white settler colonialism. In examining the law, media and education as sites of racial management in the 'War on Terror' and its globalized counter-terrorism regime I identify the targeting of Tamil diaspora youth as a necessary racial logic for the legitimacy of the Canadian state in an era of official multiculturalism. | MAST | educat; production; peace; rigjts | 4, 12, 16 |
| Phillips, Anna | Cowling, Sharon A. | Southern African Climate Dynamics and Archaeology during the Last Glacial Maximum | Earth Sciences | 2013-12-09 | There is little consensus on what forced the climate of southern Africa to change during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Because of southern Africa's latitudinal position, changes in seasonal precipitation can help resolve the influence of internal climate factors such as groundwater and external climate forcers such as large scale atmospheric circulation patterns. This paper presents a simple model of groundwater discharge based on permeability and topography in comparison with general circulation model precipitation results and paleoenvironmental proxy records. Results show that during the LGM the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) likely weakened and moved slightly further south while the westerlies likely expanded slightly northward, with no significant change in strength. The climate and groundwater results were compared to the distribution of LGM and pre-LGM archaeological sites. Results show that the Later Stone Age peoples of southern Africa were likely inhabiting a relatively wet environment rather than an arid one. | MAST | water; climate; environment | 6, 13 |
| Phillips, Rachel | Hackworth, Jason | The Financial Production of Bankruptcy: Denaturalizing Fiscal Crisis in the City of Detroit | Geography | 2018-11 | Accounts of urban crisis in the United States focus largely on issues of deindustrialization, depopulation, property abandonment, and racial conflict. In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, however, another issue has come to light: the role of financial shocks and volatile debt arrangements in shaping urban outcomes. Through a case study of the City of Detroit’s 2013 bankruptcy, this thesis questions the seeming inevitability of fiscal crises in declining cities. Instead, it analyzes the ways in which fiscal crises can be understood as products of risky financial relationships and debt structures. Drawing on archival data, policy analysis, and quantitative financial data, the thesis focuses on the City of Detroit’s use of one risk-laden financial instrument—the interest rate swap—and follows this instrument through the city’s fiscal crisis. In so doing, I map out how this volatile financial instrument shaped both the economic and political dynamics of Detroit’s bankruptcy. | M.A. | financial market | 10 |
| Piascik, Paul | Malcolm, Jay R. ||Smith, Sandy | Responses of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to Variation in Woody Debris Supply in Boreal Northeastern Ontario | Forestry | 2013-07-16 | The maintenance of downed woody debris supplies is increasingly being recognized as an integral part of forest management. In order to better manage this resource, it is important to assess its role in supporting biodiversity. In this thesis, I investigate the responses of carabid communities to variation in woody debris availability in an experimental manipulation of woody debris volume in closed canopy forests and following a biomass harvest in a clearcut. Within closed-canopy forests, total carabid abundance and the abundances of eight species increased significantly with increasing volumes of various types of woody debris, particularly large diameter, late-decay conifer wood. Similarly, a strong affinity with woody debris was observed in the clearcut. These findings suggest that reductions in woody debris will have negative consequences for carabids and indicate the need to ensure a diverse and abundant supply of woody debris during stand development. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Pickett, Graeme | Roorda, Matthew J | The Impact of Off-peak Delivery on Urban Freight Movements during the Pan American Games | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Large scale sporting events provide distinct challenges to urban freight movement. The 2015 Toronto Pan and Parapan American Games introduces high demand for goods and services as well as delivery restrictions in key sections of Toronto. First-hand accounts from members of London, England’s freight community and relevant literature are presented as a case study on best practices, including off-peak delivery, for freight delivery during such sporting events. A second case study of Nestlé Canada examines the benefits of advanced routing and off-peak delivery in mitigating the impact of the Games, as well as the potential for reducing the fleet size. A heuristic model is used to identify and select off-peak customers and to estimates route travel times. The results show that the Games are expected to increase Nestlé travel times by 6.4%, and that off-peak delivery can be used to reduce the travel time impacts by an average 2.9%. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Pignatelli, Joseph | Dong, Vy Maria | Catalytic Asymmetric Hydrogenation: Toward Chiral Diamines and Cyclohexanes | Chemistry | 2011-12-19 | As the need for developing environmentally friendly chemistry continues to become more apparent, catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation has risen to the forefront as a reliable and eco-friendly method for enantioselective synthesis. We herein describe our progress toward the synthesis of valuable structural motifs via hydrogenation: chiral 1,2-diamines, 1,3-diamines and substituted cyclohexanes. We propose a strategy whereby protected 1,2-diimine and 1,3-diimine surrogates can be hydrogenated selectively and deprotected to furnish the desired chiral amines. Using this strategy, it was demonstrated that imidazolone precursors could be hydrogenated with >20:1 diastereoselectivity to give latent 1,2-diamines, albeit with no enantiomeric excess. We further propose that substituted benzene rings linked to an oxazolidinone chiral-auxiliary can be diastereoselectively hydrogenated using a heterogeneous metal catalyst. Following hydrogenation, the chiral cyclohexanes could be obtained in up to quantitative yield and 99% diastereomeric excess. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Pila, Eva | Sabiston, Catherine | The Influence of Body-related Envy on Psychophysiological Response of Stress In Young Women | Exercise Sciences | 2013-12-09 | Body-related envy is an understudied emotion that may be linked with adverse psychophysiological outcomes such as stress (Smith & Kim, 2007). The purpose of this study was to explore body-related envy and psychophysiological response of stress among young adult females. Participants (N = 47; Mage = 21.6 ± 1.8 yrs) completed a weeklong assessment of phenomenological body-related envy, trait body image constructs and an acute laboratory stress-induction task. Findings support the hypothesis that negative body image constructs predict experiences of body-related envy (R2 = 0.17 - 0.54), and that envy can be reliability assessed using phenomenological ratings. Body-related envy was a significant predictor of psychological appraisals of stress (R2 = 0.24 - 0.31), but the proposed associations with physiological stress were not supported. Considering the adverse health outcomes associated with envy (Smith, et al., 1999) and stress (Anderson, 1998), this study has important implications for women’s psychological and physical health. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Pinsonnault-Bilodeau, Maud Gina | Sabiston, M Catherine | Exploring Family Perceptions of Weight and Health: A Qualitative Case Study with Parents and Kids | Exercise Sciences | 2014-11 | All youth are susceptible to weight-related issues. Little is known about how families navigate weight perception and communication. A multiple case study was conducted with five families to explore parent and child perceptions of health and weight, as well as communication within the home and environment. A within-case analysis identified each family's facilitators and barriers to weight and health, perceptions of weight and health status, and health and weight management. Main themes from the across-case analysis included (i) communication and (ii) parenting/role-modelling. Based on the findings from this study, the importance of considering the family context, identifying the way parents and children communicate with each other and others about health and weight, and the influence of varying types of parenting practices cannot be understated. Taken together, it is clear that parents play a critical role in raising children to be physically healthy and to have positive attitudes about weight. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Pistiolis, Ioanna Vana | Norris, Trevor | The Results and Implications of Fundraising in Elementary Public Schools: Interviews with Ontario Principals | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2012-07-24 | A growing pressure to fundraise at the school level in Ontario is a direct result of funding cuts by the Ministry of Education. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the kinds of different fundraising strategies principals use in select elementary public schools in a southern Ontario large city and to determine the positive and negative results of fundraising. Principals of eight elementary schools were interviewed from high and low fundraising schools. Five included school observation tours. The findings show a positive correlation between student achievement and fundraised amounts and utilization, but that the benefits of fundraising only apply to a small number of students. The findings also show that an equal educational opportunity is not being provided to all students, and that moral, civic and democratic values are being eroded. This study highlights the need for Ontario’s Ministry of Education to fully fund public education. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Placido, Adam Di | Pressnail, D Kim | A Parametric Analysis of the Thermal Performance of Concrete Floor Slabs in Cold Climates | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | The inherent thermal mass within the structural components of concrete buildings can have significant influence on energy efficiency in regard to heating and cooling in cold climates. Understanding the influence of building parameters on the passive storage of heat within heavy building materials is thus imperative when informing design decisions regarding energy efficiency. A parametric analysis was performed using energy modeling to characterize the thermal performance of concrete floor slabs in Toronto, Canada. Results showed that the most important factor influencing the relative performance of floor mass is the solar radiation transmitted through exterior glazing. The distribution of internal thermal mass and the density of internal gains were also found to be influential factors. Results were used to inform general concrete slab design guidelines for fully exploiting the thermal mass benefit by recommending minimum slab thicknesses. It is expected that in many cases, structural slab requirements will fulfill these recommendations. | M.A.S. | energy; solar; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Plenderleith, Lisa | Narayanareddy, Rajyashree | Sport and the Making of World Cities: A Case Study of South Africa | Geography | 2013-12-09 | This thesis explores two distinctive ways in which sport is deployed as a development strategy in South Africa, and specifically considers how sport may play a role in the configuration of the nation’s cities. First, a case study of the sporting mega-event, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, is presented. It is posited that this tournament was a speculative world-making strategy aimed at elevating host cities and the nation to world-class status. Second, a discourse analysis of South African policy documents regarding the reintroduction of physical education is performed. It is argued that despite the fundamental neoliberal elements of physical education, there is a possibility that if the government maximizes certain opportunities, it could be a way of forging ordinary cities that are based upon equitable access to sport for South African children. These assessments suggest that sport can play a role in both the spatial and symbolic development of cities. | MAST | cities | 11 |
| Polakowska, Aleksandra | Fortin, Marie-Josee | Quantifying the Spatial Relationship between Landcover Hheterogeneity and Species' Distributions | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-04-06T19:58:15Z | Although considerable research has been invested in disentangling the factors limiting species’ ranges at local and continental spatial scales, less attention has been granted to the relationship between species’ spatial distributions and landscape attributes at intermediate spatial scales. This research investigates the spatial relationship between avian species’ distributions (Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas [2001-2005] data) and landcover heterogeneity (Ontario Land Cover [1991-1998] data) in terms of their respective boundary locations (i.e., high rates of change in landcover composition and avian species turnover) in a vulnerable transitional zone in southern Ontario. Significant spatial overlap was found between landcover and avian boundaries. Given that land management decisions are most often made at the regional or landscape scales, this positive spatial relationship has important implications for conservation efforts. Future research should focus on assessing the spatial relationship between landcover heterogeneity and avian species’ distributions for different functional and taxonomic groups. | MAST | land use | 15 |
| Ponnambalam, Canmanie Teresa | Donmez, Birsen | Effects of searching for street parking on driver behaviour, physiology, and visual attention allocation: An on-road study | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-06 | Urban areas with street parking exhibit a heightened crash-risk compared to similar environments that do not allow street parking. It is unknown whether drivers searching for parking engage in unsafe driving behaviours that contribute to this heightened crash risk. An on-road study was conducted to quantify the effects of searching for parking on drivers. Twenty-eight participants wearing physiological sensors and a head-mounted eye-tracker drove an instrumented vehicle in downtown Toronto. When searching for parking, participants had lower speeds and speed variability, and drove closer to the curb. They also exhibited fewer off-road glances under 1.6 seconds but an increased number over 1.6 seconds. While searching for parking, participants experienced a marginal increase in heart rate. These observations are in line with the self-reported increase in workload expressed by participants. Further research is needed to investigate how these changes affect the safety of the road environment. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Ponnambalam, Kumary | Kant, Shashi | The Fifth Pathway to Forest Transition in the Andes: Modeling Factors That Influence Smallholder Tree Planting in Mocoties, Venezuela | Forestry | 2014-03-19 | Smallholder tree planting is a pathway recognized within Forest Transition Theory (FTT), but its contributing factors are not fully explored at the household level. This study examines the effect of socio-economic and biophysical characteristics, access to extension services, land tenure, labour availability, and attitudes toward tree cover on smallholder planting and willingness to plant for environmental and economic purposes at the household level. Data was collected from 146 households in Mocoties, Merida, Venezuela. Logistic models revealed that area of property, area of productive land, presence of natural sources of water, gender of respondent, number of generations that have farmed the property, income, percent income from farming activities, land title, harvest rights, labour availability and attitudes toward tree cover have significant influence on smallholder’s tree planting and willingness to plant. Future research needs to focus on factors that affect environmentally motivated smallholder tree planting where fewer significant variables were found. | MAST | water; environment; forest | 6, 13, 15 |
| Poon, Abraham | Anderson, G. Harvey | High Folate, but not High Multivitamin Gestational Diets, Affect the Serotonergic Regulation of Food Intake in Female Wistar Offspring | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-26 | The hypothesis that high multivitamin gestational (HV) diets affect the development of central serotonergic regulatory systems in female offspring, and that this is due to its high folic acid content, was investigated. Dams were fed the AIN-93G diet containing the recommended multivitamin mix (RV), 10-fold the RV amount (HV), or the RV diet with 10-fold the folic acid (Hfol). Serotonergic control of food intake and macronutrient selection was assessed by measuring long-term intake and selection, short-term intake and selection following injections of serotonin receptor agonists, and hypothalamic serotonin receptor expression. Offspring from Hfol dams selected more protein and were less responsive to agonist injections, but showed no altered serotonin receptor expression. In contrast, those born to HV fed dams were not different from the RV controls in any measure. In conclusion, the Hfol, but not HV gestational diet affects serotonergic regulation of food intake in female rat offspring. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Poon, Theresa | L'AbbĂŠ, Mary R | Examination of the Validity of Nutrient Profiling Models for Assessing the Nutritional Quality of Foods | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-03 | Nutrient profiling (NP) is a method for evaluating the healthfulness of foods. Although many NP models exist, most have not been validated. This thesis aimed to examine various aspects of validity of four models developed by authoritative bodies. All four models demonstrated moderate content validity, which was assessed by examining the nutrients/components considered in the models. However, different models exhibited varying levels of construct or convergent validity with Ofcom, a previously validated model which served as the reference, in classifying over 15,000 Canadian pre-packaged foods from a branded, national database. Numerous incongruencies were identified for certain models, which highlights the importance of examining classifications across food categories, the level at which differences between models become apparent. The challenges associated with validating models are discussed. Overall, this thesis provides data that can inform regulators seeking to adapt existing NP models and validate them for use in country-specific applications for nutrition policies. | M.Sc. | food; health | 2 |
| Pop, Alin Cristian | Wallace, James S. | Emissions Characteristics of a Natural Gas Fuelled Engine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-03 | A naturally aspirated former Ford hydrogen research internal combustion engine was tested at the University of Toronto. The engine was fuelled with compressed natural gas and run at the road load power condition at two different fuel/air equivalence ratios: phi = 0.775 and phi = 0.855. Particulate matter size distributions, brake thermal efficiency, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide emissions are presented. Due to extensive modifications made to this engine for hydrogen operation, the results concluded that particulate matter emitted from lean-burn compressed natural gas operation are below the detectable range of an engine exhaust particle sizer and weighted filters. Since particulate matter emissions have been linked to health effects, these results suggest that it is possible to produce an engine that produces minimal particulate matter emissions. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Porter, Suzanne | Fadel, Mohammad | Canada’s Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations: Removing Inefficiencies to Encourage Generic Competition | Law | 2011-12-19 | Canada’s Patented Medicines (Notice Of Compliance) Regulations fail to achieve the intended purpose of balancing innovation with timely generic market entry. An examination of the inefficiencies created by the Canadian regulations reveals that key features of U.S. pharmaceutical law should be adopted to improve the disjointed regulatory system that impedes generic competition. Specifically, the regulations should be amended to consolidate multiple proceedings into one cause of action that evaluates patent validity. An economic incentive to challenge weak patents should also be introduced in Canada. These features encourage competition without deterring pharmaceutical research and development because only patents that are not truly inventive will be invalidated after a full inquiry. As such, the intellectual property laws will continue to satisfy Canada’s international intellectual property obligations and protect innovative medicines and allow recovery of costs and monopoly profits to new and useful pharmaceutical products. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Pothier, Melanie | Cumming, Alister | LINCing Literacies: Literacy Practices among Somali Refugee Women in the LINC Program | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-03-01 | This thesis investigated the literacy practices of a group of Somali refugee women participating in Canada’s federally‐funded ESL program LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada). Assuming that many Somali women arrive in Canada with limited experience with print literacy, and so encounter novel challenges in their settlement and learning experiences, I interviewed 4 Somali women about their uses and perceptions of the value of literacy in their lives and their experiences of learning to read and write in Canada. A cross‐case analysis revealed how social forces constrain and enable the women’s literacy practices, shaping both how they access and use literacy, as well as the ways in which they understand and value literacy. Implications are outlined for ESL educators, researchers and policy makers. | MAST | educat; women | 4, 5 |
| Potter, Benjamin | Chan, Timothy | Constructing Efficient Production Networks: A Machine Learning Approach | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-11 | For production networks with multiple plants and products process flexibility, defined as the ability to build different types of products in the same manufacturing plant, is a key driver of operational efficiency when faced with uncertainty in demand or supply. In their seminal work on process flexibility \cite{jordan1995principles} considered two central questions faced by the network designer: 1) How much flexibility is enough? 2) Where should flexibility be added? In this work we develop two novel Machine Learning based greedy heuristics that can be used to create efficient production network designs. We show that our heuristics perform at or above the level of the current state-of-the art heuristics on a number of test settings from the literature. Finally, we introduce a novel application of process flexibility in healthcare operations, and use our heuristics to produce efficient network designs for the radiation therapy unit at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, Canada). | M.A.S. | production | 9 |
| Pourbafrani, Hajar | Saville, Bradley A.||MacLean, Heather | Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Analysis of Fischer-Tropsch Renewable Diesel and Jet Fuel Production | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-11 | Three different possible scenarios of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel production from hybrid poplar through gasification combined with Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are studied in terms of process efficiency, life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, and techno-economic feasibility. The process modeling results indicate that it is technically possible to produce both renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel from this feedstock. The product yields are highly dependent on the process configuration in each scenario. Producing renewable diesel and jet fuel through this process results in low greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional petroleum-based diesel and jet fuel, approximately a 95% reduction in emissions. The levered rate of return on investment associated with each scenario is highly dependent on not only the price of the fuel products and co-products but also the feedstock price. | M.A.S. | renewable; greenhouse gas | 7, 13 |
| Powell, Colin | Lawryshyn, Yuri Andrew ||Bender, Timothy | Using a Financial Model to Determine Technical Objectives for Organic Solar Cells | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-07-27T20:07:55Z | Organic solar cells (OSCs) are of interest because the technology offers a significant opportunity to reduce the overall costs of solar energy. OSCs can be very inexpensive to produce given that they rely on non-commodity materials and can use existing manufacturing techniques that are not labour- and capital-intensive. In this research, a financial model, named TEEOS (Technological and Economic Evaluator for Organic Solar), is developed and is used to determine financial indicators, such as simple payback period. These indicators are used to determine technical objectives for the OSCs. Two sample cells are evaluated in Toronto, Canada using historical data. The results show that the cell with a higher efficiency and wider absorptive wavelength range produces a payback period of approximately nine years, while the other cell has a payback period well over 45 years. Stochastic modeling techniques are also used to better replicate electricity price and weather fluctuations. | MAST | weather; solar; energy; conserv | 7, 13, 14 |
| Power, Ellen | Farish, Matt | Memories of Mistrust and Contamination: The Legacies of Cosmos 954 and Operation Morning Light in Denendeh | Geography | 2019-11 | On January 24, 1978, the nuclear-powered Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 burned up over the Northwest Territories. Radioactive satellite debris dispersed across hundreds of square kilometres of land, including several communities. Working with nuclear emergency teams from the United States, the Canadian military undertook a months-long operation to recover this hazardous debris from the landscape. Government accounts of “Operation Morning Light” highlighted the mission’s successes in locating harmful debris, emphasizing the negligible risk that most debris posed to the predominantly Dene and Métis communities affected. These authoritative narratives obscured the legacies of Cosmos 954 in communities like Lutsel K’e and Fort Resolution, where people still question the effects of Cosmos 954 on their traditional land, Denendeh. Their memories of the event reveal a lingering mistrust of government risk assessments and an ongoing uncertainty about the hazards of Cosmos 954 debris, especially as part of larger concerns about environmental contamination in Denendeh. | M.A. | environment | 13 |
| Prakash, Varuna | Trbovich, Patricia | Interventions to Mitigate the Effects of Interruptions During High-risk Medication Administration | Biomedical Engineering | 2011-01-13T16:37:02Z | Research suggests that interruptions are ubiquitous in healthcare settings and have a negative impact on patient safety. However, there is a lack of solutions to reduce harm arising from interruptions. Therefore, this research aimed to design and test the effectiveness of interventions to mitigate the effects of interruptions during medication administration. A three-phased study was conducted. First, direct observation was conducted to quantify the state of interruptions in an ambulatory unit where nurses routinely administered high-risk medications. Secondly, a user-centred approach was used to design interventions targeting errors arising from these interruptions. Finally, the effectiveness of these interventions was evaluated through a high-fidelity simulation experiment. Results showed that medication administration error rates decreased significantly on 4 of 7 measures with the use of interventions, compared to the control condition. Results of this work will help guide the implementation of interventions in nursing environments to reduce medication errors caused by interruptions. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Préfontaine, Renée Claude | Collins, Nicholas C||Dunlop, Erin S | Using Probability of Detection to Detect Changes in Nearshore Lake Huron Fish Communities | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-06 | Management of a large number of fish populations has been shown to be regularly limited by high year-to-year variation in catch per unit effort (CPUE), so that impractically large numbers of monitoring years are required to detect even modest changes in abundance. Probability of detection (p(d)) is a relatively new metric derived from binary presence-absence data. Due to its properties as a probability I hypothesized that with p(d), among-year variations would be dampened, allowing detection of smaller changes in abundance than with CPUE. I used data from a large study of Lake Huron nearshore fish populations collected using two gear types to compare the 2 metrics’ ability to detect change. I found little difference in the capabilities of the two. Catches in these datasets were not consistently high enough for the variation-dampening properties of the p(d) metric to be strongly expressed. | M.Sc. | fish | 15 |
| Previdsa, Michael | Sleep, Brent E | In Situ Treatment of 1,1,1-trichloroethane by Guar Gum-stabilized Zero Valent Iron Injection: A Field Study | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) is one of the most commonly identified pollutants in contaminated soil and groundwater at hazardous waste sites. Hydraulic injection of granular zero valent iron (ZVI) stabilized with guar gum was performed at an active field site contaminated with chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs) including 1,1,1-TCA, 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) and chloroethane (CA). Approximately 17,000 kg and 20,000 kg ZVI was injected and backfilled into the source zone. cVOC concentrations were monitored at the site before and after injection. Microcosm batch studies prepared using site groundwater indicated biodegradation occurs in the presence of ZVI and indigenous microbial communities were capable of biodegrading 1,1,1-TCA to CA. Reducing conditions were present nine months after injection. Concentrations were reduced from 37 to 94 percent. Quantification of groundwater samples for microbiological analyses demonstrated abiotic and biodegradation occurred following injection. This study demonstrates potential for application of guar gum-stabilized ZVI injection in the removal of 1,1,1-TCA. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Price, Frances Rae | Rajji, K Tarek | Neuroplasticity in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex of People with Schizophrenia Measured by Paired Associative Stimulation | Medical Science | 2014-11 | Cognitive impairments are a common symptom of schizophrenia, and may be caused in part by disrupted neuroplasticity. Aging is associated with further decline in both neuroplasticity and cognition. Cognitive ability is one of the strongest predictors of functional outcome for people with schizophrenia, thus understanding the nature of these impairments is an important step for improving quality of life for this population.Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) is a transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol that assesses neuroplasticity. PAS was used to evaluate increases in cortical excitability and theta-gamma coupling - a measure that describes the relationship between neural oscillations - in older people with schizophrenia and healthy controls.Both forms of neuroplasticity were impaired in schizophrenia. Furthermore, plasticity of theta-gamma coupling decreased with increasing age. These results contribute to understanding aging in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of people with schizophrenia, however further research is needed to connect these deficits to cognition. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Price, Hayley Yvonne | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | Analyzing Ethnographic Research on Indigenous Knowledges in Development Studies: An Anti-colonial Inquiry | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-05-31T18:41:15Z | This thesis provides an anti-colonial analysis of how Indigenous knowledges have been studied and conceptualized through ethnographic research in the field of development studies. In this analysis I apply meta-ethnography within an anti-colonial discursive framework, a combination that I argue has great potential in the study of power relations in qualitative knowledge production. Firstly, this approach allows me to provide a synthesis of purposively selected ethnographies from the development studies literature; secondly, it requires that I refer to Indigenous scholars’ critical writings in the education literature to analyze development studies ethnographers’ approaches to Indigenous knowledges. The results of this analysis provide a starting point for questioning epistemological racism and colonial power relations at play in knowledge production on Indigenous knowledges in the field of development studies, with important implications for how we teach, study, and conduct research in development. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Pritchard, David Robert | Miller, Eric | Synthesizing Agents and Relationships for Land Use/Transportation Modelling | Civil Engineering | 2009-02-26T15:40:01Z | Agent-based microsimulation models of socioeconomic processes require an initial synthetic population derived from census data. This thesis builds upon the Iterative Proportional Fitting (IPF) synthesis procedure, which has well-understood statistical properties and close links with log-linear models. Typical applications of IPF are limited in the number of attributes that can be synthesized per agent. A new method is introduced, implementing IPF with a sparse list-based data structure that allows many more attributes per agent. Additionally, a new approach is used to synthesize the relationships between agents, allowing the formation of household and family agents in addition to individual person agents. Using these methods, a complete population of persons, families, households and dwellings was synthesized for the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. | MAST | socioeconomic | 1 |
| Propp, Lee | Andrade, Brendan F||Bedard, Anne-Claude V | Psychopathological and Neuropsychological Endophenotypes of Children with Disruptive Behaviour | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-11 | Childhood Disruptive Behaviour Disorders (DBD) are a robust predictor of delinquency, academic failure, social difficulties, and persistent mental health disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Children with DBDs represent a highly heterogeneous group and the present study aimed to distill heterogeneity by identifying data-driven subgroups based on key dimensions of psychopathology and neuropsychological abilities. Data from children 6 – 12 years (n = 143), referred to a clinic for children with DBDs, were analyzed using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to determine classes (i.e., subgroups) based on measures of children’s callous-unemotional (CU) traits, emotion regulation, and objective Executive Function (EF) task performance. Classes were compared on parent- and teacher-rated level of functional impairment, social functioning, and conduct problems. Classes with elevated levels of CU traits and poor selective attention had the highest conduct problems and impairment. This research may inform more refined assessment processes and future treatment innovation for children with DBDs. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Pryslawsky, Yaroslaw | Foll, Bernard Le | The Effects of a Neutral Cannabinoid-1 Receptor Antagonist on Intravenous Nicotine Self Administration Behaviour | Pharmacology | 2014-03-19 | Introduction: Tobacco dependence is a chronic disorder that carries the risk of relapse at any time point during abstinence. It is a major health issue in the world and current pharmacotherapies have had limited efficacy. Therefore, development and validation of novel treatments are required. Objective: Investigate the novel neutral cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist AM4113 on nicotine (main psychoactive ingredient in tobacco)-taking behaviour in animals. Methods: Using the nicotine intravenous- and food control- self administration paradigms, we tested the acute and chronic (10-days) effects of AM4113 on nicotine- and food-taking behaviour. Results: Acute AM4113 treatments (1-, 3-, 10-mg/kg) reduced nicotine self administration. Chronic AM4113 administration (10mg/kg) produced a sustained reduction of nicotine-taking behaviour during the course of the treatment. In the similar food control self administration experiments, AM4113 overall produced no effect. Conclusion: AM4113 can attenuate nicotine-taking behaviour and its effect is sustained under chronic treatment. | MAST | health; food | 2, 3 |
| Puddicombe, Brian | Dei, George Jerry Sefa||Wane, Njoki | Racialized Terror and the Colour Line: Racial Profiling and Policing Headwear in Schools | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-05-31T18:44:58Z | Through the simple action of covering one’s head with the wrong type of apparel, at the wrong time, and in the wrong spaces, Black and racialized youth exist in a hostile environment where their identities are reconstructed and relabeled according to dominant economic-political needs. This study interrogates and ruptures dominant notions of how space, identity and power are constructed, confronted, engaged, negotiated and resisted by Black and racialized youth in greater Toronto Area (GTA) schools. In an atmosphere of zero-tolerance toward policing youth violence, the anti-gang focus of the Safe Schools headwear policies institutionalize a ‘colour-coded’ link between crime, violence and race. Through ethnographic narrative inquiry this study critically interrogates the multiplicity of ways how the collision between zero-tolerance approaches toward regulating school violence and the policing of specific types of headwear and bodies results in differential outcomes and impacts on Black students and other racialized groups. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Qi, Yufan | Farnood, Ramin||Tabe, Shahram | Fabrication and Evaluation of PVA Modified Hydrophilic Cellulose Membrane and TiO2/FAS Modified Superhydrophobic PVDF Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for Applications in Membrane Bioreactor and Membrane Distillation | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-06 | In this study, two novel membranes were fabricated for membrane-based water and wastewater treatment processes. A PVA modified hydrophilic cellulose membrane was developed for membrane bioreactor, and the fabrication process is based on hand sheet making and dip-coating process. The membrane performance was evaluated based on flux-step experiments and long-term filtration tests. The results suggested that the modified membranes can operate up to 185 hours, and can provide a MLSS rejection that up to 99.9%. A TiO2/FAS modified superhydrophobic PVDF ENM was fabricated for membrane distillation process, and the manufacture process includes electrospinning, heat-pressing, and dip-coating. The membrane surface properties were investigated via SEM, XPS, and the membrane hydrophobicity was determined based on the apparent contact angle measurement. The superhydrophobic membrane was tested on a bench-scale VMD system, and the results suggested that the membrane was able to effectively treat different feed solutions, and can provide a stable performance. | M.A.S. | waste; water | 6, 12 |
| QIU, JIANFENG | Mihailidis, Alex | A Chair Embedded with Capacitive Electorcardiography (ECG) for Non-obstructive Cardiac Health Monitoring in the Home Setting | Biomedical Engineering | 2015-06 | Canada is faced with an ageing population, which requires long term health monitoring. Capacitive electrocardiography (ECG) is considered a viable method of non-obstructive heart condition monitoring, detecting ECG without directly attaching an electrode to the body. In this study, a capacitive ECG chair is designed, implemented and verified. Furthermore, extensive experiments were conducted to evaluate the output signal quality in various situations. These experiments shed light on the impacts of different design parameters (such as electrode size, separation distance and orientation) and clothing condition (such as clothing material and thickness) on the output signal quality. Additionally, the sources of motion artifacts are identified and their influences on the ECG signal are studied. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Quach, Phillip T. | Collins, Michael P.||Bentz, Evan C. | Understanding and Safely Predicting the Shear Response of Large-scale Reinforced Concrete Structures | Civil Engineering | 2016-06 | Infrastructure commonly built today incorporates very thick reinforced concrete members that serve as critical elements in the load-carrying system of the structure. Certain design codes specify that members such as mat foundations and transfer slabs in high-rise buildings can be designed without shear reinforcement, allowing for more economical constructability. Omission of shear reinforcement results in structures being susceptible to the well-established size effect, and thus prone to brittle shear failures. The research comprised in this thesis focuses on investigating the applicability of international design codes in predicting the shear strength of very thick concrete members. To this end, a specimen representing a 4 m thick slab strip and a 300 mm thick companion strip were constructed and tested to failure. Results from the experimental program support the recommendation to use at least minimum shear reinforcement in large-scale structures to yield safe designs. | M.A.S. | buildings; infrastructure | 9 |
| Quigley, Christine | Macklin, Audrey | An Argument against Immigration Detention in Canada | Law | 2013-12-10 | This thesis will provide an argument against the use of immigration detention for asylum seekers. The thesis will critically analyse the law and policy of immigration detention in Canada. It will argue that the current policy of immigration detention in Canada does not comply with international human rights and obligations. The current policy of immigration detention does not reflect the values enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedom, and the policy of mandatory detention should be abolished immediately. Immigration Detention should be a last resort, only enforced after alternatives to detention have been considered. There should be regular reviews of detention, equally applicable to all immigrants, and detention should last for as brief a period as possible. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Quinan, Emily Ann | Mundy, Karen | Right to Education: A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Rights Talk by Indian Non-state Actors | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-06 | This study examines the framing of the right to education through the discourse of the Government of India and two key non-state actors. Specifically, it addresses two research questions using word frequency data and applying content and frame analysis. The first question examines the discourse of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, its alignment with the right to education, and framing of non- state participation in education. The second question examines the discourse of two non- state actors with opposing views on privatisation in order to assess their use of `rights talk' to promote education, and determine whether education privatisation and rights are mutually exclusive. The discourse of each actor is compared to a framework of the right to education to determine how it aligns or diverges from this model. The findings of this study provide insight into how RTE Act is interpreted by different actors. | M.A. | rights; educat | 4, 16 |
| Quince, Aaron Fletcher | Martell, David Lee | Performance Measures for Forest Fire Management Organizations | Forestry | 2010-02-15T14:42:37Z | Evaluating options, making informed decisions, measuring performance, and achieving management objectives in forest fire management organizations (FFMO) requires the development and application of measures that reflect how an organization has managed challenges presented. This thesis makes use of historical fire records from 1961 – 2008 to assess the impact of weather and management interventions on fire suppression effectiveness and annual area burned (AAB) within Alberta’s Boreal Natural Region. Statistical models relating AAB to variations in the proportion of extreme fire behaviour potential days suggest a significant portion of inter-annual variation in AAB (82 %) can be explained by the proportion of days when the Build-Up Index exceeds its 95th percentile. Probability of containment and large fire occurrence models are also developed that provide the framework for a new approach to presuppression planning in Alberta that can account for factors significantly influencing fire occurrence and containment outcome. | MAST | weather; forest | 13, 15 |
| Quinlan, Shelley | Jackson, Nancy | The Paradox of Socially Organized Nursing Care Work | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | As contemporary health care organizations struggle to control costs, yet deliver quality patient-centred care, the concept of care becomes socially transformed through the use of quality improvement models (i.e., Lean methodology) and quality assurance documentation. This research investigates how nurses’ care work is socially organized in a system that defines care through quality management practices. I use Dorothy E. Smith’s Institutional Ethnography as a feminist mode of inquiry and as a guiding framework for my interviews with nurse participants as I explore the complex social relations within the health care system from the vantage point of nurses undertaking care work. I argue that the social reorganization of care work has affected the emotional lives of nurses as they try to balance actual patient-centred care with their reporting obligations under quality management. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Quinn, Eadaoin Maria Ines | Thomas, Sean C. | Age-related Crown Thinning: Common but not Universal in Tropical and Temperate Forest Trees | Forestry | 2013-12-10 | Gap dynamics theory proposes that forest canopy gaps provide the high light levels needed for regeneration. Little attention has been given to more gradual alternatives; however, recent studies have demonstrated declines in within-crown leaf area index with tree size in temperate forest trees. Our project builds on this previous research by assessing the prevalence of this age-related crown thinning phenomenon. We quantified crown openness for 18 dominant tree species in temperate and tropical forests (n = 1786 trees). Separate pooled groupings of tropical and temperate species showed significantly positive relationships between openness and DBH (p<0.001). Of the 9 sampled species showing positive relationships, significance (p< 0.05) was detected in 3 out of 10 tropical species and 1 out of 8 temperate species. Two temperate species showed significantly reduced canopy openness with size. These trends highlight the role that very large trees play in influencing light availability for understorey regeneration. | MAST | forest | |
| Radhakrishnan, Dhenuka | To, Teresa | Examining Trends in the Incidence of Asthma in Children in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-07-16 | Background: The causes of trends in asthma incidence are not fully understood. Objectives: This study examined trends in age and severity at asthma diagnosis for Ontario children. Methods: Multiple birth cohorts of Ontario children between 1992-2000 were created using health administrative data. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression examined changes in age and severity of asthma at diagnosis over time. Results: Age at asthma diagnosis decreased (p<0.0001) with a higher relative risk of asthma in children under age three (RR=1.5, 95% CI:1.47, 1.54). Predictors of asthma diagnosis before three included male sex, lower income quintile, and maternal asthma. ‘Severe onset asthma’ increased over time (p<0.0001), its predictors being male sex, lower income quintile, rural residence, comorbidity, low birth weight and age less than three. Conclusions: Observed trends in asthma incidence are not confined to mild disease and are secondary to variations in asthma rates in children under age three. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Radu, Danielle D. | Duval, Timothy P | The Impact of Changing Precipitation Frequency on Hydrology, CO2 Exchange, and Plant Productivity in a Temperate Poor Fen | Geography | 2017-03 | Climate change projections for many areas around the Earth show a shift in rainfall patterns towards larger, but less frequent events. The implications for peatlands are hypothesized to be drier surface conditions and a net release of CO2 but there is lack of evidence for this claim. The objective for the project was to investigate the effects of varying rainfall frequencies on peatland hydrology, CO2 exchange, and plant productivity among three different plant communities from a poor fen located in Southern Ontario. In both field and laboratory experiments, vegetation plots and mesocosms were subjected to rainfall treatments that varied in frequency, but not total amount. This thesis shows that decreased precipitation frequency may result in drier near-surface conditions in peatlands, leading to reduced CO2 uptake/ enhanced CO2 release and a plant community shift towards ericaceous shrub dominance. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Radulj, Djordje | Karney, Bryan William | Assessing the Hydraulic Transient Performance of Water and Wastewater Systems Using Field and Numerical Modeling Data | Civil Engineering | 2010-07-27T20:16:57Z | A large proportion of water and wastewater systems have traditionally been analyzed and designed without the consideration of the nature, risk, and potential consequence of hydraulic transients. Recent advancements in numerical hydraulic modeling have spawned a specialty hydraulic field based on numerical transient analysis. The current practice within this field often lacks physical understanding and can be misguided by both the current knowledge, technology based limitations, and by the sole reliance on numerical models. This thesis aims to provide insights into some of the shortcomings of current practice and to develop the importance and application of field data based confirmations. The thesis examines the advances in the current field oriented technology for recording transient pressures, and provides examples and insights on how this data can be used both in conjunction with numerical modeling and on its own as a first step to a proposed frequency based transient risk assessment methodology. The thesis establishes definitions and a preliminary methodology for a Transient Risk Index. | MAST | water; waste | 6, 11 |
| Raggi, Marco | Cameron, Jill ||Herridge, Margaret | Long-term Outcomes in Lung Transplant Patients Who Required Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation and their Family Caregivers | Rehabilitation Science | 2015-11-12 | Lung transplant literature has focused on patient survival, hindering its ability to characterize long-term morbidity in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) after transplant, and the health of their caregivers. ICU research has evaluated PMV and suggests that patients and caregivers may be at risk for increased morbidity. This study examined: 1) patient functional ability, quality of life (QOL) and mental health, and 2) caregiver QOL and mental health. Patients (N=44) and caregivers (N=33) completed standardized instruments approximately four years after transplant. Using regression modeling, patient functional ability was associated with older age and lower respiratory function. Fewer patient depressive symptoms were associated with better caregiver psychological well-being. Caregiver depression was associated with poor functional and mental health in patients, and caregiver factors including male gender, reduced support and increased assistance. Interventions may be of most benefit to older patients with reduced respiratory function, and caregivers who lack social support. (Limit: 150 words) | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ragusila, Andra | Henderson, Joanna ||Goering, Paula | The Sustainability and Long-term Outcomes of Knowledge Translation Projects: A 3-year Follow-up of the GAIN Collaborative Network Project | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2014-03-19 | Objective: This thesis aimed to advance the study of sustainability through the exploratory use of a conceptual framework for the investigation of a collaborative project. Methods: A qualitative case study design, utilizing document analysis and key informant interviews, was used to conduct a three-year follow-up of a collaborative mental health project. The study design and directed content analysis were informed by the Scheirer and Dearing (2011) conceptual framework. Results: The sustained outcomes identified by the six participating agencies included: institutionalized project components, maintained client benefits, continued collaboration and sustained attention to the issue. The sustainability of project components was associated with complex interactions between the innovation, organization, and community factors investigated. Conclusions: The study illustrated the importance of evaluating multiple aspects of sustainability to fully capture a project’s long-term effect. Complex systems theory was proposed to describe the interactions observed and as a direction for further development of the conceptual framework. | MAST | health; innovation | 3, 9 |
| Rahman, Adam | Nguyen, Geoffrey | Self-screening for malnutrition risk in outpatient inflammatory bowel disease patients using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-06 | Background: Malnutrition is under-recognized in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aims To determine if patient can self-screen nutritional risk using the Malnutrition Universal Screening tool (MUST). Methods Adult IBD patients self-assessed nutritional risk with the MUST tool. Health care practitioners (HCPs) assessed risk using the MUST tool and the Nutritional Risk Score 2002 (NRS-2002). Chance-corrected agreement was determined. We also examined the relationship between nutritional status and disease activity. Results For patient-administered MUST screening, chance-corrected agreement 上 (95% CI) was 0.83 (CI 0.74, 0.92) with HCP MUST screening among low-risk and ii combined medium- and high-risk patients. Similar results were found when compared to NRS-2002. All patients were able to screen easily. Disease activity was significantly correlated with nutritional risk for Crohn's but not ulcerative colitis. Conclusion Patients can accurately and easily self-screen malnutrition risk using MUST. We require further work to understand how self-screening can influence nutritional management plans. | M.Sc. | health; nutrition | 2, 3 |
| Rail-Ip, Rene | Johns, A David | Evaluation of Low-cost MEMS Accelerometers and Investigation of Inertial Algorithms for Dead Reckoning in Railway Environment | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | Low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers are gaining momentum in the defence, aerospace, transportation, and automotive industries. While highcost accelerometers are being used on subway trains for their signalling systems, this work investigates the possibility of replacing them with low-cost MEMS devices. To achieve this goal, a 3D printer was modied for use as a three-dimensional motion platform and sensors were tested based on various characteristics. In addition, the sensors were tested on subway trains. The results show that the Kionix KXRB5 accelerometer performs the best, even out-performing the high-end sensor tested. Finally, inertial algorithms were developed that were able to estimate displacements to below 5% error on the evaluation platform and subway line. Although realtime displacement estimations were not accurate due to unstable bias due to tilting, these inertial algorithms use only the accelerometer sensor and can update displacements at points of zero velocity. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Rajeswaran, Dargine | McCready, Dr. Lance | Caring on the 'Inside': Tales of a Critical Educator in a (More) Punitive Space | Social Justice Education | 2019-11 | As a secondary-level educator with experiences in formal educational including mainstream, alternative, and programs in male correctional facilities, my learners seem to thrive because they feel cared-for. Ironically, I was never quite sure about what it means to be a caring educator. Through this narrative inquiry, I explore my experience teaching within two maximum security jails, in a metropolitan area of Canada. I explore and reflect on my pedagogical strategies and interactions to argue that caring teaching cannot fully interrupt/counteract the violence imposed by carceral systems but are capable of impacting individuals positively. This study, grounded in the narrative of teaching inside, considers how the procedures/expectations of jails work for and against caring pedagogies. I consider how it feels to teach within, how these learners identify me as a caring educator, and whether the teacher can sustain a caring pedagogy in a criminal justice system that enacts enduring harm. | M.A. | inclusive; justice | 4, 16 |
| Ramraj, Chantel | Quiñonez, Carlos | Dental Treatment Needs in the Canadian Population | Dentistry | 2012-11-26 | Objective: To determine the dental treatment needs of Canadians and how they are distributed. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey was undertaken. Weights were applied to make the data nationally representative. Bivariate and multivariate regressions were used to identify predictors of need. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated to compare self-reported and clinically determined needs. Results: Of the 34.2% who required dental treatment, most needed restorative (20.4%) and preventive (13.7%) care. The strongest predictors of need were having poor oral health, reporting a self-perceived need for treatment and visiting the dentist infrequently. A discrepancy was found between clinical and self-reported needs. Conclusions: Roughly 12 million Canadians have unmet dental needs. A number of factors are predictive of having unmet dental conditions. Program and policymakers now have information by which to assess if their programs match the dental needs of Canadians. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Ramsay, Megan A | Gagne, Antionette | Peer Coaches’ Perceptions: Can Coaches Support Teachers in Enacting Transformative Classroom Practice? | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-11 | The need for educational practices to be responsive to Ontario’s diverse student population is urgent. As such, many Ontario school districts look to peer coaches, to initiate school reform aimed at inclusive pedagogy. This study explored peer coaches’ perspectives on how their relationship with educators can transform classroom practices. Open-ended interviews and a focus group session were conducted. Two main themes emerged. First, when teachers worked with peer coaches to develop an inquiry question linked to a teaching challenge, the coaches tended to embrace a “learning by doing” stance encouraging teachers to explore various strategies to become more inclusive while addressing gaps in student achievement. Second, it appears that a peer coach’s open stance and willingness to co-construct the goals of this type of teacher learning provide a strong foundation for growth and change. This qualitative thesis contributes to our understanding of the role of peer coaches in supporting inclusive teaching practices. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Rankin, Micah | Dyzenhaus, David | Access to Justice and the Institutional Limits of Independent Courts | Law | 2011-12-19 | Canadian citizens’ inability to access courts has been a subject of controversy for decades. Despite widespread evidence that Canada’s legal aid system is faltering, governments continue to be unwilling to commit the resources necessary to remedy the problem. In this thesis, the author argues that people’s inability to access courts and obtain legal representation not only has implications for their rights and interests, but may also undermine judicial independence. Judicial independence, the author claims, is best understood as a variable bundle of rights, guarantees and powers conferred on courts and judges that preserves and enhances their abilities to adjudicate impartially, maintain a constitutional distribution of powers and uphold the rule of law. Since people’s inability to access courts can impair the judiciary’s ability to preserve these values, judicial independence is undermined. The author claims that it is possible to correct problems of inaccessibility by appointing state-funded counsel in appropriate circumstances. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Rao, Julia Anne | Niyozov, Sarfaroz | Culturally Relevant Teaching in Rural Communities: An Ethnographic Case Study of three International Volunteer Teachers in Ecuador | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-01-01T18:38:22Z | This thesis explores how three international volunteers taught in rural Indigenous communities in Ecuador. It positions this exploration in the complexities and dilemmas of International aid education (IAE) projects and cross-cultural volunteer teaching. The study uses literature on anti-colonial theories, Indigenous knowledges and culturally relevant teaching (CRT) as a conceptual framework to understanding IVTs perceptions of and approaches towards cross-cultural teaching and its relationship with Indigenous students’ lived experiences. Onsite observations and interviews with international volunteer teachers’ (IVTs) and discussions with local teachers and volunteer program director are used in a cross-comparative analysis, which examines how their teaching was sensitive to and reflective of these Indigenous peoples’ ways of knowing and learning. The findings show that the three IVTs varied greatly in their understanding and enactment of CRT. The thesis concludes by exploring the implications of IAE and sets out recommendations for creating more culturally relevant education for Indigenous students. | MAST | rural | 11 |
| Rashid, Faahim | Quiñonez, Carlos | Costing a Publicly Financed Dental Care Pprogram for Uninsured Low-income Ontarians: A Pilot Study | Dentistry | 2015-11 | Objectives: To provide a costing framework for and to cost a publicly financed dental program for low-income uninsured Ontarians. Methods: The costing framework includes: 1. Specifying the terms for examining costs; 2. Describing the service baskets; and 3. Identifying resources for program delivery; measuring resource utilization; and attaching a monetary value to resources and services; and 4. Including additional costs. The robustness of the estimates was assessed using sensitivity analyses. Demographic and insurance data were sourced from national surveys. Utilization and expenditure data were sourced from existing local public programs. Results: Eleven of 36 public health units provided data. The cost of providing dental care to uninsured low-income Ontarians was $262 million per year. The cost was $299 million when including additional services for adults. Conclusions: While this study provides the approximate costs of a publicly funded program for uninsured low-income Ontarians, the lack of outcome data prevents a complete cost-effectiveness analysis. | M.Sc. | health; poverty | 1, 3 |
| Ravensbergen-Hodgins, Lea | Buliung, Ron||Wilson, Kathi | Socioeconomic Discrepancies in Children’s Accessibility to Health Promoting Resources: An Activity Space Analysis | Geography | 2015-11 | Approximately one third of Canada’s youth are overweight or obese. Children living in low socioeconomic status (SES) households are at greater risk of this condition. Little research examines how mobility and time shape accessibility to food environments and physical activity (PA) facilities, two likely determinants of health expected to vary by SES. Using data from Project BEAT, a study investigating the built environment and Toronto schoolchildren’s active travel, this thesis examines how SES shapes children’s accessibility to food establishments and PA facilities. The activity space construct is used in order to incorporate mobility and time into measures of accessibility. Results indicate that higher SES is associated with greater accessibility and access to PA facilities and lower accessibility to fast food establishments. Furthermore, accessibility to PA facilities and retail food establishments varies over the week. This thesis contributes a more comprehensive understanding of how mobility, time, and SES shape children’s health. | M.A. | socioeconomic; food | 1, 2 |
| Ravindranath, Rohan Raghav | Thompson, Michael||Romaschin, Alexander | Investigating the Use of a Biologically Active Surface Coating for Coronary Stent Devices: A New Approach to Improving Biocompatibility | Chemistry | 2016-06 | Coronary artery disease is a major cause of death globally, and has led to the use of medical implants like coronary stents. Unfortunately, re-narrowing of the artery can occur (restenosis) due to an immune response towards the implanted ‘foreign’ device. A new approach to combat restenosis and reduce the stent-induced immune response has been proposed, which involves re- endothelialization of the implanted stent. In our investigation, a novel proof-of-concept stent was applied towards in vitro cell capture. Steel coupons were coated with an organic adlayer, whole antibodies were ‘immobilized’, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs or HAoECs) were cultured. On the adlayer-antibody condition, desirable HUVEC morphology was achieved, and significantly more HUVECs were captured compared to the ‘bare’ surface. For HAECS, no significant difference in cell capture was observed. However, HAECs appeared healthier on the adlayer-antibody condition. These results demonstrate successful re-endothelialization of the stent surface. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Rayar, Meera | Nathan, Paul | Predictors of Locus of Care in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | Introduction: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer represent a unique and underserviced population. Methods: Administrative databases were used to identify adolescents diagnosed with cancer between 1994 and 2004, in Ontario. Associations between demographic, disease, and health-care system factors and adolescents’ initial treatment centre (pediatric/adult) were examined. In addition, a Triple-I policy analysis was used to compare Canadian, Australian and English AYA cancer-care delivery policies. Results: Adolescents’ age, cancer diagnosis, time period of diagnosis, distance of residence from pediatric centre, residing in a LHIN with a pediatric centre and PCP speciality were significantly associated with their initial treatment centre. Although Canadian AYA oncology policies were similar those from Australia and England, they were not as well developed. Conclusion: Adolescents’ initial treatment location is be influenced by patient, diagnostic and health-care system factors as well as health-care policy. Future AYA cancer care policies must consider these variables during their development. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Raykin, Leonid | MacLean, Heather L. ||Roorda, Matthew J. | Impacts of Driving Patterns on Well-to-wheel Performance of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-27 | The well-to-wheel (WTW) environmental performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is sensitive to driving patterns, which vary within and across regions. This thesis develops and applies a novel approach for estimating specific regional driving patterns. The approach employs a macroscopic traffic assignment model linked with a vehicle motion model to construct driving cycles, which is done for a wide range of driving patterns. For each driving cycle, the tank-to-wheel energy use of two PHEVs and comparable non-plug-in alternatives is estimated. These estimates are then employed within a WTW analysis to investigate implications of driving patterns on the energy use and greenhouse gas emission of PHEVs, and the WTW performance of PHEVs relative to non-plug-in alternatives for various electricity generation scenarios. The results of the WTW analysis demonstrate that driving patterns and the electricity generation supply interact to substantially impact the WTW performance of PHEVs. | MAST | energy; greenhouse gas; environment | 7, 13 |
| Razack, Sabrina | MacNeill, Margaret ||Fusco, Caroline | Women’s Cricket Spaces: An Examination of Female Players’ Experiences in Canada | Exercise Sciences | 2010-02-15T15:28:52Z | Presently the literature available on women’s cricket is very limited. This thesis attempts to redress this gap by telling a story about the experiences of women’s club cricket in Toronto and Victoria. The player’s social spaces were examined, as were the intersections of gender, race and culture.. Using qualitative methods, narratives were interpreted and analyzed using post-colonial, spatial and feminist theoretical frameworks. Major findings indicated that there are specific challenges to women’s participation in cricket in Canada and revealed differences between players due to geography, access to resources, ethnicity and race. Women also experienced inclusions and exclusions based on gendered reproductions. The results indicate that much more support is needed for women’s cricket to flourish in Canada. One strong recommendation this study makes is that we pay more attention to, and develop better strategies for, the integration of Canadian immigrant and racialized women into the Canadian sport and recreation system. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Raziee, Leila | Suri, Sunjay | Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Oligodontia | Dentistry | 2018-11 | Background: Oligodontia (congenial absence of six or more teeth) affects functional, emotional and social aspects of an individual’s life. Few published studies have evaluated oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in children with oligodontia. Methods: Thirty-five 8-to-18-year-old patients with oligodontia recruited from The Hospital for Sick Children and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and their parents, completed the short format of Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14) and Parent Child Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ), respectively. Results: Children reported significantly higher overall CPQ score than their parents. Correlations between children’s and parents’ overall CPQ score, oral symptoms and functional limitations, and social well-being were not statistically significant. However, as children’s emotional well-being score increased, parents’ score also increased. There was no association between child CPQ score and age, gender, number and location of permanent tooth agenesis in this sample. Conclusion: Children with oligodontia had poorer OHRQoL compared to what was perceived by their parents. | M.Sc. | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Reaburn, Hannah Maureen MacLean | Todorova, Miglena | Political Documents and Political Dissonance: An Analysis of the Meaning Created through Student Engagement in the Revision of Sexual Violence Policies at Universities in Ontario | Social Justice Education | 2019-11 | This thesis investigates student engagement in the revision of sexual violence policies at universities in Ontario. Through case studies, this research analyzes the social and political meaning created through the requirement of Bill 132 for universities and colleges to consider student feedback when the policies are reviewed or amended. Document analyses were completed on the publically available documents pertaining to student engagement and consultations that Brock University, Lakehead University, and Carleton University had available on their institutional websites. By interrogating the power dynamics present in policy consultations, this research problematizes how students and sexual violence are understood within policy frameworks. This thesis calls for universities to challenge the hierarchy inherent to consultation processes and to engage with communities beyond their campuses to work against sexual violence in a comprehensive manner. | M.A. | institution | 16 |
| Read, Robyn | Levin, Ben | Knowledge Mobilization at the World Bank: A Bibliometric Analysis of World Bank Publications on Public-private Partnerships in Education | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2011-11-29 | This study examines the ways that knowledge on public-private partnerships in education (PPPE) spreads due to the knowledge mobilization (efforts to incorporate research into policy and practice in education) work of World Bank Education Sector. Specifically, this study looks at the role of the World Bank in research mediation between research producing contexts and research using contexts. Using bibliometric analysis this study a) traces the citations in five World Bank publications on PPPE in order to clarify the origins of the evidence used; and b) maps the spread of this research through its online take-up by other organizations. This study provides baseline data about the knowledge mobilization efforts of the World Bank around PPPE, and illuminates the broader discussion in the literature on who is included (and excluded) from this research enterprise. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Redmond-Misner, Ruby | Coyte, C. Peter | The Role of Primary Cancer Diagnosis in Determining Costs and Caregiver Burden Associated with Palliative Home Care | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2014-11 | Community-based palliative home care (CBPHC) has been repeatedly endorsed for expansion in Ontario. The objective of this thesis is to assess the role of primary cancer diagnosis in the costs and caregiver burden associated with CBPHC.Patients from two Ontario CBPHC programs were categorized using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (10th Ed.), differentiating tumour sites (i.e. breast) rather than tumour type (i.e. carcinoma). Diagnosis was integrated into econometric models alongside other important covariates, identified by conceptual frameworks of cost and burden, in order to ascertain its role in both. Findings suggest that there are differential care demands associated with recipients of CBPHC that are related to primary cancer diagnosis. Several tumour sites emerged as significant drivers of costs and caregiver burden. This is useful for the level of care and associated strain that can be expected upon admission into CBPHC, the maintenance CBPHC and its unpaid caregivers, and the personalization of care. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Reeds, Jacqueline K. | Hanley, Anthony James Gordon | Dietary Patterns and Incident Type 2 Diabetes mellitus in an Aboriginal Canadian Population | Nutritional Sciences | 2010-07-28T14:33:08Z | Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a growing concern worldwide, particularly among Aboriginal Canadians. Diet has been associated with diabetes risk, and dietary pattern analysis (DPA) provides a method in which whole dietary patterns may be explored in relation to disease. Factor analysis (FA) and reduced rank regression (RRR) of data from the Sandy Lake Health and Diabetes Project identified patterns associated with incident T2DM at follow-up. A RRR-derived pattern characterized by tea, hot cereal, and peas, and low intake of high-sugar foods and beef was positively associated with diabetes; however, the relationship was attenuated with adjustment for age and other covariates. A FA-derived pattern characterized by processed foods was positively associated with incident T2DM in a multivariate model (OR=1.38; CIs: 1.02, 1.86 per unit), suggesting intake of processed foods may predict T2DM risk. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Reeves, Andrew W. | Farish, Matthew | Water from the North: Nature, Freshwater, and the North American Water and Power Alliance | Geography | 2010-02-15T15:36:53Z | The North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWAPA), a high modernist continental water diversion project drafted in Los Angeles in 1964, is examined for the impact it had upon social conceptions of nature, the scale of water diversion in North America, and the extent of American Southwestern efforts at sustaining unsustainable Northern lifestyles. Drafted to address the anxiety of perceived ecoscarcity regarding water shortages in the early 1960s, NAWAPA emerged after a century of increasingly large-scale diversion projects, and seemed a logical continuation of such grandiose, “jet-age” type thinking. It proposed to re-engineer the North American landscape to provide water from the North to the arid Southwest. Reasons for the plans failure (including the monumental shift in scale, and Canadian territorial and environmental opposition) are examined in relation to how nature was conceived – or forgotten – in the proposal. | MAST | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Rehman, Sameen Nuzhat | Lyons, Kelly | Sharing Illness Experiences on Twitter: Conversations of Parents with Children Diagnosed with Cancer | Information Studies | 2014-06 | The purpose of this research study is to identify the key themes of tweets posted by parents of children diagnosed with cancer, as well as to identify the reported motivations and benefits for using Twitter as a means to share information related to a child's cancer experience. Tweets were collected from 17 twitter accounts that belong to parents of children diagnosed with cancer, and e-mail interviews were conducted with 5 of the parents. Savolainen's framework of everyday information practice was applied in understanding the key themes of tweets posted by the parents recruited for this study. The themes include - social support and coping, casual conversations, sharing childhood cancer related facts, promoting campaigns and fundraising, raising awareness, and providing updates. The findings of this study added new information to existing research that could potentially lead to the development of a theory of online health communication during illness. | M.I.S. | health | 3 |
| Reid-Musson, Emily R. | Walks, R. Alan | Soft Workfare? Re-orienting Toronto's Social Infrastructure Towards Employment | Geography | 2010-02-15T15:39:22Z | This research tracks the emergence of ‘soft’ workfare in Toronto. This refers to a set of attitudes and practices apparent in the delivery of welfare-to-work programs through the Ontario Works framework, which use compulsion to push people towards employment while simultaneously encouraging limited and specific practices of individual choice. Research findings are derived from eight interviews and relevant policy reports, focusing on the experiences of three non-profit agencies and the City of Toronto, who provide employment assistance and financial assistance through Ontario Works, respectively. These findings indicate that grassroots organizations pioneered employment services for social assistance recipients, and, alongside the municipal government, had been calling for active employment programs. They made use of the distance between policy rules and their own programs to alleviate the most punitive features of OW, but judge compulsion as a means to meet a necessary end. This demonstrates how disciplinary tendencies reside within liberal governmentalities. | MAST | employment | 8 |
| Reid, Sable | Azimi, Gisele | Technospheric Mining of Rare Earth Elements from Bauxite Residue (Red Mud) | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | Due to their inherent physicochemical properties, rare earth elements (REEs) are used in many critical and emerging technologies. The demand for some REEs is increasing sharply in line with increasing demand for these technologies. Such elements are classified as critical â i.e., those that are essential in use and subject to supply risk. To satisfy the increasing demand for REEs, initiatives have been started to recover them from secondary sources, also known as technospheric mining. This study puts the emphasis on technospheric mining of REEs from bauxite residue produced by the aluminum industry. The thesis is divided into five segments: 1) thorough characterization of the bauxite residue obtained from Rio Tinto; 2) development of the leaching process to extract REEs from the bauxite residue; 3) kinetic investigation of the leaching process; 4) development of microwave pretreatment process; and 5) development of the purification process to separate REEs from the leach solution. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Relucio, Maria Angelica de Leon | Portelli, John P | The Community of Inquiry as a Social Reform: Challenging Standardization in Schools through a Juxtaposition of Aquinas' Notion of Connatural Learning, Dewey's Centrality of Experience and Buber's Concept of Dialogue | Theory and Policy Studies in Education | 2014-06 | Education imbibes the processes of drawing from within and connecting with the world. Schools which practice standardization have not become a place where students are provided with connections and experiences that enable them to learn and link with the environment, impeding the cultivation of critical thinking and the students' abilities to exercise `knowing-how and knowing-why'. I strongly argue against standardization in schools. Education must be a critical field where learning comes from questioning, discovery and flourishing with the vast tapestry of life experiences that is imbibed through the community of inquiry - collaboration among the students and teachers. I aim to explore the possibility of resolving the problem of standardization in schools through the community of inquiry as a social reform. As a means of social reform, I characterize the community of inquiry through a juxtaposition of Aquinas' notion of connatural learning, Dewey's centrality of experience and Buber's concept of dialogue. | M.A. | educat; environment | 3, 13 |
| Rendell, Julia | Roach, Kent | The Attorney General’s Obligation to Report Breaches of Rights in Proposed Legislation: How the Canadian and New Zealand Reporting Cultures Differ | Law | 2011-12-19 | This paper examines the Attorney General’s obligation, in Canada and New Zealand, to report on inconsistencies in proposed legislation with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Although the obligations are similar, the Canadian and New Zealand Attorneys General have developed very different reporting cultures. The Canadian Attorney General has never issued a report; the New Zealand Attorney General has issued many. This paper’s thesis is that the different reporting cultures are attributable to the different constitutional structure in each jurisdiction and different understandings of the independence of the Attorney General. Under this analysis, the usefulness of comparative analysis between the two jurisdictions is limited: constitutional differences cannot be ignored. The paper evaluates proposed changes to the reporting obligation in each jurisdiction in light of this analysis. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Reuben, Rebekah | Einstein, Gillian | Longitudinal Change in Cognitive Performance of Women Post-Oophorectomy | Psychology | 2017-11 | The impact of estrogen on cognition is well documented throughout the literature (Phillips ; Sherwin, 1992; Berman et al. 1997; Lord et al. 2010) Women with oophorectomy prior to spontaneous menopause have an increased risk of dementia in later years (Sherwin, 1988; Rocca et al., 2007; Phung et al. 2010; Bove et al. 2014). Furthermore, estrogen interacts with the e4 variant of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE4), a risk factor associated with Alzheimerâ s disease, thereby increasing cognitive decline in an estrogen-depleted state (Stone et al., 1997). This study investigated longitudinal changes in verbal and spatial memory in women with a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy prior to spontaneous menopause. Our analysis revealed a significant decline with time post-oophorectomy on key measures of verbal memory in the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning (RAVLT) and Verbal Fluency tasks moderated by a deleterious effect of APOE4. This research supports a decline in verbal memory performance following oophorectomy. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Reyna Vargas, Myrtha Elvia | Lou, Wendy||Ge, Erjia | Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach for Multicriteria Decision-Making with an Application to developing an ‘Urban Greenness Index’ | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2018-11 | Urban greenness is a multifaceted concept that describes greenness in a built environment. Current approaches studying health outcomes quantify greenness one-dimensionally, leading to the necessity of developing an index that accurately reflects greenness aspects in an urban setting. This thesis integrates Analytical Hierarchy Process with fuzzy logic (fuzzy-AHP) to develop an index based on opinions about urban greenness and on objective attribute data. Index attribute weights are obtained by triangular, trapezoidal and Gaussian membership functions; geometric mean method and fuzzy extent analysis are applied to obtain fuzzy weights. Defuzzification is performed by modal value dominancy and alpha-cuts. A numerical application is shown and resulting indices are compared. The developed ‘Urban Greenness Index’ represents a more accurate reflection of the true exposure by incorporating multiple aspects of the urban environment. After obtaining experts input on index attributes, this index can be used to explore associations to different health outcomes. | M.Sc. | urban; environment | 11, 13 |
| Reynolds, Shannon Elizabeth | Wodchis, Walter | A Comparative Analysis of Long-term Care Policies and Placements | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-07-17 | The objective of this study was to determine whether provincial health policies influence the supply of long-term care in a province, and the care received by residents that require it. This was achieved by first conducting a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of the long-term care policies of Alberta and Ontario, and then comparing health conditions of long-term care and assisted living/retirement home residents in both provinces. The latter comparisons used information collected from comparable versions of the Resident Assessment Instrument – Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) and the RAI-MDS Home Care. The study hypothesis was that provinces with health policies favouring institutional over community care would have a higher proportion of residents with lower care requirements in institutional settings. The results show that this is not the case, and that institutional settings house those with high care needs in both provinces. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Rhodes-Dicker, Leandra | Passeport, Elodie | Adsorption, Desorption, and Biodegradation of Benzotriazole in Bioretention Cells | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Benzotriazole, a common anti-corrosion additive in vehicle fluids and antifreeze liquids, is frequently detected in urban stormwater runoff with highest concentrations in colder seasons. Bioretention cells are capable of reducing stormwater contamination; however little is known about the fate of polar trace organic compounds such as benzotriazole in these urban green infrastructures. This work investigated the adsorption, desorption, and biodegradation potential of benzotriazole in bioretention cells. Comparison of two bioretention substrates, engineered soil and hardwood mulch, showed higher adsorption for the soil than the mulch. Benzotriazole adsorbs predominantly to organic matter, and polar functional groups in the soil organic matter may have a higher affinity for benzotriazole than the lignin in the mulch organic matter. Cold-climate environmental factors such as low temperatures and road salt concentrations yielded increased benzotriazole adsorption. The biodegradation study was inconclusive and further research is needed to understand the potential for benzotriazole degradation in bioretention cells. | M.A.S. | water; infrastructure;l urban; climate; environment | 6, 9, 11, 13 |
| Rich, Rebecca | Murphy, Kellie E | Health System Performance Measurement in a Circumpolar Context: Selecting Performance Indicators for Maternity Care | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-11 | Performance measurement is a necessary component of a transparent health system. In circumpolar regions, indicators that align with national strategies may fail to address priorities of northern, remote, or Indigenous populations. The objective of this study was to select contextually appropriate performance indicators for maternity care in circumpolar regions. A scoping review of the academic and grey literatures generated a working list of indicators. Fourteen circumpolar maternity care experts then participated in a two-round modified Delphi consensus process. Eleven indicators met criteria for importance, circumpolar relevance, validity, and reliability. Twenty-nine additional indicators were identified for further consideration. This study demonstrated that while most circumpolar maternity care systems engage in performance reporting, current indicators do not always reflect local priorities. This study was effective in identifying contextually appropriate indicators. Future work should ensure that circumpolar performance indicators capture issues related to social determinants of health, travel for care, and cultural competency. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Richichi, Vanessa A. | Faulkner, Guy | What's "Quickest and Easiest?" Parental Perspectives of the Trip To and From School | Exercise Sciences | 2010-02-15T15:30:07Z | This study examined perspectives of the trip to/from school and travel mode choice among parents who differed in socio-economic status (SES), and whose children attended schools located in different areas (i.e., urban vs. inner-suburban) across Toronto. Thirty-seven parents (20 active and 17 non-active travelers) of grade four to six students from four elementary schools (capturing diversity with respect to built environment and SES) participated in qualitative interviews after taking photos of their trip to/from school. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis linking the text and visual data. School travel was a habitual behaviour involving a 2-step parental decision-making process; these decisions were influenced by different factors. While escort decisions were dictated by safety concerns, the behavioural cost and reinforcing value of travel mode alternatives dictated mode choice. Strategies addressing these behavioural cost and reinforcing value factors may be helpful in making walking to/from school the quickest and most convenient choice. | MAST | urban; socioeconomic | 1, 11 |
| Ries, Benjamin Carter | Trebilcock, Michael | Rational Reform of Housing Access Policy in Ontario | Law | 2011-12-19 | Ontario’s current regulatory approach to low-income housing lies between two primary challenges: the human right to housing, and political/fiscal constraints. This thesis draws on legal theory and economic analysis of law to articulate the proper goals of housing access policy. A structural theory is proposed to explain the normative relationship between efficiency, communitarianism and justice in housing. An array of regulatory options are compared and considered in light of the features that characterize Ontario’s low-income rental housing markets. This analysis favours demand-side housing subsidies to low-income households, combined with supply-side tax expenditures to improve elasticity in the low-income rental market. Further reform of rent and covenant controls, social and affordable housing supply, and land use planning is recommended to ensure an efficient residential tenancy market. These reforms are offered as a framework for the implementation of the human right to housing in Ontario. | MAST | justice; land use; poverty | 1, 15, 16 |
| Rigby, Jennifer T. | Gillis, Joseph R | Ontario Elementary Teachers' Preparedness to Administer Comprehensive, LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Education | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2017-11 | In 2015, Ontario introduced an updated, LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health curriculum for all grades which inspired opposition from some conservative religious groups. This study explored the experiences and preparedness of elementary teachers covering this curriculum using a survey. Researchers predicted that: (1) teachers would feel least prepared to cover the controversial topics, (2) low levels of engagement in the reform and encountering complaints would predict lower preparedness, and (3) teachers in religious schools would encounter more obstacles than those in secular schools. The majority of participants felt comfortable, knowledgeable, effective and motivated to teach the curriculum. Participants felt least prepared to teach four of the most controversial topics. Support for LGBTQ-inclusive education, positive student reactions, and less fear of parent complaints predicted greater preparedness to teach sex education. There were few differences between religious and secular teachers. Respondents desired more training, teaching resources, support from administration and time to teach health. | M.A. | health; educat; inclusivel conserv | 3, 4, 13 |
| Rispoli, Katherine | MacLean, Heather L | Life Cycle and Supply Assessment of Aviation Biofuels in the Canadian Context | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | The aviation industry established a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target of 50% by 2050. With aviation biofuels expected to play a key role, this work evaluates the feasibility of achieving this target in terms of potential supply and GHG reductions of aviation biofuels from Canadian oil feedstocks. A life cycle assessment is conducted comparing aviation biofuels derived from used cooking oil (UCO), camelina, carinata, and canola. The results demonstrate significant potential GHG reductions, between 55 and 80 kg CO | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas; industr | 9, 13 |
| Ritchie, Nicole Anne | Mihalache, Irina | Queering Museums: Questions of Space, Affect, and the (Non)Normative | Museum Studies | 2015-11 | This thesis proposes and utilizes the theoretical framework of ‘neoliberal museology’ to analyze the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR). Neoliberal museology enacts, what is termed as, ‘neoliberal affective rhetorics’ that seek to manage identitarian selves within a cohesive whole, which is demonstrated within the formation of museology over time, persisting within the contemporary embrace of inclusivity and diversity. Turning to queer-affect theory, the neoliberal affective rhetorics embodied in the Sara Ahmed’s ‘promise of happiness’ and Lauren Berlant’s ‘cruel optimism’ are illustrated within the CMHR’s constructed affective pathway in the institution both as a whole and in individual narratives, focusing specifically on the LGBTQ* identitarian representation. Ultimately, this project calls attention to the normalizing affective rhetorics of a brand new cultural institution, teasing apart one instance of contemporary museology in order to create grounds on which to consider differently than the dominant, than the normative. | M.M.St. | queer; institution; rights | 5, 16 |
| Ritchie, Shannon D. | Mandrak, Nicholas E||Cadotte, Marc W | Overwintering Ecology of Head-started Blandingâ s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in an Artificial Wetland Complex | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-11 | The Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), a species at risk, is expected to become extirpated in urban environments without anthropogenic mitigation. Rouge National Urban Park, along with the Toronto Zoo, is working to create wetland habitat, and is supplementing the existing population with head-starts; turtles raised for two years at the Zoo then released into the wild. The selection and availability of appropriate overwintering sites can minimize turtle mortality. This research examined environmental conditions influencing site selection by head-starts in an artificial wetland complex, 2014-2017. Temperature was determined to significantly influence site use by the turtles. Head-starts preferred cold water (2.16 oC Âą 0.37), close to the shore ( | M.Sc. | environment; water; urban | 6, 11, 13 |
| Ritts, Max | Prudham, W. Scott ||Ruddick, Susan M. | Sand and Soil: Ecological Management and the Framing of Mildred Lake | Geography | 2012-08-31 | This paper explores representations of nature that emerge through the ecological management of Mildred Lake, Syncrude’s Alberta-based oil sands extraction facility. Examining the ways Mildred Lake’s ecology has been re-presented by site eco-management teams, I argue that technologically produced visions help reproduce the regime of power infusing a state-sanctioned scientific practice of eco-management. ‘Using governmentality theory, Chapter 1 contextualizes activities at Mildred Lake: I show how the Alberta government, tethering the growth of the oil sands to technological innovation, submits eco-management questions to a capital-driven state-developmental framework. Chapter 2 examines how state-sanctioned science is discursively performed through eco-management acts. Chapter 3 uses a case study approach to consider three Mildred Lake eco-management projects: Beaver Creek, the Tailings Pond, and reclamation. While Mildred Lake’s eco-management practices cannot withstand critical scrutiny, they reveal the culturally and ecologically significant transformations of nature required to sustain authority amid the destructive effects of bitumen extraction. | MAST | innovation; ecology | 9, 14 |
| Robb, Angela | Conway, Tenley | Mapping Change in Urban Canopy Cover Following an Ice Storm Event: A Case Study of the December 2013 Ice Storm in Toronto and Mississauga | Geography | 2016-11 | Urban forests provide ecosystem services and functions, but are vulnerable to stressful environments and disruptive weather. One type of extreme weather, ice storms, can result in damage to trees. In December 2013, an ice storm hit southern Ontario with significant social and ecological impacts experienced in the Greater Toronto Area; where many cities are initiating management plans to increase canopy coverage. The objective of this project is to explore the changes in urban canopy cover before and after the ice storm through object-based image analysis. The results of this analysis successfully show broad level canopy distributions, patterns of canopy growth and loss, and 3-5% of canopy loss can be attributed to the ice storm on residential land uses. A better understanding of the impacts of the 2013 ice storm addresses a gap in our knowledge of how urban forests respond to extreme weather. | M.Sc. | cities; urban; environment; weather; forest; land use | 11, 13, 15 |
| Roberts, Elizabeth Sarah | Shade, R Leslie | The Classifying Work of Immigration Policies in Canada: A Critical Analysis of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and Access to Settlement Services | Information Studies | 2014-11 | In this thesis I analyse the Canadian Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP) through the lens of Bowker and Star's classification theory. I connect the pervasive abuse and exploitation of temporary foreign workers in Canada to an immigration classification scheme that I argue favours particular economic interests of Canadian employers and workers over the interests of temporary foreign workers. To this end, I outline the nature of the TFWP discussing how employer-centric program intentions shape program structures. In turn, I argue that these structures shape the lives of migrants in Canada by restricting the rights, opportunities, and protections they have in Canada. To illustrate this, I discuss the use of immigration classifications to designate eligibility to receive settlement services in Canada. | M.I.S. | rights; worker | 8, 15 |
| Roberts, Jesse | Schneider, Margaret | Occupational Stress in Animal Shelter Workers | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-06 | There is a dearth of research focusing broadly on occupational stressors experienced by animal shelter workers. The present study aimed to classify aspects of shelter work that employees report as stressful and determine whether they fit with current perspectives on generic occupational stress. The sample consisted of 22 female adults employed in a variety of positions at shelters in Canada and the United States. A semi-structured interview used prompts based on current occupational stress literature and allowed for exploration of unprompted topics of workplace stress. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed 17 stressor categories, six of which were identified as shelter specific stressor categories. Evidence of trauma was not observed in the data. This study supports the contention that stressors exist in shelter work beyond euthanasia and that current models of occupational stress may be insufficient for describing the experiences of animal shelter workers. | M.A. | worker | 8 |
| Robinson, Jennifer J. | Chen, Charles | Acculturative Stress and Coping Among Immigrant Professional Workers | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2011-08-11 | Empirical investigations of the prevalence and associated features of mental health issues in immigrant populations, have implicated acculturative stress as a potentially significant factor (Sam & Berry, 2010). Acculturative stress is associated with unemployment and underemployment among immigrant professional workers. The objective of the current investigation is to examine the prevalence and impact of acculturation, acculturative stress and coping in a sample of adult immigrant professionals. To provide a theoretical foundation for the study, the following conceptualizations were used: Berry’s (2006) four pronged definition of acculturation; The Stress and Coping Model; and the Social Cognitive Career Theory. Using a grounded theory, qualitative approach, in- depth interviews were used to examine the experiences of employment and acculturation among 20 professional immigrant workers in Canada. The findings of this study demonstrate that immigrant professional workers experience high levels of acculturative stress and utilize a number of coping strategies in relation to their employment trajectories. | MAST | health; employment; worker | 3, 8 |
| Robinson, Shona | Mabury, Scott A. | Commercial Fluorosurfactants and their Metabolites in Human Blood | Chemistry | 2011-12-19 | Fluorinated chemicals have the advantage of both lipophobic and hydrophobic behaviour, leading to broad industrial and commercial use. Fluorosurfactants, for example, are used in applications, such as grease-proofing food packaging, which result in human exposure. Human blood serum, in this work 100 German serum samples dating from 1982 to 2009, is a common matrix for detection of fluorochemicals. Here the most extensive temporal study to date of one class of fluorosurfactant (polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diesters, diPAPs) in human serum is presented. Additionally, another class of fluorosurfactant (sulfonamide-based PAPs, SAmPAPs) was detected in humans for the first time with temporal trends which echo industrial production. Metabolites of diPAPs and SAmPAPs were also quantified, showing temporal trends that relate to the diPAP and SAmPAP levels. Because diPAP and SAmPAP metabolites are environmentally persistent and raise human health concerns, it is important to understand these indirect sources of exposure. | MAST | industr; production | 9, 12 |
| Rodriguez, M. Eleana | Lemmens, Trudo | Who Monitors Biobanks? The Need for an Oversight Authority | Law | 2014-11 | Biobanks are essential for developing innovative solutions to address human health challenges. At the same time such biobanks pose unique legal and ethical challenges, and raise many as yet unanswered questions, including how the collection of biological samples and information should be governed. I suggest that biobanks should have a clear regulatory structure and oversight system. I examine, in particular, the need for an oversight authority, arguing that the self-governance trend is not sufficient enough to ensure that all biobanks have proper governance practices, and that some formal regulation is needed to protect the integrity of research participants and to guarantee the security and confidentiality of the participants' information. I suggest that robust biobank governance mechanisms require not only their own governance system but that these must necessarily involve a formal oversight body by the state for licensing and monitoring and which has the power to impose sanctions. | LL.M. | innovation | 9 |
| Roman, Sigrid | Bascia, Nina | Exploring Interculturality: Dialectical Tensions with Identity and Schooling Systems with First Generation Immigrant Students | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2016-11 | First generation immigrant students' experiences, perspectives and histories deeply affect their socio-cultural understanding and connection to their surrounding environments, and can serve as a valuable point of entry into problematizing the concept of static integration. Working from a dialectical perspective, I utilize thirteen first generation immigrant students' accounts to explore their socio-cultural struggles, the two school systems into which they were imbedded and the ways in which these facilitated or impeded immigrant student intercultural experience(s). Results showed that students experienced internal struggles with sociocultural scripts, language and cultural loyalty in confluence with school systems that were in themselves expressing stress vis-Ă -vis socio-cultural facilitation and support. | M.Ed. | inclusive | 4 |
| Romanow, Natalie Suzanne | Bialystok, Lauren | Confidence in Crisis: An Investigation of Education | Social Justice Education | 2018-11 | In 2016, Ontario’s Ministry of Education unveiled their ‘new’ vision for the purpose of education with the 21st Century Competencies document: to equip students with ‘competencies’ “to solve messy, complex problems” of a “competitive, globally connected, and technologically intensive world” (Ministry of Education, 2016, p. 3). In an effort to unpack the influences of this vision, I track how the standardization movement reshapes the influence of public emotion on the goals and purposes of education in United States and Canada. From this history, I consider why the public remains optimistic about an anxious education system when presented with evidence of its failure, and it further considers the price of this optimism. I conclude with a reflection on the potential of metacognition to not only alleviate anxious relations in education but also encourage truly “critical,” “creative,” and “collaborative” education practices encouraged in the document. (Ministry of Education, 2016, p. 3). | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Romo, Raul Alejandro Aguirre | Valcke, Catherine | Horizontal Discrimination in the Private Sector in the Mexican and the Canadian Legal Systems: Divergence of Means but Convergence of Results. A Functionalist Approach | Law | 2009-12-14T20:01:37Z | The thesis lends support to the functionalist theory of Konrad Zweigert and Heinz Kötz that legal systems converge on results but diverge on means. We apply the Mexican and the Canadian legal systems to a hypothetical discrimination case. This work shows that, although the Mexican and the Canadian legal systems have different legal principles, different concepts of discrimination and different means of choosing the appropriate forum, law and remedy, both jurisdictions produce the same result: the protection of the equalization of opportunities human right of people of vulnerable social groups by compensating individuals for rights which have been infringed. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Rook, Natalie | Mandrak, Nicholas E||Reid, Scott M | Recolonization Trends of Fish Communities Following the Restoration of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-06 | The Great Lakes coastal wetlands are in decline due to various anthropogenic factors including invasive species. An invasion by Phragmites australis in Long Point Crown Marsh, Lake Erie, reduced the amount of open-water habitat for wildlife. Dredging occurred to restore the environment and create more open water. I studied the recolonization trends of fish communities by examining changes in species richness, population density, and community composition, 2012-2014, in four created and two reference ponds. Then, I examined how water chemistry and vegetation influenced the fish communities using variance partitioning and redundancy analysis. Fishes colonized the created ponds immediately after dredging, but ponds showed variation in population density and community composition indicating that created ponds may not be functioning similar to the reference ponds. Water chemistry and vegetation accounted for very little variation in the communities indicating that other factors are influencing the fish communities. | M.Sc. | water; environment; fish | 13, 14 |
| Rosa, Douglas | Sabiston, Catherine | Assessing Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Stress among International Students at the University of Toronto. | Exercise Sciences | 2019-06 | Physical activity is vital for maintaining the health of students on campus. However, there is a lack of research examining International students (IntS) mental and physical activity (PA) needs. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PA and mental health within an acculturation framework; and to explore IntS experiences with PA and mental health. Two studies were used to address the aims of this study. In study one, secondary data from domestic (n = 4035) and IntS (n = 605) were analyzed. PA mediated the association between stress and mental health but it did not mediate the association between stress and mental illness. In study two, interviews were conducted with 12 IntS, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicate that IntS are facing several cross-cultural, adaptation, and organizational challenges. Higher institutions must continue to explore IntS needs and barriers in order to support them effectively. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Rosales, Nelson | Schugurensky, Daniel | From Opposition to Government: Continuities and Ruptures in Discourses and Practices in Local Democracy | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2010-07-28T14:46:13Z | This inquiry examines the ruptures and continuities in local democratic practices in opposition and in government. I conducted research in seven rural municipalities in Chalatenango, El Salvador where leaders of oppositional community-based organizations entered municipal politics 15 years ago. This new generation of municipal officials established forums for citizen participation that incorporate patterns of citizenship learning and participation developed in oppositional civil society. The democratic outcomes of these municipal spaces for citizen engagement are mixed, however: they improved the quality of citizen participation in municipal governance, but circumscribed autonomous forms of citizen participation. The influence of partisan political and institutional state interests are the principal factors that account for this outcome. At the same time, civil society and local government in Chalatenango exist in a relationship of mutual influence. This suggests that efforts to foster democratic citizen participation should complement support to institutional innovation with efforts to strengthen civil society. | MAST | instituion; governance | 16 |
| Rossiter, Michael David | Misgeld, Dieter | The Colonization of Educational Lifeworlds: Habermas and the Communicative Process of Teaching and Learning | Social Justice Education | 2015-11 | Jurgen Habermas’ twofold conception of society as both system and lifeworld is an effective conceptual tool to analyses the tension between teaching and learning in the public school classroom and the systemic organization of public education. Communicative action can be seen as an orientation point for pedagogical practice, and this necessitates conceptualizing the classroom as an educational lifeworld subject to systemic pressure. The example of standardized testing as a systems steering mechanism in U.S. public education is explored as a potential “colonization” of the educational lifeworld. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Rostan, Yessica Dahiana | Dei, George S||Wane, Njoki | Anticolonial Biocultures: A Framework for Community Education, Biopower and Resilience | Social Justice Education | 2018-11 | In this thesis, I describe colonial biopower in sciences, education, and society, and the ways in which Individual/Community biopower is maintained and reclaimed. I connect our biocultural relationships within settler colonialism and Indigenous Land movements of Turtle Island and Abya Yala. It is shown that biocultural sciences and biocultural knowledges in schooling and Community are vital to the reclamation of biopower. I connect five key concepts between Indigenous/ancestral/cultural/place-based biocultures and anticolonial thought to share a pedagogical framework which centers Humxn subjectivity, diversity, Community, co-learning/co-creating, and continual change. The anticolonial biocultures framework is meant to support mobilizing of biopower in Community learning, innovation, and change; strengthening biocultural relationships and Indigenous/ancestral/cultural/place-based biocultural knowledges; and the co-creation of resilient, sustainable Communities with(in) Nature. Esta tesis describe el biopoder colonial en las ciencias, la educación y la sociedad, y las formas en que se mantiene y recupera el biopoder Individual / Comunitario. Se muestra que las ciencias bioculturales y los conocimientos bioculturales en la educación y la Comunidad son vitales para la recuperación del biopoder. Vinculo cinco conceptos clave entre bioculturas Indígenas / ancestrales / culturales / basadas en el lugar y el pensamiento anticolonial para compartir un marco pedagógico que centra la subjetividad del ser Humxno/a/x, la diversidad, la Comunidad, el co’aprendizaje, la co-creación, y el cambio continuo de la Naturaleza. El marco de bioculturas anticoloniales apoya la movilización del biopoder en el aprendizaje comunitario, la innovación y el cambio; fortalece las relaciones bioculturales y los conocimientos bioculturales Indígenas / ancestrales / culturales / basados en el lugar; y la co-creación de Comunidades resilientes y sostenibles con (en) la Naturaleza. | M.A. | educat; resilience | 4, 11 |
| Rotman, Sydney | Weis, Arthur | Potential for Adaptive Evolution of Brassica rapa under varying Thermal Environments | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-03 | As suitable environmental conditions for species shift rapidly under anthropogenic climate change, populations that are not well adapted, or maladapted to these novel environments can face serious challenges. Evolutionary rescue of a population in decline depends on genetic variation in fitness. The adaptive potential of a population to a particular environment can be evaluated by estimating the mean and additive genetic variance in fitness itself. I used quantitative genetics coupled with ‘animal’ model MCMCglmm analysis to estimate the adaptive potential of a wild population under an expected future temperature regime. I found very low estimates of genetic variance and heritability in fitness components, however these results may correspond with the rarity of evolutionary rescue in wild populations. I did find correlations between fitness components that indicate possible selection at the germination stage of early life history stages that may be eroding genetic variance in fecundity later on. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Rowlatt, Linnéa Shekinah | Hoffmann, Richard | The Impact of Climate Change on Late Medieval English Culture | Medieval Studies | 2011-01-13T20:45:46Z | This MA thesis scrutinizes metaphors used by the late medieval English in order to explore the cultural response to climate anomalies of varying severity prefacing the Little Ice Age. The thesis indicates that changes in these cultural expressions marked a transformation in late medieval English writers' conceptions of the natural world and their relationship to it. The central hypothesis is that repeated, long-term unreliable and uncertain weather conditions, and the resulting material insecurities and losses, stimulated a fundamental cultural response which reconfigured the metaphors used for the natural world. Although the representation of nature is inescapably an act of imagination, metaphors and metonymies for nature will be identified in the medieval creative literature, as well as the proto-scientific study of weather, and, in the context of the socioeconomic metabolism model, be brought under the light of conceptual metaphor analysis for elucidation. | MAST | climate | 13 |
| Roy, Kevin T. | Bathelt, Harald | Institutional Entrepreneurship, Market-making, and Interaction Dynamics: A Case Study of the Ontario Craft Brewing Market | Geography | 2016-11 | This thesis examines institutional entrepreneurship, market-making, and interaction dynamics in the case of Ontarioâ s craft brewing industry. It identifies the presence of institutional entrepreneurship in the industry, and shows that institutional entrepreneurs have mobilized resources to dislodge existing practices, and create new or change existing institutions in their interest - a novel conceptual contribution to the economic geography literature. Moreover, this thesis describes some of the ways that actors in and/or related to the industry have made a market for themselves, despite competition from much larger firms in an established market. The identification of institutional entrepreneurship as a market-making process in the industry presents a more complete explanation of the industryâ s development than previously offered in the craft brewing literature, and the synthesis of these processes, using a relational economic approach, contributes to the economic geography literature. | M.A. | industr | 9 |
| Roy, Mélissa | Urbach, David R | Universal Measures of Support Are Needed: A Cross-Sectional Study of Health Literacy in Patients with Dupuytren’s Disease | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Health literacy represents the degree to which patients can understand and act upon health information and is highly relevant to surgical care. This cross-sectional study sought to determine the prevalence and the independent predictors of limited health literacy in patients with Dupuytren’s disease. The Newest Vital Sign, a validated and reliable tool, was selected to measure health literacy. An exploratory multivariable logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of limited health literacy. Almost half (44%) of eligible patients (n=185) had limited health literacy. Having a lower household income or being an immigrant led to an increased in the odds of having limited health literacy by nearly 5 and 4-fold respectively. Considering the high prevalence of limited health literacy and the challenge in identifying predictors in the clinical setting, universal measures of support, such as tools aimed to facilitate communication with all patients, would be of high value. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Roy, Saswati Ghosh | Sain, Mohini | Novel Approaches for Synthesis of Polyols from Soy Oils | Forestry | 2010-01-19T19:06:04Z | A method for synthesis of polyol from soybean oils has been developed using a two-step continuous route. The method involved epoxidation of soy oils and subsequent hydroxylation to produce polyols. The epoxidation was carried out using biphasic catalytic system (Na2WO4 / H2WO4) with 50 % hydrogen peroxide. The major advantages of this approach are that; the use of biphasic system allows easy separation of the products, does not require any chlorinated solvent (more environment-friendly), can be conducted at room temperature and requires relatively lower catalyst load. The functional groups of soy-polyol were identified using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. This confirmed complete disappearance of the signature of the C=C double bonds, formation of the epoxy linkage following the epoxidation process, its further disappearance and incorporation of hydroxyl groups after the hydroxylation process. The hydroxyl number, hydroxyl functionality, acid value, iodine value and viscosity of the synthesized polyols were also determined. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Rubenstein, Richard | Arnold, Mary Louise | Adolescent Social Perspective Taking in Contexts of Social Justice: Examining Perceptions of Social Group Differences | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2012-03-21 | The present mixed-methods study examined adolescents’ social perspective taking in contexts of social justice as demonstrated by their awareness and interpretations of hypothetical peer interactions depicting racism and sexism. Fifty adolescents in Grades 9 and 12 participated in a semi-structured interview in which they were presented with two scenarios, involving adolescents in conflicts portraying racism and sexism. They were asked a series of questions designed to elicit their awareness and understanding of social group differences. Qualitative analyses revealed three categories of adolescents’ responses, reflecting distinct interpretations of social group differences. On average, adolescents assumed a perspective that was naïve to the disparities existing between vulnerable and less vulnerable social groups. Furthermore, it was shown that older adolescents had significantly more sophisticated social justice understandings than younger adolescents. These findings highlight the need to educate adolescents about issues of social justice and facilitate an appreciation of social group differences. | MAST | educat; justice | 4, 16 |
| Ruderman, Ethan B. W. | Jacobs, Ira | Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on the Pharmacokinetics of the Anti-anxiety/Anti-depressant Drug Sertraline | Exercise Sciences | 2013-12-10 | This study examined the effects of 30 minutes of cycle exercise at 65% V̇O2max on the pharmacokinetics of the S.S.R.I. sertraline. Blood samples were taken over 48 hours from 14 healthy males (23.9±2.5 years, 80.3±12.6 kilograms) following oral ingestion of a single 100 mg dose of sertraline. Participants completed two sertraline trials separated by at least two weeks; one trial while resting and the other trial with exercise as described above. With exercise, the absorption rate constant and volume of sertraline in the central compartment decreased, while the elimination half-life increased. Maximum concentration, time of maximum concentration, and area under the curve were unchanged. Fitness level had little impact on the concentration of sertraline, as compartmental modeling was unchanged when relative V̇O2max was added as a covariate. However, controlling for participant body weight improved the model estimate. These results indicate that acute aerobic exercise has the potential to change the concentration of sertraline in vivo. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Rudz, Philip | Caspersen, John | Carbon and Nutrient Dynamics of Downed Woody Debris in a Northern Hardwood Forest | Forestry | 2013-12-10 | Downed woody debris (DWD) is a carbon-rich form of forest litter and plays a unique role in carbon and nutrient cycling. I present a novel modeling approach describing DWD decomposition and nutrient storage in a managed northern hardwood forest. The predicted half-life of DWD carbon was 7 years, less than previously observed in similar northern hardwood forests. A stage-based nutrient model indicated that harvest slash DWD was a net nitrogen and phosphorus sink for eight years following harvest and accumulated calcium during decay. Field observations of respiration and leaching supported model results with a respired C half-life of 8 years, while leached carbon export constituted 1.37% of the respired flux. DWD leachate carbon and nitrogen concentrations were 11× and 2× greater than from litter, respectively, and DWD leachate contributed disproportionately to soil C stocks. This work represents an expedient means of forecasting DWD abundance and partitioning carbon flux from DWD. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Ruiz, Alejandra Otero | Weinrib, Lorraine | Proposal to Request the Unconstitutionality of the Provisions that Criminalize Abortion in Chile | Law | 2013-12-09 | This paper proposes a judicial advocacy strategy aimed to challenge the constitutionality of the law that imposes an absolute prohibition of abortion in Chile. Examines the origin of the criminalization provisions in light to the constitutional mandate to protect the life of the unborn, presents an overview of the arguments used in the legislative to request the partial decriminalization of abortion, the tendency of the executive in the past years in this matter, and the criminal strategy that has been used in cases where women have been prosecuted by abortion, based on what has been intended so far the paper conclude a solicitude to declare unconstitutional the criminal abortion provisions because they do not protect the life of the unborn. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Ruiz, Carlos | Berta, Whitney B. | Consensus on Access to Mental Health Services by Children and Adolescents in Antioquia, Colombia | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2013-11-27 | Few mental health studies have explored the prevalence of disorders, risk factors, and availability of services in Antioquia, especially in urban children and adolescent populations. However, access studies have never been developed. Despite growing interest in access, researchers, bureaucrats and interest groups have not come to any consensus about which specific factors may be considered in order to improve access for children and adolescents, especially in provinces with high levels of violence, displacement and inequality. This thesis aims to generate such a consensus among a diverse group of mental health stakeholders around Antioquia. Consensus suggests that predisposing, enabling, need and behaviour factors simultaneously influence access. Additionally, social capital is the resource upon which several mental health programs focus for the development and promotion of mental health services. Finally, stakeholders have identified effectiveness criteria that should be used to evaluate their efficacy as a network in order to improve their work. | MAST | health; equality; inequality; urban | 3, 5, 10, 11 |
| Rulff, David | Kennedy, Christopher A. | Modeling Satellite District Heating and Cooling Networks | Civil Engineering | 2011-12-20 | Satellite District Heating and Cooling (DHC) systems offer an alternative structure to conventional, centralized DHC networks. Both use a piping network carrying steam or water to connect disparate building heating and cooling loads together, providing a platform for improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and incorporating alternative means of energy generation. However, satellite DHC networks incorporate thermal production units that are distributed amongst the buildings nodes, which offers greater operational flexibility and reduced capital cost savings for applications using existing building stock. This study was focused on the development of the methodology behind a comprehensive energy model that can assess the practical and financial viability of satellite DHC network scenarios. A detailed scenario application of the model demonstrated significant energy savings and investment potential. Additionally, environmental assessment methods and alternative generation technology were explored in supplementary studies of Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) and building-scale Combined Heat and Power (CHP). | MAST | water; energy; buildings; production; environment | 6, 7, 9, 12, 13 |
| Rumeo, Maria Elisa | Pressnail, Kim||McCabe, Brenda | Evaluating the Field Performance of a Thermally-retrofitted Historic Masonry Home Using a Nested Thermal Envelope Design | Civil Engineering | 2019-06 | In 2013, the Gemini home in Toronto was retrofitted to create the first Nested Thermal Envelope Design building. A one-year monitoring study of the building was conducted. The monitoring data were analyzed to evaluate the heating season performance of the design. In this study, energy models were developed and calibrated. When the entire Gemini home was heated (i.e., Standard Operating Mode), 25% less heating energy was required compared to an equivalent Ontario Building Code (OBC)-compliant home. Heating demand curves were developed to estimate the home’s energy use in other operating modes. In Lower-Energy Operating Mode, the Gemini home uses 63% less heating energy than the OBC model. Using the observed temperature data, a ratio, known as the Operating Ratio (O.R.), was developed to guide the operation of the interzonal heat pump. The O.R. can be used as a tool to determine the minimum operating setpoint temperatures in the Perimeter zone. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Rundle, Samantha M | Hendershot, Christian S | The Brain Disease Model of Addiction and Implications for Public Stigma: A Cross-national Study | Psychology | 2019-11 | The definition of addiction impacts stigma levels attributed to the addictive population. Researchers in the United States (US) believe a brain disease model of addiction (BDMA) reduces stigma, though other researchers worldwide disagree. Via MTurk, data was collected from Canada, the US and Australia. Participants were randomized to one of four vignette manipulations describing an individual with the following condition(s): addiction, mental health, co-occurring addiction and mental health, or non-psychiatric medical. Participants’ beliefs in five models of addiction and stigma attributed to the individual was measured. Addiction was the most stigmatized condition though greater beliefs in the nature and psychological MOA predicted lower stigma. Beliefs in the psychological, nature, and sociological MOA moderated the vignette condition and stigma relationship and the moral MOA mediated the geographical region and public stigma relationship. US accepted the BDMA more than Canada, although greater beliefs in the BDMA did not predict lower public stigma. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Rusanova, Oksana | Short, Steven | Seasonal Abundance of Different Chlorella Viruses in Two Contrasting Freshwater Environments in Ontario, Canada | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2011-01-13T20:47:01Z | The aims of this study were to identify Chloroviruses in two different Ontario freshwaters and to determine if the seasonal abundance patterns of Chloroviruses in different environments are similar. Gene fragments nearly identical to cultivated Chloroviruses were obtained from Lake Ontario and a nearby pond at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and novel Chlorovirus gene fragments were obtained from Lake Ontario. Quantification of these two Chlorovirus genes over several seasons revealed the presence of persistent viruses with different seasonal dynamics suggesting that different Chloroviruses replicate by infecting different hosts. Additionally, patterns of seasonal abundance and timings of peak abundances for individual viruses differed between Lake Ontario and the UTM pond, demonstrating the critical role of the environment in Chlorovirus dynamics. The observation of different Chloroviruses with different seasonal dynamics allows speculation that these viruses and their hosts stably coexist in Ontario freshwater environments. | MAST | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Ruzzante, Sacha Walde | Bilton, Amy M | Agricultural Technology in the Developing World: A Solar Udraft Aerator for Aquaculture and a Meta-analysis of the Adoption Literature | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-03 | Agricultural technology can play an important role in the effort to eliminate food insecurity and global poverty. This thesis presents an evaluation of a technology at the design stage, and a meta-analysis of the factors that influence adoption of technologies at the dissemination stage. First, a case study of a project to design an aerator for aquaculture ponds in Bangladesh is discussed. The project is not found to be successful, but the evaluation methodology employed may be generalized to other agricultural technologies. The case study also yields observations about the value and role of laboratory, research station, and on-farm trials in agricultural technology development. Next, some considerations for the dissemination phase are discerned through a meta-analysis of 218 adoption studies. Barriers to adoption of various types of technology are identified and recommendations are made for adoption researchers and policy makers. | M.A.S. | poverty; agriculture; food | 1, 2 |
| Ryu, Hyun Jeff | Parsons, Janet||Kirsh, Bonnie | Participants’ Perspectives on Ethical Issues in Arts-Based Health Research: A Qualitative Study | Rehabilitation Science | 2018-06 | Arts-based health research (ABHR) is a novel qualitative approach that uses different art forms to conduct health research. Despite the growth of ABHR, ethical consideration has been significantly lacking. More importantly, participants’ perspectives on ethical issues in this co-constructive and collaborative approach are absent. From a constructivist-interpretivist stance, factors incorporated in participants’ decision-making concerning ethical issues in ABHR were investigated to construct their perspectives on ethical issues in ABHR. Using constructivist grounded theory, 10 participants from an urban arts charity organization were interviewed, and three major factors were constructed: identities as artists, art is a story, and art is to express. An overarching theme called respect for the artist was also constructed to illustrate how these factors influence participants’ perspectives on ethical issues in ABHR. Findings of this study contribute to informing researchers, REBs, and guideline development for ABHR to better meet the needs of participants as they articulate them. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Saab, Dima | Hwang, Stephen W | Hospital Readmissions among Patients who are Homeless in Toronto | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2014-11 | Despite high interest in examining hospital readmissions, few studies have focused on readmissions among individuals experiencing homelessness, a population with complex health challenges. A cohort of 1,165 homeless adults recruited from homeless shelters and meal programs in Toronto were observed from December 6th, 2004 to March 31st, 2009 using administrative health care databases. Multivariate analyses were used to i) compare the 30-day readmission rate between the homeless participants and a cohort of low-income controls; ii) to compare the readmission rate between hospitalized homeless participants and hospitalized low-income controls, matched on age, sex and case mix group; and iii) to determine risk factors associated with readmission among the homeless participants.Homeless participants were substantially more likely to be readmitted within 30-days as compared to low-income controls, even after accounting for the primary reason for admission. Further research is needed to assess practices and interventions to reduce readmissions in this patient population. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Saadat, Md. Nazmus | Cooper, Paul | Factors Affecting Distribution of Borate to Protect Building Envelope Components from Biodegradation | Forestry | 2012-11-26 | Borate can be a potential candidate to protect building envelope components from biodegradation as it has low toxicity and can penetrate wood without pressure treatment, even in the refractory species commonly used in construction industries as structural components. In this research, wood moisture content, grain direction, formulation and species that affect the diffusion of borate in refractory species were investigated. Two highly concentrated formulations were applied and a novel approach (borate bandage) was used to keep the preservative on the surface and enhance the diffusion by reducing surface drying. From ANOVA test for different diffusion periods and depths of penetration, it was found that grain directions and moisture content are significant factors. A mould test was performed, the diffusion co-efficients were calculated and some recommendations were made about the quantity required to protect a specific volume of wood considering the distance moved by diffusion and volume treated in different directions. | MAST | industr | 9 |
| Sabelli, Andrea | Kepe, Thembela | Carbon Opportunities and Carbon Losses in the Peruvian Amazon: Farmers' Interests in the Offset Business | Geography | 2010-02-15T16:47:58Z | Carbon-based forestry (CBF) projects for the carbon market have been proposed with the aim of mitigating climate change, enhancing forest cover and improving livelihoods in developing countries. Debate has ensued regarding the validity of applying market-based mechanisms to climate mitigation in the form of CBF activities. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, this study explores the various stakeholders’ involvement in the development of CBF projects in the Peruvian Amazon and reveals how their interests influence the types of activities that are established. Farmers’ perceptions on the carbon trade are examined and it is demonstrated that the potential of earning a carbon credit may influence farmers’ current land management practices in favor for implementing reforestation or agroforestry systems on their terrain. Regardless, the number of obstacles and the preferences of stakeholders significantly limit the ability of small-scale farmers to access and benefit from the emerging market. | MAST | climate; forest | 13, 15 |
| Sabti, Ali | Zu, Jean W. | Design and Development of a Novel Device for Tissue Viscoelasticity Measurement | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-08-25 | This thesis presents a novel device for measuring the viscoelastic properties of biological tissue. The ability to measure the mechanical properties of tissue is of special interest for many medical applications; ranging from disease diagnostics to surgical operations and simulations. In practice, physicians use a technique called palpation to detect the presence of viscoelastic property changes which are associated with the healthiness of tissue. Palpation relies exclusively on the expertise and experience of the physician and is only effective if the difference in tissue stiffness is profound. Current technologies for the measurement of tissue healthiness, including ultrasound, have been shown to be incapable of detecting isoechoic lesions even though they were significantly stiffer than surrounding tissue. The new device presents a reliable, accurate and quantitative method for determining the mechanical properties of soft tissue. Consequently, the healthiness of the tissue or the presence of lesions can be found. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Sabz Ali, Zubair | Palaniyar, Nades||Sweezey, Neil | Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Cystic Fibrosis | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2019-11 | Genetic defects in CFTR is associated with mucus dehydration, opportunistic bacterial infection, and inflammation in CF lung disease. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) contribute to the extracellular DNA in CF airway mucus, and increase the risk for mucus obstruction. Although adult CF females are reported to be at a disadvantage for CF lung disease, the role of NETosis in the CF sex-difference is not clear. I hypothesized that CF neutrophils will display sex-difference. I isolated CF and healthy peripheral blood neutrophils, and measured levels of NETosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to various stimuli. CF neutrophils formed more NETs and less ROS at baseline than healthy neutrophils. Female CF neutrophils formed more NETs than CF males. Female sex-hormones had varying effects on NETosis in CF but not healthy neutrophils. The sex-based discrepancy in NETosis observed in CF may put females at a higher risk for worse lung related outcomes. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Saccucci, Brent Franco | Miller, John | A W(rite) of Passage Queering Labour, Logic, and Teacher Identity through Poetic Autoethnography | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-11 | With concerns of mental health and queer identity becoming important topics in teacher education/welfare as well as social justice conversations, this research seeks to a confront a gap in scholarship that tackles the psychopolitical issues queer teachers face through an artistic response. Heterosexism and saneism are structures that uphold the professional pillars of logic and rationality, and thus “madness”, emotion, and its subsequent creativity are repressed by mentally ill queer teachers working in schools. By asking what happens when queer educators use poetry to create meaning of their madness and emotions, I seek to understand psychological and political affects of writing for educational labourers living with mental illness. By developing a creative-theoretical model that writes from the past of the queer child to the present of queer teacher I use Pinar’s methodology of “currere” as a base point to queer my curricular map and create openings in how we might know professionalism, madness, and queerness differently through creative writing. | M.A. | health; queer | 3, 5 |
| Sadeghi, Laleh | Quiñonez, Carlos | Trends in Access to Dental Care among Middle-class Canadians | Dentistry | 2012-03-21 | Objective: To explore the changes in the accessibility of dental services among middle-class Canadians in response to recent changes in the labour market and the increasing costs of dental plans. Methods: Secondary analyses of all Canadian surveys that collected information on dental insurance, utilization and out-of-pocket expenditures were conducted. Descriptive analyses were used to identify and compare trends among middle-class against the Canadian average. Results: Since 1996, the number of insured middle-class grew from 43% to 48%, with the number perceiving cost-barriers to dental care increasing by 2.7 times. In 2009, 30% of middle-class visited a dentist only when emergency happened. Since 1978, fewer middle-income households spent out-of-pocket on dental care, while per capita costs per household spending increased. Compared to national average, middle-class trends implied to poorer access. Conclusions: Access to dental care issues might be ascending from lower income sectors to involve middle-income earners as well. | MAST | equality | 5 |
| Sadeghi, Maryam | Kooy, Mary | Claiming Teacher Voice through Personal Narratives: Exploring Teacher and Student Agency for Learning in Classrooms | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | AbstractAs demands increase for classroom teachers, they must not only meet and maintain expected ministry and board-wide standards, but also find a place for their own voices and their pedagogical visions and ideals. This study demonstrates that lived experiences and individual narratives play a crucial part in shaping teacher and student identities. Subsequently, this self identification within educational settings informs personally relevant experiences for teachers and students within various curriculum areas. As teachers find a place for their narratives within the pedagogical realm, they will gain a greater sense of agency to carry out their practice with greater significance. Similarly, as students' learning is shaped by the merit of their own experiences and interests, there will be greater investment in their learning both within the school community and beyond. Ultimately, when teachers and students recognize that they have choice in shaping their experiences within the education system, they feel valued and an increased sense of empowerment to commit their efforts in establishing and/or contributing to unique learning communities. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Sadeghian, Vahid | Vecchio, Frank J. | FormWorks-Plus: Improved Pre-processor for VecTor Analysis Software | Civil Engineering | 2012-03-21 | VecTor© is a suite of computer programs developed for nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete. A graphics-based pre-processor (FormWorks) was developed for 2D concrete membrane structures, greatly contributing to the software’s utility and success. However, modeling other types of structures is a time consuming process, requiring manual definition of the finite element mesh, loads and analysis parameters in standard text files. A user-friendly pre-processor is required for the entire suite of programs if they are to be of greater use to design engineers. The purpose of this study is to develop an updated version of FormWorks, FormWorks 3.5, which is more user-friendly and compatible with the improvements made in VecTor2 over the past ten years. In addition, an extended version of FormWorks, FormWorks-Plus, will be created for the remaining VecTor programs with a wide range of viewing features, and facilities for specification of node coordinates, elements, loads and material properties. | MAST | innovation | 9 |
| Sadique, Sarder | Barati, Mansoor ||McLean, Alexander | Production and Purification of Silicon by Magnesiothermic Reduction of Silica Fume | Materials Science and Engineering | 2011-01-11T15:17:09Z | A new approach is discussed for the generation of high purity silicon from silica fume (SF), which is a waste by-product from the manufacture of metallurgical grade silicon. Process steps were developed and optimized including purification of SF, reduction by magnesium, and post-reduction leaching. Reduction was carried out successfully with initial HCl leached SF in a sealed chamber with varying Mg/SF ratios, temperature and time. These variables affected the production of silicon from SF. Suitable reduction conditions were found to be within the temperature range 750-850C and at approximately 2:1 ratio of Mg/SF. Reduction products were treated using a three-stage acid leaching. XRD, QXRD and ICP analyses of the final silicon powder product indicated that silicon with low impurity levels (low boron content) can be produced. Therefore, silicon produced by magnesiothermic reduction can be an attractive source for the production of solar grade silicon. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Sadraddini, Somayeh | Arhonditsis, George | The Temporal Trends of Contaminants in Lake Erie Fish Communities | Geography | 2012-02-06 | The Great Lakes has been impaired by elevated concentrations of contaminants, and different regulatory actions are taken to decrease theses concentrations. Recent research of Dr. Azim suggests a decline in mercury levels in the Lake Erie, and an increase in the Hg concentration in the fish communities. This research is a follow up study to examine whether the contaminant levels are indeed increasing. In the first chapter we evaluate the temporal trends of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Lake Erie fish over the last 30 years by conducting the Exponential and Dynamic Linear Modeling analysis. DLM analysis in the chapter two detects the PCB and Hg contaminant trends in a broader range. There is a high variability in two contaminants trends. These patterns may be because of factors such as fish physiological parameters, and the impact of invasive species. The results of my research will contribute to the Toxics Reduction Strategy. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Safa, Mersedeh | Rodd, Helen||Baker, Robert | A Comparison of the Boldness and Exploratory Behaviours of the Native Virile Crayfish, Orconectes virilis | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-11 | Invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity and recognizing potential invaders is important for attempting to prevent their spread. There are a number of life history traits that can increase the likelihood that a species will become an invader including rapid growth and high fecundity; however, some behaviours like tendency to explore, boldness and activity can also play a role. In this study I performed several experiments to compare these behaviours in two crayfish species; I compared Orconectes rusticus, a successful invader in Ontario, with its native congener Orconectes virilis, and predicted that O. rusticus would be more active, exploratory, and bold. The results of an emergence test and a simulated predator attack showed that O. rusticus was more exploratory and bold, respectively. Reactions to a novel object showed a similar trend, but were not significantly different. The activity and exploration in an open field test were not conclusive. | M.Sc. | biodiversity | 15 |
| Safavi Ardebili, Amir Hossein | Gladdy, Rebecca | Defining Novel Molecular Events in Leiomyosarcoma | Medical Science | 2016-11 | Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a smooth muscle neoplasm and a common histological subtype of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). LMS primarily arises in the retroperitoneum and abdominal cavity, the extremities, and the uterine wall. Current treatment outcomes are poor; consequently, personalized medicine informed by the molecular basis of the disease is needed. Here, YAF2-PRICKLE1 and ESR1-CCDC92, two novel fusion transcripts, were discovered in an LMS cell line and were detected as rare events in the tumor from which that cell line was derived. Furthermore, unbiased cluster analysis indicated that abdominal and extremity LMS transcriptomes group distinctly from uterine LMS transcriptomes, suggesting potential molecular subtypes and supporting the notion that uterine LMS is biologically distinct from abdominal and extremity LMS. Lastly, decreased FOXO4 expression correlated with increased smooth muscle differentiation in LMS. Collectively, these preliminary findings present avenues for future investigations which may facilitate diagnostic and therapeutic innovations for this disease. | M.Sc. | innovation | 9 |
| Sage, Larissa Katherine | Smith, Tattersall C | Recovery of Boreal Forest Carbon Pools Following Stem-only Harvesting in Quebec, Canada | Geography | 2016-03 | Forêt Montmorency (FM), Quebec, provides an opportunity to use a 77-year chronosequence to evaluate the effects of stem-only harvesting on carbon cycling in a balsam fir-white birch boreal forest. By comparing empirical estimates of 19 carbon pools with those simulated in the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3), it is possible to assess the accuracy of model assumptions in predicting stand-level carbon dynamics. Although CBM-CFS3 was able to predict total ecosystem carbon within 10% of the empirical mean at stand maturity, many of the dead organic matter (DOM) pools deviated from field observations, indicating that model initialization of DOM pools did not adequately simulate the 1000 year history of C transfers and stand dynamics prior to the harvesting event. Future modifications to CBM-CFS3 initialization assumptions may be required to more accurately simulate the long-term effects of natural disturbances on carbon pools over time for this forest region. | M.Sc. | forest | 15 |
| Saifer, Adam | Gaztambide-Fernandez, Ruben | Choosing the Arts: Exclusion and Advantage in the Educational Marketplace | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | Situated within Toronto's expanding and increasingly segregated educational marketplace, this study examines how parents of students at one elite publicly funded specialized arts high school make meaning of their school choice decision. Utilizing a Neo-Marxist framework, I explore the role that material and symbolic resources play in making this school choice both available and exclusive. I conduct a critical discourse analysis of parent narratives to expose how they mobilize dominant discourses of the arts in order to produce the school as a good choice, and themselves as good parents. This research challenges dominant conceptions of the arts in education by showing how the arts are used to reinforce, obscure, and justify existing social hierarchies in school settings and society at large. This study further serves as an example of how arts education research can move beyond positivist conceptions of the arts. | MAST | inequality | 10 |
| Salcedo, Adriana | Stinchcombe, John R||Wright, Stephen I | Genomic Signals of Adaptation in the Allotetraploid Weed Capsella bursa-pastois | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-11 | Polyploids are often exceptionally evolutionarily successful, and increased adaptive potential may contribute to their prevalence. However, adaptation is not well characterized in polyploids, and the extent that it contributes to polyploid success is currently unclear. Here we investigate the genomic basis of adaptation in one of the world’s most successful weeds. We obtained genotype-by sequencing (GBS) sequences from 261 C. bursa-pastoris accessions and 24 whole genome sequences spanning Eurasia. We identified climate associations and found adaptive signatures consistent with contemporary adaptation in recently colonized Asia, and longer adaptive divergence in the ancestral European range. Signatures of adaptation through selective sweep scans suggest preadapted parental genomes may also contribute to local adaptation in similar habitats. However, native climate did not predict fitness in a common garden. Local environmental adaptation is then likely a subtle factor in C. bursa-pastoris’ success, although the features of its diploid progenitor genomes notably influenced its adaptation. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Salehi, Sara | Colantonio, Angela | Mild to Moderate Work-related Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study | Rehabilitation Science | 2011-12-20 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of death and disability in the industrialized world. This pilot study investigated demographic, clinical and environmental factors associated with return to work (RTW) among workers who sustained a mild to moderate work-related TBI (WrTBI). Using a retrospective cohort design, participants were recruited through an outpatient clinic dedicated to evaluating injured workers after a WrTBI. A mailed survey and medical record abstraction tool were used for data collection. Of the 40 injured workers who participated in this study, 19 reported working at time of follow-up. Those who were unable to RTW scored significantly lower on measures of emotional well-being; there were no significant between-group differences in cognitive or physical impairments. Gradual RTW and workplace accommodations were reported as key factors facilitating RTW. Our findings provide information that addresses improved rehabilitation and management of WrTBI as well as better education and support for employers. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Salemohamed, Naima | Stinson, Jennifer||Seto, Emily | Exploring the impact of the ECHO model™ in Ontario on primary healthcare providers sharing of chronic pain knowledge: A qualitative study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-06 | ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain/Opioid Stewardship (ECHO Ontario Pain) is a telehealth platform, which supports healthcare providers (HCPs, spokes) to manage patients with chronic pain in their communities, using specialists (hub). ECHO Ontario Pain is using this model to address challenges, such as dealing with a lack of knowledge about chronic pain and inappropriate opioid prescribing practices. Thirteen qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCPs from the program. Four themes developed: (1) experiences with chronic pain management before joining ECHO, (2) learning and sharing in the program, (3) the use of technology, and (4) recommendations for improvements. ECHO Ontario Pain was a novel way to provide education by demonstrating the effectiveness of participating in an online learning model. The study highlights the value of different learning approaches and how they affect HCPs interactions with their patients, their practices, and their wider community. Overall, these findings complement and add to existing ECHO research. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Salter, Shannon | Sossin, Lorne | Rights Without Remedies: The Court Party Theory and the Demise of the Court Challenges Program | Law | 2011-08-25 | The author argues that the Court Challenges Program’s 2006 cancellation was based on claims that judicial review is undemocratic, including those made by three academics, Rainer Knopff, F.L. Morton and Ian Brodie; the Court Party Theorists (the “CPT”). Through a study of Charter equality cases, this paper examines the CPT’s arguments regarding judicial activism, interest groups and interveners and finds they are largely unsupported by statistical evidence. Further, the debate about judicial review and democracy obscures judicial review’s important auditing function over the legislature’s constitutional adherence. This audit depends on individuals’ capacity to pursue Charter litigation, an ability compromised by the access to justice crisis. The author examines this crisis and the efforts to fill the funding gap left by the CCP’s cancellation and concludes that a publicly-funded program like the CCP is best-placed to ensure that the Charter remains a relevant tool for enforcing fundamental human rights in Canada. | MAST | equality; justice | 5, 16 |
| Samadifard, Nazanin | Papangelakis, Vladimiros G. | Ferric Sulphate Leaching of Pyrrhotite Tailings | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | The present study investigates the potential to recover nickel from pyrrhotite tailings produced at the smelting operations of Vale in Sudbury, Ontario. Leaching tests were performed in acidic ferric sulphate media with 0.14 wt.% solids. The temperature was varied between 30 °C and 55 °C, and the ferric concentration was in a range 0.02- 0.3 M. The shrinking core model (SCM) was applied on the nickel extraction data. The dominant reaction mechanism was found to be diffusion control. The Arrhenius plot yielded an activation energy of Ea=62.12 kJ/mol based on apparent reaction rates obtained by the SCM. The reaction order with respect to ferric ion was found to be 1.0 at the high concentration range. SEM images of partially leached tailings confirmed the presence of elemental sulphur around the pyrrhotite particles, which was responsible for the observed non-linear leaching kinetics (diffusion control). | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Samarasekera, Kasun | Iravani, Reza | Fault Ride-through Capability of Grid Integrated Solar Power Plants | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-11 | Decreasing costs and increasing efficiency of solar panels has led to the emergence of multi-MW Solar Power Plants (SPP). Grid codes now require an SPP to remain connected and provide reactive power support to the grid during a fault. This thesis implements the control system of a 9 MW SPP that provides Fault-Ride-Through (FRT) capability. The control system met the FRT requirements, i.e., rules set by FRT characteristic curve, injects a minimum 2% reactive current for every 1% change in the voltage at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) and limits the current overshoot of the VSC switches to less than 20%. During a fault, the active power of the SPP is decreased and allows reactive power to be injected into the grid. Simulations verify that the SPP control system met the FRT requirements when providing FRT for symmetrical and asymmetrical faults. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Samek, Deborah | Laporte, Audrey | Social Capital and the Health Services Utilization of Immigrants in Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-07-28T15:28:22Z | Social capital can be defined as a resource found in the relationships between individuals and within the community that facilitates access to resources. Social capital may have an effect on health services utilization. Few studies have explored the impact of social capital on the propensity and frequency of general practitioner visits for immigrants. The relationship between social capital and health services use by immigrants was analyzed using a dataset consisting of socio-demographic data from the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey linked to physician claims from the Ontario Health Insurance Program for fiscal year 2006. The results suggested that the community belonging aspect of individual social capital was associated with a decrease in the number of GP visits for immigrants. Thus, community services may substitute for formal health care for immigrants. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Samji, Fatima | Childs, Ruth A. | Equitable University Access for Under-represented and Diverse Groups of Students: A Critical Analysis of the Discourse in Mission Statements and Strategic Mandate Agreements | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2017-06 | Ontarioâ s post-secondary education sector has sought to address access of under-represented groups since the 1980â s. This study investigated whether and how these efforts are reflected in university mission statements (MSs), and the more recent Strategic Mandate Agreements (SMAs), which indicate how and why the institutions are differentiated. Key term searches and critical discourse analysis (CDA) found few mentions of access or diversity in either the MSs or the differentiation sections of the SMAs across the 20 provincially-funded Ontario universities that were included in this study. The universities emphasized geographic location and national and international partnerships. These emphases can be read as less welcoming to members of some under-represented groups than to others. Implications for universities as they create public statements of their priorities and values are discussed. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Sammut, Barbara Victoria Holly Ann | Trifonas, Peter | Animating Curriculum: An Exploration of Curriculum Integration | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | Abstract The expectation to teach content and skills within a structured educative setting creates a climate of tremendous challenge and opportunity for educators on a daily basis. Educators will seek out ways to integrate curriculum as a way of being efficient. Curriculum integration, while a commonly used educational term, remains a challenging concept to define and examine both in research and in classroom practice. Curricula integration is a microscopic lens whereby the educator approaches their practice. Curriculum integration can be an effective method of delivering curriculum. However, daily instruction that contains instructional methods that are embedded within multiple learning styles and modalities are paramount. More importantly, than the how a curriculum is integrated appears to be an educator’s methods of instruction, management and organization. My thesis develops what I have called “A Blended Curricula Deliverance Program” that helps deliver instruction in a holistic manner. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Samuel, Nikhila | Razack, Sherene | Race, Representation and the Commodification of Poverty: A Pathways Case | Social Justice Education | 2015-06 | This thesis brings under critical analysis the processes involved in rendering poverty a commodity by examining the discourses and images of the racialized poor circulated by agencies involved in the non-profit sector in their fundraising activities. I analyze the materials of Pathways to Education Canada, a non-profit organization operating in Regent Park, Toronto, as a case study for this analysis. With the launch of Pathways as a national non-profit organization, the reliance on depictions of racialized populations as deficient became a central feature in the rhetoric produced by the organization in order to gain funding for its operations. Recognizing the fiercely competitive fund-raising environment in which the organization must operate, Pathways employs several platforms such as the use of visual imagery, text, print and statistics in order to demonstrate its overall effectiveness and to attract potential donors. | M.A. | poverty | 1 |
| Sandhu, Harminder | Mihailidis, Alex | Development and Usability Testing of a Smartphone Technology for the Self-management of Pediatric Concussion | Biomedical Engineering | 2017-06 | Noticeable gaps continue to exist in the management of pediatric concussion that can lead to poor health outcomes. This research describes the development, and usability evaluation of a smartphone application to aid youth in self-managing concussion. An agile user-centered design approach was used to develop the technology, followed by a formative usability study for assessment and improvement proposals. Seven youth ages 10 to 18 years with a history of concussion, and seven healthcare professionals were recruited for this study that included, participants performing 11 tasks using the â think aloudâ protocol, administration of the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview. The mean SUS score was 83, mean task success rates were >90% for 92% of tasks, and mean task completion times were | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Saneinejad, Sheyda | Roorda, Matthew J. ||Kennedy, Christopher A. | Modelling the Impact of Weather Conditions on Active Transportation Travel Behaviour | Civil Engineering | 2011-01-11T16:01:55Z | Three weather sensitive multinomial logit models are estimated using the 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey in order explore the relationship between weather and home-based work trips within the City of Toronto, focusing on active modes of transportation. The data is restricted to non-captive commuters who have the option of alternating between all five basic modes of auto driver, auto passenger, transit, bike and walk with change in weather. Daily trip rates in various weather conditions are assessed. The combined effect of the daily trip rate and mode choice analysis is applied to several climate change scenarios. A 6oC increase in temperature can increase cycling trips by 17%, and reduce auto-passenger trips by 7%. A 20% increase or decrease in precipitation, however, is found to have much smaller impacts on all modes. Overall, the results confirm that impact of weather on active modes of transportation is significant enough to deserve attention at the research, data collection and planning levels. | MAST | weather | 13 |
| Sano, Aiko | Cummins, James ||Nakajima, Kazuko | Building a Bridge: A Case Study of Teaching for Transfer of Writing Skills among Japanese-English Bilingual Students | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2010-07-28T15:35:34Z | In this study ten Grade 2-3 Japanese-English bilingual students wrote compositions on the same topic in Japanese and English. The students received an intervention designed to help them improve their Japanese writing, and were asked again to write in English after that. The compositions in Japanese and English before and after the intervention were compared and examined in terms of fluency, lexical complexity, grammatical complexity and accuracy, and using holistic measures. The results showed that the fluency, lexical complexity and theme statement of the compositions were highly related across languages before the intervention. Also the intervention was observed to exert a positive effect on lexical complexity and the use of metaphor, but negatively on accuracy. All the patterns found in the quantitavie data were investigated qualitatively. The thesis concludes with practical suggestions for parents and educators of bilingual students about how to support them trnasfer their knowledge across langauges. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Sarch, Cody | Master, Emma R | Arabinofuranosidase Characterization and Application in Regulating Xylan-Lignin Interactions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | Xylan is the second most abundant biopolymer found in plant biomass and has a demonstrated potential to replace petroleum-based products in the materials industry. However, applications of xylan are hindered by the heterogeneous nature of xylan chemistry, as well as a limited understanding of interactions between xylan and other useful biopolymers. In this study three family 62 glycoside hydrolases (GH62) were characterized and preference for different -L-arabinofuranosyl (-L-Araf) substitutions of arabinoxylan was assessed. All three displayed arabinofuranosidase (Abf) activity and released -L-Araf substituents from O-2 and O-3 positions at similar rates. The effect of -L-Araf as well as 4-O-methyl glucuronic acid (MeGlcA) substituents in xylan on xylan-lignin interactions was assessed via quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). Briefly, xylan adhered to lignin coated surfaces and enzymatic removal of -L-Araf or MeGlcA reduced this interaction. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Sarrazin, Marie-Line | Abizaid, Christian | The Political Ecology of Indigenous Territorial Struggles in the Darién, Panama: Land Invasions, Partial State Recognition, and Racialized Discrimination in the Emberá-Wounaan Collective Land Struggle | Geography | 2015-11 | By studying the case of land invasions on the Collective Land of Arimae and Emberá Puru, this thesis examines the material and symbolic conflicts underpinning the struggle for the recognition of indigenous collective lands in the Darién province of Panama. Data was collected primarily through semi-structured interviews and participant observation over a three-month period in Arimae in 2014. I argue that land invasions on indigenous territories are facilitated by the State’s ambivalence in the recognition of indigenous territorial rights, by discourses that devalue indigenous cultures and practices, and by the corruption of local State institutions. These elements, coupled with land invasions, promote internal rule violation and leadership cooptation in Arimae, which weaken community governance institutions. Yet, many community members retain a strong desire to fight for a legal recognition of their territory in order to halt land invasions, to protect the forest, and to secure the future of their children. | M.A. | forest; institution | 15, 16 |
| Saunders, Lucy | Roach, Kent | Limiting Democracy for the Sake of Itself: Fighting Extremism with Extreme Measures | Law | 2010-02-15T19:26:46Z | In response to terrorism as one of the major challenges of our time, developments in anti-terrorism law have led to laws that infringe on democratic rights. The author addresses two key questions in relation to such legislation, namely how the development of such laws is influenced by rights instruments, and whether such laws can be justified as a proportionate response to the terrorist threat. The examination focuses on the key rights of expression and association. It takes place within a comparative jurisprudence structure, considering the treatment of these rights in the UK, Canada, Australia and the USA. The assessment is undertaken in the context of the definition of terrorism and in particular reflects on the thought/act distinction, and whether the motive element of the definition leads to a normative response that is justified or is particularly severe to these democratic rights. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Saunders, Natasha Ruth | Guttmann, Astrid | Pediatric Emergency Room Revisits in Urban Ontario: Does Being an Immigrant Matter? | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-06 | Objectives: To test the association of unscheduled 7-day emergency department (ED) revisits and immigrant status for all children living in urban Ontario and within subgroups of immigrant children. Methods: Population-based cohort study using linked health administrative and demographic datasets of immigrant and non-immigrant children in urban Ontario, who visited an ED between April 2003 and March 2010 (n = 3322901). Associations were tested using logistic regression models. Results: Recent immigrants had a higher odds of ED revisit compared with non-immigrants (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.05-1.09). In the adjusted model, this relationship disappeared. Within immigrants, the odds of revisit was not different between immigrant classes or by region of origin but immigrants whose native tongue was not English or French had a higher odds of revisiting the ED in adjusted models (AOR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01-1.09). Conclusions: Immigrant children are not more likely to revisit the ED, although within immigrants, language proficiency is important. | M.Sc. | health; urban | 3, 9 |
| Sayyid, Rashid | Fleshner, Neil E | Determining the Natural History of Men with Initially Negative Prostate Biopsies | Medical Science | 2017-11 | Prostate biopsies have significant false negative rates. Thus, men with negative results may undergo continued evaluation for prostate cancer. Long-term prostate cancer diagnosis, mortality, and treatment rates are currently unknown in North American men with a negative prostate biopsy. We thus aimed to determine the long-term rates and predictors of these outcomes. Using linked health administrative data, we identified 95,655 men with a single negative prostate biopsy. The outcomes cumulative rates were determined under a competing risk setting and regression analysis was used to assess potential predictors. The 20-year prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality cumulative rates were 23.7% and 1.8%, respectively. Older patients had higher cancer diagnosis and mortality risks; whereas men of higher socioeconomic status and urban residence had increased cancer diagnosis, yet lower cancer mortality risks. These results will allow physicians to inform patients of their cancer-specific outcomes and identify men at higher risk of adverse long-term outcomes. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Schaefer, Patrick | Currie, Douglas C | Diversity and Ecological Structure of Northern Biting Flies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2014-12 | Contemporary climate change disproportionately impacts northern environments. Understanding these impacts requires knowledge of the ecological structure (e.g. diversity, abundance and distribution) of resident species. Biting flies are among the best-known groups of insects in northern Canada and are excellent sentinels for environmental change. The goals of this thesis are to determine how climate and geographical history affect the ecological structure of black flies and mosquitoes. Assessment of large-scale macroecological patterns revealed contrasts between Arctic and southern assemblages, while highlighting the importance of geographic history in structuring assemblages. Finer-scale sampling and analysis were used to assess the impacts of contemporary climate change on species ranges. A critical threshold temperature for the presence of biting species of black flies was found that approximates minimum requirements for flight and blood-feeding. Finally, mitochondrial DNA markers allowed the assessment of cryptic diversity in a widely distributed assemblage of northern black flies of the genus | M.Sc. | climate; enviironment | 13 |
| Scheffel, Benjamin Ryken | Sargent, Edward H | Hybrid Organic-CQD Solar Cells Using a Near-IR-Absorbing Organic Bulk Heterojunction | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | Solar photovoltaics requires further progress in efficiency at lower cost. Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are one of many emerging technologies that has been researched in recent years that could play a role in the future of photovoltaics. In this thesis, I developed a new hybrid organic CQD solar cell that achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.98% for the champion device, a record for CQD PV. Charge collection issues at the organic-CQD interface were identified with a study of the spatial collection efficiency of the device and were overcome by introducing a thin buffer layer of CQDs doped with 1,2-ethanedithiol. The hybrid devices were also used as the back cell in a four-terminal tandem device along with a perovskite top cell which was able to achieve a PCE of 23.2% with help from the broad absorption from 700-1100 nm enabled by the hybrid structure. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Schermel, Alyssa | L'Abbe, Mary R. | Barriers & Facilitators to Overcoming Obesity in Canada and the Role of Fat-related Nutrient Content Claims | Nutritional Sciences | 2013-06-27 | Our overall objective was to explore some individual and environmental determinants of eating habits with a main focus on nutrition labels and their usefulness for choosing foods for weight management. We first broadly examined these determinants using participants of the AFMNet Canadian Consumer Monitor (CCM), and found a number of attitudinal and perceived environmental barriers to healthy eating. In an experimental study with CCM respondents, we found that reduced fat claims may help consumers make better choices for weight management if calorie content on the Nutrition Facts Table is also considered. However, in our examination of foods with fat claims in the Canadian marketplace, we found that most products with fat claims are not significantly lower in calories than comparable foods without such claims. We conclude that fat claims could be useful in assisting consumers with food choices for weight management, if the foods were also reduced in calories. | MAST | food; nutrition; health | 2, 3 |
| Schiks, Thomas John | Wotton, Brian Michael | Fuel Moisture and Sustained Flaming in Masticated Fuelbeds | Forestry | 2014-07-04 | Mastication is a fuel management technique that disrupts the vertical continuity of forest fuels by mechanical shredding of trees and understory vegetation into a highly-compacted surface fuelbed. The particle size distributions, bulk density and arrangements differ from natural and slash fuel types, thus resulting in fuelbeds with potentially different moisture dynamics and fire behaviour. We conducted three experiments, the first of which examined differences in in-stand micrometeorology and fuelbed moisture content between differing levels of stand thinning via mastication. In the second experiment, a fuel moisture model was created, validated with an independent dataset, and compared with pre-existing models that are incorporated in the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System. In the third experiment, we compared the results of standard ignition tests performed on masticated fuelbeds in the laboratory and field to determine probability of sustained flaming, and compared our findings with pre-existing models of ignition for other forest fuels. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Schiralli, Jordana Erika | Chasteen, Alison | Confronting Hostile and Benevolent Sexism | Psychology | 2018-11 | Although previous research has investigated how women are perceived when they confront sexism, few studies have compared confrontations of hostile and benevolent sexism. This research examines how perceptions of confronters differ depending on whether sexism is hostile (Study 1) or benevolent (Study 1 and 2) and whether the confronter is male or female. In Study 1, targets who confronted were liked and approved of, but only by female participants. Female targets were also seen as bigger complainers when responding to benevolent sexism, suggesting that challenging benevolent sexism may be costly for women due to the subtlety of benevolent prejudice. In Study 2, targets who confronted were viewed as less likeable, less appropriate, and greater complainers compared to targets who did not confront. These results inform how people may be perceived by others when confronting sexism and establishes that perceptions of confronters differ depending on whether sexism is hostile or benevolent. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Schmidt, Katherine Christie | Bollmann, Jorg | Coccolithophore Evolutionary Response to the Youngest Toba Eruption (75.0 ± 0.9 ka) | Earth Sciences | 2014-11 | The impact of the recent super eruption, Toba, ~ 74 ka on the marine environment is unknown. For the first time it is compared to coccolithophore assemblage relative abundances, with samples taken from core SO130-289KL, located in an oxygen minimum zone in the northeast Arabian Sea. No long term evolutionary implications associated with temporally close biohorizons can be linked to the super eruption, however climatic changes associated with global cooling following the eruption have been identified indirectly through the relative abundance decrease of the species Florisphaera profunda. F. profunda relative abundance decreases are linked to an increase in primary productivity levels associated with a deepened mixed layer and are seen during the Northeast monsoon season. Northeast monsoon intensity is known to increase during cooler global periods and are here attributed to the lowered F. profunda relative abundances following the eruption. | M.A.S. | environment; marine | 13, 15 |
| Schmocker, Selina | Wright, Frances C | Striving to Do No Harm and yet Respect Patient Autonomy: Ontario Plastic Surgeons’ Perspectives of the Consultation for Breast Reconstruction with Women Who Have Early Stage Breast Cancer | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Background: The rate of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) has doubled over the previous decade in women with early-stage breast cancer. Despite the strong association between CPM and breast reconstruction, little is known about the clinical encounter between patients and plastic surgeons. Purpose: A qualitative study aligned with the constructivist paradigm was conducted to understand how plastic surgeons describe their roles in the decision-making process through their consultations with women who have early-stage breast cancer. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Ontario plastic surgeons. An inductive and interpretive thematic approach was used to analyze the data. The four principles of biomedical ethics were used as the conceptual lens to interpret the findings. Results: Four themes were identified: maintaining non-maleficence, supporting patient autonomy, delivering (un)equal healthcare, and providing care to enhance well-being. Conclusions: Plastic surgeons must balance competing responsibilities to do no harm and support a patient’s right to autonomous healthcare decisions. | M.Sc. | women; health | 3, 5 |
| Schwartz, Stephanie | Inbar, Yoel | Mapping Aversion to Controversial Scientific Technologies | Psychology | 2016-11 | Technologies in agriculture, reproduction, medicine, and elsewhere promise significant social benefits, but may also pose significant risks. Understanding which technologies will be adopted or rejected by the public—and why—is important. Across five studies assessments of risks, benefits, and acceptability of a range of technologies were examined. Two studies found evidence for a ‘clustering’ effect of technological attitudes: evaluations of risks associated with different technologies tend to vary together, and attitudes towards technologies within each cluster are differentially predicted with individual difference measures. A third study showed that manipulating processing style alters subsequent evaluations of technologies, and that the effects are different across clusters. The final two studies first replicated and expanded upon a foundational technological risk assessment study by Fischhoff et al. (1978). Together, these findings suggest the need for a more nuanced and updated paradigm for technological risk assessment that incorporates individual-level characteristics to predict technological aversion | M.A. | agriculture; production | 2, 12 |
| Schwarz, Kaylan Horner | Bickmore, Kathy ||Evans, Mark | Unequal Opportunities for Citizenship Learning? Diverse Student Experiences Completing Ontario’s Community Involvement Requirement | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-01-01T16:43:31Z | This thesis examined diverse students' experiences completing Ontario's community involvement requirement. An analysis of quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups among 50 current and recently graduated secondary school students from widely contrasting socio-economic settings showed ways in which diverse participants perceived their community involvement activities, the support for community involvement in their schools, and their associated opportunities to develop capacity to make changes toward a more socially just world. Results indicated that low-income participants reported dissimilar experiences from high-income participants, in relation to the support for community involvement provided by school staffs, participants' direct or distant relationships with service recipients, and their sense of individual and collective agency to effect change. Thus, this study challenges the assumption that all students in Ontario have equal access to the citizenship education learning opportunities embedded in meaningful community involvement activities. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Schweinsberg, Alexander | Fujitani, Takashi | Seinendan: Youth Associations as Social Technology in Late Meiji and Taishō Japan | East Asian Studies | 2014-11 | This thesis is an investigation into the rise of the rural youth association (seinendan) movement in Japan, focusing on the period from around 1890 to the first years of World War I. Treatment is also given to genealogical connections and differences between these associations and earlier rural social groupings, which the Greater Japan Federations of Youth Associations (est. 1925) narrativized as its historical antecedents and a primordial expression of Japanese national essence. Modern seinendan provided new opportunities for local notables and the state to deal with problems of governance and promoting rural reform. Using primary sources, extended attention is given to how elite bureaucrats conceived of self-governance as organizational paradigm for administrative units and, eventually, individuals. Lastly, the origins and instrumentalization in Japan of the concept of youth as a stage distinct from childhood are discussed in transnational context, with particular focus on the rise of youth psychology. | M.A. | rural; governance | 11, 16 |
| Seabrooke, Adrienne Julia | Childs, Ruth | Unintentional Injury in the Rural Setting – the Development of an Instrument to Determine the Attitudes and Beliefs of Rural Community Members Towards Unintentional Injury | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | Rural Canada is home to at least 19 percent of Canadians. However, compared to people who live in urban areas, rural Canadians experience lower life expectancy and higher mortality rates and report less healthy behaviours. Unintentional injury is a particular problem. Health promotion initiatives in rural communities should be based on an understanding of the attitudes and beliefs of rural community members towards unintentional injury. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure these attitudes and beliefs. The instrument was validated for use with this population by experts in various fields and pilot tested with a sample of the intended respondents. A survey is now available for use with the rural population on a larger scale to assist in the design of a rural specific health promotion initiative that reflects the attitudes of the people it is intended to support. | M.Ed. | health; urban; rural | 3, 11 |
| Sears, McGrath Casey Thomas | Zee, E Robert | Sail, Deployment, and Imaging Technology for a Nanosatellite Deorbit System Demonstration on CanX-7 | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | The widespread adoption of nanosatellites will drastically increase space debris if end-of-life disposal is not performed. As the natural deorbit lifetime of these satellites can be over 100 years, a deorbit system is needed to ensure the small satellite community will comply with international standards. This thesis discusses the design and testing of the drag sail module---a device that will deploy a thin film sail to increase atmospheric drag experienced by a spacecraft---to be demonstrated as the primary payload on the CanX-7 satellite. Sail and boom technology, which includes environmental analysis, material selection, and testing, are presented in this context. Furthermore, deployment dynamics have been characterized through extensive testing prior to qualification testing. Lastly, design and testing of a miniature imaging system is presented. Imagery will be used to verify sail deployment on the inaugural flight of the drag sail module on CanX-7. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Sebastian, Caril | Walcott, Rinaldo | Body (Im)Potent: Culture, Capitalism, and the Afrodescendant's Fight for her Body | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2014-11 | In 2000, the United Nations emphasized a number of Millennium Development Goals, to include, `Promot[ing] gender equality and empower[ing] women.' For women of African heritage residing in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean the promise of equity is belied by socio-political realities which propagate the marginalizing of Black women. `Body (Im)potent: Culture, Capitalism, and the Afrodescendant's Fight for Her Body,' considers the extent to which the trans-Atlantic slave trade located the Black woman's body as a unit of work. Further, this thesis explores the ongoing disparities between the Black woman's view of her own body, and pervading discourses which define that body according to the needs of a dominant class--a Marxist perspective which posits that the potential of human self-actualization is often sacrificed on the altar of capital. `Body (Im)potent' highlights that the promise of empowerment and equality must also be considered from the perspective of those unique West African-inspired cultural movements which informed Black resistance, and which continue to influence the self-image of the region's Afrodescendants. Moreover, `Body (Im)potent' considers the extent to which the milieux created by globalization contribute to the evolution of the Afrodescendant's concept of her body, and perceptions of that body by the world at large. | M.A. | trade; equality; women; gender | 5, 10 |
| Seck, Nicole | Dei, George Jerry Sefa ||Wane, Njoki | Learning Media and Identity in Classrooms: A Critical Anti-Racist Media Literacy | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2010-07-28T15:43:30Z | This body of work endeavours to interrogate mainstream media and popular culture [mis]representations of racialized persons, in addition to the negative impact such imageries have on identity formation processes - principally amongst populations of young men and women of African descent. While this work focuses on North American contexts, this examination is applicable to all peoples in the African Diaspora. I intend to uncover the learning possibilities for racialized youth, by introducing an educational model that prepares students to critique various forms of media, as well as teaching and encouraging them to create their own realities through the use of a critical form of media education in multiple level classrooms, starting with those in the Toronto District School Board. The ultimate goal of this project is to propel racialized students to move away from the [mis]educative effects of the media, toward beginning to define themselves on their own terms. | MAST | ; women | 5 |
| Sekhavat, Anoushe | Nainar, Hashim | Efficacy of Nutrition and Physical Activity Counseling for Pre-adolescent Children in a Dental Setting: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Dentistry | 2014-11 | Background: Pediatric dentists have the potential to make a positive impact on overweight/obesity in children. Objectives: To determine efficacy of brief counseling for healthy weight at dental visits and evaluate assessment of children's weight status. Methods: 168 children (6-11-years old) were allocated to test and control groups. Children's weight status was determined using WHO and simplified overweight screening tables. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding their child's nutrition, physical activity, and screen time. Parents in the test group received the brief counseling intervention. Data measurements were repeated at the recall appointment. Results: Screen time was the only outcome that changed due to counseling. At baseline, the prevalence of healthy weight status was 65.5%. The simplified overweight screening tool had 80% agreement with the WHO BMI tables. Conclusions: This exploratory study indicates the potential for effectiveness of short counseling upon screen time and usability of the overweight screening tool. | M.Sc. | nutrition; health | 2, 3 |
| Sena Maia, Bruno | Sain, Mohini||Tjong, Jimi | Study on the Effect of Surface Energy of Polypropylene/Polyamide12 polymer Hybrid Matrix Reinforced with Virgin and Recycled Carbon Fiber | Forestry | 2017-06 | The presented work is focused on characterization of thermal treated recycled and virgin carbon fibers. Their thermal performances, chemical surface composition and its influence on interfacial adhesion phenomena on PP/PA12 hybrid matrix were compared using TGA, FTIR and XPS analysis. Additionally, differences between hybrid matrix structural performances of PP/PA12 using both surface modifiers PMPPIC and MAPP were investigated. Final mechanical properties improvements between 8% up to 17% were reached by addition of PMPPIC in PP/PA12 hybrid matrix. For PP/PA12 matrix reinforcement using virgin and recycled carbon fibers, impact energy was improved up to 98% compared with MAPP modified matrix leading to a novel composite with good energy absorption. Finally, wettability studies and surface free energy analysis of all materials studied support the effect of the addition of PMPPIC, MAPP and carbon fibers in final composite surface thermodynamics bringing important data correlation between interfacial adhesion mechanisms and final composite performance. | M.Sc. | energy; recycl | 7 |
| Senese, Laura | Wilson, Kathi | Exploring Gendered Relationships Between Aboriginal Urbanization, Aboriginal Rights and Health | Geography | 2011-12-20 | Aboriginal urbanization has increased dramatically in Canada over the last half century. Aboriginal rights may be an important factor in shaping Aboriginal peoples’ experiences of urbanization, as they are largely restricted to those living on reserves. Through their impacts on social determinants of health, these differences in spatial access to Aboriginal rights may have implications for the health of Aboriginal peoples living in urban areas. Using mixed quantitative (statistical analysis of the Aboriginal Peoples Survey) and qualitative (in-depth interviews with Aboriginal women and men in Toronto) methods, this thesis explores relationships between Aboriginal urbanization and Aboriginal rights, focusing on how they may differentially impact the health of Aboriginal women and men living in urban areas. Findings suggest that the perceived lack of respect for Aboriginal rights in urban areas is negatively related to health, and that Aboriginal women and men may experience these impacts differently. | MAST | rights; urban; women; health | 3, 5, 11, 16 |
| Serodio, Daniela | Chan, Arthur||Dittrich, Maria | Novel Halogenated and Organophosphate Flame Retardants: Do Novel Flame Retardants have the Same Environmental Fate as the Compounds they are Replacing? | Earth Sciences | 2015-03 | In the wake of the listing by the Stockholm Convention of PBDEs, an increasing number of novel flame retardants (NFRs) are being used in products. It is well documented that the properties which make for desirable FRs can also lead to negative health effects, long environmental residency times and an affinity for organic matrices. Though currently in use, there is very little information regarding the physical-chemical (p-c) properties and environmental fate of the NFRs. This Master's project evaluated the suitability of 86 halogenated and organophosphate NFRs as PBDE replacements given their persistence and long-range transport potential. To do this, measured and modelled p-c properties were compiled and used to model the NFRs' environmental behaviour. It was found that 79-84% of the NFRs have a persistence of high to medium level of concern and that over 1/3 of the NFRs have a persistence similar to the PBDEs they are replacing. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Seto, Karina | Panesar, Daman K||Churchill, Cameron J | Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Efficiency of Concrete Materials | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Many materials have been proposed as ‘green’ alternatives to conventional concrete constituents. A life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is adopted to model the processes included in the life cycle of concrete. Five LCA software packages are evaluated to select a tool for use in this work. The sensitivity of LCA results to the composition of Ontario’s electricity grid is analyzed. Allocation of environmental impact to by-product materials, namely fly ash, is investigated. Six functional units representing various levels of complexity and incorporating strength and durability performance are developed. Finally, a methodology for calculating Environmental Efficiency Indicators (EEIs) for concrete is presented. EEIs are calculated for eight mix designs containing varying amounts of alternative concrete materials. The results show that supplementary cementitious materials and limestone cement improve EEI. The EEI of photocatalytic cement concrete is improved if SCMs are incorporated. Recycled aggregate concrete has a lower EEI compared to conventional concrete. | M.A.S. | recycl; environment | 7, 13 |
| Seyam, Shaimaa Fouad Mohamed Abdelhamid | Siegel, Jeffrey | The Impact of Plants on Indoor Air Quality, Energy Use, and Psychological Status of Occupants | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Plants may have several impacts, which can be categorized into indoor air quality, energy use, and psychological effects. This thesis presented a comprehensive review of the impact of indoor plants in these categories. Indoor plants can emit a negligible amount of VOCs and microorganisms to the indoors but also have limited ability to remove pollutants. In addition, greenery systems are exterior to the building enclosure, resulting in a reduction of external surface temperature and heat transfer, particularly in certain climates. Interaction with indoor plants can also deliver measurable psychological benefits to people despite the confounding variables and other experimental design issues. In conclusion, indoor plants have limited effect on indoor air quality, external plants have a possible impact on saving energy, and indoor plants can influence psychological status when placed on the level of vision. Plants cannot be treated as a system, and other alternatives can provide promising solutions. | M.Sc. | energy | 7 |
| Shafey, Amy | Shah, Vibhuti | The Experiences of Fathers in a Family Integrated Care (FICare) Program | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-11 | OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of fathers of infants born at 320/7 to 346/7 weeks’ gestational age admitted to a Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and enrolled in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the Alberta Family Integrated Care (FICare) program. METHODS: A descriptive phenomenology study using semi-structured interviews with 13 fathers and 24 father-written journal entries. FINDINGS: Fifteen themes were generated by triangulating data from interviews and journals: mental preparation, fear of the unknown, reassurance of medical care, level of communication, identifying the fathers role, parenting with supervision, effect of medical staff, effective communication, physical environment, perceived health of infant, balancing life, teamwork through adversity, preparing for discharge home, post-NICU medical care, and relationship to child. CONCLUSIONS: Fathers enrolled in the Alberta FICare program attributed their level of confidence and positive NICU experience that continued post-discharge to the attention and the care they received at the bedside. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Shafiee, Mohammad Ali Jr. | Logan, Alexander | Urinary Composition and Stone Formation | Medical Science | 2012-12-03 | Background: Kidney stone disease is a common and often debilitating disorder, yet its pathophysiology is poorly understood. This dissertation studies predisposition to kidney stone formation from diurnal variation in physiochemical and physiologic properties of urine and in response to increased fluid intake. Methods: Urine volume, flow rate and constituents were measured in multiple timed specimens from healthy volunteers in a day. Further, subjects were asked to provide specimen over a period of increased fluid intake. Results: A 24-hour specimen missed significant periods of supersaturation in individual urine samples throughout the day. Despite a significant reduction in nocturnal urine flow rate, calcium concentration as well as urine pH and divalent phosphate remained unchanged. Finally, increased water intake did not dilute urine evenly. Conclusion: Mixing multiple urine samples obscures information about periods of increased calcium phosphate precipitation risk over 24 hours. Further, increased fluid intake does not uniformly provide risk protection. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Shafieirad, Hossein | Adve, Raviraj||ShahbazPanahi, Shahram | Opportunistic Routing in Large-scale Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | Energy self-sufficiency is one of the main bottlenecks in the implementation of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this regard, energy harvesting (EH), the capture of energy from ambient sources of renewable energies, is a promising solution to the energy problem. However, the resulting randomness in the energy available to nodes forces the redesign of the communications protocols. Of specific interest here is to enable the delivery of sensed data to a fusion center in the EH-WSN. In this thesis, we consider two open problems of practical importance to the implementation of large-scale WSNs. First, we propose the notion of energy outage rate for a single link in WSN as a tool for online consideration of EH in such networks. Second, we propose and mathematically analyze an energy-aware, opportunistic routing protocol for large-scale multi-hop EH-WSNs. Our routing protocol significantly increases the rate of data delivery as compared to the state-of-the-art technologies. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable | 7 |
| Shah, Ravi | Links, Paul | Impact of Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) on PTSD Severity in Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Employees | Medical Science | 2012-07-23 | Introduction: This thesis examined the impact of PTSD with Major Depressive Disorder on PTSD severity among Toronto Transit Commission employees who were exposed to a workplace traumatic event, and also the predictors of PTSD severity, mental health treatment seeking, and return to work over the six month study period. Methods: This study utilized data that was collected prospectively from the APT study participants. Information about Axis-I diagnosis and PTSD severity were collected from the SCID-I and the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale respectively. Results: PTSD without MDD (N=29) and PTSD with MDD (N=37) groups were compared. The variables: depression severity (p=0.01), female (p=0.01), non-Caucasian (p=0.01), workplace related stress (p=0.02), and lifetime trauma (p=0.01) significantly predicted PTSD severity. The BPI group significantly predicted mental health treatment seeking (p<0.01) after controlling other variables. Conclusion: This study highlights the substantial risk for experiencing greater PTSD severity after a workplace traumatic event in TTC employees. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Shahi, Kamellia | McCabe, Brenda Y | Evaluation of Current Construction Permitting Process in City of Toronto and Future of Permitting in the Global Construction Industry | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | In this research, an evaluation of the construction permitting process for tall buildings in City of Toronto over the last decade was conducted, including gathering of a detailed database on the approval process of 174 tall residential buildings. This investigation identified e-permitting and automated code compliance checking as viable solutions to address many of the existing challenges with the current permitting process at City of Toronto. These recommendations were then investigated from a global perspective which resulted in development of a framework for automated model-based e-permitting system. This framework takes advantage of the recent technological advancements in the industry, including using BIM for automated code compliance checking and integrating BIM and GIS information for smart urban management applications. The three-level e-permitting framework is envisioned as a road map for advancing from traditional paper-based permitting practices to fully integrated city planning capabilities required to support the future of our built infrastructure. | M.A.S. | infrastructure; industr; buildings; urban | 9, 11 |
| Shahriari, Bijan | Thomson, Murray J ||Dworkin, Seth B | Development and Validation of a Partially Coupled Soot Model for Turbulent Kerosene Combustion in Industrial Applications | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-11 | Soot emissions are by-products of combustion that are well documented to have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Consequently, these emissions are becoming a target for stricter regulations. However, obstacles exist in the implementation of soot models in Computational Fluid Dynamics codes with complex geometry, such as ensuring carbon mass conservation as soot forms. This challenge is due to the thermochemistry interactions in turbulent codes being preprocessed (included in look-up tables), not solved for directly. This study considers the development of a soot model for kerosene combustion. Coupling is introduced between the soot and gas phase by including nucleation rates within the flamelet library, and by adjusting the concentrations of key soot precursors through additional transport equations. Validation has been performed for turbulent coflow kerosene flames at pressures of 1 and 4.8 bar. This simplified model reasonably predicts the soot volume fraction without tuning of the inception rate. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Shahzadi, Urooj | Darnell, Simon C. | The Body Triad, Whiteness and Agency: The Not-So-Sporty Experiences of Punjabi-Canadian Women | Exercise Sciences | 2018-06 | This thesis explored the physical activity (PA) experiences of 18 Punjabi-Canadian women living in the Greater Toronto Area. It argues that the choice not to participate in PA is an act of agency reflective of the pressures placed on the women. The theoretical frameworks used were the centrality of women’s bodies in social and cultural reproduction, whiteness and critical race theory. The methods used were focus groups coined “chai and chats.” Results revealed that the “Body Triad,” a term I coin, consisting of the “Fat Body,” “Skinny Body” and “Muscular Body” and the dominance of whiteness in Canada impacted the women’s decision to not participate in PA. As a result, the women negotiated these pressures by talking back, “feeling blessed” and challenging existing gendered and racial assumptions about their bodies. This study showed the relationship between gender, immigration and whiteness where Punjabi-Canadian women’s bodies were central to the discussion. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Shakeel, Tooba | Conway, Tenley | Homeowners as Urban Forest Managers - Examining the Role of Property-level Variables in Predicting Variations in Urban Forest Quantity Using Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS Methodologies | Geography | 2012-11-26 | Urban forests provide vital services to communities and are crucial for our mental, physical and emotional well-being. Recent research has shown that many variables at a neighbourhood-level are linked to variations in urban forest quantity, however, relationships at the property-level have not been considered. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships at property-level in four socioeconomically varied neighbourhoods in the City of Mississauga (Ontario, Canada). Percent canopy cover and tree density was calculated using information from a survey, GIS datasets and remote sensing. Regression was used to determine which property-level characteristics are related to variations in the two tree cover variables. The results show that variables dealing with residents attitudes towards trees and space constraints are commonly linked to tree cover variations. The study found differences in relationships between the two tree measures at property-level and it provides greater insight into human-urban forest relationship at the micro-scale. | MAST | forest; urban; socioeconomic | 1, 11, 15 |
| Shamrany, Muneera Al | Lawrence, Herenia P. | Is Depression Associated with Edentulism in Canadian Adults? | Dentistry | 2009-07-30T14:23:31Z | It has been hypothesized that depression can be both a risk factor and a consequence of oral diseases. Tooth loss leads to discomfort, pain, and functional limitations which could lead to disability and, subsequently, to handicap. However, the association between depression and edentulism has not been established yet. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.1 were used to examine the association between edentulism and depression in community-dwelling Canadians 45 years of age and older. Separate logistic regression models were developed for dentate and edentulous groups as well. Different regression selection methods were implemented and the area under the ROC curve was used to select models with the highest predictability. Analysis showed that edentulism was not associated with depression. For the edentulous group, oral/facial pain was the only oral health factor predicting depression, whereas avoiding smiling or laughing, dry mouth, oral/facial pain predicted depression in the dentate individuals. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Shanthakumar, Narmatha | Boon, Heather | Canadian Pharmacists and Natural Health Products: Identifying Professional Responsibilities | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2010-02-15T19:40:58Z | Natural health products (NHPs) are increasingly sold in pharmacies. The purpose of this study was to determine Canadian pharmacists’ attitudes about their professional responsibilities regarding natural health products. A cross-sectional, random sample survey design was used: 3356 questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of licensed pharmacists in all provinces/territories in Canada (except Nunavut). Survey responses were evaluated using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses. Response rate was 61%. Overall, respondents were most likely to endorse pharmacist responsibilities related to vitamins and minerals, followed by herbal medicines, then homeopathic medicines. Responsibilities regarding knowledge of NHPs and counseling on NHPs were more frequently endorsed than responsibilities associated with NHP-related documentation. Self-reported knowledge was positively associated with endorsement of NHP-related responsibilities for all NHP types. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Shantz-Hilkes, Chloe Anna | Mojab, Shahrzad | From Pedagogy to Participation: Progressive Youths' Paths to Formal Civic Engagement | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | Over the past decade, declining electoral engagement among young people has led to a proliferation of research preoccupied with how best to educate for "active citizenship." It is therefore within a context of heightened theoretical attention that this thesis embarks on a unique, retrospective exploration of the relationship between pedagogy and political participation for a diverse group of progressive young adult Canadians. Whereas young people are commonly deemed apathetic, this research conceives of this cohort as mountingly alienated from liberal, capitalist democracy. At the same time, however, this thesis conceives of young progressives‘ electoral participation as strategically necessary, insofar as the collective disengagement of these young adults has a well-documented tendency to benefit those political parties/candidates most radically averse to justice-oriented social change. Ultimately, this research concludes that the capacity of pedagogical interventions to engender participatory tendencies among progressive young people is therefore essential, albeit limited in important ways. | M.A. | educat; gender; justice | 4, 5, 16 |
| Shao, Bingyue | Gauvreau, Paul | Mix Development of PLC-based Ultra-high Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete and Characterization of Key Mechanical Properties and Time-Dependent Behaviour | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis proposes a new Ultra-high Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) mix design developed and optimized with the aim of lowering environmental and economic cost while achieving better performance. Instead of plain Portland Cement, the proposed mix uses Portland Limestone Cement (PLC) with 6-15 % of limestone, as a means to reduce the gross cement content. The optimized mix design features 10% of silica fume and 30% of ground granulated blast-furnace slag, 2.5% of steel fibres by the total volume, and very low water-to-binder ratio. The proposed mix is validated and characterized through a comprehensive experimental program, which shows that at 56 days the proposed mix can achieve a compressive strength at least 130 MPa, an average peak flexural stress of 27 MPa, and an average peak uni-axial tensile strength of 10 MPa. Tests also show that the proposed mix has satisfactory performance in shrinkage, resistance of chloride ion penetration, and freeze-thaw resistance. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Shao, Jen-Yin | Thompson, Alison | To MMR or not MMR: Medical Discourses Surrounding Parental Decision-making for Pediatric Immunization | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2011-08-25 | Coverage for the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) has been low since the publication of Wakefield’s 1998 study associating MMR with the onset of autism. As a part of a larger project on risk communication, this study examined the medical discourse on parental decision-making for childhood immunizations to gain insight on why risk communication efforts have not been successful at improving uptake. The Public Understanding of Science (PUS) was used as a theoretical lens to guide Critical Discourse Analysis of texts from medical, pediatric, and public health journals, from which the analytic themes of Risk and Trust emerged. MMR uptake was framed mainly in terms of risk, indicating the dominance of the Deficit Model of PUS in the discourse. Future research and risk communication need to expand beyond current notions of risk; the Contextual Model of PUS can help highlight other factors that impact parental decision-making about MMR. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Sharifymoghaddam, Sayeh | Sheikholeslami, Ali | Low-swing Signaling for FPGA Interconnect Power Reduction | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-11 | FPGAs are widely used in digital circuits implementation because of their lower non-recurring engineering cost and shorter time-to-market in comparison with ASICs. However, there are still area, performance, and energy efficiency gaps between FPGAs and ASICs. In this work, we propose a new FPGA architecture to narrow the energy efficiency gap. Since more than 60% of FPGA power is consumed in its interconnect, we focus on the global interconnect power reduction using low-swing signaling technique. To implement low-swing signaling, high-to-low and low-to-high voltage level converters are added to the basic architecture which consists of clusters with ten 6-input LUTs and uses single driver directional routing scheme. Simulation results on 20 largest MCNC circuits and 19 computational benchmarks confirm that the pro-posed architecture achieves an average of 13.5% total power reduction with the cost of less than 1% area and delay overhead. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Sharkey, Charlotte Alicia | Malcolm, Jay R. | Small Mammal Communities and Multicohort Stand Structure in Boreal Northeastern Ontario | Forestry | 2008-07-30T20:52:42Z | Although boreal forest management typically results in an increased frequency of even-aged forest stands in managed landscapes, fire history research suggests that much of the natural forest mosaic is composed of stands characterised by multiple cohorts of trees. To aid in the development of multicohort management, I investigated stand structural characteristics and small mammal communities as a function of their tree cohort structures. I also tested key alternatives: stand age, productivity, and tree species composition, as correlates of structural variation and small mammal communities. Results reveal that in mixedwood and black spruce forests, three-dimensional structure of boreal forests is strongly correlated with small mammal community structure, and indicate that tree diameter distribution is a succinct descriptor of such structural variation, performing better than alternative stand characteristics. This represents a new approach to characterising habitat supply as a function of within-stand heterogeneity, contrasting with existing approaches that focus on among-stand characteristics. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Sharma, Dikshant | Andrews, Robert C | Comparative Assessment of Ceramic Media for Drinking Water Biofiltration | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Biofiltration is an effective drinking water treatment step for the degradation of organic and inorganic constituents. A Lake Ontario pilot-scale study evaluated the performance of an engineered ceramic media as a potential biological media. Overall, the ceramic media was a good alternative to anthracite in terms of biological accumulation and organic carbon removal, especially in cold-water conditions. However, granular activated carbon was superior for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP) removal. A second biofiltration pilot-study at Lake Erie investigated the removal of inorganic and organic constituents across biological and conventionally operated anthracite filters. The biological filters and conventional treatment effectively removed manganese and iron. However, shifts in water chemistry and extreme turbidity events contributed to manganese leaching from the biological filters. No differences in DOC and DBPFP removals were observed. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Shen, Timothy | Bradley, Saville ||Heather, Maclean | Life Cycle Modelling of Multi-product Lignocellulosic Ethanol Systems | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-08-16 | Life cycle assessment is an important tool to evaluate the impact of 2nd generation lignocellulosic ethanol, and its potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits relative to gasoline. The choice of feedstock, process technology, and co-products may affect GHG emissions and energy metrics. Co-products may improve both the financial and environmental performance of the biorefinery. 26 well-to-wheel models of future lignocellulose-to-ethanol pathways were constructed, considering corn stover, switchgrass, and poplar feedstocks, three pre-treatment technologies, four co-product options, and the use of ethanol in a light-duty vehicle. Model results showed that all pathways with lignin pellet co-production had significantly lower net GHG emissions relative to gasoline and corresponding pathways producing only electricity. Pathways co-producing xylitol had at least 66% greater GHG emission reductions relative to pathways co-producing only lignin pellets. All feedstock/pretreatment/co-product combinations led to GHG reductions of at least 60%, meeting the threshold stipulated under the Energy Independence and Security Act. | MAST | energy; production; greenhouse gas; environment | 7, 12, 13, 14 |
| Shen, Xuechen | Naguib, Hani E | Towards Integrated 3D Printing as an Industrial Manufacturing Process | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-03 | 3D printing is transitioning from a rapid prototyping tool to an industrial production technology. State-of-the-art 3D printing technologies manufacture objects with a wide range of materials. Currently, there is no integrated technology to print dissimilar materials within the same part. Bonding dissimilar parts creates interfaces with debilitating stress concentrations. Overall, part performance is compromised. Therefore, there is value in 3D printing multi-material and functionally graded objects. In this thesis, we propose a novel binder jetting approach using nanoparticle inks to build composites. The approach deposits nanoparticle inks containing physical/chemical bonding agents to bind polymer powders into an object; by switching between different nanoparticle inks (metal/graphene/conductive polymers), a functionally graded composite with non-distinct interfaces is built. To this end, a novel system for robustly ejecting nanoparticle ink is developed, and a graphene oxide (GO) ink was formulated and printed onto polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) powder to build a 0.5vol% GO/PVOH composite. | M.A.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Shenouda, Nabil | Ryan, Sherida||Vieta, Marcelo | Social Capital as a Determinant of Microfinance Clients' Outcomes | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-06 | In this paper, I examine the role of social capital as a determinant of microfinance clients’ ability to leverage microloans to improve key socioeconomic metrics. Social capital theories are deployed in an attempt to account for differentials in these metrics among a unique sample of borrowers. Microfinance emerges prominently in the literature on poverty reduction. While it is important to remain critical of policy agendas that emphasize solutions such as microfinance, it is also necessary to understand how disadvantaged groups can effectively negotiate the system. A deeper understanding of how and whether social capital plays a role in microfinance borrowers’ success may allow us to assess what types of supports will increase the likelihood of success for clients in these programs. Based on survey data collected for this thesis, I was unable to demonstrate a trend between social capital and changes in socioeconomic metrics, but did discover other interesting trends. | M.A. | poverty; socioeconomic | 1 |
| Sherman, Chelsea | Lanctôt, Krista L | Investigating Nutritional Status in Moderate to Severe Alzheimer's Disease Patients Enrolled in a Randomized Controlled Trial with Nabilone | Pharmacology | 2018-11 | Nutritional status is of great clinical significance in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients as malnutrition can increase risk of morbidity, mortality and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Due to a lack of pharmacological treatments for malnutrition, we investigate the use of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, for the improvement of nutritional status. Patients were recruited from a clinical trial in AD patients with clinically significant agitation. Patients treated with nabilone did not have improved nutritional status over time as assessed by the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (b=-0.020 (95%CI -0.27 to 0.23), p=0.87) and body mass index (b=0.020 (95%CI -0.13 to 0.17), p=0.79). Safety outcomes did not significantly differ with respect to nutrition for patients receiving nabilone treatment. By identifying efficacious interventions to manage nutrition in an at-risk population, there may be potential to improve quality of life for AD patients. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Shi, HaoTian | Naguib, Hani E | Development, Characterization, and Prototyping of Ultra Flexible Thin-film Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-06 | With the rapid development flexible electronics, there is a demanding need for fully flexible, lightweight energy storage systems with high energy and power densities. Herein, two major types of novel hybrid composite electrodes for electrochemical capacitors (ECs) were studied, namely substrate supported composite powder electrodes and fully flexible standalone electrospun core-shell fiber electrodes. For hybrid composite powder electrodes, graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs)/polyaniline (PAni), multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)/PAni, aluminum oxide (Al2O3)/PAni, and titanium dioxide (TiO2)/PAni, were created with in-situ chemical polymerization for optimized electrochemical performance. The electrospun core-shell structured electrodes were made using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from recycled beverage bottles as the core material in combination with PAni and GnPs shells in forming high specific surface area three-dimensional networks to facilitate efficient ion transfer ensuring ideal charge storage behaviours along with improved mechanical properties. Finally, working EC prototypes were constructed and characterized with various electrolyte systems and novel composite current collectors. | M.A.S. | energy; recycl | 7 |
| Shi, Leyan | Jia, Charles Q. | Fate of Sulfur During Production of Oil Sands Petroleum Coke Derived-Activated Carbon | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | Oil sands petroleum coke (OSPC) is a stockpiled carbonaceous waste with increasing inventory and environmental impacts; coke utilization is the upcoming focus. The goal of this work is to promote a novel production process that converts OSPC into activated carbon, a value-added product, using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sequential washing. However, the fate of sulfur, a major component of OSPC and a regulated substance, during the production process is largely unknown. Sulfur was determined through simulation of sulfur chemistry and experimental quantification and speciation in the process streams. Activation with NaOH-to-coke ratio of 1.5 and water washing for 10 min completely removed sulfur from OSPC as predominantly sulfide. The product is sulfur-free, low-ash porous carbon. The proposed production process also extracts vanadium, a valuable metal, from OSPC. By washing, sulfur is separated from vanadium and unreacted NaOH which can be recycled to further enhance the feasibility of the production process. | M.A.S. | waste | 12 |
| Shi, Yirui | Xia, Kaiwen | THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF SLAG BASED GEOPOLYMER MORTAR UNDER VARIOUS CURING TIMES | Civil Engineering | 2017-11 | Currently, geopolymers (e.g. fly ash and slag) are excellent replacements of the traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete due to the less production of carbon dioxide into the environment. In this thesis, a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system is used to study the dynamic mechanical properties (i.e. dynamic compressive strength, dynamic tensile strength and dynamic fracture toughness) of slag based geopolymer mortars with two pastes and curing times (7 days, 28 days and 56 days). The results indicate that the dynamic mechanical properties of geopolymer mortars increase with the loading rates. In addition, the dynamic compressive strength, tensile strength, and fracture toughness increase with the increase of curing time and decrease with the increase of water content. Some formulas are proposed to describe the trend of the dynamic compressive strength, tensile strength, and fracture toughness. | M.A.S. | production; environment | 12, 13 |
| Shih, Po-Chen | Kawaji, Masahiro | Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Device for Automobile Applications | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-11-28 | Driving with the cold engine increases fuel consumption and greenhouse gases emissions. A latent heat energy storage device has been proposed to recover waste heat and reduce engine warm-up time by using phase change materials (PCMs) as an energy storage medium. Two types of paraffin waxes and 50/50 mixture of the two have been examined to characterize their behaviors under repetitive heating/freezing. From the results, the heat transfer is more effective in the case of narrower spacing distances between the cooling plates and high circulating flow rate of the heat transfer fluid. A 50/50 mixture of two paraffin waxes also provides better heat transfer due to the possible existence of both conduction and natural convection. The results of the metal block simulation experiments demonstrated the potential of latent heat TES’s for use in engine warm-up. | MAST | energy; consum; waste; greenhouse gas | 7, 12, 13 |
| Shiller, Jennifer Ann | Finkelstein, Sarah A. ||Cowling, Sharon A. | Factors Affecting Holocene Carbon Accumulation in a Peatland in Southern Ontario | Geography | 2013-07-17 | Multi-proxy, medium-resolution Holocene and high-resolution late Holocene records from a southern Ontario ombrotrophic peatland examined factors affecting carbon accumulation. These records include radiometric dating, calculation of long-term apparent rate of carbon accumulation (LORCA), determination of peat humification, and analysis of plant macro-remains, charcoal and nitrogen concentration. Coupled with existing paleo-climate reconstructions, these data were integrated to determine how factors, such as climate, autogenic succession and fire, influenced carbon accumulation. Mean LORCA were similar to other northern and temperate peatlands. LORCA was high during the marsh phase and decreased following a transition to fen. Neoglacial cooling and the fen to bog transition did not lead to significant differences in LORCA. The last millennium did not exhibit much variation in LORCA; however, there is evidence for warming associated with the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Recent disturbances did impact LORCA; however, fire did not play a role in peatland dynamics in the pre-industrial Holocene. | MAST | industr; urban; climate | 9, 11, 13 |
| Shokr, Hisham | Wilson, Kathi||Daniere, Amrita | Manifestations Of Inequity In Egypt’s Two-Tiered Healthcare System | Geography | 2018-11 | In planning healthcare systems, challenges and debates may vary significantly from one country to the next. Direct privatization, public-private partnerships, cost recovery programs, and user fees have often been promoted as remedies to ailing healthcare systems. In fact, market-driven healthcare reforms and development strategies continue to drive the privatization of healthcare services in many countries. But, it is often the case, particularly in low- and middle-income countries in the Global South, that when these measures are implemented large disparities emerge and are maintained between the public and private tiers. Focusing on the case of Egypt, my thesis addresses the following question: What are the manifestations of inequity between private for-profit and public hospitals in Egypt, with regards to quality and access to emergency care? More specifically, this thesis seeks to examine the perceptions of physicians with regards to disparities in access and quality of emergency care. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Shum, Justin | Thomson, Murray J. | The Development and Validation of a Simplified Soot Model for use in Soot Emissions Prediction in Natural Gas Fuelled Engine Simulations | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-26 | This study employs a novel approach in order to satisfy the need in industry for a computationally inexpensive means to modelling soot formation in engines fuelled by natural gas. The complex geometries found in practical combustion devices along with the requirement to solve turbulent, chemically reacting, and multi-phase flows necessitates this goal. A two-equation model, which tracks soot mass and soot number density, is employed. The goal is to apply this model in engine simulations at Westport Innovations, an industry partner. Experimental data is used to validate the model in various operating conditions. Numerical data obtained from a detailed sectional soot model is also used to augment available validation data, especially with respect to soot formation/oxidation mechanisms. The developed model shows good agreement compared to experimental data and the detailed sectional soot model among all cases considered and will be further tested and applied in Westport’s natural gas engine simulations. | MAST | innovation; industr | 9 |
| Sidler, Martin | Bagli, Darius J | Establishing a new rodent model of partial bladder outlet obstruction and the role of macrophages in bladder obstruction | Medical Science | 2017-11 | Partial bladder outlet obstruction has a high prevalence, develops insidiously, and can severely affect quality of life and health of patients. Obstruction leads to bladder hypertrophy and ultimately to fibrosis. While macrophages are known as central regulators of fibrosis in many organs, their role in bladder remodeling is poorly understood. We hypothesized that macrophages modulate bladder remodeling in the context of partial outlet obstruction. We developed a partial bladder outlet obstruction rodent model that avoids dissection around the bladder neck, thus avoiding a wound healing response of that area affecting the bladder. Importantly, our model also preserved bladder innervation, in contrast to the traditionally used model. Bladder outlet obstruction increased the number of macrophages and depletion of macrophages not only affected cytokine levels in bladder tissue but also helped preserve bladder function. Macrophages seem to contribute to obstruction-related bladder dysfunction | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Siewierski, Richard | Gough, William A. | An Analysis of Seasonal Sea Ice off the Coast of Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada | Geography | 2010-02-15T16:49:29Z | Sea ice is essential to the survival of many human settlements in Arctic Canada in that it provides a means for basic sustenance, travel and largely defines the seasons. Northern communities base their livelihoods on these traditionally well established cryogenic cycles. In this work, seasonal sea ice is analyzed off the coast of Cape Dorset, Nunavut. Significant trends are established for earlier sea ice break-up and later freeze up dates for the period 1982 to 2007. The timing of sea ice formation and retreat is significantly changing in the Cape Dorset region, with the ice free season increasing ~40 days since 1982. Relationships are established statistically between the shifting ice free season and temperature, weather types (air masses), precipitation, and wind. The results of this study illustrate the changing nature of sea ice formation and retreat in Cape Dorset and the importance of completing localized studies in the Arctic. | MAST | wind | 7 |
| Sigurdson, Kristjan | Sá, Creso | The Rise and Fall of the University of Toronto's Innovations Foundation: Lessons from Canadian Technology Transfer | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2013-11-20 | This study explains the rise and fall of the Innovations Foundation, the University of Toronto's first office dedicated to the transfer of university-developed technologies to industry. Drawing on extensive archival research, ten interviews with key informants, and other sources, the case study traces the evolution of the Foundation from its launch in 1980 to its closure in 2006. The study delineates three distinct business models under which the Foundation operated from 1980 to 1990, 1990 to 1999, and 1999 to 2006. The reasons for the adoption and failure of each model are explored and a historically grounded, context-sensitive explanation of the university's decision to dismantle the Foundation in 2006 is provided. This explanation emphasizes the importance of managing unrealistic expectations for Canadian university technology transfer, and adds weight to a growing consensus on the importance of historical path-dependence as a conceptual tool for understanding the persistence of differentials in technology transfer performance among universities. | MAST | innovation; industr | 9 |
| Silva, Sarah Elizabeth Da | Shear, Harvey | Beyond Indicators and Reporting: Needs, Limitations and Applicability of Environmental Indicators and State of the Environment Reporting | Geography | 2010-01-13T21:13:13Z | This research examines the perceptions and use of environmental indicators and state of the environment reports by local government and Conservation Authority decision makers and practitioner’s within the Ontario portion of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin. Participants describe their information needs and how indicators and SOER are used at the local level; and what limitations or challenges they face to bridge the gap between monitoring information and policy. A multi-method approach including a web-based survey and follow-up telephone interviews was the primary data collection method used. Indicator and SOER knowledge and information are further explored to determine information exchange amongst different levels of governance. To review the dissemination of indicator and SOER information from a higher spatial scale down to the local level, the State of the Great Lakes environmental indicators and SOER, developed by the governments of Canada and the United States served as a case study. | MAST | governance; environment; conserv | 13, 15, 16 |
| Simeonov, Gregor | Lehn, Peter W. | Resonant Boost Converter for Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking in Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-12-03 | This thesis introduces a new photovoltaic (PV) system architecture employing low voltage parallel-connected PV panels interfaced to a high voltage regulated DC bus of a three-phase grid-tied inverter. The concept provides several improvements over existing technologies in terms of cost, safety, reliability, and modularity. A novel resonant mode DC-DC boost converter topology is proposed to enable the PV modules to deliver power to the fixed DC bus. The topology offers high step-up capabilities and a nearly constant efficiency over a wide operating range. A reduced sensor maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller is developed for the converter to maximize energy harvesting of the PV panels. The reduced sensor algorithm can be generally applied to the class of converters employing pulse frequency modulation control. A ZigBee wireless communication system is implemented to provide advanced control, monitoring and protection features. A testbench for a low cost 500 $W$ smart microconverter is designed and implemented, demonstrating the viability of the system architecture. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Simon, Aaron Patrick | Langille, A Brian | Termination of Employment in England and Canada | Law | 2014-11 | This paper provides an introduction to the legal regimes relevant to dismissal in England for a Canadian audience, and vice versa. It examines the law on termination of employment in England and Canada, including both common law and legislation and in respect of both unionised and non-unionised workplaces, and assesses the employment protection offered under those regimes. It argues that, in England, where the common law of wrongful dismissal and the unfair dismissal statute have interacted, the result has been to limit protection for both unionised and non-unionised employees. In Canada, more limited statutory regulation of dismissal has coincided with a more protective development of the law of wrongful dismissal, and interaction with statutory intervention, in the form of minimum notice periods, has operated to increase, rather than limit, employment protection. Unionised employees in Canada benefit from a wholly separate regime for dealing with dismissal disputes. | LL.M. | employment | 8 |
| Simone, Dylan | Walks, Alan | Household Indebtedness and Socio-Spatial Polarization among Immigrant and Visible Minority Neighbourhoods in Canada's Global Cities | Geography | 2014-11 | Two key attributes of contemporary global capitalism are on the one hand, financialization and rising household indebtedness, and on the other, high levels of mobility and migration between nations, particularly into the `global' cities. Studies on household debt as it relates to race and immigrant status are scarce outside of the US. This thesis investigates levels and types of household indebtedness at the neighbourhood scale among immigrant communities and areas containing more racialized people, in the three largest Canadian cities - Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver (TMV). In particular, it seeks to understand whether racialized and immigrant neighbourhoods experience higher and more onerous kinds of debt (such as unsecured forms of consumer debt) than other neighbourhoods, and the contours of any correlations between them. Descriptive statistics and regression models demonstrate that neighbourhoods housing immigrant groups, and certain visible minority groups, relate to higher levels of unsecured consumer debts in TMV. | M.A. | cities; urban | 11 |
| Sin, Jaisie | Munteanu, Cosmin | Older Adults' Acceptance of Virtual Doctors: A Preliminary Investigation | Information Studies | 2018-11 | The use of virtual doctors is increasing; yet, we have not fully studied their impact and how they are perceived by the public, especially by digitally-marginalized users such as older adults. We also do not know how virtual doctors compare to other technology-mediated alternatives, like traditional telemedicine. More broadly, the factors leading to older users’ adoption of virtual doctors are not well understood. In other similar fields, users’ perceptions of early generations of conversational interfaces have been extensively studied. This raises the question of how virtual agents’ fidelity (e.g. video vs. speech-only) and agency (e.g. human vs. machine) influence confidence, comfort, and ease of use in target groups like older adults. To fill these knowledge gaps, I have conducted a mixed-methods study with older adults in which they engaged with different versions of telemedicine setups. The versions varied along the dimensions of fidelity (e.g. video vs. speech-only) and agency (e.g. human vs. machine). Analysis of interview and survey data shows that older adults were most confident and comfortable with speech-only machine-powered interfaces for general healthcare information, and with video-based link with human doctors for specific healthcare information. The findings also show that in order for virtual doctor systems to be accepted by older adults, they need to do the following: complement older adults’ visits to their existing doctors, fit their existing information practices for gathering healthcare information, and have perceived value compared to their currently available alternatives. | M.I.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Singh, Abhikaran | Wallace, James S | Effect of the Seasonal Changes in Fuel Composition on Particulate Matter Emissions from a Gasoline Direct Injection Engine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-06 | The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) found that black carbons (BC) concentrations were significantly higher in summer than in winter, which could be attributed to the seasonal variations in fuel composition. This experimental study investigated the impact of fuel seasonal changes on particulate matter (PM) emissions using a Ford Focus wall-guided GDI engine. Fuels from five public gas stations having octane rating of 87 and 91 were analyzed and tested. This study demonstrated that summer fuels contained higher aromatics than winter fuels which led to higher PM emissions and BC concentrations during steady state and transient state conditions. Moreover, the removal of ethanol content resulted in lower PM emissions and BC concentrations during steady state conditions. This study suggested that an increase in aromatics in summer fuels could be root cause for higher BC concentrations, however, similar study should be performed in other engines to support this conclusion. | M.A.S. | climate; environment | 13 |
| Singh, Krista Nicole | Farnood, Ramin||Allen, Grant | The Effect of Orifice Flow Treatment on Biosludge Dewaterability | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | This research assessed the potential for orifice flow treatment to improve biosludge dewaterability by disintegrating the flocs, thereby releasing the interstitial water trapped within them. Pulp and paper waste activated sludge, municipal waste activated sludge, and municipal anaerobically digested sludge samples were orifice flow treated at strain rates up to 29,280 ± 1060 s-1, 34,540 s-1, and 34,090 s-1, respectively, and their particle size distribution, water distribution, and dewaterability were assessed. Although orifice flow treatment disintegrated the biosludge flocs, it did not significantly affect the interstitial water content. Overall, orifice flow treatment worsened filterability. Orifice flow treatment did, however, increase the centrifuge cake solids content of pulp and paper and municipal waste activated sludge by 10 and 15 % respectively, showing the potential to improve biosludge centrifugability. Additionally, orifice flow treatment was more effective in disintegrating pulp and paper waste activated sludge flocs than sonication at the same energy output. | M.A.S. | waste | 14 |
| Singhal, Rajni | Hux, Janet | Prevalence, Predictors, and Outcomes Associated with Late Start of Chronic Kidney Disease Care Amongst Adults with End-stage Renal Disease | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-12-20 | Using Ontario health administrative data, we identified 12,143 adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who received outpatient nephrology care prior to start of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in order to study the effect of care-related factors in predicting late start of predialysis care (PDC, defined as first outpatient nephrology visit <6 months prior to RRT start) and to explore covariates which further quantify the PDC received. Lack of an usual provider of primary care (OR 0.76; 95%CI 0.66, 0.87) predicted late start of PDC. In addition to late start of PDC, number of nephrology visits (OR 0.97 per visit; 95% CI 0.96, 0.98), and having seen a nephrologist in only 1 or 2 of the 6 months prior to RRT start (OR 1.33; 95%CI 1.18, 1.51), were also independent predictors of one-year mortality, suggesting that other measures of PDC are needed to better characterize the care received. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Singhal, Tarun Kumar | Kwon, Oh-Sung||Christopoulos, Constantin | CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (CIRAF) | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Disruptive events (e.g., earthquakes or floods) causes severe damage to civil infrastructural systems, and there is need to extend the focus of traditional design practices to include resilience-based design techniques which can help in defining preventive actions and measures to mitigate their effect. This study presents a framework to assess fragility and resilience of a single or interconnected civil infrastructural system following a disruptive event. Once the specifications regarding the infrastructural system, fragility databases, component's damage state correlation, recovery models, and upgrade models are identified, then the framework can be used to quantify overall resilience following an extreme event. A state of the art engineering tool is also developed using the framework that would enable the stakeholders to compare different upgrade strategies through an easy to use web interface. A case study of typical nuclear power plant is used to assess resilience by considering multiple upgrade strategies using the framework. | M.A.S. | resilien | 11 |
| Sinke, Mark Robert | Gérin-Lajoie, Diane | Liberian Youth Speak: Life Histories of Young Former Refugees and their Interactions with the Canadian School System | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-29 | This study explores the interactions of four Liberian youth with the public education system in Ontario since their arrival as refugees. Using life histories developed with each participant, I have sought to understand and engage with the ways that these students negotiate their social and personal identities within the context of the majority discourses and practices of education in Ontario. By foregrounding the experiences and voices of the participants, it becomes possible to critically analyze the power relations that exist both to limit and empower these youth as they navigate their social and educational contexts. It becomes clear in the life histories that society’s dominant discourses of normalcy work to ignore or make irrelevant the complex identities that these youth inhabit and exhibit in their daily lives. However, they creatively exercise their individual agency to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities they feel are available to them in Canada. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Sirola, Todd Erik | Zee, Robert E | Assembly, Integration, and Testing of Earth Monitoring Microsatellites | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2019-11 | It has become clear over the last century that aerosol emissions have had a major impact on the Earth's climate and energy balance. Ground and air based aerosol observation techniques have proven to be cumbersome and can only provide data over short periods of time. Satellites, and particularly microsatellites, can provide an accessible method of Earth observation capable of collecting data over large areas for long periods of time. For this reason, the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto has developed the Next-Generation Earth Monitoring and Observation - Aerosol Monitoring (NEMO-AM) and DMSat-1 spacecraft. This thesis will provide a high-level overview of the assembly, integration, and testing phase for these microsatellite missions. This includes descriptions of the author's contributions to unit-level acceptance testing, battery pack design and assembly, and spacecraft-level environmental testing. The testing and analysis completed by the author to accept the missions' main optical payload is also described. | M.A.S. | environment; climate; energy | 7, 13 |
| Sit, Victoria | Stermac, Lana | Sexual Assault and Formal Service Use: Understanding Help-seeking among Women Living in Poverty | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2015-03 | Despite the extensive and often long-lasting sequelae of sexual assault, a significant majority of survivors do not seek assistance from formal support sources. While past research has identified factors that influence help-seeking among survivors, limited attention has been paid to the role of socioeconomic status in shaping these decisions. Guided by Liang and colleagues' (2005) three-stage help-seeking model, this qualitative study aims to develop an in-depth, contextualized understanding of the help-seeking processes of sexual assault survivors living in poverty, along with suggestions on how formal service use rates and experiences can be improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen women, and thematic analysis was applied to the data. Results reveal a number of barriers and illustrate the ways in which limited resources contribute to decisions to delay help-seeking, avoid certain support sources, or not seek help altogether. Drawing upon participants' recommendations, implications for formal services and future research are discussed. | M.A. | poverty; socioeconomic; women | 1, 5 |
| Sium, Aman | Wane, Njoki | Revisinting the "Black Man's Burden": Eritrea and the Curse of the Nation-state | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2011-01-01T18:49:35Z | This thesis argues that the state apparatus has failed to provide Africans with a culturally compatible form of governance. The state is a product of colonial origin, and thus, has failed to resonate with Indigenous African spirituality, moral consciousness or political tradition. By grounding my argument in the Eritrean context, I make the case that the Eritrean state – not unlike other African states – is failing in three fundamental ways. First, it is oppressive towards Indigenous institutions of governance, particularly the village baito practiced in the rural highlands of Eritrea. Second, the state promotes a national identity that has been arbitrarily formed and colonially imposed in place of Indigenous ones, such as those formed around regional or linguistic groupings. Lastly, because the Eritrean state is a rather new phenomenon that suffers from a crisis of legitimacy, it inevitably falls back on processes of violence, coercion and control to assert its authority. | MAST | rural; institution; governance | 11, 16 |
| Smallwood, Bryden Alexander | Wallace, James S | Effect of Fuel Composition on Particulate Matter Emissions from a Gasoline Direct Injection Engine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | The effects of fuel composition on reducing PM emissions were investigated using a Ford Focus wall-guided gasoline direct injection engine (GDI). Initial results with a 65% isooctane and 35% toluene blend showed significant reductions in PM emissions. Further experiments determined that this decrease was due to a lack of light-end components in that fuel blend. Tests with pentane content lower than 15% were found to have PN concentrations 96% lower than tests with 20% pentane content. This indicates that there is a shift in mode of soot production. Pentane significantly increases the vapour pressure of the fuel blend, potentially resulting in surface boiling, less homogeneous mixtures, or decreased fuel rebound from the piston. PM mass measurements and PN Index values both showed strong correlations with the PN concentration emissions. In the gaseous exhaust, THC, pentane, and 1,3 butadiene showed strong correlations with the PM emissions. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Smart, Sarah | Taddio, Anna | A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Prenatal Education to Improve the Use of Pain Management Strategies during Infant Immunization | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2013-11-28 | Background: Unmitigated immunization pain in infants has the potential to impact long-term health outcomes. Teaching parents in the prenatal period may increase utilization of pain management (PM) strategies in clinical practice. Objective: To assess the efficaciousness of teaching parents in the prenatal environment and its impact on the number of analgesic PM strategies utilized during the 2-month immunization appointment. Methods: This partially blinded cluster randomized controlled trial enrolled mothers from prenatal classes at Mount Sinai Hospital. Classes were randomized to receive a presentation on either immunization PM or general immunization information. Results: One hundred and ninety-seven mothers from 28 classes participated in this study. There was a statistically significant increase (p<0.01) in the use of one or more analgesic interventions in the group that received a presentation on immunization PM compared to those who received general immunization information. Conclusions: Prenatal classes are a suitable environment to educate parents about immunization PM. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Smenderovac, Elizabeth Emily | Caspersen, John | Microbial Community Structure and Function in Coarse Woody Debris and Boreal Forest Soils after Intensified Biomass Harvests | Forestry | 2014-11 | Intensified biomass harvesting could prove to be negative for forest ecological health through the impacts this type of forest management could exert on microbial community structure and function in forest soils and in CWD pools. Microbial community functional characteristics as well as community structure (through T-RFLP and pyrotag sequencing of ssu rRNA) were assayed soils in a boreal jack pine forest exposed to a clearcut intensified harvesting gradient. Microbial communities within CWD of various decay stages were also assessed in order to determine habitat specificity of the decomposer communities within them. Soil microbial communities were altered by harvesting, but intensification did not cause further disturbance. Soils in harvested sites were different from fire sites also assayed, meaning that these disturbance types may have different impacts on microbial community structure and functioning. CWD communities within logs had different characteristics in different sites. Intensification could reduce site specific organisms important in decay initiation. | M.Sc. | forest; urban; health | 3, 11, 15 |
| Smith, Adam | Jamieson, Gregory Allan | Level of Automation Effects on Situation Awareness and Functional Specificity in Automation Reliance | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-07-23 | This thesis investigates the relationships between performance, workload, and situation awareness at varying levels of automation. The relationships observed in this study are compared to a description put forth to formalize the conventional interpretation of the trade-off between the benefits of automation during routine operation and the costs under conditions of automation failure. The original work stipulated that this “routine-failure trade-off” is likely a simplification affected by contextual factors. This work therefore aimed to i) provide empirical evidence to support or refute the trade-off and ii) to identify possible extenuating factors. The results generally supported the routine-failure trade-off, and considered in light of the functional structure of the task suggested that the relationships between goals and individual functions specific to a given task seem to affect the overall costs and benefits of automation through the mechanism of selective reliance. Further work is required to validate the findings of this study. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Smith, Christopher | Anderson, G. Harvey | Effect of Yellow Pea Protein and Fibre on Short-term Food Intake, Subjective Appetite and Glycemic Response in Healthy Young Men | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-03-26 | In order to elucidate the component(s) of yellow peas responsible for their health benefits, the effects of 10 or 20 g of isolated yellow pea protein (P10 and P20) or fibre (F10 and F20) on food intake (FI) at an ad libitum pizza meal served at 30 min (experiment 1) or 120 min (experiment 2), blood glucose (BG) and appetite in young healthy males (20-30 y) were investigated. In experiment 1, P20 suppressed FI compared to all other treatments and lowered cumulative FI (pizza meal kcal + treatment kcal) compared to F10. Protein treatments suppressed pre-meal (0-30 min) BG compared to control, whereas only P20 suppressed post-meal (50-120 min) BG. In experiment 2, there was no effect of treatment on any outcome measures. Thus, protein is the component responsible for the short-term effects of yellow peas on glycaemia and FI, but its second-meal effects diminish by 2 hours post-consumption. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Smith, Darren Asa | Jackson, Don||Ridgway, Mark | Patterns in the Temperature Selection and Occupancy of Brook Trout in Algonquin Park | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2017-06 | Temperature is a key environmental factor affecting habitat selection of many freshwater fishes as it controls physiological processes including growth and metabolism. Many species face potential threats due to rising temperatures and cold-water species, including Brook Trout, are thought to be particularly vulnerable. Much of our knowledge about selection of Brook Trout thermal habitat is from work estimating upper thresholds and optimal or selected temperatures within experimental settings. Broadening our understanding of thermal selection beyond laboratory experiments is a necessary next step in order to accurately identify and conserve important thermal habitat for this and other potentially threatened species. I first review the literature on Brook Trout temperature relations in order to summarize our current state of knowledge and compare between the lab- and field-based studies. Field estimates of Brook Trout thermal selection from 37 Algonquin Park lakes are then studied, followed by models of Brook Trout occupancy and detection probability. | M.Sc. | fish; conserv; environment; water | 13, 14 |
| Smith, Fraser | Caspersen, John ||Thomas, Sean C. | Mortality in the Yukon: Post-harvest Effects on Structural Retention | Forestry | 2010-02-15T20:06:53Z | Structural retention harvesting represents one of the most important recent silvicultural innovations and is widely practiced in the harvesting of mature boreal stands. Following structural retention harvests, mortality of retained trees is often dramatically elevated compared to pre-harvest stands. I examined tree mortality following structural retention harvests in the southeastern Yukon Territory, using dendrochronological techniques to quantify annual mortality. I estimated integrated losses in the first five years to be at least 17.3% of retained stems. Analysis of mortality type showed that windthrow was the most important post-harvest mortality mechanism. This study represents the first analysis of mortality responses following structural retention harvests in the northern extent of operational forestry in Canada. Rates of post-harvest tree mortality observed in this study are among the highest reported to date from managed Canadian boreal forests, indicating that greater attention must be given to post-harvest stand responses if sustainable forestry practices are desired. | MAST | forest | 15 |
| Smith, Robert | Kent, Roach | The Company One Keeps: The Khadr II Litigation in its International and Comparative Legal Context | Law | 2011-12-20 | This thesis examines the extent to which the judiciary can intervene into the executive branch’s power over foreign affairs. This thesis focuses on the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Canada (Prime Minister) v. Omar Khadr, 2010 SCC 3 where Omar Khadr requested the judiciary to order the executive branch to request his release from American custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Supreme Court refused Khadr’s request, but issued a declaratory order stating that Khadr’s rights had been violated by the Canadian government. This thesis places this decision, and its follow-on litigation, in its international and comparative context by examining the international law of diplomatic protection as well as three cases, one from the United Kingdom, one from South Africa and one from West Germany. After examining the context, this thesis concludes that the Supreme Court’s decision, although flawed, was reasonable. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Smith, Robert William | Jeffs, Lianne||Kuluski, Kerry | Patient-level Social Determinants of Unplanned Hospital Readmission among General Internal Medicine Patients | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-11 | Hospital readmissions have garnered considerable attention among researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers because they are common, costly, and potentially preventable. The purpose of this study was to understand whether patient-level socio-demographic factors are independently associated with 30-day readmission among General Internal Medicine (GIM) patients. This retrospective cohort study included 1427 patients discharged from the GIM service of an urban teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada between the years 2012 and 2014. Multivariable Cox regression was used to analyze relationships between 13 socio-demographic variables and 30-day unplanned all-cause readmission while controlling for validated clinical risk factors. Socio-demographic factors were not found to be significantly associated with readmission within this cohort. Factors related to illness-level, particularly previous hospital utilization, were significantly associated with readmission. Knowledge generated from this study may inform the efforts of clinicians, hospital managers, and policy makers working to reduce hospital readmission rates and develop health systems which facilitate population health equity. | M.Sc. | health; urban | 3, 11 |
| Snell, Pamela | Goldstein, Tara | Solitude and Solidarity:Understanding Public Pedagogy through Queer Discourses on YouTube | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-03-17 | Working alongside five queer-identified theatre artists, using critical arts-based participatory action research, this research project worked through a creative process in which the research team identified, deconstructed, and disrupted normative queer discourses on the video-sharing website YouTube. Using notions from queer theory, cultural studies, and anti-oppression education, along with embodied analysis as a deconstructive strategy, the research team used collective theorizing and performance to facilitate an analysis of the online videos. In this thesis, I discuss embodied knowing by analyzing performative moments in the creative workshop undertaken by the research team. I then provide a thematic analysis of the online videos, followed by an analysis of how the research team used collective creation and personal narrative to produce a counter-hegemonic response video. Finally, I conclude with a discussion on how to engage video creation as a form of anti-oppression education that queers public pedagogy. | MAST | educat; queer | 4, 5 |
| Snider, Naomi | Knop, Karen C. | The ICC and R2P: Vacillating between Utopia and Tyranny | Law | 2012-11-27 | For nearly half a decade discussion of the responsibility to protect (R2P) and international criminal justice proceeded along separate lines. However, in recent years an emerging perception that international criminal law may contribute to putting an end to a continuing atrocity crimes has lead to its use as an R2P reactive tool. This paper examines the relationship between R2P and the activity of International Criminal Court (the ICC), and the implications of their recent rapprochement. Firstly, the paper aims to bring a much-needed focus on the implications of their current interaction in ongoing conflict situations. Secondly it examines whether the convergence of R2P and the ICC represents a paradigmatic shift toward humanity’s law and a possible utopian tyranny or reinforces the traditional statist system as the fundamental framework for conflict mediation opening the door to a possible “cynic tyranny”. Thirdly, it considers how ICC and R2P activities should be coordinated. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Soden, Courtney D. | He, Yuhong||Lehnherr, Igor | The Spatial and Temporal Variability of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes within an Urban Bay-mouth Bar Coastal Marsh that has undergone Sediment Restoration | Geography | 2016-11 | Wetlands contribute to carbon cycling through integrated aerobic and anaerobic redox processes within their ecosystem. Despite overwhelming support that climate and land use changes threaten to alter greenhouse gas (GHG) status, both coastal marsh wetlands and the effects of dredging restoration are understudied. To address this, a field experiment was conducted to monitor GHG fluxes through ebullition, diffusion, and plant-assisted transport in Rattray Marsh (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada). This research aims to answer two questions: (i) What is the spatial variation and temporal variability of GHG fluxes across inorganic sediment exposure? and (ii) What are the driving factors for GHG fluxes? The experiment results reveal that (i) Elevated diffusive and ebullitive fluxes were observed at restored locations; (ii) GHG fluxes are seasonally driven; and (iii) GHG driving factors are highly variable. This suggests that the removal of inorganic sediment through dredging results in an elevated emission of GHG to the atmosphere. | M.Sc. | climate; greenhouse gas; land use | 13, 15 |
| Sodhi, Darwin Shikra | Cadotte, Marc W | The Effect of Vincetoxicum rossicum on The Functional Diversity of Meadow and Understory Ecosystems | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-06 | Increased globalization has led to the movement and spread of species around the world, and these species have the potential to profoundly alter ecosystems. These invasions often result in negative ecological, economic, and human health impacts. Vincetoxicum. rossicum is found in several ecosystems such as open meadows and understory, however very little is known about how it impacts communities. I hypothesized that V.rossicum would occupy similar niche space to that of the resident species and, due to both fitness and niche differences, impact community structure. In an observational field study conducted in the Rouge National Urban Park; Canada’s first national urban park, I found that in the meadow ecosystem V.rossicum has high niche overlap and is selecting for exotic species to become more abundant. However, in the understory ecosystem niche overlap couldn’t be confirmed however, resident species are becoming increasingly specialized in order to avoid direct competition with V.rossicum. | M.Sc. | ecology | 15 |
| Sokolowski, Aleksandra | Andrews, A Susan | Effects of Nanostructured TiO2 Photocatalysis on Disinfection By-product Formation | Civil Engineering | 2014-11 | The current research used simulated solar light and demonstrated that Aeroxide® P25 and innovative TiO2 photocatalytic nanomaterials decreased the trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) formation potential (fp) in model and natural river water sources by degrading natural organic matter (precursors) before disinfection with chlorine. A low and high UV dose (28 and 827 mJ/cm2 , respectively) were applied and, overall, synthetic water THM fp reduced by up to 41 % and HAA fp reduced by up to 36 % while Otonabee River water THM fp reduced by up to 24 % and HAA fp reduced by up to 13%. P25, P25 mixed with 1% of a silver-based product, anatase, and nitrogen doped anatase performed relatively similarly. Advancement in treatment efficiencies emerging from innovations in material science and reactor design, and understanding of water quality impacts and degradation mechanisms, increase the feasibility of incorporating TiO2 photocatalysis in drinking water treatment systems. | M.A.S. | water;innovation | 6, 9 |
| Soltys, Kalina | Buliung, Ron | Toward an Understanding of Carpool Formation and Use | Geography | 2010-02-15T16:50:41Z | Recent transportation, economic and environmental trends demonstrate a need for altering the typical commuting practices in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) area. Travel Demand Management initiatives like Smart Commute’s, Carpool Zone, are working to reduce the negative externalities of commuting. Using a variety of secondary data sources, geographic visualization, and statistical methods, this thesis examines the carpool formation and use process in the GGH. The results indicate that municipalities with the highest rates of carpooling are in relatively affluent exurban/suburban areas, located beyond the Smart Commute programming jurisdiction. The most significant factor in the carpool process was found to be proximity to other Carpool Zone users. Other factors include; motivations to save time, gender, and current use of public transit. These results are both relevant in a behavioural science context – advancing current understanding of shared travel behaviour, and in the policy environment, as they inform how to improve carpool practices. | MAST | urban; environment | 11, 13 |
| Somani, Reshma | Cameron, Linda | Educating for Citizenship in the English Secondary Classroom: A Case Study of Teacher Perspectives and Practice in Public and Islamic Schools in Ontario | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-11-30 | This thesis explores the extent to which English curriculum, teachers’ literary choices, and a high demographic of Muslim students, influence the way English teachers educate for citizenship, in public and Islamic schools in Ontario. The three aspects this thesis examines are the following: how English teachers conceptualize citizenship education using informed, purposeful, and active citizenship learning expectations; in what ways their practice and literary choices enhance dimensions of citizenship education; and to what extent the English citizenship educator provides an inclusive space for Muslim perspectives. While the study shows that English teachers were successful at infusing purposeful citizenship, the study suggests that a more explicit link is needed in curriculum and in teacher practice, to inculcate informed and active citizenship outcomes in English. This study also implies, that teachers’ specific literary choices coupled with a citizenship education pedagogy, provides a more inclusive space for Muslim hybrid identities in English. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Son, Jungik | Shu, Lily H. | Mechanical Transformation to Support Design for Environmentally Significant Behaviour | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-27 | This thesis aims to discover possibilities of using products that mechanically transform to support environmentally significant behaviour (ESB), a term that refers to intentional behaviour of an individual to change the natural world. The first half of the work explored the potential relationship between mechanical transformation principles and certain ESBs. This exploration found that implementing transformative mechanisms in products enabled spontaneous use of the products in unanticipated situations. For example, a collapsible reusable shopping bag helped users avoid purchasing disposable bags when they went to grocery stores impulsively. The second half studied a variety of organisms to identify transformation patterns in nature. These patterns were summarized in a two-dimensional matrix to facilitate conceptual design of transformable products. In summary, this work showed that mechanical transformation facilitates at least three types of ESB, and also developed a new tool to assist designers in developing conceptual transformable products that can support ESBs. | MAST | environment | 13 |
| Son, Min Kue (Philip) | Mollett, Sharlene | "Abandoned in every sense”: Dispossession, Depletion, and the Reproduction of Colonial Relations through Transnational Mining in the Peruvian Andes | Geography | 2019-11 | In 2016, the ten indigenous campesino communities of the district of Chamaca, Peru temporarily seized a copper mine owned and operated by a transnational mining company, HudBay Minerals. To understand such mining conflicts in Chamaca, this thesis examines how colonial logics and power relations underpin contemporary development policies of the Peruvian state. In particular, I analyze how the historical entanglements of race, indigenous land tenure and labor, and mining inform contemporary extractivist policies. Drawing on three months of ethnographic research, I argue that the HudBay mining enclosure, justified by such policies, reproduces the colonial power structure in three ways: through 1) dispossessions that deplete indigenous social reproduction; 2) the entrenchment of the colonial gender system; 3) state and corporate legal abandonment that recreates hacienda-indigenous relations. En 2016, las diez comunidades campesinas originarias del distrito de Chamaca, Perú tomaron las instalaciones de la minera transnacional—HudBay Minerals—por cuatro días. Para entender los conflictos mineros en Chamaca, esta tesis examina cómo las lógicas y relaciones de poder coloniales respaldan la política de desarrollo contemporánea del Estado peruano. En particular, analizo cómo las conexiones históricas entre las estructuras raciales, la tenencia de la tierra y la labor de las poblaciones indígenas, y la minería informan la política extractivista del presente. Luego de tres meses de investigación etnográfica, sostengo que el cercamiento minero de HudBay, establecido por tal política, reproduce la estructura colonial en tres maneras: por 1) las desposesiones que agotan la reproducción social de los pueblos originarios; 2) el afianzamiento del sistema de género colonial; 3) el abandonamiento legal por parte del Estado y la empresa, que recrea las relaciones y economía de hacienda. | M.A. | gender; production | 5, 12 |
| Sondhi, Shireen | Cossman, Brenda | Are We Chasing Rainbows?: Achieving the Decriminalization of Prostitution in Canada | Law | 2011-01-11T16:29:11Z | Prostitution has often been referred to as the oldest profession in the world. Yet the Canadian legislature and courts refuse to recognize it as a profession but merely as a social nuisance or worse yet a social evil. While the act of selling sex in exchange for money is technically legal in Canada, all related activities are criminalized. The majority of social science studies concerning the impact of prostitution-related laws on the health, safety and wellbeing of prostitutes indicates that criminalization jeopardizes the safety of prostitutes, as well as their access to health and social services and recommends the decriminalization of the profession. Despite these studies and requests from sex workers and experts, the government has refused to repeal any of the prostitution-related laws. This paper outlines the societal and legislative treatment of prostitution and then seeks to determine whether decriminalization is a viable goal in Canada. | MAST | worker; rights | 8, 16 |
| Song, Dawei | Gulak, Patrick Glenn | A Voltage Scaling Power Reduction Strategy for Memory-based LDPC Decoders | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-06 | In baseband digital signal processing, dynamic voltage scaling is an effective method to reduce the power consumption of an SOC. Voltage scaling directly applied to embedded memories can lead to stability issues such as memory read and write errors. This thesis explores the possibility of applying voltage scaling technique to embedded memory that is used in forward error correction circuits (an LDPC decoder), in order to compensate for the error induced by voltage scaling while improving the over energy efficiency of an LDPC decoder. This thesis used an LDPC decoder designed for wireless IEEE802.11ad WiFi standard as a target to quantitatively characterize its inherent tolerance to embedded memory errors. An adaptive voltage scaling control algorithm is then proposed based on the error tolerance model. A hardware aware implementation strategy is also presented with a simulated energy saving potential of up to 20%. | M.A.S. | energy; consum | 7, 12 |
| Sonthalia, Rohit | Ramchandran, Arun | Sub-micron Water Droplet Formation in Bitumen Froth via Tip Streaming | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-03 | Processes such as centrifugation and inclined settling are currently used to achieve the separation of water and solids from bitumen froth in the oil-sands industry. They are, however, ineffective in removing sub-micron water droplets, which can constitute a significant fraction of the residual water content in bitumen after separation. Through the work presented in this thesis, we experimentally demonstrated a hydrodynamic breakup process, tip streaming, as the primary mechanism for sub-micron water droplet formation in bitumen solution. In a first-of-its-kind study, a glass-based microfluidic platform was developed to perform experiments with concentrated bitumen solutions and visually demonstrate the breakup process. Fine threads, ~ 1.43 µm diameter, of the aqueous phase were generated during tip streaming for capillary number between 0.5 and 1. In view of this finding, similar experiments were performed to explore the effect of certain industrially relevant parameters: process water pH, solvent aromaticity, bitumen dilution and surface-active species concentration. Naphthenic amphiphiles were found to be the dominant surface-active species leading to tip streaming. The drop breakup trends generated here for various process conditions will potentially serve as the basis for future tip streaming studies with model oil - water - surfactant system and drop-drop coalescence studies. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Soo, Stephanie D. | Berta, Whitney B. | The Role of Champions in the Implementation of Patient Safety Practice Change | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2011-01-01T19:10:38Z | Objectives: The concept of clinical champions has been widely promoted, yet empirically underdeveloped in health services literature. The objectives of this study are to investigate the role of the clinical champion and how it contributes to effective patient safety change. Methods: Case study design was used to examine the role of champions in the implementation of rapid response teams in two hospitals. Central themes were derived through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with key informants. Results: Analysis revealed a typology of champions: clinical, managerial, and executive. Champions engaged in five core activities: disseminating knowledge, advocating, building relationships, navigating boundaries, and facilitating consensus. Individuals became champions by informal emergence or by formal appointment combined with informal emergence. Conclusions: This study furthered understanding of patient safety champions by revealing types, activities, and modes of emergence. Findings will allow health care professionals to use an evidence-based approach to identifying and supporting champions. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Sorbara, Julia Catherine | Palmert, Mark R | Does Age Matter? Mental Health Implications and Determinants of When Youth Present to a Gender Clinic | Medical Science | 2019-11 | Background: Gender-affirming medical care (GAMC) improves the psychological functioning of transgender adolescents and adults. Purpose: 1) To assess the relationship between age at presentation to GAMC and rates of mental health comorbidities. 2) To identify factors influencing when youth present to GAMC. 3) To determine whether older presenting youth face more barriers to care. Methods: 1) Cross-sectional chart review of new patients to a gender clinic. 2) Sequential exploratory mixed methods study involving semi-structured interviews and subsequent questionnaire design and distribution. Results: Older age at presentation was associated with psychoactive medication use. Late pubertal stage was associated with depressive and anxiety disorders. Younger presenting youth recognized gender incongruence earlier and were more likely to have LGBTQ+ family members. More older presenting youth endorsed familial religious affiliations. Conclusions: Later presentation to GAMC is associated with higher rates of mental health comorbidities and may be driven by later recognition of gender incongruence. | M.Sc. | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Southgate, Katherine | Wolever, Thomas M. S. | The Effect of a Low Glycemic Index Diet on Glucose Challenge Test Results in Women at risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-08-16 | Gestational Diabetes Mellitus develops in 3.7-18% of Canadian women, and can cause serious maternal-fetal complications. Low-GI foods have been shown to increase β-cell function in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. Theoretically, this effect should improve glucose tolerance and reduce the risk of gestational hyperglycemia. Thus, we aimed to explore the effects of a low-GI diet on glucose challenge test (GCT) results in women at risk for GDM. Women were randomized to receive education during pregnancy focused on incorporation of low- or medium- to high-GI foods. Key foods were provided to assist compliance. Information was obtained from medical records and questionnaires. Ninety-four (94) women completed the study. After adjustment for confounding variables, there was no significant difference in GCT values between intervention groups. Results suggest that low-GI foods do not affect blood glucose control during pregnancy. | MAST | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Sparrow-Downes, Victoria Mary | Loutfy, Mona R.||Vigod, Simone N. | Mental Health Service Utilization in Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) during the Postpartum Period: A Population-Based Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-03 | Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize postpartum mental health service utilization in HIV-positive women. Methods: We identified 861 365 women who had a live birth delivery in Ontario, Canada and described their use of mental health services. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported to compare service use in HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups. Results: HIV-positive women (n=530) were more likely to access outpatient mental health services (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.55). Among those who accessed outpatient services, HIV-positive and HIV-negative women were equally likely to remain engaged in care (aOR, 1.24; 95% CI, .88 to 1.75). HIV-positive women were more likely to require a psychiatric ED visit or hospitalization (aOR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.72 to 4.12). Conclusion: HIV-positive women were more likely to require a postpartum psychiatric ED visit or hospitalization despite using all outpatient mental health services in greater proportions. | M.Sc. | women; health | 3, 5 |
| Speer, Alexis Kane | Dunn, James | Space for Healthy Communities: An Exploration of the Social Pathways between Public Space and Health | Geography | 2009-02-24T18:41:50Z | This thesis investigates the relationship between access to public gathering spaces and self-reported health with indicators of community life as the intervening variables. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between the access to public space and self-rated health status in multicultural communities. A survey of 785 randomly-selected households was conducted across four low-income Toronto neighbourhoods. The investigation is framed by the 'production of healthy public space' model, which conceptualizes the pathways between the lived experience of space and health as impacting an individual’s likelihood of establishing place attachment. The results support the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the lived dimension of space and health. Mental health appears to be the outcome most affected by indicators of place attachment. Several of the aforementioned relationships were found more commonly in the densest of the four neighbourhoods and variations were found between foreign- and Canadian-born subpopulations. | MAST | health; socioeconomic | 1, 3 |
| Speller, Brittany | Baxter, Nancy N | Development and Alpha Testing of a Fertility Decision Aid for Young Canadians Diagnosed with Breast Cancer at Risk of Infertility Following Cancer Treatment | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-11 | Young women (45 years of age or younger) diagnosed with breast cancer are at risk of treatment-related infertility. Even with established fertility preservation options available in Canada, women feel as though they have limited support and access to resources. This thesis aimed to develop a Canadian decision aid to assist young women in making value-based fertility preservation decisions prior to breast cancer treatment. The development process was guided by the Ottawa Decision Support Framework and International Patient Decision Aids Standards criteria including an evaluation of existing decision support resources, initial paper prototype development and content expert review, end user engagement at a one-day meeting, development of an online decision aid, and alpha testing. The final paper and online decision aid will be pilot tested and disseminated across Canada to help young breast cancer patients make informed fertility decisions in partnership with their health care providers prior to treatment. | M.Sc. | women; health | 3, 5 |
| Spratt, Beth Allison | Cook, Rebecca J. | Compounded Discrimination and the Gonzalez v. Mexico Case: Introducing an Anti-Essentialist Framework for Compounded Discrimination/Violence against Women Cases at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights | Law | 2011-12-20 | In Gonzalez et al. v. Mexico, a case decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 2009, a context of discrimination and violence against women was known to target particular subgroups of women, of which the claimants were constituent, distinguished inter alia by their age, socioeconomic and, in some cases, migrant status. Despite this, the judgment of the Inter-American Court focused almost exclusively on sex discrimination and violence against women as a broader social phenomenon. With this judgment forming the background for the critique, the author will develop an anti-essentialist framework for the analysis of discrimination and violence against women claims where the discrimination was compounded by various identity factors. Intended to assist the Inter-American Court with its articulation of norms and standards in such cases, the ultimate value of this framework should be measured in terms of the assistance it can offer the Court at the reparations stage. | MAST | rights; women; socioeconomic | 1, 5, 16 |
| Sridhar, Shrihari | Karney, Bryan William | Intermittent Water Supplies: Where and Why they are Currently used and Why their Future use Should be Curtailed | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-28 | Though water is the most essential element of life in most developing countries clean drinking water is supplied intermittently to consumers. Municipalities are often under the impression that intermittent supply is an ideal measure to conserve water. With over a billion people grappling with deteriorating infrastructure and water scarcity, it is impossible to neglect the effects of intermittent supply. It is essential to examine the origin of the problem, quantify the effects or consequences and then provide feasible solutions. Hence, this thesis provides a comprehensive review of the existing condition of water supply systems in developing countries but more importantly, examines the causes of the intermittency and highlights the significant economic incentive that could be achieved by maintaining a continuous supply system. Finally the thesis concludes with a series of feasible solutions including short-term and long-term plans that would assist in a complete migration towards 24-hour supply. | MAST | conserv; consum; infrastructure; water | 9, 12, 14 |
| Sridharan, Suraj | Zee, Robert E | Mechanical Accommodations of Science Payloads for an Earth Observation Microsatellite | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | It has become clear that anthropogenic aerosol emissions have had a distinct impact on global surface temperature and climatic activity over the last century. Traditional methods of atmospheric observation such as ground-based or in-situ aircraft measurements represent laboursome campaigns that are limited to a few weeks. Small satellites for Earth observation provide an accessible platform to scientific organizations that can perform routine measurements over the course of years. To this end, the Space Flight Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies is developing the DMSat-1 microsatellite on its NEMO platform. This thesis describes the mechanical accommodations for the science payloads: a multispectral polarimeter, and two grating spectrometers. A semi-passive thermal design that ensures acceptable performance of the polarimeter is described, and a structural interface which isolates the payloads from the harsh launch environment is presented. Finally, the development of the spacecraft dispenser system is discussed. | M.A.S. | climate | 13 |
| Sritharan, Thuwaragan | Dawson, Francis P. ||Lian, Keryn | Impact of Current Waveforms on Battery Behaviour | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-08-16 | With increasing emphasis on renewable energy sources and efficient energy use, energy storage devices, and in particular electrochemical storage devices, are becoming more prevalent. In order to interface batteries to systems, converters are used to maintain the desired voltage, current or power. In this thesis, we explore the response of the battery to commonly seen current waveforms to understand the impact of the converter on the battery. An electrochemical model of the electrode-electrolyte is studied to first understand its operating principles and then to pinpoint the causes of the observed battery response. A circuit was built to test the response of the battery to current waveforms. Experiments consisting of constant current, triangular and sinusoidal currents of varying frequency and ripple currents, and pulsed currents were conducted. Using electrochemical principles, an explanation of the results is presented along with the impact of the experimental results on converter design specifications. | MAST | energy; renewable | 7, 13 |
| Srivastava-Modi, Shalini | Harvey, L. D. Danny | Evaluating the Ability of eQUEST Software to Simulate Low-energy Buildings in a Cold Climatic Region | Geography | 2011-12-20 | Building Simulation is widely used for understanding how a building consumes energy and for assessing design strategies aimed at improving building energy efficiency. The present research study uses eQUEST, a popular simulation software. Various simulations are done here to analyse and critically comment on the best design strategies to be used in order to vastly reduce the energy consumption of a recently constructed small (1800 m2 floor area) commercial building in Brampton, Ontario, which is a heating dominated region. The limitations faced with eQUEST while simulating the modified design are critiqued. A complete understanding of the building science and heat flow through the building envelope has been applied to modify the building in question. After all the changes applied, the overall heat load of the building was reduced to 15 kWh/m2/yr and the overall energy consumption reduced by 60 percent. | MAST | consum; energy | 7, 12 |
| Srivastava, Jayesh | Shu, Lily H. | Designing Products to Enable Environmentally Significant Behaviour | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-27 | Resources such as energy and water are forecasted to become scarcer in the future. The traditional engineering approach for dealing with this problem can be compromised by the rebound effect. Therefore, it is important that we design products that also encourage users to engage in pro-environmental behaviours, also known as environmentally significant behaviours (ESB). Lead-user theory was first applied to the problem of ESB, resulting in the discovery that resources, when presented in discrete instead of continuous form, enable conservation. The principle was verified empirically. A method was developed to help designers develop products that implement the discretization principle without compromising user needs. Affordance theory was also applied to the problem of ESB. Two methods, one to expedite the finding of affordances and the second to change a product’s affordances to enable ESB, were developed. The application of design theory and techniques to the ESB problem shows promise. | MAST | water; energy; environment; conserv | 7, 13, 14 |
| Ssali, Henry | Bascia, Nina||Flessa, Joseph | Nutrition and Academic Achievement: How Nutrition Protocols Affect International Students’ Food-choices and Academic Achievement in Higher Education. A Case Study for African International Students at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus (UTSG) | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | The University of Toronto (U of T) is referred to as a “city within a city”. This maxim is meant to imply that the University of Toronto epitomises all the characteristics of the City of Toronto which is commonly portrayed as ‘the most diverse urban centres of the world’. But how diverse is the University of Toronto and how effective are the university’s diversity and inclusion policies? This thesis draws from a Culturally Sensitive Nutritional Framework (CSNF) to examine the extent to which African international students are excluded from the food-choices offered by the University of Toronto food-service providers and how such unintended actions affect those students’ academic success and overall life experience at the university. Using oral-interviews, in-depth review of the literature, secondary sources, websites, as well as reviewing U of T’s nutrition protocols and the university’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies, I examined three related questions. (1) What are the current U of T EDI policies and nutrition practices, operating systems, rules and regulations? (2) How sensitive are these strategies, schemes and codes to the nutritional needs of African international students? (3) What are the programming shortcomings in these policies, operating principles, practices, rules and regulations and how can they be addressed? More specifically, the aim of this research was twofold. First, to evaluate the extent to which these protocols enhance the academic performance of African international students at the St. George Campus; and second, to provide suggestions on how these protocols could be further enriched to better serve the interests of African international students. The goal was to analyze effects of these protocols at the University of Toronto St. George campus and evaluate their potential relevance to the well-being of African international students. I argued that high-academic achievement is possible if the University of Toronto provides culturally sensitive nutritional choices to all international students and specifically African international students. The findings indicated diverse perceptions of nutritional needs and consequences for African international students. There were also evidence of implicit gaps among existing nutrition protocols and inclusion policies. Four recommendations are suggested to bridge existing gaps to ensure all international students are offered justifiable opportunities to enjoy thriving lives during their academic careers at the University of Toronto. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Stagg, Jillian Corena | Sztainbok, Vannina||Parekh, Gillian | The Regulation of Inclusion: An Exploration of School Culture, Pride Narratives, and the Limits of Queer in the National Imaginary | Social Justice Education | 2019-11 | The following study provides a critical examination of the current landscape of 2SLGBTQ+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer) inclusion for high school students in several major Canadian provinces. In order to locate particular strengths and limitations within the predominant framework of inclusion, this study uses a comparative analysis to highlight the (dis)connections between institutional narratives of inclusion (i.e., school policies; school climate surveys; political discourse; and mainstream Pride narratives) and individual accounts of inclusion in school (i.e., 2SLGBTQ+ perspectives and experiences). Findings highlight the various ways in which the prevailing framework of inclusion remains heavily influenced by heteronormative, colonial, and ableist standards of belonging, which consequently, continues to exclude 2SLGBTQ+ voices and lived experiences. The included perspectives from 2SLGBTQ+ youth, families, and educators offer unique opportunities to both re-examine and reconceptualize how prevalent notions of ‘inclusion’ and ‘well-being’ are being reproduced, operationalized, and experienced by all students in school. | M.A. | educat; queer; climate; institution | 4, 5, 13, 16 |
| Stanfield, Les | Jackson, Donald Andrew | Understanding the Factors that Influence Headwater Stream Flows in Response to Storm Events | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2009-07-14T20:22:05Z | I studied how geology, land use and rainfall, correlated with peak flow responses in 110 headwater stream sites during a drought year. Highest discharges were observed in the most developed catchments and in the most poorly drained soils, but specific responses were variable depending on both geology and land disturbance. Redundancy analysis indicated that both surficial geology and land disturbance were important predictors of discharge and that rainfall was in general a poor predictor of discharge. I conclude that responses of headwater streams to individual storms are unpredictable from data generated using GIS, but increased peak flows occur associated with human development, mitigated by surficial geology. The headwater streams that are most vulnerable to flow alterations occur on poorly drained soils, and where urbanization tends to concentrate. Much greater attention to managing water is required if further degradation of stream ecosystems is to be prevented from our future land use. | MAST | water; urban; land use | 6, 11, 15 |
| Stanhope, Alexandra Maryrose | Baker, Ross | Parents' Experiences with Learning to Manage Medications in Pediatric Rehabilitation | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-06 | Introduction: There is a significant amount of risk associated with the transition from hospital to home due to the fact that care can become fragmented and discontinuous. Children with chronic complex conditions are particularly susceptible to this risk because of their multiple health care needs, including complicated medication regimens. Methods: Qualitative interviews were used to capture a description of parentsâ experiences with learning to manage their childâ s medications prior to discharge from a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. Results: Two key thematic categories emerged from the interviews: 1) learning to manage the technical aspects of medications and 2) learning to integrate medication management into everyday life. Conclusions: More research is needed to identify effective models of care where hospitals partner with the community to improve the integration of medication management into home life. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Stanov, Stephanie | Conway, Tenley | Vacant Land to Park Transformations as a Catalyst for Neighbourhood Change and Gentrification in Toronto, Ontario | Geography | 2018-11 | Given the lack of vacant land in the City of Toronto, the redevelopment of available land tends to be highly contested. Stakeholders may advocate for the land to be developed as a park in order to increase social, economic and environmental services provided to residents, both at the neighbourhood scale and city-wide. However, concerns have emerged related to “green gentrification,” which is the exclusion or displacement of vulnerable populations through the creation of green amenities in marginalized neighbourhoods. Using a case study approach to three vacant land to park transformations, this thesis examines how neighbourhood change and gentrification are perceived by actors engaged in the park development process. Using historical analysis, stakeholder interviews, resident surveys and quantitative data analysis, this thesis reveals how the potential for park developments to accelerate gentrification is complex and highly politicized, and perceived more strongly on the ground than it is reflected in changes in quantitative data. | M.A. | environment | 13 |
| Stark, Adriana | Leslie, Deborah | Public Spaces of Precarity: Labour Geographies of Informal Recycling in Toronto | Geography | 2019-11 | This thesis explores the everyday working lives and workspaces of Toronto’s informal recyclers, who earn a living collecting and returning discarded beverage containers from bins and public spaces. Drawing on in-depth interviews and photovoice methods, the research finds that although informal recycling is pursued as a response to precarious conditions in the neoliberal city, it constitutes a precarious form of work in itself. Recyclers’ experiences of precarity are intimately connected to the public spaces of work they inhabit, through material, affective, and regulatory dimensions. In negotiating spaces of precarity, recyclers deploy a refined repertoire of embodied skills and spatial tactics, challenging perceptions of informal recycling as ‘unskilled’ work. With recent changes by the provincial government to the landscape of alcohol sales in Ontario, the future of informal recycling is uncertain. Policy recommendations are therefore proposed. | M.A. | recycl | 7 |
| Starr, Danielle Christine | DaCosta, Ralph||Wilson, Brian | Intraoperative Fluorescence Imaging of Breast Cancer: A Clinical Engineering Analysis of Safety, Feasibility and Workflow Integration of a Handheld Prototype Device | Biomedical Engineering | 2014-11 | Breast cancer, affecting one in nine in women, is typically treated with breast conservation surgery, where the tumor is removed while preserving the maximum amount of healthy tissue. Despite the current intraoperative margin assessment methods a re-excision rate of 20-70% still remains. A handheld fluorescence imaging prototype was developed to improve real-time differentiation between cancerous and normal breast tissue and detect subclinical residual disease in the surgical bed. A clinical trial investigating the use of the device in combination with a tumor-specific contrast drug ALA, revealed that the ALA-induced fluorescent PpIX was detected by the prototype in regions corresponding to palpable tumor and in small pathologically validated cancerous foci in the breast specimen. Furthermore, the device effectively differentiated between adipose and connective tissues. Preliminary sensitivity and specificity values of 88% and 73% for the technique demonstrated potential of the drug device combination as a margin assessment tool in breast cancer. | M.H.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Stein, Joshua | Jamieson, Gregory Allan | The Design of Home Energy-management Interfaces: Effects of Display Type on Thermostat Temperature Selection | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2013-11-28 | This thesis explores home energy management (HEM), an emerging field for interface design and sustainability. Section 1 introduces HEM’s broader context. In Section 2, I review the literature surrounding HEM. Section 3 outlines the usability study on the ecobee Smart Thermostat, to evaluate the technology’s ease-of-use, and better understand users’ experience with current HEM technology. Section 4 describes a “Critical Making” workshop, where participants investigated HEM through material interaction and discussion. Section 5 describes and evaluates the potential design spaces gleaned from previous sections. In Section 6, I return to the literature to investigate key concepts underlying the design intervention for the chosen design space. Section 7 describes my design intervention and experimental evaluation. In Section 8, I present the study results, which suggest enhanced display labelling had a significant and directional effect on user-selected temperatures. In Section 9, I discuss these results, study limitations, and make conclusions and recommendations. | MAST | energy | 7 |
| Steinberg, Kamini | Reaume, Denise | The New Ontario Human Rights Code: Implications for an Intersectional Approach to Human Rights Claims | Law | 2010-02-15T19:29:44Z | This paper explores the theory of intersectionality and its viability for the analysis of human rights under the new legal process and institutional framework in Ontario. First, I examine the debate between essentialism and intersectionality and conclude that intersectionality is a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to anti-discrimination laws. Second, I examine Canadian Human Rights Code cases and Charter equality cases involving intersectional claims. These cases reveal three inadequate approaches to analyzing multiple grounds of discrimination and two positive developments in the intersectional analysis of human rights claims. After assessing the general congruence of the new institutional framework with the principles of administrative justice, I identify three recent changes to Ontario’s system that hinder the development of an intersectional analytical framework and I offer suggestions for improvement. I conclude that an intersectional approach to human rights claims is possible but is currently frustrated by the new institutional framework in Ontario. | MAST | inclusive; equality; instituion; justice | 4, 5, 16 |
| Stellato, Jonathan Andrew | Sain, Mohini||Krigstin, Sally | Renewable Monomers for 4D Printing | Forestry | 2020-06 | In the automotive industry, 3D printing has the potential to build low volume parts. Glass fiber reinforced phenolic composites are suitable for electric vehicle battery enclosures, but condensation resins have not been adapted to 3D printing. Step growth condensation polymerization is not compatible with popular photo-curing 3D printing techniques. This research presents a novel lignin-furfural-furfuryl alcohol blend developed specifically for two-component, acid-catalyzed, thermoset gel extrusion 3D printing, which utilizes exothermic heat of crosslinking as the 4th controllable dimension. This material was studied as a bio-based replacement for phenolic resin in the application of battery enclosures. A thermoset with high zero-shear viscosity and shear thinning ability resists sag upon deposition while remaining pumpable and extrudable. Stroke cure and isoconversional kinetics were applied to set the hardening time and calculate printing temperature and rate. Tall structures (>50 layers) can be printed with high viscosity resins (>1000 Pa*s) at low applied temperature (~50°C). | M.Sc. | industr | 9 |
| Stelzer, David | Wallace, James||Sullivan, Pierre E. | Design and Evaluation of an Improved Mixer for a Selective Catalytic Reduction System | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-03 | More stringent environmental regulations have created a requirement for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) after-treatment technology on stationary Diesel engines. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used in conjunction with a separate 1-D catalyst reaction model to evaluate the overall performance of the combined High Efficiency Vortab (HEV) mixer and U-bend design. This model yielded mixing results with a Uniformity Index (UI) of 97% while generating less than 10 ppm of NH3 slip. The compact nature of the combined design creates an SCR that is easy to install and manufacture. Pressure drop, was also determined to be less than 10” of water (WC) over the range of operating conditions. The performance from this design will assist engineers in meeting current and next generation environmental regulations. | MAST | water; environment | 13, 14 |
| Stephens-Wegner, Cristin Anne | Laiken, Marilyn ||Jackson, Nancy | Building High Performing Globally Dispersed Teams: Challenging Inequality to Establish Trust | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-02-26T15:48:34Z | This thesis explores barriers to the establishment of trust needed for high performing teams due to inequality in the context of a global economy. Postcolonial Theory is introduced to illustrate how inequality is a key aspect of diversity in the current context of the global workplace. Different philosophies underlying the values and norms in organizations are examined to make sense of contemporary approaches to diversity management in terms of how power, difference, and identity are addressed. This provides an understanding of the context of current team development praxis in working with diversity. Using autoethnography, the author tells personal stories of working in diverse teams to convey the complex ways in which power, difference, and identity coalesce in real-life experience. Some theoretical foundations are developed for facilitating the building of team trust in contexts with different philosophical approaches to diversity. Addressing social justice in Organization Development work is considered. | MAST | equality; inequality; justice | 5, 10, 16 |
| Stephens, Airin Calder | Simon, Rob||Bickmore, Kathy | (Re)Making Identities: Negotiating Critical Literacy in an Urban High School | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | How can teachers meaningfully engage with the students around issues of identity in the classroom? In response to this question, I used my urban Toronto public school classroom as a space to investigate the interactive processes of constructing and deconstructing identity through teacher-student relationships. Using practitioner inquiry, my research asks how critical literacy can encourage high school students to reflect on their identity in relation with my own teaching practice. Through a series of reflective in-class activities I observed the implications of students (and teachers) bringing their whole selves and diverse experiences into the classroom. My findings demonstrate that when given the opportunity, students were eager to explore the many factors that influenced their self-perceptions of who they are and who they want to be. Placing myself at the centre of the research and understanding teaching as a relational act facilitated the analysis of the relationship dynamics through dialogue and reflection. This research resulted in a powerful and transformative experience for everyone involved. The findings are also valuable for educators and administrators interested in using critical and holistic education to engage with youth voices, experiences and ideas that have historically been excluded from public education. | M.A. | urban; inclusive | 4, 11 |
| Stewart-Reid, Karlene | Gagne, Antoinette | Silent Voices: An Exploratory Study of Caribbean Immigrant Parents' and Children's Interaction with Teachers in Toronto | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-11-20 | One of the challenges that Caribbean immigrant parents and children face as they settle into their new environment is interacting with teachers using their variety of English. This study seeks to explore the experiences of Caribbean immigrant parents and their children in their interactions with teachers in Toronto and the perceptions that they have about these interactions. The author’s purpose is to bring voice to their language encounters. Qualitative analysis is utilized throughout the general discussion of the study. Using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenology approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews from a sample of six immigrant parents and seven children within Toronto. The central themes that emerge from the data are organized under the four research questions. The results of the research may assist policy makers, educators, teachers, and support staff who plan and implement programs geared towards enhancing the interaction between themselves and Caribbean immigrant students and parents. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Stewart, Christopher James | Carter, Michael W||Cafazzo, Joseph | Mackenzie Health: An Analysis of a “Smart” Internet of Things Approach to Healthcare | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-11 | Background: Providing good quality patient care is challenging in today’s busy healthcare environment. Faster response times to patient calls have been shown to reduce the risk of falls, length of stay (LOS), and improve patient satisfaction. One hospital, Mackenzie Health has implemented a new “smart’ pilot unit with various Internet of Things (IOT) connected technologies with the goal of improving care. Methods: Data collected by the new system was statistically compared to historic data to determine the impact. A discrete simulation model was also built to explore further potential improvements in how patient calls could be routed. Results: Mean and median call response times improved by ~5% and ~31% respectively. Employing alternative call routing strategies can further improve response times and nurse travel distances. Conclusion: This study lends evidence to the argument that the adoption of ubiquitous smart technology in healthcare can improve operations and reduce inefficiencies. | M.H.Sc. | environment; health | 3, 13 |
| Stock, Amanda Joan | Stinchcombe, John R | Evolution of Arabidopsis thaliana Flowering Time in Response to Water Availability Post-introduction | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2015-11 | Flowering is one of the most influential events in the life history of a plant â its beginning and duration are two main determinants of reproductive investment and lifetime fitness. Understanding the selective pressures influencing time to flowering and being able to reliably predict how it will evolve in novel environments is an unsolved challenge for plant evolutionary geneticists. Using naturalized lines of Arabidopsis thaliana from across the eastern North American range, I examined the impact of simulated winter precipitation levels on flowering time and the fitness consequences of early versus late flowering. Flowering time was significantly genetically correlated across two environments â in common gardens outdoors and in environmental chambers set to mimic mid-range photoperiod and temperature conditions â suggesting that flowering time rank between lines remains consistent. The interaction between flowering time and water treatment for fitness indicates that water availability contributes to differential selection on flowering time in introduced populations | M.Sc. | environment; water | 13, 14 |
| Stoesser, Clara | Chan, Timothy C.Y. | Robust Optimization on Healthcare Referral Networks: Engaging Private Providers in Low- and Middle-income Countries | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11 | Private practitioners are a ubiquitous part of healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries. In order to make any systemic improvements to the healthcare system, the private sector must be included through engagement and incentivization. We develop a methodology that can be leveraged by private practitioner engagement programs to determine the optimal set of practitioners to engage with while considering uncertainty in the network of patient referrals, where patients are first diagnosed by a general practitioner (GP) and then referred to a specialist for additional diagnoses. We demonstrate our modelling framework and analyze policies for practitioner selection using a real-world dataset from an organization that works to improve tuberculosis diagnosis in Mumbai. We find that the optimal policy is to use a two-phase heuristic that involves first selecting GPs with the highest patient loads and then using the remaining budget to select specialists in decreasing order of patient load. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Stogios, Christos | Hatzopoulou, Marianne||Roorda, Matthew J. | Investigating the Effects of Automated Vehicle Driving Operations on Road Emissions and Traffic Performance | Civil Engineering | 2018-06 | Automated vehicles (AV) will inevitably have an impact on the movement of people and goods. Assessing the effects of AVs on land use, congestion and the environment have become of great interest to researchers. This study explores the effects of AVs and vehicle electrification on greenhouse gas emissions using traffic microsimulation and emissions modeling. The driving behaviour parameters of a traffic simulation package, most relevant to AVs, are tested within the ranges deemed to be representative of potential AV operations. The effects of AVs are evaluated under both uninterrupted and interrupted traffic flow operating environments, as well as under high and low traffic demand. The main findings indicate that automated vehicles can bring positive changes in terms of emission and traffic flow performance. The significance of the impacts is more evident when AVs are tuned to more aggressive driving settings and especially under high traffic conditions in uninterrupted flow operations. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Stout, Krista | Nedelsky, Jennifer | Silences and Empty Spaces - The Reintegration of Girl Child Soldiers in Uganda: Gendering the Problem and Engendering Solutions | Law | 2013-11-28 | This thesis examines the experiences of girl child soldiers in Uganda in order to explore the gender gaps that exist in post-conflict programming and to engender meaningful policy solutions that target these gaps. This thesis uses a gender lens to analyze the challenges faced by Ugandan girls and to explore how entrenched gender norms feed into a singular narrative of conflict – dangerous boys and traumatized girls – that renders particular combatants – and their unique needs – invisible. Adopting a feminist methodology that prioritizes the importance of girls’ narratives and self-perceptions, the author argues that girl child soldiers must be meaningfully included in the design and implementation of programming aimed at serving their needs. A participatory action research methodology is presented as a promising way forward. It can help address specific gendered challenges in the post-conflict environment, while also recognizing and drawing upon the resiliency and strengths of the girl child soldiers themselves. | MAST | gender; girl; resilien; environment | 5, 11, 13 |
| Stradiotto, Nicole | Delfanti, Alessandro | The Canadian Science Advocacy Movement | Information Studies | 2019-03 | In this study I explore the nature of the disruptive mobilized science that erupted in Canada between 2006-2018. I investigate both the culture of Canadian mobilized science and the larger question of why this movement occured. I draw on data from interviews with event organizers, as well as from an analysis of publicly-available rally speeches. I utilize Ulrich Beck’s reflexive modernization theory to demonstrate that the culture of science advocacy organizers is complex, and includes both elements that align with Beck's vision of a “reflexive science,” and elements that seem to represent its opposite, or what Beck calls “modern science.” Social movement theory supports my finding that the movement drew on a set of different institutions that provided resources and facilitative conditions. Further, I find that an alliance between specific “impact” disciplines, such as environmental and health sciences, is another facilitative condition for mobilized science. | M.I.S. | innovation | 9 |
| Strang, Matthew | Fusco, Caroline | Straight Kits F/or Queer Bodies? An Inter-textual Study of the Spatialization and Normalization of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Soccer League Sport Space | Exercise Sciences | 2011-08-25 | Sport is an inherently hegemonic hyper masculinity-building project. Therefore, tensions exist when non-hegemonic groups reclaim sport. This thesis questions how normativity is constructed and resisted in non-normative sporting spaces. Drawing from semi-structured interviews, participant observations, self-reflection qualitative methods and post-structural, spatial and post-colonial theory, I problematize how sportsmanship (sportspersonship) is “cultivated” in a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (lgbtq) soccer league . Specifically, I interrogate how queer sporting bodies negotiate (homo/hetero)normativity by either contesting or confirming neoliberal values of ‘sportsmanship.’ Five interlocking themes that emerged from my data suggest that ‘a queer muscularity’ and ‘a normative queer nationhood’ is being (re)produced by and through queer sporting bodies and sports spaces. I argue that we need to be vigilant of queer sporting spaces that claim to be or are assumed to have greater inclusivity because these spaces may actually facilitate the (re)production of dominant discourses and norms. | MAST | queer; gender | 5 |
| Streuber, Gregg Mitchell | Zingg, David W. | A Gradient-based Multistart Algorithm for Multimodal Aerodynamic Shape Optimization Problems Based on Free-form Deformation | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2017-03 | Environmental and economic factors motivate the pursuit of more fuel-efficient aircraft designs. Aerodynamic shape optimization is a powerful tool in this effort, but is hampered by the presence of multimodality in many design spaces. Gradient-based multistart optimization uses a sampling algorithm and multiple parallel optimizations to reliably apply fast gradient-based optimization to moderately multimodal problems. Ensuring that the sampled geometries remain physically realizable requires manually developing specialized linear constraints for each class of problem. Utilizing free-form deformation geometry control allows these linear constraints to be written in a geometry-independent fashion, greatly easing the process of applying the algorithm to new problems. This algorithm was used to assess the presence of multimodality when optimizing a wing in subsonic and transonic flows, under inviscid and viscous conditions, and a blended wing-body under transonic, viscous conditions. Multimodality was present in every wing case, while the blended wing-body was found to be generally unimodal. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Strohschein, Olivia Faith Perks | Springgay, Stephanie | Transforming Bodies: Affect and Collage in Eating Dis/order Recovery | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-06 | This thesis explores affective experience in the development of eating disorders as well as its influence and potential in the recovery process. Affect is researched within the context of identity and embodied learning. This research also explores the use of creative practices (collage) in eating disorder recovery. Four women between the ages of 18 and 30 who self-identified as having an eating disorder participated in this study. Their participation included two interviews (one individual and one group) and two group collage sessions. This research suggests that eating disorders can be understood as bodily practices (entangled with emotion and thought) that both build and fragment the sense of self. Using Deleuzoguattarian concepts such as “the fold” and “BwO”, I propose a rhizomatic understanding of eating disorder recovery in which the affective body is paramount. I suggest that arts-based practices have the potential to play an important role in the recovery process. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Stuart-Sheppard, Leah Clare | Mojab, Shahrzad | Volunteering abroad: An uneven path towards critical praxis in international development | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-11 | Despite decades of effort, international development has failed to meaningfully address the problems it seeks to solve. Drawing on existing literature and a Marxist-feminist theoretical framework, I argue that this failure stems from an ideological approach to social change that obscures the social relations at the root of poverty and inequality. This perspective points to a need to better understand how practitioners learn to engage with international development. Accordingly, I focus my research on volunteer abroad programs as a site of learning. Through interviews with ten former volunteers, I explore how their praxis changed through their placement experience. Although the existing literature on these programs does not offer much hope that these programs can foster critical learning, my findings show that some critical learning is possible. This learning is largely self-directed, resulting in uneven movement towards critical consciousness and a praxis that contains elements of both reproduction and transformative change. | M.A. | poverty; equality; inequality; production | 12 |
| Stupka, Robert | Kennedy, Christopher A. | The Impact of Neighbourhood Density on the Energy Demand of Passive Houses and on Potential Energy Sources from the Waste Flows and Solar Energy | Civil Engineering | 2011-01-11T16:37:46Z | This study demonstrates how the density of a neighbourhood affects its energy demand, metabolism (energy and material flows) and its ability to produce its own energy. Single-family detached houses and row townhouses were each modeled using passive solar housing guidelines with the DesignBuilder building energy simulation software. Energy demand is then modeled within neighbourhoods at two densities based on south facing windows fully un-shaded at 9:00 am, and 12:00 pm solar time on Dec. 21. The neighbourhood metabolisms were then calculated based on location and density. The potential energy supply was evaluated from the spatial characteristics of the neighbourhood (for solar) and the metabolism (municipal solid waste and wastewater flows.) The potential energy demand and supply are then compared for the varying building types and densities to determine the sensitivity of the energy supply and demand relationships. | MAST | water; energy; wind; solar; waste | 7, 12, 14 |
| Stupple, Geoffrey | Branfireun, Brian | Air Mercury Speciation, Foliar Uptake, and Wash-Off along an Urban-Rural Gradient | Geography | 2010-02-15T16:52:05Z | Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant of global concern due to its long-range atmospheric transport and high toxicity. The focus of this research is on the role of the forest canopy in the accumulation, and delivery of Hg to the soil Hg pool. Particular focus is on the role of atmospheric speciation of Hg on deposition. An urban-rural gradient was examined from Mississauga to Dorset, Ontario, to determine the role of locally emitted Hg: RGM, and PM on deposition. [GEM] was measured to be similar at both sites, and [PM] and [RGM] were greater in the urban location. Seasonal accumulation of Hg on foliar surfaces was dominated by GEM, and similar at the urban (8.74 ng cm-2) and rural (9.80 ng cm-2) locations. Increased [PM] and [RGM] at the urban location resulted in a transient upper canopy Hg pool, and throughfall enrichment at the urban site. | MAST | forest; energy | 7, 15 |
| Su, Fangzhou | Roorda, J Matthew | An Integrated Approach to Estimate Pedestrian Exposure to Roadside Vehicle Pollutants | Civil Engineering | 2014-06 | At many urban intersections, pedestrians and vehicles share the same space, where interactions between pedestrians and vehicles may hinder vehicle turning movements. This changes the amount of emissions generated by the vehicles, to which the pedestrians are exposed. This research investigates the pedestrian-vehicle interaction at the intersection of St. George Street and College Street in downtown Toronto. A microscopic vehicle simulation is integrated with a microscopic pedestrian simulation. Emission generation and dispersion are modelled to obtain concentration maps for emitted pollutants. The spatial-temporal data of the pedestrians are then integrated into these concentration maps to calculate pedestrian exposure to vehicle pollutants. Lastly, this framework is applied to test the effects of implementing a scramble signalling system at the intersection of St. George Street and College Street. It is found that the implementation of a scramble phase would increase exposure to Nitrogen Oxides and decrease exposure to Carbon Monoxide. | M.A.S. | urban; pollut | 11, 14 |
| Su, Xiaojun | Gough, William | Assessing Correlation between PM2.5 and Meteorological Variables and Projecting the Impact of Climate Change on PM2.5 | Geography | 2016-11 | This study builds the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM), coupled with the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), to identify meteorological variables that show strong influence on the concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and to project future PM2.5 concentrations using global climate model in IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Toronto and Sarnia, Canada are chosen to study the effects of meteorological influence and climate change on PM2.5, as a comparison of metropolitan and industrial cities. Higher PM2.5 in Summer are detected which is affected by the long range transport of pollutants. Seasonal models are built using ANN in both cities to study the influential predictors in each season, which perform better than annual models with a 10-15% increase in R2 value. The SDSM model projects future PM2.5 under the assumption of constant emissions. Results show that the impact of climate change on PM2.5 is relatively small due to the cancellation of opposite changes caused by predictors. | M.Sc. | industr; cities; climate; pollut | 9, 11, 13, 14 |
| Suarez, Daniel | Prudham, W. Scott | Rearticulating Nature: Ecosystem Services in British Columbia and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity | Geography | 2011-12-20 | This thesis applies mixed ethnographic methods at field sites in British Columbia and the United Nations to explore the spread and uptake of the "ecosystem services" idea in different institutions of environmental governance. I explore intensifying efforts by ecosystem services proponents to rearticualte living nature in various ways and with various objectives around the concept. As the idea manifests in a wide array of different policies and practices, I attempt to characterize a process of 'discursive refraction,' and argue ecosystem services represents a kind of chimera, appearing differently to the disparate practitioners interpreting, responding to, and beginning to use it. Consequently, the idea takes on diverse forms and functions in those institutional settings where it appears. I conclude that the discourse of ecosystem services remains a locus of ongoing contestation, which significantly complicates the relationship between what its proponents intend for it, and its ideological, institutional, and ecological consequences. | MAST | environment; institution; governance | 13, 16 |
| Sugar, Lorraine | Kennedy, Christopher A. | Global Cities and their Response to Climate Change | Civil Engineering | 2011-01-11T16:38:56Z | Decision-makers in cities have realized their pivotal role in addressing climate change, and they are responding accordingly. This thesis presents three papers that explore the process of responding to climate change in cities, highlighting the situation in selected global cities with varying economies and development priorities. The methodology for conducting an urban greenhouse gas inventory in three Chinese cities is detailed in the first paper, illustrating issues of economic development and climate change mitigation in a transitional economy. Next, the greenhouse gas emissions savings of various strategic mitigation plans are quantified for Toronto, demonstrating the aggressive actions needed in developed cities to approach carbon neutrality. The third paper explores issues associated with climate change in three developing cities, emphasizing the need for synergic development incorporating strategies for both mitigation and adaptation. The thesis concludes with an overview of the importance of innovation and further research to future responses to climate change. | MAST | greenhouse gas; climate; urban; citiesl innovation | 9, 11, 13 |
| Sumanac, Dunja | Tarasuk, Valerie ||Mendelson, Rena | Nutrition-related Marketing in Canada: A Case Study of Whole Grains | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-27 | In response to evidence of inadequate fibre and magnesium intakes across the Canadian population, the most recent edition of Canada’s Food Guide included a recommendation for increased whole grain consumption. However, whole grain labelling on food packaging remains voluntary and unregulated. The aim of this research was to examine the nature of nutrition guidance provided by whole grain labelling in the Canadian marketplace through a survey of front-of-package nutrition-related marketing in three supermarkets and a detailed examination of nutrient content, ingredients, and price of breads. Whole grain promotion occurred on relatively few products, predominantly among processed foods, and it frequently appeared in conjunction with references to other nutritional characteristics. The whole grain labelling observed was not misleading with respect to highlighting products with whole grain ingredients and higher levels of fibre and magnesium content; however, products with whole grain labelling were less likely to be lower in price. | MAST | food; nutrition | 2 |
| Sun, Mingli | Kant, Shashi | Economic Impacts of Forest Stewardship Council Certification on International Trade of Forest Products | Forestry | 2012-08-16 | The objective of this study is to investigate the economic impacts of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on global trade of forest products. Global Forest Products Model (GFPM) is used to predict export, import and net trade quantity of several forest products from year 2006 to 2056. The simulation findings suggest that: (1) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays negative effects on forest stock, Europe reduced sawnwood export; while Ireland became the net importer of sawnwood and wood pulp for next fifty years. (2) Under the assumption that FSC certification has no effects on forest stock, North America, Europe and Asia became the three major sawnwood importers; Europe and North America dominated sawnwood export; Africa significantly expanded its market share of sawnwood export from 1.3% in 2006 to 8.8% in 2056. Africa and Asia became the two largest importers of fuelwood. (3) Under the assumption that FSC certification plays positive effects on forest stock, Europe increased its export of sawnwood; Ireland became the net exporter of sawnwood and wood pulp since 2026. However, FSC certification has no impact on the trend of forestry stocks and products in Canada. | MAST | forest; trade | 10, 15 |
| Sun, Tim Tze Wei | Saville, Bradley | Impact of Pretreatment Methods on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Softwood | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-07-17 | Bioethanol is an appealing alternative to petroleum-based liquid fuel due to drivers such as environmental regulations and government mandates. Second generation lignocellulosic feedstocks are abundant, but their resistance to hydrolysis continues to be problematic. Different pretreatments have been proposed to increase cellulose reactivity. Softwood pine autohydrolyzed at different severities was subjected to further treatment to increase fibre reactivity. Liquid hot water is most effective at removing barriers, with the highest increase in sugar yield after enzymatic hydrolysis. Alkaline (NaOH) is found to be the worst option compared to dilute acid and organosolv. In addition, higher chemical concentrations and longer treatment times do not guarantee higher enzymatic hydrolysis yield. Process modifications such as fiber washing and multistage enzymatic hydrolysis are observed to be effective at increasing yield. However, more research is required to bring the enzymatic hydrolysis yield to a level where commercialization is feasible. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Sur, Shakya | Bilton, Amy M | Modelling, Testing and Optimization of a Passive Solar Updraft Aeration System for Aquaculture in the Developing World | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-11 | Pond aquaculture is major source of food security and income in the Asia-Pacific region. Over 70% of ponds are operated by smallholder farmers who do not have access to aeration technology for proper management of dissolved oxygen levels. The Solar Updraft Aeration (SUpA) system was developed to provide a low-cost, sustainable alternative to conventional aeration in resource-constrained environments. This thesis presents a framework for identifying a suitable design of the SUpA system for large-scale field testing. A comprehensive model was developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and validated in the bench-scale. The model was used to conduct a broad search of the design space of each configuration. The inverted prism configuration was selected for further optimization based on results from CFD and preliminary field tests. The optimized geometry showed an improvement of 81% over a reference geometry based on previous designs and was selected for testing in the future. | M.A.S. | food; solar; environment | 2, 7, 13 |
| Suri, Megha | Wales, Paul W. | Exogenous Glucagon-like Peptide-2 in Neonatal Piglet Models of Short Bowel Syndrome: Does the Intestinal Adaptive Response Vary with Remnant Intestinal Anatomy? | Medical Science | 2013-03-19 | Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) augments intestinal adaptation in animal models of short bowel syndrome (SBS) and in adult patients with SBS. However, GLP-2 has not been used as a therapy for pediatric SBS. In this thesis, it is hypothesized that exogenous GLP-2 therapy will improve outcomes of intestinal adaptation in proximal intestinal resection (JI) and distal intestinal resection (JC) neonatal piglet models of SBS. Improvements in morphological parameters (increased small intestinal length) and histological parameters (increased jejunal villus length or jejunal crypt depth) of intestinal adaptation in JI and JC neonatal piglets treated with GLP-2 were observed. However, improved clinical outcomes (fewer days of diarrhea, fewer days on parenteral nutrition, more days on enteral nutrition alone) were only observed in GLP-2 treated JC animals. Since the JC anatomical subtype (no remnant ileum) represents the majority of clinical cases of neonatal SBS, these results support a potential role for GLP-2 therapy in pediatric SBS. | MAST | nutrition | 2 |
| Swaak, Natalie Dawn | Kant, Shashi | Forest Tenures and their Implications for Exercising Aboriginal and Treaty Rights on the Kaska Traditional Territory | Forestry | 2008-07-30T21:10:22Z | This study identifies potential changes within the current tenure system to better accommodate Aboriginal values. Aboriginal expectations for sustainable forest management were identified using structured conceptual content cognitive mapping. A structured survey of industry, government and First Nations participants was then used to identify Aboriginal expectations that are poorly met through the current tenure system and establish which attributes of tenure could be modified in order to meet these expectations. Perception gaps existed between the Kaska and government/industry about the ability of current forest management institutions to meet Aboriginal expectations. Some of the expectations were met in part by tenure but when tenure failed or couldn’t meet expectations, other institutions were often in place to meet them. However, some expectations could neither be met through institutions nor modifications to existing tenures and so recommendations were made for the creation of an Aboriginal tenure as a means of addressing these issues. | MAST | industr; forest; institution | 9, 15, 16 |
| Sweeney, Juliette | Wheelahan, Leesa | The Proportion of Female Students in Canadian Undergraduate Engineering Programs by Institution and Sub-discipline | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2019-11 | Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields in many countries continue to experience difficulties attracting and retaining women. In Canada, the proportion of female students in engineering is considerably lower than the proportion of female students in higher education. Using Tinto’s theories concerning social and academic integration, this study investigated the relationships between the proportion of female undergraduate engineering students, and the proportion of female faculty, and policies addressing gender representation. Using descriptive statistics, this study analysed proportions of female students and faculty in Canadian engineering programs and established that distinct and persistent differences exist in these proportions among schools and among sub-disciplines. As these results suggest that institutional factors can influence the proportion of female students within engineering programs, this study has laid the foundation for future qualitative research to investigate what institutional factors could attract and retain more women in Canadian engineering schools. | M.A. | gender; women; educat | 4, 5 |
| Switzer, Sarah Lynne | Gaztambide-Fernandez, Ruben | Collaging Complexity: Youth, HIV/AIDS and the Site/Sight of Sexuality | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2009-12-14T16:41:04Z | Using collage as a methodological and conceptual framework for re-conceptualizing knowledge in HIV/AIDS education, this thesis attends to young women’s understandings of HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Through engaging in the process of making collages, what stories do young women tell about HIV/AIDS? What discourses are produced when collage and narrative are used as methodological tools to address participants’ understandings of HIV/AIDS? By responding to their own collage texts, as well as the collage texts of others, how are issues of representation addressed? Using narrative and post-structural discourse analysis, this study explores how participants’ complex and contradictory understandings of HIV/AIDS diverge from the content and form of current school-based HIV/AIDS curriculum. Whereas the curriculum presupposes a rational and linear subject, participants’ reflexive understandings of HIV/AIDS shift throughout the study, varying as a result of roles performed, the context of the collage or image being discussed, and the dynamic interchange between participants. | MAST | women; educat | 4, 5 |
| Sykes, Caitlin Elizabeth | Adams, Barry J. | A Risk-based Evaluation of the Long-term Performance of Stormwater Infiltration Facilities | Civil Engineering | 2010-02-15T20:22:22Z | Infiltration facilities are source control mechanisms that are implemented in urban developments with reduced natural permeable surfaces. Despite the development of design criteria for infiltration facilities, these systems continue to fail due to headloss development, overflow, or chemical breakthrough. The limited research on the long-term performance of these systems has emphasized the role of physical filtration mechanisms within porous media filters to address concerns surrounding system failure, namely filter clogging. A continuous macroscopic depth filtration model was developed to investigate the clogging potential of the underlying sand filter. This continuous model furthers the understanding of temporal and spatial changes in system performance for the development of more appropriate design criteria and more suitable maintenance regimes. The characterization of long-term system performance by defining three different failure modes and a probabilistic approach comprises a comprehensive methodology by considering several performance criteria rather than assuming that one criterion dictates the overall system performance. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Sylvestre, Desiree Fleure | Lopez, Ann E | Parent Engagement and Schooling: Examining Black Parents' Experiences in the Greater Toronto Area | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2018-06 | Within the dominant discourse, Black parents have been positioned as disinterested in the school system, their involvement analyzed from a deficit approach, and barriers to their engagement not fully examined. This research utilized Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) to examine the engagement of three Black parents in the Greater Toronto Area, their experiences navigating the school system, the challenges and tensions they experienced, and the strategies they employed. The study used a narrative inquiry approach to examine and explore their experiences. The findings reveal that Black parents, contrary to the dominant discourse, are advocates for their children. The study also highlights the significance of race in the relationship of Black parents with schools, and the ways in which this impacts their engagement. The findings of this study will be important to teachers, teacher education programs, school leaders, administrators and all stakeholders in education. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Syme, Bonnie | Lovejoy, Nathan R | Biogeography and comparative phylogeography in three fish species of the eastern Guiana shield. | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-06 | Comparative phylogeography allows us to investigate the relative importance of species specific biological characteristics versus shared historical conditions on species diversification in a region by studying sympatric populations of different taxa. To examine species specific versus shared evolutionary trajectories of freshwater fishes in the Guiana Shield region of South America, I analyzed and compared the population structure of three co-distributed species of the weakly-electric fish genus Gymnotus using mitochondrial gene sequences (cytochrome b). Population analyses indicate that, generally, Gymnotus species show a lack of contemporary gene flow between drainages. The phylogenetic relationship of fish populations between drainages, however, is not congruent among species. These results suggest that, while historical geological events such as the formation of drainages are important for the diversification of freshwater fish species, individual biological attributes, such as dispersal ability, likely play an influential role as well. | M.Sc. | water; fish | 6, 15 |
| Symes, Karen | Reaume, Denise | Dignity and Equality: Law’s Reasonable Claimant and Human Dignity under Section 15 | Law | 2011-12-20 | The concept of human dignity is an essential and inextricable element of equality rights. In Law v. Canada the Supreme Court united around the concept of dignity to determine section 15(1) cases. This test was abandoned in R v. Kapp, deciding that dignity was too abstract and subjective. This paper argues that the problems with the Law test did not come from the concept of dignity itself, but rather from the reasonable claimant test which focused on subjective feelings and legislative intentions. This paper presents an alternative conception of human dignity, which proposes that substantive equality should be a matter of equal concern based on two principles of human dignity: the principle of equal intrinsic value and the principle of personal responsibility. The analysis must be truly contextual, focused on the objective consequences of discrimination and the circumstances that create and foster inequality. | MAST | inequality; equality | 5, 10 |
| Sztaba, Julia Agnieszka | Malcolm, R Jay | Abundances of Cavity-nesting Birds and their Dead Wood Resources in Closed-canopy Managed and Unmanaged Mixedwood Forests of Boreal Northeastern Ontario | Forestry | 2014-11 | In eastern boreal forests harvesting has displaced forest fires as the dominant disturbance, changing the natural age mosaic and reducing old-growth forest and standing dead wood supplies. Herein, eleven cavity nesting bird species and their habitats are compared among three stand histories (mid-rotation and mature regenerated stands (31-40 and 47-64 years post-harvest, respectively) and uncut forest (80+ years old)) surveyed in boreal mixedwood sites in northeastern Ontario. Yellow-bellied sapsucker, northern flicker and red-breasted nuthatch abundances were greater in uncut sites. While large live tree density and basal area increased with time since disturbance, a U-shaped pattern in large dead stem density was observed with old-cut sites having low supplies. Resource use based on breeding and feeding evidence was examined relative to availability and large dead trembling aspen was found to be important. Results indicate a diminished ability of post-harvest stands to supply similar habitat attributes to those of uncut forest. | M.Sc. | forest; urban | 11, 15 |
| Szto, Courtney | MacNeill, Margaret | Serving up Change? Corporate Social Responsibility as a Tool for Social Change: A Case Analysis of the UNESCO-WTA Tour Partnership for Global Gender Equality | Exercise Sciences | 2011-12-20 | This research project critically questions the power relations inherent in the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a tool for international development. My case study focuses on the partnership between UNESCO and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which advocates for global gender equality. This discourse analysis seeks to expose the social inequities that may result from CSR by using the theoretical framework of Orientalism and the methodologies of postcolonial feminism and intersectionality. The results suggest that an outdated understanding of gender as the axis of discrimination hinders the attainment of gender equality. Furthermore, Girl Effect type initiatives that promote third-wave feminism are observed to reproduce social inequities through the perpetuation of global capitalism. Key recommendations include a reconceptualization of gender (equality) that accounts for the intersectionality of identities, holistic context specific solutions, and the use of socio-cultural analysis for CSR programming. | MAST | gender; women; equality; girl | 5 |
| Tabloie, Farshid | Richards, Robin | Factors Associated with Clinicians’ Recommendation for Return to Work in Patients with Work-related Shoulder and Elbow Injury | Medical Science | 2013-11-28 | Background: RTW after work-related injuries is a multifactorial process. Factors affecting clinicians to make RTW-recommendations for patients with WRSEI have not been studied in the literature. Purpose: We investigated the associations between group of factors chosen from different domains (Personal/Environmental) and clinicians’ RTW-recommendations for patients with WRSEI. Methods: Study design was cross-sectional. Data were collected from self-reported surveys and clinical charts of 130 adult workers (not working at the time of visit and referred to WSIB-Shoulder & Elbow Specialty Clinic-Toronto) with chronic (≥6-months) injuries. Results: Population mean age was 43.5-years. 52% were female. The average time-since-injury was 20.4-months (45%>12-months). 70% received RTW-recommendations (regular/modified-job). 30% received a No-RTW-recommendation. 42% had education≥college-level. 18% had heavy (>20kg) job-demands. Higher MCS-scores had a significant association (p=0.0003) with clinicians’ RTW-recommendations. Conclusion: In patients with chronic WRSEI(s), poor general health-status and high disability, workers with better mental-health were more likely to receive a RTW-recommendation by clinicians. | MAST | health; worker | 3, 8 |
| Tacorda, Jo Anne | Sumner, Jennifer | We Are What We Eat: Cultivating Well-being and Happiness through Sustainable Food Systems | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | If the systems that we build, including food systems, are meant to support and reflect our ideologies and theories, then contemporary interest in well-being and happiness cannot be ignored. If we want well-being to flourish and to be happy then the foods we eat must also be produced, processed and consumed in this way. This thesis critically examines if and how well-being and happiness are being facilitated through food systems driven by neoliberalism, food security and food sovereignty. This thesis uses systems thinking to identify the elements and relationships within each food system and applies a critical theory lens to delineate the power within those relationships. Each system is then evaluated using Dr. Jennifer Sumner’s theoretical model of sustainability to understand if and how they promote the three building blocks of sustainability – counter-hegemony, dialogue and life values – and thus well-being and happiness. | M.A. | food | 2 |
| Taeput, Tina K. | Weinrib, Lorraine | Delinquent Democracy: Examining the Nature, Scope, and Effects of the Trend towards Greater Criminal Enfranchisement | Law | 2012-11-27 | Universal suffrage is a guiding principle of democracy. However, it has a long history of being selectively denied. While many of these exclusions have dissipated in twentieth century rights revolutions’, the right to vote is still widely withheld for prisoners. This paper looks at criminal disenfranchisement, its origins, development, and contemporary manifestations. Part I will discuss the history of criminal disenfranchisement to trace its development from a tool of social exclusion to a collateral consequence of criminal conviction. Part II will look at the judicial treatment of contemporary disenfranchisement laws through a selection of representative case studies. Part III will consider how the representative cases form a trend towards criminal enfranchisement, and the implications of this trend for future constitutional challenges in jurisdictions where such laws persist. This paper argues that this trend, while tangible, is tentative and its force may be strengthened through a transnational judicial dialogue. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Taha, May | Bhuta, Nehal | A Substantive Void: Dependency, Conditionality, and Deformalization of the International Law of Self-determination in the Case of Palestine | Law | 2010-02-16T16:35:48Z | Be it the Algerian National Liberation Front, the African National Congress in South Africa or the continued struggle of the Palestinian people, the principle of self-determination is largely central to all projects of national liberation. This paper addresses what is arguably a deficient conception of self-determination by highlighting two factors that contributed to this deficiency. The first is the re-enforcement of dependency in self-determination projects by international institutions, primarily through the Mandate System. The second is a merit-based system of conditionality for the granting of independence, accompanied by a tendency to deformalize the law, relegating self-determination to an empty principle, the substance of which is decided by the negotiations’ context. The case of Palestine is used to demonstrate how those factors are adopted as central means in resolving the Palestinian self-determination problem, which in-turn leads to a deficient conception that does not account for the core content of the right. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Taha, Nadeen | Vieth, Reinhold | Bioavailability of Casein-bound Vitamin D3 from Fortified Cheese and its Effects on the Mental Health Status of the Institutionalized Elderly | Nutritional Sciences | 2012-11-27 | All populations risk vitamin D inadequacy. We conducted a randomized double- blind trial of vitamin D3 fortified cheddar cheese to study bioavailability based on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, and its effects on mental health scores in older adults. Once a week, 28 subjects received 200 IU or 28000 IU of vitamin D3 per fortified cheese serving. The mean increases in 25(OH)D over 8 weeks were: 4.2±11.4 and 29.4±16.2 for the 200 IU/week and 28,000 IU/ week dose groups, respectively (groups differ, P<0.001). Subjects who consumed 28,000 IU/week cheese improved their Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores, based upon the SF-36v2 questionnaire conducted at baseline and at 8 weeks (P<0.05). There was also a positive correlation between the change in MCS score and the change in 25(OH)D (1 tail; P<0.05). These data demonstrate the suitability of fortified cheddar cheese, and provide evidence of neurocognitive benefits with higher 25(OH)D levels. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Tahir, Mariam | Lee, Ian B. | Corporate Social Responsibility in the Canadian Extractive Sector. Bill C-300: What Went Wrong? | Law | 2012-11-27 | While the mining industry provides numerous benefits to the society, it also has negative impacts on communities. This thesis will discuss various voluntary policies employed by mining companies and the developmental attempts at legislative changes to enforce mandatory regulations. The primary focus will be on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in particular Bill C-300, which required “Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas Corporations in Developing Countries”. The Bill had effective key points to ensure that Canadian extractive companies followed human rights and environmental practices while operating overseas. Although the Bill was defeated, it is believed to be critical with respect to CSR. Moreover, Dodd-Frank, the 2010 United States legislation with similar provisions of CSR, will be discussed. The differences in the two will be elaborated to determine why Bill C-300 was rejected and answer whether it would have succeeded had the provisions been drafted similarly to Dodd-Frank. | MAST | rights; environment; industr | 9, 13, 16 |
| Tam, Andrew | Gough, William A. | Permafrost in Canada's Subarctic Region of Northern Ontario | Geography | 2010-02-16T17:51:09Z | An investigation of permafrost (permanently frozen soil) was conducted in Canada’s subarctic region of Northern Ontario. Environmental baseline conditions and permafrost states were estimated using seasonal freezing and thawing energies based on observed climate data and the Stefan equation. Field studies provided measurements of the active layer depths and validated the permafrost states; laboratory studies of the soil samples provided characterization for organic materials that have high affinity for soil moisture. Palsas (unique dome-like formations) were observed to have enhanced permafrost cores beneath a thermal insulating organic layer. With climate change, results suggest the possibility of shifts from the classification of continuous to discontinuous permafrost states in areas lacking the presence of organic materials that can have environmental and ecological impacts. Northern infrastructures may become destabilized with the degradation of permafrost while palsas may become lone permafrost refuges for biodiversity that depend on cooler ecosystems, such as polar bears. | MAST | infrastructure; climate; environment; biodiversity | 9, 13, 15 |
| Tam, Benita | Gough, William A. | A Climate Change Impact Assessment on the Spread of Furunculosis in the Ouje-Bougoumou Region | Geography | 2009-02-26T15:51:18Z | A climate change impact assessment was conducted to examine the spread of furunculosis found in the fish species of Ouje-Bougoumou; and subsequently to examine the resulting impacts on the health of the community. A past assessment was performed to assess whether there was a temporal relationship between increased temperatures and past incidences of furunculosis using observed climate data and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) data. To project future impacts of climate change, climate models, lake models and TEK were used. Findings show that the rise in air mean temperature coincides with the timeline of past incidences of furunculosis. It is predicted that the lake temperatures will remain suitable for the presence of A. salmonicida; thus, it is likely that the disease will persist throughout the twenty-first century. To conclude, climate change is not eliminated as a plausible factor to the onset of furunculosis. | MAST | health; climate; fish | 3, 13, 14 |
| Tam, Carolyn Carmen | Koren, Gideon | Circulating Unmetabolized Folic Acid: Relationship to Folate Status and Effect of Supplementation | Pharmacology | 2011-01-11T17:36:25Z | There are increasing concerns that exposure to unmetabolized folic acid, which results from folic acid intakes that overwhelm the liver’s metabolic capacity, may be associated with adverse effects. In this study, we examined the folic acid status of women of reproductive age in relation to dietary intake and the effect of folic acid supplementation (1.1 mg or 5 mg). Plasma unmetabolized folic acid was not significantly correlated with folate intake estimated by food frequency questionnaire or biomarkers. The proportion of women with detectable levels of unmetabolized folic acid increased from 65% to 100% after twelve weeks of supplementation (p < 0.05), however, the increase in concentrations did not reach statistical significance and the effect was not sustained. Moreover, there were no significant differences between the two doses. This suggests that there are mechanisms by which the body adapts to high folic acid intakes to limit exposure to unmetabolized folic acid. | MAST | consum | 12 |
| Tam, Louise | Razack, Sherene | Governing Through Competency: Race, Pathologization, and the Limits of Mental Health Outreach | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | This thesis examines how cultural competency operates as a regime of governmentality. Inspired by Foucauldian genealogy, institutional ethnography, and Said’s concept of contrapuntality, this thesis problematizes the seamless production of racialized bodies in relation to mental disorder. I begin by elaborating a theoretical framework for interpreting race and madness as mutually constructed ordering practices. I then analyze what cultural competence produces and sustains in a position paper published by the Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs. I argue the Federation dismisses ongoing institutional violence—suggesting it is simply the perception, as opposed to the everyday reality, of discrimination that causes problems such as low educational attainment among youth of colour. To further support this claim, I deconstruct narratives of low self-esteem, maladaptive coping, depression, and denial of mental illness in the community needs assessments of two of the Federation’s member organizations: Hong Fook and Across Boundaries. | MAST | health; educat; production; institution | 16 |
| Tam, Michael Wun Ho | Cossman, Brenda | Explicit Legal Protections for Transgendered Canadians: Why it is Necessary and How it Might be Done | Law | 2013-11-28 | Explicit legal protections for trans individuals are necessary in Canadian human rights and antidiscrimination jurisprudence. The current grounds of protection against discrimination that trans individuals must rely upon (i.e., sexual orientation discrimination, disability discrimination and sex discrimination) insufficiently recognize trans individuals and the trans discrimination they face. I propose that a multi-level framework of explicit legal protections is required to address these insufficiencies. This framework includes the recognition of an analogous ground of Gender Identity and Gender Expression under the Charter, amendments to human rights legislation incorporating trans protections into prohibited grounds of discrimination at federal and provincial levels, and finally explicit recognition of trans individuals and trans discrimination in legal arguments and in litigation. This framework will allow for mutual reinforcement at multiple levels and promote development of trans specific jurisprudence. With such explicit legal protections in place trans individuals will be better protected against trans discrimination in Canada. | MAST | rights; gender | 5, 16 |
| Tam, Tommy Lok Hin | Wodchis, Walter | Validation of a Health-related Quality of Life Measure based on the Minimum Data Set by Mapping and Regression | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-11 | This study is the first to directly compare the Minimum Data Set- Health Status Index (MDS-HSI) based prediction of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the Resident Assessment Instrument- Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) with the actual resident-ratings of HRQOL based on the Health Utilities Index-2 (HUI2). This study involved secondary analysis of HUI2 survey response data from long-term care residents in Ontario. At the individual level, there was poor correlation between MDS-HSI and HUI2 multi-attribute and single health attribute scores. The Self-care attribute was the most discrepant health attribute and had the largest impact on the poor overall ICC between the MDS-HSI and the HUI2 scores. At the group level, the MDS-HSI and HUI2 findings showed mixed results. The results suggest that the source of HRQOL information is an important factors to consider when conducting HRQOL research in long-term care settings. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Tamam, Shlomi | Anderson, G. Harvey | Effect of Activity on Appetite, Food Intake and Net Energy Balance After a Glucose Drink in Normal Weight, Overweight and Obese Boys | Nutritional Sciences | 2011-02-24T21:05:11Z | The effect of exercise (EXR) on food intake (FI), subjective appetite and net energy balance was investigated in normal weight (NW), overweight (OW) and obese (OB) boys. Each boy received in random order either a non-caloric sweetened control (CON) or glucose (GLU) drink after either EXR or sedentary activity. Normal weight and OW/OB boys exercised at their ventilation threshold (VeT) in experiment 1 and NW boys exercised at 25% above their VeT in experiment 2. Overweight/OB boys ate significantly more total food than NW boys but not when adjusted for body weight. Food intake was lower after the GLU drink. Although EXR increased average appetite it did not affect FI. However, net energy balance was reduced by EXR in OW/OB boys, but not in NW boys. Thus, while EXR increases subjective appetite, apparent intake compensation occurred only in NW, but not in OW/OB boys, resulting in reduced net energy balance in OW/OB boys. | MAST | food | 2 |
| Tang, Tai Fung Stephen | Lawryshyn, Yuri | Optimizing Chemical Dosage in Municipal Wastewater Disinfection with Model-based Control | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-06 | This research thesis developed a feedforward model-based chemical dose control algorithm for municipal wastewater disinfection process and an algorithm to simulate unsteady stochastic process conditions using steady state computational fluid dynamics particle tracks. The control algorithm and simulation model utilize mechanistic models that describe disinfectant decay, CT, and disinfection levels. CT is the product of the effluent disinfectant concentration and the process average residence time. The models are integrated into the particle tracks generated from the disinfection process simulation. By utilizing the mechanistic models and the particle tracks, the control algorithm and the simulation model predict and control the process disinfection performance. The control algorithm is a feedforward control that predicts the disinfection performance, and it is not affected by the long feedback signal dead time commonly found in municipal wastewater disinfection. This thesis has shown that the mode-based dose control algorithm has reduced the disinfectant consumption up to 17%. | M.A.S. | water; consum; waste | 6, 12 |
| Tang, Thai-Son | Saarela, Olli S||Jiang, Huan | Comparing Hospital Performance with Competing Risk Quality Indicators through Inverse Probability Weighting and the Fine and Gray Model | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2018-11 | Quality-of-care comparisons have been a growing interest for government and healthcare stakeholders to identify specific areas of improvement among healthcare institutions. Causal inference methods can be adapted to obtain fairer comparisons between institutions and provide better evidence of quality-of-care. Two methods that can be used to adjust for differences in patient case-mix between providers are direct standardization using an outcome regression model and inverse probability weighting via the propensity score. Assuming the models are correctly specified, both generate unbiased estimators of expected quality-of-care outcomes. For competing risk time-to-event outcomes, the semiparametric Fine-and-Gray model can be used, while the nonparametric cumulative incidence estimator can be modified to accommodate inverse probability weights. We formulate potential cumulative incidence estimators based on these two methods and assess their performance through simulation studies. Furthermore, we apply both methods to rank and identify outliers for Ontario hospitals by their 5-year second cancer cumulative incidence. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Tario, Josue | Todorova, Miglena | In-Between Cultures: Becoming Latin American Canadian | Social Justice Education | 2017-11 | Rooted in my own experiences and extending to phenomenological interviews with seven Latin American Canadian youth between the ages of 18 and 29 in the Greater Toronto Area, this thesis examines how the dominant educational and cultural narratives shape the heterogeneous ways in which they perceive themselves and others. Findings show that such narratives engender a sense of in-betweenness among Latin American Canadian youth that both inhibit and empower them in pursuing self-fulfillment. This study juxtaposes these findings to feminist pedagogies of “third space” and “critical spirituality” which have the ability to enhance the educational experiences of not just Latin American Canadian students but all participants in education. The overarching objective of this thesis, however, transcends the case study and explores the intersections between discourse, identity formation and agency, proposing critical spirituality as a practice enabling agency and as a transformational “punctum” that embraces the process of becoming over being. | M.A. | inclusive | 4 |
| Tayabali, Munira Muzaffer | Bickmore, Kathy | Innovative Pedagogies? Enactment of Active-learning Pedagogies and Policies in Northern, Rural, Tanzania | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2020-06 | This ethnographic case study examines how various stakeholders in a northern, rural Tanzanian community responded to one American Non-Governmental Organization’s (ANGO) intervention to implement active-learning (participatory, student-centred) teaching methods in the primary school it co-managed with the Tanzanian government, and at its children’s residential facility. Interviews (with parents, teachers, government official, and children), classroom observations, and document analysis revealed that, despite continuation of some teacher-centred methods in the primary school classrooms, the students’ 2015 national examination passing rate was 98%, topping the regional charts. No visible gender disparity or cultural conflicts were detected. Informed by Ginsburg’s (2010) and Vavrus et al’s (2011) theory and research on active-learning pedagogies in the developing world, and Steiner-Khamsi’s (2013) research on transnational policy-borrowing in education, these analyses suggest that ANGO’s injection of infrastructural and teaching resources – textbooks, in-service training, meals for students – and other material aid had contributed towards the school’s academic excellence. | M.A. | educat; gender; rural | 4, 5, 11 |
| Taylor, Jessica Ashley | Arnold, Mary Louise | An Exploratory Study of Adolescent Moral Identity and its Relations to Social Justice Awareness | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2013-07-11 | The present mixed-methods study examined adolescents’ moral identity development and its relation to their awareness of problems of social justice. Fifty-eight inner-city adolescents in Grades 9 and 12 ranked personal values according to their self-relevance or importance and a sub-sample also provided responses to interview questions that were coded qualitatively for maturity of moral identity. A written questionnaire assessed the adolescents’ awareness of issues of racism, sexism, and classism. It was found that adolescents held moral values at significantly higher levels of importance than non-moral values, with no differences between grades. However, trends suggested that females placed somewhat greater emphasis on moral values in terms of centrality or importance to the self and also expressed slightly more mature explanatory responses than males. Adolescents’ moral identity and social justice awareness were not correlated. These findings highlight the need to foster the development of morally motivated, socially aware individuals. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Tee, Fu Yuan | Cluett, William||Shah, Sirish | Novel Techniques for Process Topology Reconstruction and Fault Diagnosis | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Fault diagnosis is a challenging problem, particularly for a large-scale industrial process. An up-to-date and accurate process topology – the causal relationships between system components of an industrial process – is crucial to understanding the fault propagation pathways and in diagnosing a fault. Data-driven techniques are more reliable for reconstructing the process topology, as compared to using expert knowledge. Many of the established algorithms for fault diagnosis impose strict assumptions that limit their applicability to industrial applications. As such, two novel algorithms from outside the field, Granger Net and Extended Convergent Cross-Mapping, were investigated. The classical Granger Causality algorithm was used as a performance benchmark. The effectiveness of the two novel algorithms for process topology reconstruction and fault diagnosis was investigated using five simulated processes and the Eastman industrial process data. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Tessaro, Danielle | Kepe, Thembela | Political Ecology of Development In South Africa’s Wild Coast: Exploring Stakeholder Arguments for and Against Possible Development Strategies | Geography | 2012-11-27 | Characterized by scenic beauty and biodiversity, yet impoverished peoples, the Wild Coast of South Africa lies at a development crossroads, whereby various land-use proposals offer different outcomes. This thesis sought to analyze various stakeholder arguments in support of development strategies, especially involving the local people and environment. Based on a document analysis and interviews, the predominant development strategies supported were small community development initiatives (SCDIs) and tourism, supported by NGOs, and mining, supported by the private sector yet opposed by NGOs. A major finding was that while government outlines many development “objectives”, successful results are negligible, suggesting that this sector is an overall ineffective determinant for Wild Coast development. NGO and private sectors provided valid arguments in support of their strategies, leaving the researcher to conclude that means of collaboration should be determined in order to best develop the Wild Coast (via SCDIs, tourism, and mining) and improve local livelihoods. | MAST | environment; biodiversity | 13, 15 |
| Tetford, Pamela Elizabeth | Desloges, Joseph R | Assessing Geomorphic Processes and their Potential Relationship with Archaeological Artifact Exposure - NE Peloponnese, Greece | Geography | 2017-06 | Landscape change can be important when encountering historical artifacts. Interactions between topography, climate and human activity shape a landscape, making sediment deposits from surface erosion and fluvial transport, and the artifacts they contain, important archives. There is a potential relationship between the rate of geomorphic processes and surface artifact density. This study compares spatially variable estimates of soil loss and stream energy, as indicators of high geomorphic activity, to surface artifact finds of the Western Argolid Regional Project (WARP). Processes within the Inachos River watershed in the northeast Peloponnese, Greece, are quantified using the Unit Stream Power Erosion Deposition method (USPED) and the specific stream power approach in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) environment. A statistically significant association is identified between surface erosion and artifact density, with the lowest artifact densities associated with the highest rates of soil loss. Knowledgeable interpretation of artifact distribution enables more accurate reconstruction of human settlement history. | M.Sc. | environment; climate; energy; water | 7, 13, 14 |
| Tharakkal, Sowmini | Magnusson, Jamie-Lynn | Diasporic Contradictions: Indian (Hindu) Women Negotiating Canadian Higher Education | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2014-03-17 | Tradition and modernity are often viewed as strong yet opposing influences on the lives of Indian women living in Canada. In particular, the customs and religion of the homeland are assumed to conflict with the modern aspirations of these women. This study utilizes standpoint theory as a framework to question and push against this popular portrayal, and examines how Indian (Hindu) values influence, challenge and contribute to the educational and professional advancement of diasporic women. By analyzing qualitative interviews conducted with recently immigrated and second-generation Indian (Hindu) women, this study reveals that these women take on the role of an ideal amalgamation of Eastern and Western practices and navigate through their educational and professional choices in a manner that accommodates both. Traditional values and modernity are not always mutually exclusive, as evidenced by my participants who mobilize both in order to achieve particular sites of classed and ethnic empowerment. | MAST | educat; women | 4, 5 |
| Thirakul, Natalie | Isaranuwatchai, Wanrudee | An Analysis of the Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity in Canadian Seniors | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2019-06 | Food insecurity is a serious Canadian public health issue. As the Canadian population ages, it is important to know about the food insecurity experienced by seniors. Food insecurity among this group is a concern for its far-reaching effects on individual quality of life and health care services use and spending. Few studies have quantitatively explored the predictors of food insecurity among this growing group. This analysis examined changes in food insecurity rates among seniors using five waves of cross-sectional survey data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Logistic and multinomial logistic models were employed to observe the effects of demographic, socioeconomic, social capital, and geographic factors on senior food insecurity. The results suggest that elderly food insecurity is complex and is influenced by income, demographic, health, social, and geographic factors. These factors should be accounted for in future policies surrounding food insecurity and poverty reduction among the elderly. | M.Sc. | poverty; socioeconomic; food; health | 1, 2, 3 |
| Thomas, Cassandra | Wilson, Kathi | Newcomers and Social Inclusion in Peel Region, Ontario: Examining the Importance of Settlement Services | Geography | 2012-11-27 | This research examines settlement services and their ability to provide assistance with social inclusion for newcomer youth in the Peel Region, Ontario. Focus groups are used to examine the experiences and perceptions of settlement services and their ability to enhance social inclusion among 44 newcomer youth. The findings indicate that newcomer youth have positive perceptions of settlement services. Furthermore, there are five arenas in which settlement services are assisting with social inclusion for newcomer youth. These include relational inclusion, labour market inclusion, spatial inclusion, educational inclusion, and socio-political inclusion. Additional research is required to examine the social inclusion impacts that settlement services have on newcomer youth over the life-course. Moreover, reconsidering government initiatives and policies involving funds for settlement services and community organizations is necessary. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Thompson, Brandy | Quiñonez, Carlos | Cost Barriers to Dental Care in Canada | Dentistry | 2012-11-27 | Objective: To determine who avoids the dentist and declines recommended dental treatment due to cost. Methods: A secondary data analysis was undertaken. Weights were utilized to ensure data were nationally representative. Univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics were calculated and logistic regressions were used to observe the characteristics that were predictive of reporting cost barriers to care. Results: Over 17 per cent of the Canadian population reported avoiding a dental professional due to cost, and 16.5 per cent reported declining recommended dental treatment due to cost. These individuals had a higher prevalence of needing treatment, had more untreated decay, missing teeth, and reported having poor oral health and oral pain often. Having no insurance, lower income, and reporting “poor to fair” oral health were the greatest predictors of reporting cost barriers to care. Conclusions: Individuals who report cost barriers experience more disease and treatment needs than those who do not. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Thompson, Rosalea | Mojab, Shahrzad | When Borders Cross People: Bill C-31 and the Securitization of Boundaries Across Bodies and History | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2013-11-20 | Bill C-31 represents an important piece of policy in the history of Canadian citizenship. It takes its place in a dialog of policy and resistance about who ‘gets in’ and who is excluded from Canadian citizenship. By critically reading the text of Bill C-31 through other policy texts, academic arguments and research, and activist texts, this analysis elucidates historical connections between relations of capital, immigration, labour, and the criminal justice system. It works from a materialist feminist framework, critical of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation as systems that work through one another in dialectical and historically specific ways. The analysis argues that Bill C-31 is a continuation of relations of capital and that a dialectical conceptualization can yield strategies for a revolutionary praxis that offers hope for the transformation of existing social relations towards new and more humane ways of relating to one another. | MAST | gender; labour; justice | 5, 8, 16 |
| Thorpe-Gosley, Amelia | Bialystok, Lauren | Towards the Inclusion of Trans* Identities: Making Space and Creating Change in Postsecondary Institutions | Social Justice Education | 2015 | This thesis examines the current climate of colleges and universities for trans* students in Canada. In accordance with poststructural theory, it is argued that meaning is constructed and maintained within the postsecondary social structure. An assessment of the language employed in administrative procedure, student documentation, and discrimination policies within thirteen Canadian institutions will show how the identities of trans* students must be recognized and respected to avoid systemic erasure. It will also illustrate how the gendered division of space serves to restrict access and render trans* bodies invisible. There is a dire need for linguistic and structural change in order to ensure the acknowledgement of trans* identities in all aspects of postsecondary life. This thesis calls upon postsecondary establishments to work towards the affirmation and inclusion of trans* identities while simultaneously working to address the underlying binarist, heterosexist, and cissexist structures that shape the institution. | M.Ed. | gender | 5 |
| Tian, Yanhua | Taylor, Joshua Adam | Harmonic-Constrained Optimal Power Flow | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2017-11 | Modern power systems incorporate renewable energy resources as distributed generation to reduce cost and improve reliability and efficiency. Power electronic converters are often utilized to couple renewable resources. However, power electronic devices create harmonic distortions, which cause power quality and device reliability issues. In this thesis, a new dispatch tool that promotes renewable energy while restricting harmonic distortions is developed. This tool combines system harmonic models with optimal power flow, and provides the optimal dispatch with limited harmonic distortions. Frequency coupling matrices are adopted as converter harmonic models. Relaxation is applied to transform the optimization problem to a semidefinite program, which can be effectively solved using a commercially available software. Numerical tests on two IEEE feeder networks verify the model and demonstrate that the system operator can reduce system harmonic distortions at small or zero additional generation cost by dispatching the renewable energy resources according to the new method. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable | 7 |
| Tijssen, Janice | Parshuram, Christopher | Inter-facility Transport of Critically Ill Children in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-06 | Inter-facility transport to centralized centres with paediatric expertise is an established practice. Patient outcomes and resources consumed are not well understood in Ontario and other Canadian jurisdictions. We performed a retrospective multicentre observational study of critically ill children who underwent inter-facility transport to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Ontario from 2004 to 2012. We identified 4074 transports. The annual absolute number of transports increased each year. The transport system is used by a young population with heavy health care use prior to transport, who required a significant amount of resources for transport, in the PICU, and for hospitalization following transport. Over a third of transports were for respiratory disease and for infants under 6 months of age. The PICU mortality rate for transported children was almost double the general PICU mortality rate. Almost half of ICU deaths occurred in the first 24 hours following transport. Availability of a paediatrician at the referral hospital was associated with a lower PICU mortality. | M.Sc. | consum; health | 3, 11 |
| Ting, Eon | Ungar, Wendy | Systematic Review of the Cost-effectiveness of Influenza Immunization Programs: A Canadian Perspective | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-11 | In Canada, currently no national seasonal influenza immunization program exists. To better inform policy, the cost-effectiveness of influenza immunization programs was examined. Using a best-evidence synthesis approach, 31 economic evaluations were reviewed. Subgroups emerged from the literature, including pregnant and post-partum women, children, and healthy adults. Generally, from the societal and healthcare system perspective, vaccination was cost-effective. For pregnant and post-partum women, vaccinating all versus only high risk was cost-effective. For children (6 months to 18 years), vaccinating all versus only high risk was cost effective, especially for infants, toddlers, and adolescents. For healthy working age adults (19 to 64 years), results were mixed, and sensitive to vaccine efficacy, uptake, and productivity loss. For adults with co-morbidities and healthcare workers, vaccination was cost-effective. In Canada, six provinces (AB, SK, MB, ON, NS, NL) and all territories offer universal programs as of 2014. Three provinces (BC, QC, NB) offer programs targeting high risk groups only. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| To, Kim Lun Sharon | Helwig, Charles C. | The Role of Democratic Family and School Environment in Urban and Rural Chinese Adolescents’ Attitudes about Children’s Rights and their Psychological Well-being | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-11-30 | This study examined the significance of perceived parent and teacher support for autonomy and responsiveness, along with perceptions of democratic social organization, in the development of conceptions of children’s rights. Relations between these family and school environments and adolescents’ psychological well-being were also examined and a contrast between urban and rural settings within mainland China was included. Current findings suggest that Chinese adolescents display patterns of children’s rights attitudes similar to those found in Western settings. Different possible pathways of family and school environmental impact on children’s rights attitudes are found and explored. Current findings support psychological models that propose that the promotion of autonomy and responsiveness is critical to adolescents’ psychological well-being across cultures. Moreover, these findings provide strong evidence that features of democratic environments (e.g., mutual respect between parents and children, opportunities for children to express their opinions, shared decision making) are relevant to people in non-Western cultures. | MAST | institution | 16 |
| Tokawa, Rob | Benson, Peter | The Status Theory: a Corrective Justice Account of the English Law of Unjust Enrichment | Law | 2014-11 | This thesis presents a corrective justice theory, which will be referred to as the "status theory," of the normative foundations underlying the English law of unjust enrichment. According to the status theory, the right to restitution responding to an unjust enrichment is a Kantian status right, which is granted to the plaintiff following the violation, by the defendant, of a particular proprietary right belonging to the plaintiff. This proprietary right is a right to set the agenda over value owned by the plaintiff and comprising the enrichment. The Kantian status right resulting from the violation of the plaintiff's right to set the agenda over his property may then be used to force the defendant to disgorge unjust gains, comprised of either value or in rem rights. | LL.M. | justice; rights | 16 |
| Toomari, Andia | Cafazzo, Joeseph | Contrasts in Safety Management: Safety-critical Industries vs. Healthcare | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11 | Healthcare, as a safety-critical industry, has often been contrasted with aviation and nuclear energy. Though safety tactics learned from aviation and nuclear energy have proven effective, healthcare continues to have higher number of preventable serious adverse events in comparison to aviation and nuclear energy. A mixed-method study was conducted and revealed that aviation and nuclear energy have international organizations which develop standards to harmonize operations globally. According to these standards, there are explicit regulatory requirements within aviation and nuclear energy, to implement safety management systems at the organizational level. Application of safety management systems to the extent implemented in aviation and nuclear energy has not been fully investigated or applied in healthcare practice. Recommendations include but are not limited to the development and implementation of a safety management system standard which includes process control, management of change, proactive hazard identification and risk management, fatigue management, and reliability analysis of safety-critical tasks. | M.H.Sc. | health; energy; industr | 3, 7, 9 |
| Toop, Erin Carrie | Miller, Eric | Understanding Accessibility in Midsize Cities: An Empirical Analysis of Canadian Cities, and Case Studies of Kamloops, British Columbia and Milton, Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2013-11-28 | Midsize cities face a number of sustainability challenges, particularly in terms of transportation and land use, however only a small subset of the literature has addressed these issues. Examination of the literature reveals two reasons for this: there is no consensus on a definition of midsize cities used for transportation research purposes, and there is very little empirical understanding of midsize city characteristics. This thesis addresses both of these issues. In order to establish the bigger picture, an empirical classification of Canadian cities is completed and used as a tool to analyze the travel behaviour characteristics of Canadian midsize cities. This work is followed by two detailed case studies of midsize Canadian cities – the City of Kamloops, British Columbia, and the Town of Milton, Ontario. The case studies employ both qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the context around travel behaviour in each community. | MAST | land use; cities | 11, 15 |
| Tountas, Athanasios A. | Kirk, Donald W. | On the Catalytic Gasification of a Municipal Solid Waste Residue, using Alkali and Alkaline Earth Carbonate Catalysts | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-03 | Catalysis in gasification has been known since 1921. At that time the primary substrate was coal. New substrates have since been processed and include biomasses, sludges, and recently the carbonaceous portion of municipal solid waste (MSW). An analogue of the residue of the last substrate is natural graphite, as under severe (+550 celcius) pyrolysis conditions, carbon tends to graphitize. This material tends to accumulate in processes such as downdraft steam gasifiers,leading to low carbon efficiencies. To improve these inefficiencies, graphite is investigated under oxygen gasifying conditions, using a potassium carbonate catalyst in a thermogravimetric apparatus (TGA). The goal is to obtain intrinsic rate information by correcting for the diffusional limitations inherent in the device. Doing so gives a close correlation with literature in terms of activation energy and rates. Finally, as the expense incurred by not recycling valuable catalyst can be uneconomical, retention and displacement of valuable catalysts was also investigated. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Trabucco, Ximena Cecilia Martinez | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | Decolonizing the Curriculum in Chile: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Notion of Human Being and Citizenship as Presented in the Subject of History Geography and Social Science in the Elementary Level Curriculum | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2013-11-26 | Through an analysis of History Geography and Social Science subject matter in the elementary level curriculum in Chile, this thesis highlights the role of official education in constructing a notion of human being that gravitates toward Whiteness. The law of education and the curriculum are analyzed to examine the way in which official curriculum operates as a mechanism for oppression, exclusion, and marginalization. It is argued that through the curriculum, a national ideology that incorporates a hegemonic notion of ideal human being and citizen is promoted. Using an anti-colonial, anti-racist discursive framework, and techniques from Critical Discourse Analysis, this work locates Chilean official education and curriculum as the culmination of colonial and racist notion of human and citizenship values supported by the neoliberal state. The researcher advocates for equity and justice in the education system that acknowledges Chile as a multicultural country where different ways of knowing coexist. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Trac, Justin Zhi | Verma, Subodh | Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Circulating Inflammatory and Pro-vascular Progenitor Cell Populations | Pharmacology | 2020-06 | Obesity is a growing healthcare concern with more than 2 billion adults worldwide affected by unhealthy weight gain. Since bariatric surgery can induce significant cardiometabolic improvements and reduce adverse cardiovascular events, we hypothesized that these benefits may occur through decreased circulating inflammatory cell burden and increased pro-vascular progenitor cell content. High aldehyde dehydrogenase- (ALDH) activity and cell surface markers were assessed by flow cytometry for circulating progenitor cell content, M1/M2 macrophage balance, and pro-inflammatory cell burden between normal weight controls and individuals before and after bariatric surgery. At 3 months, ALDHhiSSChi granulocytes were reduced 2-fold and ALDHhiSSCmid monocyte/macrophage precursors were increased 2-fold, to frequencies equivalent to normal weight controls. Pro-angiogenic ALDHhiSSClow cells with primitive CD34+/CD133+ co-expression were enriched following surgery. Collectively, these data suggest that bariatric surgery induced beneficial changes in circulating progenitor cell content, consistent with improved vascular regenerative capacity and lower cardiovascular risk. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Trachtenberg, Lianne | Piran, Niva | Identity Reformulation among Young Women with Breast Cancer | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | The purpose of this study was threefold; to examine the unique challenges faced among young breast cancer survivors’ self-concepts; to explore the identity reformulation process as they adjust to a new lifestyle after completing medical treatment; and to identify women’s creative problem solving solution used to mitigate any long-term distress and discontinuity between past, current and ideal selves. In-person semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 young breast cancer survivors (aged 32-45). The results indicated that exploring women’s narratives through the identity reformulation process created an alternative approach to the four prescribed quality of life domains used to understand survivors’ overall wellbeing. The results also identified three shared domains of social location (gender, youth and health status) that intersected in women’s identity reformulation process. These findings have implications for psychosocial oncology literature, as well as clinical practice for mental health practitioners. Limitations and recommendations for areas of future research were discussed. | MAST | health; gender; women | 3, 5 |
| Tran, Fiona F. | Jamieson, Greg A. | Designing for Wide-area Situation Awareness in Future Power Grid Operations | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-06 | Power grid operation uncertainty and complexity continue to increase with the rise of electricity market deregulation, renewable generation, and interconnectedness between multiple jurisdictions. Human operators need appropriate wide-area visualizations to help them monitor system status to ensure reliable operation of the interconnected power grid. We observed transmission operations at a control centre, conducted critical incident interviews, and led focus group sessions with operators. The results informed a Work Domain Analysis of power grid operations, which in turn informed an Ecological Interface Design concept for wide-area monitoring. I validated design concepts through tabletop discussions and a usability evaluation with operators, earning a mean System Usability Scale score of 77 out of 90. The design concepts aim to support an operator's complete and accurate understanding of the power grid state, which operators increasingly require due to the critical nature of power grid infrastructure and growing sources of system uncertainty. | M.A.S. | renewable | 7 |
| Tran, Kim | Dhalla, Irfan | Do Quality Improvement Plans in Primary Care Improve Perceived Quality of Care? A Mixed-methods Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-06 | This thesis explores whether the introduction of quality improvement plans in Ontario has improved, or has been perceived to improve, the quality of primary care. Quantitative findings suggest that there have been minimal changes in access to primary care from 2013/14 to 2014/15. Characteristics such as the type of primary care organization, availability of resources for quality improvement (QI), number of family physicians and rurality were not found to have statistically significant associations with performance change. Eleven Directors and/or Quality Leads at family health teams or community health centres were interviewed until data saturation was achieved. Qualitative findings were organized into three inter-related themes: impact of quality improvement plans, success factors and challenges to improving the quality of primary care. Although most participants consistently expressed that quality improvement plans increased awareness and focus on quality improvement, substantial improvements in quality of care have yet to be achieved. | M.Sc. | health; rural | 3, 11 |
| Trask, Brandon Marshall | Trebilcock, Michael | Exchanging Approaches: Evaluating Methods to Counter Chinese Currency Undervaluation | Law | 2013-11-28 | I evaluate four possible approaches the United States may take to address China's practice of undervaluing the renminbi: 1) a challenge under Article XV of the GATT and the associated IMF provisions; 2) countervailing duties; 3) antidumping measures; and 4) safeguard measures. I conclude that the first three approaches are unlikely to succeed; there are a number of legal and political obstacles to the pursuit of these remedies. While the current WTO safeguards regime is likely insufficient, a new safeguards regime can--and should--be developed. I review and critique Dani Rodrik's proposal for a new safeguards regime and set out my own basic blueprint for a significantly expanded safeguards regime, emphasizing that flexibility in the realm of international trade law would help to secure overall stability in international trade itself. In order to be effective shock absorbers, safeguards must become far more flexible. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Traub, Alison | Evans, Greg J | Optimization Application of Acellular Oxidative Potential Measurements to Urban Ambient Particulate Matter | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-06 | Oxidative potential (OP) and oxidative burden (OB) are emerging metrics for assessing air pollution hazard and risk. Three acellular assays were tested and recommendations were made for standard, reproducible approaches. Standardized practices for choosing analysis concentrations, incorporating standards and controls, and mixing reduced inter-experimental variability and facilitated identification of failed assays. These methods were applied to samples collected from across Toronto, Canada to assess the spatial and seasonal variability in OP and OB of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). OP and OB exhibited greater spatial variability than PM2.5 mass, and OPDTT exhibited greater seasonal variability than PM2.5 mass. Finally, associations between chemical composition and OP suggest that OP may capture the influence of local emissions, such as those from brake wear and road dust. Future work should focus on testing standardized protocols across laboratories to facilitate inter-lab collaborations, and investigating OP associations with a broader suite of chemical species. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Trinh, Kevin | Jamieson, Gregory Allan | Temporal De-biasing of Behaviour in Residential Energy Consumption: Supporting Conservation Compliance Through Feedback Design | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2011-01-11T20:15:06Z | Despite years of research in residential energy conservation, means of inducing conservation behaviour through feedback are not well understood. In this thesis I take a novel approach to feedback design by addressing temporal inconsistencies that may hinder individuals from forming an intention to conserve. To help understand conservation compliance strategies, I proposed a visual framework to categorize interventions. I present two design heuristics that were inspired by temporal construal theory (Liberman & Trope, 2003). They were the impetus for the design of three feedback display prototypes, which were examined. Due to methodological limitations, significant improvements to compliance were not found. However, evidence suggests that comparative feedback may have supported reasoning about conservation rather than supporting conservation compliance directly. Future work includes refinement of feedback displays to avoid direct comparisons, exploring the use of nature imagery, and the study of a possible interaction between environmental values and comparative feedback on compliance. | MAST | conserv; environment; energy | 7, 13, 14 |
| Trisolino, Antonella | Trudo, Lemmens | "Nanomedicine: Governing Uncertainties" | Law | 2011-01-11T21:02:23Z | Nanomedicine is a promising and revolutionary field to improve medical diagnoses and therapies leading to a higher quality of life for everybody. Huge benefits are expected from nanomedicine applications such as in diagnostic and therapeutic field. However, nanomedicine poses several issues on risks to the human health. This thesis aims to defense a perspective of risk governance that sustains scientific knowledge process by developing guidelines and providing the minimum safety standards acceptable to protect the human health. Although nanomedicine is in an early stage of its discovery, some cautious measures are required to provide regulatory mechanisms able to response to the unique set of challenges associated to nanomedicine. Nanotechnology offers an unique opportunity to intensify a major interplay between different disciplines such as science and law. This multidisciplinary approach can positively contributes to find reliable regulatory choices and responsive normative tools in dealing with challenges of novel technologies. | MAST | health; governance | 3, 16 |
| Truong, Jimmy W. | Diamond, Miriam L||Helm, Paul | Organophosphate Esters (OPEs) as Emerging Contaminants in the Environment: Indoor Sources and Transport to Receiving Waters | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-11 | Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are high usage chemical additives that are of increasing concern because of growing evidence of potential toxicity and ubiquitous occurrence in the environment. This thesis summarizes the analysis, sources and environmental abundance of OPEs using Toronto as a case study. This was accomplished by documenting concentrations, loadings and factors influencing 19 OPEs in three Toronto streams during high and low flow periods, final effluent from three waste water treatment plants (WWTP), urban rain and near shore water from Lake Ontario. Tris (2-chloropropyl) phosphate (TCPP) was found at the highest concentrations in streams and WWTP effluent. Estimated mass loadings showed that WWTP discharges contributed significantly to the mass of OPEs entering into nearshore Lake Ontario, however, streams and rain could contribute equal or higher loadings during wet periods. These results suggested two major pathways to Lake Ontario: direct discharge from WWTP; and atmospheric deposition and wash-off into streams. | M.A.S. | environment; waste; urban; water | 11, 12, 13 |
| Trusca, Alexandru | Macklem, Patrick | Recognizing a Legal Responsibility | Law | 2012-01-02 | Today there exists a legal norm that declares the existence of a global responsibility to protect civilians from mass atrocities. Previous doctrines of non-intervention and permissibility were inadequate and demonstrated the need for a new outlook. From a commission proposal to international acceptance the doctrine of a responsibility to protect (R2P) developed quickly and legitimately. Recent events, especially the events in Libya during the Arab Spring, highlight the conceptual evolution of the norm and, more importantly, an international acceptance of its binding quality. Therefore, it is apparent R2P has achieved the status of a legal norm of international law. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Trusevych, Stephan Alexander | Kwon, Roy H||Jardine, Andrew K.S. | Stochastic Integer Decision Making in Operations and Finance | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015 | Two different stochastic decision models are developed for incorporating uncertainty and risk aversion into operational and financial decision making. First, a location decision model is developed for optimizing the quantity and placement of critical transformer spares over a network of industrial sites. Operational and financial sources of uncertainty are incorporated through the framework of a two-stage stochastic integer program. A conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) objective function captures risk aversion. Computational results show the risk averse model results in policies with lower loss as a result of the acquisition of more spares as a hedge against catastrophic scenarios. Second, an extension of the financial index tracking model of Cornuejols and Tutuncu (2007) is developed. To incorporate uncertainty and risk aversion, the distributionally robust stochastic programming (DRSP) framework developed in Delage and Ye (2010) is applied. Computational results show the DRSP index tracking model results in portfolios with improved tracking performance and resilience to market shocks. | M.A.S. | industr; resilien | 9, 11 |
| Tsvietkov, Iurii | Anand, Anita | Foreign Bank Branching in Ukraine: Comparative Analysis of Certain Aspects of Regulatory Regimes in Ukraine and Canada | Law | 2012-01-02 | After Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2008, foreign banks were permitted to open their branches directly in this country. This development brought the opportunity for additional capital inflow to Ukrainian economy. However, foreign banks tend to operate in Ukraine through locally incorporated subsidiaries rather than branches. This thesis analyzes the Ukrainian regulatory framework for foreign bank branching and compares to the analogous Canadian regimen. I find that, although the minimum entry requirements for establishing a foreign bank branch are more relaxed in Ukraine as compared to Canada, the Ukrainian legal framework that is not conducive to operating via branches. The regulatory limits for a branch’s loan activities are based on a branch’s capital deposited in Ukraine rather than on the parent bank’s capital. Branches effectively have no inherent advantages over subsidiaries in this jurisdiction, whereas the disadvantages, such as unlimited liability, are preserved. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Urbancic, Tanya U. | Bickmore, Kathy | Social Development, Peacebuilding and Democratization through Community-based Sport: Perspectives of Global South Facilitators in Rural Namibia and South Africa | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2016-11 | Sport can be an important tool to facilitate learning for transformative social development, as a catalyst for development and peace in post-conflict contexts. This research involves semi-structured interviews regarding the first-hand accounts and perspectives, in relation to facilitation of sport activities for social development, of local volunteer trained facilitators, working in two sport for development and peace projects in South Africa and Namibia. A review of theory and research literature on democratic citizenship and peacebuilding provides a context for hearing and understanding the facilitatorsâ voices. This thesis shows what selected facilitators experienced and learned through participation in these community based projects, and situates their perspectives on how their sport for development and peace projects facilitated global and local belonging, democratic citizenship engagement, and peacebuilding. These counternarratives based on lived experience contribute to critical anti-colonial approaches to understanding sport for development and peace in rural Southern Africa. | M.A. | rural; peace | 11, 16 |
| Urquhart-Cronish, Mackenzie Jean | Sokolowski, Marla B | Genetic Variation and Early-life Nutritional Stress Interact to Affect Adult Excretion and Fitness Traits | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-11 | Life-history strategies are complex and separable into distinct stages, where early experience can affect adult life. In addition, gene-by-environment interactions or individual genetic differences interacting with the environment can influence phenotypes within and between life history stages. Here, using Drosophila melanogaster, I show rover/sitter allelic variants of the foraging gene (for) interact differently with their early nutritional environment affecting adult excreta deposit number, intestinal physiology, and fitness traits and that excretion phenotypes are mediated by differences in for expression. I found rover/sitter differences in intestinal and reproductive physiology that suggest trade-offs between adult gut function and reproductive output. Using transgenic manipulations, I demonstrated that reducing for expression in an organ and tissue specific mannerâ including the gastric systemâ affects phenotypic differences in adult excretion. My findings highlight the importance of investigating individual genetic differences in the context of early environmental experience to fully understand organismal biology and phenotypic complexity. | M.Sc. | environment; trade; nutrition | 2, 10, 13 |
| Valencia, Laura M | Singh, Neera | Compensatory Afforestation in Odisha, India: A Political Ecology of Forest Restoration | Geography | 2019-11 | To mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity, states across the globe have ambitious plans to restore degraded lands (globally, 350 million hectares by 2030, as per the latest Bonn Challenge commitment). Seeking to understand the potential unintended consequences of these vast state-led restoration efforts, in this thesis I explore India's seven-billion-dollar compensatory afforestation program through a political ecology lens. I find that in practice this policy contradicts India’s broader attempts to democratize forest governance by failing to foreground local communities and institutions, affirm customary rights, and safeguard livelihoods. Instead, compensatory afforestation contributes to dispossession and precarity, while relying heavily on industrial tree plantations. With ground-truthed geospatial data, I explore how this policy impacts Adivasi shifting cultivators on their tenure-insecure territories in Odisha, east India. In so doing, I support calls from the field of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) to ensure restoration is tenure-sensitive and rights-based. | M.A. | industr; climate; forest; biodiversity; ecology; institution; governance; rights | 15, 16 |
| Van Lier, Nicole | Zoric, Terezia | Lines of Dissent: Representing Pipeline Resistance in Corporate Canadian Print Media | Social Justice Education | 2015-11 | The Enbridge Line 9 reversal is part of a national development plan to expand Canada’s underground pipeline network that extends outward from Alberta’s tar sand epicentre, an industrial project dedicated to the extraction of the most carbon-intensive oil in the world. This research draws on insights gained from the fields of critical geography, political economy, and critical media studies to undertake a critical discourse analysis of the systemic articulations of grassroots Line 9 resistance generated by corporate Canadian print media, and the discursive regulation of political dissent. Representations are juxtaposed with insights offered by three key activists involved in anti-Line 9 campaigns in Toronto. I argue that the contestation of material forms of political engagement, the intersection of private property and embodied resistance, and the depoliticizing effects of militarized constructions of activism, operate as environmental governance technologies that may work to narrow or discourage civic participation in pipeline resistance efforts within a neoliberal state threatened by climate change. | M.A. | industr; climate; environment; governancw | 16 |
| van Warmerdam, Jacqueline | Gupta, Sumit | The Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on their Mother's Mental Healthcare Use | Medical Science | 2018-11 | The impact of a child’s cancer diagnosis on a mother’s mental health is unclear. We assembled a population-based cohort of mothers of children diagnosed with cancer and captured all mental health-related visits using healthcare administrative data. The primary outcome assessed rate of low severity mental health visits after cancer diagnosis. Secondary outcomes included time to severe mental health event (ED visit, hospitalization, suicide), and specific severe psychiatric diagnoses. When compared to 26,950 controls, 5,418 childhood cancer mothers had higher rates of outpatient mental health visits (rate ratio 1.4, p | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Vargas, Alex Mateo | Gulder, Omer L | Design and Development of a Thermophoretic Soot Sampling System for High-pressure Laminar Diffusion Flames | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2016-06 | Pollutant formation processes associated with high-pressure combustion pose challenges to optical diagnostics and physical probing of the flames due to various technical problems in comparison to the atmospheric case. One preferred process of studying the size and morphology of soot in atmospheric flames is in situ thermophoretic sampling and transmission electron microscopy. In this work, a multi-probe high-pressure thermophoretic sampling system was developed and used successfully inside a high-pressure combustion chamber. All soot samples were measured at a constant height above the burner exit. Findings show that the mean primary soot particle size decreased about 36% from 2 to 10 atm. In addition, the corresponding soot volume fractions imply that the number of soot nuclei in the soot inception region of the laminar diffusion flames have a strong sensitivity to pressure. The higher amounts of soot are mainly determined by the increasing primary soot particle number densities as pressure increases. | M.A.S. | pollut | 14 |
| Varty, Stephanie | Lehnherr, Igor | Methylmercury Cycling at the Aquatic-terrestrial Interface in a High Arctic Freshwater Continuum | Geography | 2019-03 | Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global toxin which bioaccumulates and biomagnifies through food webs. To discern how MeHg enters Arctic food webs, it is important to understand spatial and seasonal cycling of MeHg at the terrestrial-aquatic interface, processes which are sensitive to climate change. This research determined hotspots of MeHg production and degradation in a High Arctic freshwater continuum, and how these processes varied between ice-on and ice-off conditions. Different compartments of the Skeleton Continuum of Lake Hazen, Nunavut were sampled to capture variation in MeHg production and degradation. Examining interconnectedness of the landscape revealed that production hotspots occur in multiple compartments (lake/pond sediments, pore water), yet downstream degradation hotspots and storage (lake water, wetland soils) prevent MeHg from entering the downstream system. Additionally, high MeHg concentrations found in the springtime (water column, snow) solidify the theory that spring freshet is an important source of MeHg to freshwater systems. | M.Sc. | food; water; production; climate | 2, 6, 12, 13 |
| Vaz-Jones, Laura | Kepe, Thembela||Hunter, Mark | The Politics of Claims-making on Cape Town's Urban Peripheries: The Ithemba Farmers' Land Occupation | Geography | 2016-06 | This paper investigates land occupation on the urban peripheries of Cape Town and the use of de facto land rights to sustain survival strategies and to make broader claims for accessing the state and accessing the city. Using extensive qualitative research in Cape Town with the Ithemba farmers, I investigate the politics of claims-making among a group of ‘squatting farmers’ who have established their access to land owned by the state and explore their insurgent practices and livelihoods. In doing so, I examine the disconnect between policies and lives on the ground indicating desires for equitable and integrated human settlements supporting peoples’ hybrid livelihood strategies and contesting ongoing experiences of social and spatial exclusion post-apartheid.This work is situated within broader discussions of the peripheries as sites of contestation and agency and brings the land question into conversation with contemporary processes of urbanization and unemployment in South Africa. | M.A. | equitable; employment; urban; rights | 4, 8, 11, 16 |
| Vecht, Vander Jen | Conway, Tenley | If a Tree Falls in the Urban Forest: Current and Future Pest Vulnerability in Toronto's Urban Forest | Geography | 2014-06 | Urban forests represent a valuable resource for cities. Accounting for species diversity and vulnerability to pests when managing an urban forest can help enhance services delivered and minimize management expenses. In this research, tree genera currently prevalent and commonly planted in Toronto were analyzed using a pest vulnerability matrix to explore how the city's urban forest's pest vulnerability may be changing. Current tree species composition was derived from inventory data, while the planting trends of a variety of local actors were determined through surveys and interviews. Results suggest some genera show clumped distributions and occasionally surpass recommended diversity thresholds in a given district or citywide. On-going planting behaviours in Toronto are replicating some current diversity issues while also increasing less common species. As a result, Toronto's vulnerability to tree pests and diseases will likely decrease, but certain serious issues will continue. | M.A. | forest; urban; cities | 11, 15 |
| Vegh, Andrea Anna | Hatton, Benjamin D | Non-Adhesive Wound Dressings for Burn Patients | Biomedical Engineering | 2017-11 | Wounds can be caused by a number of reasons including trauma, surgical procedures, or burns. Current would dressings are frequently made of hydrophilic materials, causing them to adhere to exposed wound tissue and exudate, resulting in damage to the healing wound and pain upon dressing changes. This project designed and tested a novel non-adhesive wound dressing that does not adhere to the underlying wound tissue upon removal, and also discourages the growth of bacterial biofilm on its surface, while still allowing for exudate absorbance. Cellular adhesion tests were conducted with both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, comparing the novel wound dressings to commercially-available dressings indicated for use on burn wounds. Results showed that the novel dressings adhered to less human fibroblast cells and P. aeruginosa biofilm after 3 days. An effective non-adhesive wound dressing, with antimicrobial abilities, would significantly benefit both the patient and the healthcare system as a whole. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Veilleux, Etienne | Lehn, Peter W. | Interconnection of Direct-drive Wind Turbines Using A Series Connected DC Grid | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2010-02-16T16:27:09Z | This thesis presents the concept of a "distributed HVDC converter" for offshore wind farms. The proposed converter topology allows series interconnection of wind turbines obviating the necessity of transformers and an offshore platform. Each wind turbine is equipped with a 5MW permanent-magnet synchronous generator and an ac-dc-dc converter. The converter topology is a diode rectifier (ac-dc) cascaded with a single-switch step-down converter (dc-dc). The dc-dc stage allows the current to flow at all times in the dc link while regulating generator torque. The receiving end is equipped with a conventional thyristor-based HVDC converter. The inverter station is located onshore and it regulates the dc link current to be constant. Stability of the configuration and independent operation of the wind turbines are validated through simulations using the PSCAD/EMTDC software package. Protection for some key dc fault scenarios are discussed and a possible protection strategy is proposed. | MAST | wind | 7 |
| Velenosi, Nicholas | Zee, Robert E | Thermal Design and Analysis Methodologies Applied to the DAUNTLESS Bus and GHGSat-C Microsatellite | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2018-11 | Throughout a mission’s preliminary design through to final acceptance, various thermal analysis and control techniques are implemented to verify feasibility through worst case hot and cold conditions. A satellite developed using the DAUNTLESS bus, the latest platform developed at SFL, faced many thermal challenges due to the large bus with an emphasis on methodologies to reduce risk. This resulted in a detailed thermal model leading up to the launch of the spacecraft, capturing details around the large antenna dish and the internal propulsion tank. GHGSat-C is a greenhouse gas monitoring satellite with high-resolution IR imaging capabilities. The satellite is a successor to the pre-existing GHGSat-D, which demonstrated the mission and its future constellation. The satellite features updates in almost every subsystem and introduces an optical downlink which drives aspects of the design. These topics are expanded on further in this thesis and any major milestones and results are presented accordingly. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Vellaboyana, Bharath Reddy | Taylor, Joshua A | Decentralized Scheduling and Control in Power Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | Decentralized control reduces the need for expensive and delay inducing communication infrastructure. In this thesis we will present new algorithms for decentralized control of DC-segmented power systems and energy storages. DC-segmentation is a process in which a transmission system is divided into isolated AC subsystems connected to each other only by DC lines. It improves transient stability and increases the transmission capacity of a transmission system. We construct a poset-causal optimal decentralized controller for this system, which only requires neighbor-to-neighbor communication. In the second part of this thesis, we focus on multiple energy storages located in a distribution system with renewable generation. We use dynamic programming and inventory control theory to obtain optimal scheduling policies for the energy transactions of the storages. These policies are optimal and only require local information. | M.A.S. | energy; renewable; infrastructure | 7, 9 |
| Vera Zambrano, Marina | Touchie, Marianne||MacLean, Heather L | Development of a Low-Cost Diagnostic Tool to Assess the Sufficiency of Food Drying Processes in Developing Countries | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Food drying reduces moisture content supporting microbial growth that contributes to food spoilage in developing countries. However, there is a lack of efficient low-cost tools to assess the sufficiency of food drying in small-scale operations in developing countries. Thus, a model was developed using a thermal imaging process to determine the moisture content of dried Royal Gala apples based on their cooling rate. Fitted regression curves showing absolute temperature versus cooling time were plotted for different wet basis moisture contents. The regression curve obtained for a safe range of moisture (9-11%) produced an equation with a higher constant and exponent than the curve for a potentially unsafe range (15-17%), showing the potential of this method. Further analysis is needed to evaluate the applicability of this method in other types of dried foods and conditions, as well as to explore the possibility to use the developed model in a mobile application. | M.A.S. | food | 2 |
| Vermette, Kyrie | Schmid, Andre | Like Mother, Unlike Daughter: Perspectives and Relationships Between Missionary Women in Korea and Korean Women, 1884-1910 | East Asian Studies | 2016-11 | Building off of previous debates concerning missionary women and their interactions with race and gender, this thesis re-examines the perspectives and relationships between missionary women in Korea and Korean women between the years 1884-1910. I will primarily focus on the use of rhetoric in published missionary writings and the private papers of Mattie Wilcox Noble and Edith McRae to argue that the rhetoric of sisterhood was mostly used for recruitment purposes and missionary women conceptualized their relations with Korean women based on the domestic ideologies of motherhood. They saw their relationship with Korean women as similar to that of mother and daughter while at the same time also believing their role to be that of a model of motherhood for Korean women. The Korean women did not always view the relationships in the same way, which made the missionary women uneasy, and often understood their relations on a more professional basis. | M.A. | gender; women | 5 |
| Villar, Cindy del | Mishna, Faye | Bullying, Ethnic Discrimination or Both? A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Immigrant Adolescents | Social Work | 2011-08-23 | The present study explored the experiences of victimization and immigration among immigrant youth in the Peel region in Ontario, Canada. Victimization included the experiences of bullying and ethnic discrimination in the school environment. The study utilized a phenomenological approach to investigate how immigrant youth interpreted their experiences and whether they identified victimization as bullying, ethnic discrimination or both. The effects of victimization on adaptation and acculturation were also explored. Results from individual interviews of six youth (ages 16 or 17) indicated that immigrant youth viewed bullying and discrimination as separate constructs. Themes that emerged from the interviews included the importance of language proficiency; the role of peer affiliations; and factors associated with resiliency. It was evident through their descriptions that immigrant youth face unique challenges, which include adjusting to a new culture and country of residence, establishing a new social circle, and gaining comfort in utilizing the English language. | MAST | inclusive | 4 |
| Viner, Margarita | Piran, Niva | Sexual Desire among Adolescent Girls: Investigation of Social Context and Personal Choices | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T18:56:55Z | This qualitative inquiry uses a life history prospective approach to investigate the social context in which adolescent girls’ sexual feelings emerge and in which girls’ sexual experiences occur. Nine adolescent girls were interviewed at two points in time during their adolescence and themes from their narratives were analyzed with respect to their experiences with sexuality. It appears that peers, family members, and sexual/dating partners have a major effect on both, girls’ sexual experiences and their connection with their sexual feelings. Prospective analysis revealed that over time, the social contexts of adolescent girls became more complex and girls became exposed to increasingly contradictory messages about what they should do and feel and behave. Girls appeared to have internalized the social messages around sexuality, which was evident through how girls talked about sexuality and through girls’ direct reports that their decisions were affected by the social and familial implications of their decisions. | MAST | girl | 5 |
| Visscher, Brent Tyler | Gauvreau, Douglas Paul | Innovative Pre-cast Cantilever Constructed Bridge Concept | Civil Engineering | 2008-07-30T21:21:20Z | Minimum impact construction for bridge building is a growing demand in modern urban environments. Pre-cast segmental construction is one solution that offers low-impact, economical, and aesthetically pleasing bridges. The standardization of pre-cast concrete sections and segments has facilitated an improved level of economy in pre-cast construction. Through the development of high performance materials such as high strength fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC), further economy in pre-cast segmental construction may be realized. The design of pre-cast bridges using high-strength FRC and external unbonded tendons for cantilever construction may provide an economical, low-impact alternative to overpass bridge design. This thesis investigates the feasibility and possible savings that can be realized for a single cell box girder bridge with thin concrete sections post-tensioned exclusively with external unbonded tendons in the longitudinal direction. A cantilever-constructed single cell box girder with a curtailed arrangement of external unbonded tendons is examined. | MAST | environment; urban | 11, 13 |
| Vitopoulos, Antigone Nina | Peterson-Badali, Michele ||Skilling, Tracey | The Efficacy of the Risk-need-responsivity Framework in Guiding Treatment for Female Young Offenders | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-05-31T18:51:57Z | Research supports rehabilitative programming addressing youths’ risk to reoffend, criminogenic needs and responsivity factors with the goal of reducing reoffending. However, the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) framework takes a ‘gender neutral’ approach that critics assert overlooks the unique needs of females. It remains largely unknown whether matching treatment to RNR needs is as effective for female youth as it has been shown to be for male youth. Comparative analyses of 39 male and 37 female justice system-involved youth indicate that across RNR categories, females and males were similar in quality and quantity of needs, and had them met through probation services at a similar rate. However, while the RNR assessment tool predicted risk for recidivism equally well, the matching of services to RNR needs appears to be far more potent in reducing recidivism for boys than girls, suggesting a moderating effect of sex on the relationship between RNR matched treatment and re-offending. | MAST | gender; girl; justice | 5, 16 |
| Vivanco, Paulina A. | Razack, Sherene | 'Safe' Schools: Safe for Who?: Latinas, 'Thugs', and Other Deviant Bodies | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T18:59:19Z | This analysis is concerned with the spatially-anchored hierarchies of power that organize Ontario’s current schooling model. Using the experiences of four young Latina girls, it questions how current school safety discourses function as barriers to educational success, vis-à-vis their role in reconfiguring these students’ identities through narratives of danger, menace, and unruliness. Specific safety and security related practices are explored as sites through which marginalized students are produced as dangerous bodies who are undeserving of full educational opportunities. It is argued that these practices (as manifest in current approaches to surveillance, policing, discipline and punishment, and the restriction of educational mobility) all work to produce the school space as dominant space. Rather than offering youth the opportunity to overcome inequalities, schools and education instead play a definitive role in their continued propagation by sanctioning the control, containment, and eviction of those who are deemed to be deviant. | MAST | girl; educat | 4, 5 |
| Vojnic, Mark | Miller, Jack | Physical Activity and Student Focus in the Primary Grades | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | The purpose of this paper is to explore the correlation of student physical activity and its impact on student focus in the academic classroom and the influencing role of School Administration and Stakeholders. Important historical and current empirical studies on physical activity are used to explore their impact on student focus, achievement and well-being. The author shares his own experiences and observations, and explores how research validates his teaching of the Ontario Physical Education and Health curriculum. These resources are used to integrate the physical education curriculum with other academic subjects, to motivate student engagement and success. The conclusion, in a majority of the research, shows a positive correlation between physical activity and academic achievement. The participation of Schools, Schools Board, School Council, Administrators and Educators are integral in achieving this success. | M.A. | health; educa | 3, 4 |
| Volkenburg, Alexander Clayton Van | Jardine, KS Andrew | Geographic Effects on Vehicle Reliability: Developing Proportional Hazards Models for a Deployable Military Vehicle | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2014-11 | Unlike many industries that have their equipment in one location with consistent usage patterns, armies move their vehicles between different geographic locations with varying environmental, and usage conditions. This creates interesting conditions for study, as those geographic changes can be studied to detect their effect on system reliability.Unfortunately, this is not being fully exploited, due in part to the poor capture and storage of information, a problem faced by many operators of maintenance databases.This thesis develops a method to characterize failure data contained in a maintenance database using a standardized naming system, and applies a proportional hazards model for each geographic location using covariates to represent the conditions. In addition to understanding how a system has performed, the proportional hazards model will allow geographic location factors to be used in predicting system reliability and spares parts requirements in a new location. | M.A.S. | environment; industr | 9, 13 |
| Walawalkar, Mugdha | Azimi, Gisele | Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Phosphogypsum (Fertilizer Production By-product) | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2016-11 | The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs), used in technologically advanced products, has sparked the development of novel processes to recover REEs from secondary sources. Phosphogypsum (PG), the main by-product of fertilizer production contains some REEs, so it can be used as a secondary source. The current research focuses on: a thorough characterization analysis; acid leaching process; kinetics of the leaching process; recycling of consumed acid and effect of microwave pre-treatment on the REEs leaching. The results show that the leaching efficiency is controlled by the solubility limit of PG. Systematic leaching experiments using three acids under various operating conditions were performed. The results indicate the best operating conditions are 1.5 M, 80째C, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/8 and 20 min residence time, but the leaching efficiency using nitric and hydrochloric acids are higher than the sulphuric acid. Furthermore, it was found that microwave pre-treatment improves the leaching efficiency of REEs. | M.A.S. | recycl | 7 |
| Waldorf, Susanne | Cannon, Martin | Moving Beyond Cultural Inclusion Towards a Curriculum of Settler Colonial Responsibility: A Teacher Education Curriculum Analysis | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-11-29 | Critical Indigenous scholars and their explicit allies have emphasized the need for curriculum and pedagogy in teacher education to address settler colonialism in Canada (Cannon, forthcoming(a); Cannon and Sunseri, 2011; Dion, 2009; Friedel, 2010a; Haig-Brown, 2009; Schick, 2010; Schick and St. Denis 2003, 2005; & St. Denis, 2007) . This thesis is primarily concerned with the existence of and possibilities for such a curriculum. In this thesis, I analyzed the curricula used in the three required courses of the secondary consecutive Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program in the 2011-2012 year at OISE for representations of settler colonialism in Canada. This study finds that while the curriculum in the ITE program at OISE focuses broadly on social justice, it shies away from addressing the ways that Canadians are complicit in ongoing colonialism. The thesis ends by highlighting some clear possibilities and challenges for a curriculum of settler colonial responsibility. | MAST | justice; educat | 4, 16 |
| Waler, Krystina | Coyte, Peter | Systematic Review – the Effectiveness, Efficacy and Safety of Giraffe OmniBeds | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-11 | Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) preterm infants face many risk factors. The Giraffe OmniBed is a hybrid incubator-radiant warmer designed to treat complications of prematurity while minimizing environmental risks infants face when treated and transported using other interventions. Does the Giraffe OmniBed improve effectiveness, efficacy and safety outcomes for ELBW preterm infants? A systematic review of literature was conducted to answer the question. Two observational studies were identified for inclusion. While very low quality evidence suggests that the Giraffe OmniBed improves thermal stability, growth and skin maturity for ELBW preterm infants, it cannot be said, with confidence, until further research is done. Scarcity of evidence is a problem shared within the medical device industry, with the regulation of devices influencing evidence generation. Health care resources are finite. Informed decisions around the allocation of resources and thorough assessment of medical devices are crucial components of sustainable high quality healthcare. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Walker, Maria | Kanelis, Voula||Beharry, Andrew | O6- Methylguanine DNA Methyltransferase Activatable Photosensitizers for Cancer Therapeutics | Chemistry | 2020-03 | Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is minimally invasive medical procedure used for treatment of various cancers. PDT uses a small molecule photosensitizer (PS) that, when in the presence of molecular oxygen and light, can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are toxic to cells. Over the past few years researchers have aimed to increase PDT cell specificity. Adding a secondary form of activation other than irradiation allows for disease-feature targeting, reducing off target effects. Enzyme-activatable PSs are one approach to add selectively over healthy tissues. In this study two novel O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) activatable photosensitizers were synthesized and their fluorescent profiles were characterized in in vitro enzyme studies. These scaffolds provide the necessary foundational work for studies to continue in cells, as well as for development of future modifications on the same molecular backbone. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Walker, Martin Graham | Packer, Jeffrey A. | An Energy-dissipating System for Blast Mitigation in Structures | Civil Engineering | 2012-11-27 | The design of buildings for extreme loads has traditionally been conducted on a life safety basis. As a result, buildings often need to be demolished after an extreme event since the cost of repairing the extensive damage is too great. For many buildings, especially critical infrastructure, continued operation after an explosive attack is essential. The use of energy-dissipating methods in a componentized system will enable the protection of a structure and occupants from a blast and permit the rapid repair and re-occupation of the building after an explosive attack. This study focuses on the characterization of a componentized system utilizing energy-dissipating component assemblies. From this characterization, a predictive theory, based on a single degree of freedom model, is developed and a general design method proposed. The predictive theory and design method are evaluated in field blast tests. | MAST | energy; infrastructure; buildings | 7, 9 |
| Walker, Meaghan | McPherson, Amy C | What Matters to the Kids? Perspectives of Children with ASD on Weight and their Bodies | Rehabilitation Science | 2018-11 | Introduction: Overweight and obesity (OW/OB) affects children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at high rates, often compromising their health. Objective: To advance an understanding of OW/OB in relation to children with disabilities. Methods: 1. Applied a socioecological lens to examine risk factors for OW/OB for children with disabilities. 2. A scoping review of weight-management programs for children with disabilities. 3. Qualitative interviews with children with ASD. Results: Numerous actors beyond the individual child must be considered when supporting children with disabilities and OW/OB. While weight-management programs for this population are scarce, existing programs can be accommodated to include children with disabilities. Children with ASD were mostly unconcerned about their weight, view their bodies positively, and value being physically active. Discussion: Health care providers must critically examine their assumptions about weight. This work promotes shifting focus from weight and body size to health and growth to promote child- centered care. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Walsh, Benjamin | Hartel, Jenna | Information Out in the Cold: Exploring the Information Practices of Homeless Queer, Trans and Two-spirit Youth in Toronto | Information Studies | 2014-11 | This study examines the information practices of homeless queer, trans and two-spirit youth living in Toronto. As part of this exploratory ethnographic study, semi-structured interviews where conducted with 11 youth who are currently homeless or have been homeless in the recent past. Data was also collected through participant observation at a Toronto drop-in program that supports homeless queer youth between the ages of 16 and 29. The ethnography provides a description of their habits regarding information seeking, sharing and use. The data introduces a wide range of needs relating to sexual or gender identity, housing, safety, sex work, harm reduction, creativity and performance, education, relationships and leisure. It also introduces key information sources including friends and peers, shelter staff and drop-in workers as well as practices such as texting, using university libraries, and the use of social media sites like Facebook and Craigslist. | M.I.S. | educat; gender; queer; worker | 4, 5, 8 |
| Walsh, Connor Dennis | Zheng, Gang | Porphyrin Molecular Beacons – a New Approach to Osteoarthritis | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11 | Despite the substantial burden imposed by osteoarthritis (OA) upon patients and healthcare systems across the world, there are still no effective disease-modifying treatments. A recent shift to view OA as a “whole joint disease” has generated opportunities for therapeutic innovations. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a clinically approved and minimally invasive treatment modality, holds great potential for application in OA. Herein, we describe the development of a porphyrin molecular beacon, PPMMP13B, as a new approach to OA. Upon target protease-triggered activation, PPMMP13B demonstrates a near 12-fold increase in porphyrin fluorescence as well as the restoration of PDT capabilities through generation of reactive singlet oxygen. Selective activation in vitro occurs only in the presence of human-derived OA synovial fibroblasts. Additionally, a unique intra-articular biodistribution of this porphyrin construct is observed. These results provide the foundation for future studies investigating the therapeutic efficacy of porphyrin molecular beacons to treat OA. | M.H.Sc. | innovation; health | 3, 9 |
| Wang, Charlie Shihn Kaai | Paszat, Lawrence | Health Utilization Patterns of Colonic Stents in Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Population-based Cohort Analysis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-12-30T15:52:33Z | Introduction: This study describes the patterns of use and processes of care following colonic stent insertion for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in clinical practice. Methods: Ontario residents who had a colonic stent placed for CRC between 2000–2009 were identified using linked administrative databases. Baseline patient, physician, and institutional characteristics were extracted. The cohort was followed for death and health services utilization post-stent. Results: Two hundred twenty-five patients were identified. Median overall survival post-stent insertion was 199 days (interquartile range [IQR] 153-282). Eighty-five (38%) patients required a subsequent intervention (abdominal surgery, restenting, and/or dilatation). Median intervention-free survival was 75 days (IQR 59-91). Following stent insertion, the average rate of ER visits was 2.4 visits per person-year of follow up (95% CI, 2.2-2.7) and the overall average days spent in hospital was 19 inpatient days per person-year (95% CI, 18-19). Conclusions: In clinical practice, many patients required another intervention shortly after stent insertion; however, the rate of post-stent ER visits and inpatient hospital days was low. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Wang, Chen | Cameron, Jill I | Understanding Experiences and Support Needs of Families Caring for Older Adults with Depression | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-03 | Background: The experiences and needs of caregivers of older adults with depression are not well understood. This study aims to explore their experiences and desired resources from the healthcare system. Methods: Eleven qualitative interviews were conducted with caregivers of older adults with a clinical depression diagnosis in Toronto, Canada. Findings were generated via thematic analysis. Findings: Caregivers perceived a transformation in the person with depression’s behaviours and personality that also changed the relationship between them. Caregivers modified their lifestyle, perceived stigma towards their love one related to depression, and experienced declines in their own well-being. Caregivers’ personal and external resources helped with caregiving role and additional resources are needed from the healthcare system. Conclusion: There is an immediate need for increased healthcare resources for older adults with depression and their family members. This study provides insight for clinicians and policy makers to implement resources to optimize the caregiving role. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Wang, Chih Julie | MacIvor, J Scott||Cadotte, Marc W | To Sedum or Not to Sedum: Improving Extensive Green Roof Functioning Using Invasion Theory as a Management Tool | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06 | Green roofs have become increasingly popular to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization and to restore key ecosystem functions in cities. In this thesis, I evaluate green roof functioning in two ways, using a meta-analysis of existing literature and a field-based manipulation experiment. The meta-analysis showed that Sedum survived better than non-Sedum, but there was no pattern of roof cooling and stormwater management. In the field, I conducted a factorial experiment using invasion theory as a management tool to increase native species diversity on extensive green roofs and evaluate green roof functioning. I hypothesized that resource addition via irrigation and disturbance treatments will enhance native species success and increase roof cooling and stormwater management. Results show plants aid in roof cooling and increase moisture retention, however evidence supporting diversity enhancing green roof functioning is lacking. Diversity effects on function theoretically require co-existence mechanisms, thus requiring observation over longer temporal scale. | M.Sc. | water; cities; urban | 6, 11 |
| Wang, Fa-Yuan | Goh, Cynthia M | Investigation into the Effect of Metal Doping on the Photocurrent Response of g-C3N4 | Chemistry | 2019-11 | To meet the world’s rising energy demands, new materials need to be developed as renewable sources of fuel. One such material is graphitic carbon nitride whose photoelectrochemical behaviour in the visible range of light and facile synthesis makes it a promising semiconductor photocatalyst. To improve the photocatalytic efficiency of graphitic carbon nitride, we doped it with metal cations to inhibit its recombination rate. To test the effect of metal cation doping on its photoelectrochemical behaviour, an open-source potentiostat was designed and built using inexpensive microchips to perform transient photocurrent response measurements. It was found that there were large errors that affected the consistency and reproducibility of the results, which can be attributed to lack of consistency in fabrication of electrode surfaces. | M.Sc. | renewable; energy | 7 |
| Wang, Hao | Falkenheim, C. Victor | China's Embattled "Rule of Law": Paradoxes and the Breakthrough under Single Party Dominance | East Asian Studies | 2014-06 | China's thirty years of economic development has brought on a number of crippling problems: high inequality, unbalanced development, environmental degradation and so forth. Arguably all of them coincide with China's long-enduring absence of a full-fledged legal system that could balance state power and human rights, in another word, the "rule of law". Looking into reform advancement and regression of China's legal development, this thesis argues that a "rule of law" regime as proposed by Pan Wei would either fail to come into being, or will not do the job, without constitutional and legislative reform. This thesis argues that China's centuries-old civic project is one focusing on building constitutionalism, and a Chinese Socialist Constitutional State conducive to Socialist democracy as proposed in the thesis would better reconcile the needs of the Party and society at this critical juncture, as well as in the long run. | M.A. | rights; environment; inequality; equality | 5 |
| Wang, Hui | Jackson, Nancy | Dancing With Maple Leaves: Labour Market Experience of Immigrant Women Professionals | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2008-08-12T18:24:34Z | This study presents an account of experiences of recent immigrant women professionals in negotiating labour market opportunities after arriving in Canada. The purpose of this research is to bring in immigrant women’s perspectives on immigration and employment study. Six immigrant women professionals from different cultural backgrounds were interviewed within the framework of qualitative research. Informed by feminist theories, this study intended to make women’s experience in post-arrival integration and settlement more visible and prominent. Research findings indicate both labour market and household factors contributed to shape the labour market experience of immigrant women professionals of recent years. Their experiences reveal the complicated social relations of their doubly burdened and triply oppressed location. | MAST | women; employment; labour | 5, 8 |
| Wang, Jonathan | Murphy, Jennifer | Methane Fluxes at a Temperate Upland Forest in Central Ontario | Chemistry | 2012-11-27 | Methane fluxes were calculated from measurements carried out at a temperate upland forest in Central Ontario using the eddy covariance method over five months in the summer and fall seasons of 2011. Measurements were made by an off-axis integrated cavity output spectrometer Fast Greenhouse Gas Analyzer (FGGA) which simultaneously measured methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water at 10 Hz sampling rates. Observed methane fluxes showed net uptake of methane over the measurement period with an average uptake flux value (±standard deviation of the mean) of -2.7±0.13 nmol m-2 s-1. Methane fluxes showed a diurnal pattern of increased uptake during the day and increasing uptake with seasonal progression. There was also a significant correlation in methane fluxes with soil water content and wind speed. Comparison of the FGGA measurements to those using a static chamber method and canister sampling showed close agreement in flux and mixing ratio values respectively. | MAST | forest; greenhouse gas; water; wind | 6, 7, 13, 15 |
| Wang, Kevin Z | De Luca, Vincenzo | Current and Emergent Suicidal Ideation in Schizophrenia: Effect of Stressful Life Events and Genome-Wide Methylation | Medical Science | 2020-06 | Suicide is a serious problem, especially in patients with schizophrenia. In order to prevent suicide, it is imperative to identify those with suicidal ideation and emergent suicidal ideation. We tested the effect of childhood trauma and recent stress on current and emergent suicidal ideation. Furthermore, we identified differentially methylated probes and regions associated with current suicidal ideation, as well as methylation changes in individual sites associated with emergent suicidal ideation. We found that an increase in total stress and health-related stress were significant predictors of emergent suicidal ideation. We also report the most significant positions and regions associated with current and emergent suicidal ideation. The anticipated outcomes of these studies were to improve the understanding about risk factors for suicidal ideation, and the identification of methylation markers to monitor for suicidal ideation in psychosis. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Wang, Shihao | Liu, Jane | A Quantitative Study of Ozone Deposition Velocity over a Mixed Temperate-Boreal Forest | Geography | 2017-11 | Rising tropospheric ozone is an alarming environmental problem. The impact of forests on ozone deposition, a process to remove tropospheric ozone, is rarely investigated. This study aims to address this issue by quantifying ozone deposition velocity over a temperate-boreal forest at Borden, Canada, for multiple years. Results show that deposition is much stronger over this forest than a non-forested area during summer. Mean summer canopy deposition velocity (Gc) is approximately 8 mm/s, and is roughly 4 times larger during the day than at night. The stomatal pathway dominates during dry daytime conditions, while the non-stomatal pathway dominates at night and during wet conditions. Temperature, radiation, and leaf-area index (LAI) strongly influence Gst at the yearly scale, while humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture strongly influence Gst and Gns during the summer. In addition, precipitation, soil moisture, and LAI are found to be important factors explaining interannual variations in ozone deposition velocities. | M.Sc. | cities; environment; forest | 11, 13, 15 |
| Wang, Shuo | Donnelly, Sandra ||Berta, Whitney B. | Development of the Diabetes Complication Surveillance System (DCSS) | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-07-28T19:46:15Z | Information technology [IT] that enables electronic access to patient health records has been widely recognized as a promising means to improve the quality of care for patients with chronic diseases, and reduce health care costs through better health information delivery and encouragement of self-management. IT applied to assist chronic disease management is inadequately studied in Canadian health care settings. This thesis describes the development and modest pilot implementation of an electronic tool, the Diabetes Complication Surveillance System [DCSS]. The DCSS was conceived as a self-monitoring tool that facilitates regular checks on conditions of diabetes patients, including acute and long-term complications. The DCSS is relatively unusual, as it facilitates glycemic control and also allows patients to address the long-term complications of diabetes. The development of the DCSS involved literature reviews and consultations with clinician experts. Questionnaire results from the pilot provided positive feedback. | MAST | innovation; health | 3, 9 |
| Wang, William Szu-Wei | Davison, Edward J. | Controller Design of Multivariable LTI Unknown Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2012-09-04 | This thesis deals with the design of multivariable controllers for stable linear time-invariant multi-input multi-output systems, with an unknown mathematical model, subject to constant reference/disturbance signals and actuator saturation constraints. A new controller parameter optimization approach, which can be carried out experimentally with no knowledge of the plant model nor of the order of the system, is proposed. The approach has the advantage that controllers can be optimized by perturbing only the initial conditions of the servocompensator, and that the order of the resulting controller obtained can be specified by the designer. Implementation of the proposed controller design approach is described, and an experimental application study of the proposed method applied to a multivariable system with industrial sensor/actuator components is presented to illustrate the feasibility of the design method in an industrial environment. | MAST | industr; urban; industrial ecology; environment | 9, 11, 13 |
| Wang, Xiaofei | Tate, Joseph E | Impact of Wind Forecast Errors with Optimal and Suboptimal Generation Redispatch Policies | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-11 | With increasing environmental concerns and the development of technology, installation of variable generation---wind turbine generators (WTGs) especially---has been increasing dramatically in the past decades. Uncertainty in variable generation accumulates, contributing to the complexity of both operations (such as generation redispatch) and planning of the system. There already exist a variety of optimization methods in the literature emphasizing dispatch among multiple areas, such as fixed participation factor, whereas little has been discussed to regulate generation utilizing detailed generation data within each area. This thesis presents a comparison of three different generation redispatch policies and their impacts on line flows and transmission usage in response to wind forecast errors. The three policies are the participation factor policy, the affine response policy and the bilevel programming (BLP) policy. The policies are tested on multiple systems to illustrate more active network monitoring and control. | M.A.S. | environment; wind | 7, 13 |
| Wang, Yetian | Fox, Mark S | City Indicator Consistency Analysis: An Approach to Inconsistency Detection | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2017-06 | Cities use a variety of metrics to evaluate and compare their performance. The ISO 37120 standard provides a definition for city indicators that measure a cityâ s quality of life and sustainability. A problem that arises in indicator-based comparisons, is whether the comparison is invalid due to inconsistencies in the data used to derive them? In this thesis we present three types of inconsistency analysis for automating the detection of inconsistencies in open city data. Namely, definitional consistency analysis that evaluates if data used to derive a city indicator is consistent with the indicatorâ s definition (e.g., ISO 37120); transversal consistency analysis that evaluates if city indicators published by two different cities are consistent with each other; and longitudinal consistency analysis that evaluates if an indicator published by a city is consistent over different time intervals. City indicator consistency analysis enable the possibility of consistently measuring and comparing performances of cities. | M.A.S. | cities | 11 |
| Wang, Zyler | Boland, Alana | Socialist Industrialization and Railway Sector Development in the Early PRC | Geography | 2017-11 | My thesis focuses on national industrialization in the early decades of the Peopleâ s Republic of China (PRC). The industrialization project connected the following: histories and impacts of Western imperialism, the distinctive form of Third World socialism, and the importance of economic and technological development to the early PRC. I explore the above set of connections in order to answer my motivating question: What is particularly socialist about the early PRCâ s industrialization project? I begin with histories and plans. Western depictions of state planned economies rely on tropes of irrationality. I retrieve the logical content of early PRC plans by piecing together historical data, the text of plans, and narratives from early PRC leaders and planners. I then turn to the formulation and implementation of state plans. I trace these processes through events in the state railway sectorâ a system that evolved in tandem with the project of early PRC industrialization. | M.A. | industr | 9 |
| Warren, Carly | Trbovich, Patricia||Chignell, Mark | A Time-Motion Study of Multidisciplinary Bedside Rounds in Pediatric Critical Care | Biomedical Engineering | 2018-11 | The objective of this study was to characterize workflow during multidisciplinary bedside rounds in a pediatric critical care unit. Time-motion data and attendance were collected through observation, and healthcare provider (HCP) perceptions were gathered through surveys. Over 65 hours of time-motion data was collected during 57 rounds. High patient acuity was related to longer encounter durations and high unit census was related to shorter encounter durations. Family interaction and a high level of multidisciplinary contribution was found to increase the encounter duration. HCP satisfaction with the current process was low; most clinicians reported often not being able to hear the discussion and not feeling free to share their opinion. The unit should determine which factors (e.g., efficiency, patient-centredness) are most valuable to the rounding process at what time, to inform the design of a system that is suited to the needs of the HCPs and the constraints of the environment. | M.H.Sc. | health; environment | 3, 13 |
| Warzyszynska, Joanna | Kim, Young-In J | The Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation on Natural Killer Cell Activity in an Animal Model | Nutritional Sciences | 2015-03 | An emerging body of evidence has linked high intake of folic acid, common in the Canadian population due to mandatory folic acid fortification and prevalent supplement use, to certain adverse health effects. High intake and blood levels of folic acid were associated with reduced natural killer cell cytotoxicity in a pilot study of post-menopausal women that has not yet been confirmed. As such, we investigated the effects of folic acid supplementation on natural killer cell activity in a mouse model. Folic acid supplementation, plasma folate, and plasma unmetabolized folic acid were associated with reduced NK cell degranulation in response to stimulation with malignant cells. Our data corroborate the previously observed inverse association between folic acid and natural killer cell cytotoxicity and suggests that reduced natural killer cell mediated tumour immunosurveillance may be an additional mechanism behind the purported tumour promoting effect of folic acid supplementation. | M.Sc. | women; health | 3, 5 |
| Wasim, Tahir | Mihailidis, Alex | Development of a Simple Rehabilitation Device for Hemiparetic Stroke Patients to Perform Reaching Exercises in the Transverse Plane | Biomedical Engineering | 2014-03-19 | Upper-limb hemiparesis caused by stroke can severely limit a survivor's ability to perform activities of daily living. Treatment involves intensive, repetitive therapy that can strain limited resources. Rehabilitation devices have been developed to help reduce therapist burden and increase access to therapy. However, adoption is complicated due to their expense and use of complex actuators. A rehabilitation tool without actuators was developed to perform reaching under varying resistance in the transverse plane and measure the reaction force at the handle. Force measurements from the device were validated through comparison with a standard force plate. A new method to calculate the center of applied pressure on a spherical handle mounted on a load cell was developed and validated using 3D modeling. Finally, a study conducted on healthy subjects demonstrated directional effects on the trajectory length and straightness, while resistance effects were seen for the maximum force, time-to-peak velocity and time-to-peak force. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Wassink, Justin | Andrews, Robert C. | Coagulation Optimization to Minimize and Predict the Formation of Disinfection By-products | Civil Engineering | 2012-01-04 | The formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water has become an issue of greater concern in recent years. Bench-scale jar tests were conducted on a surface water to evaluate the impact of enhanced coagulation on the removal of organic DBP precursors and the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). The results of this testing indicate that enhanced coagulation practices can improve treated water quality without increasing coagulant dosage. The data generated were also used to develop artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict THM and HAA formation. Testing of these models showed high correlations between the actual and predicted data. In addition, an experimental plan was developed to use ANNs for treatment optimization at the Peterborough pilot plant. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Watkins, Jillian Ruth | Williams, A. Paul | Setting the Balance of Care for Sexually Diverse Seniors: The Social Exclusion of LGBT Seniors in Home and Community Care | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2015-11 | The central aim of this dissertation is: to identify how past experiences of social exclusion have influenced the current cohort of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors and health care providers in Toronto, Ontario regarding accessing and using home and community care (H) services, and to consider what can be done. To do this, I conducted a case study on LGBT seniors’ use of H services in Toronto, Ontario. My findings suggest that past experiences of social exclusion impact on LGBT seniors’ access and use of H services. H providers acknowledge an overall lack of H for LGBT seniors, but differ in their approaches to providing culturally appropriate H I conclude with recommendations regarding remedies to the social exclusion of LGBT seniors within H, and policy options for reducing social exclusion more broadly. | M.Sc. | health; gender | 3, 5 |
| Watt, Emily S. B. | Rankin, Katharine | Engaging in the Politics of Contemporary City Planning: The Case of 629 Eastern Avenue, Toronto | Geography | 2010-07-28T19:49:11Z | This research examines a contemporary planning case in Toronto where tensions between policy visions and planning practices contribute to our understanding of neoliberal urbanism. Media, policy and interview discourses contribute to developing the nexus between neoliberal urbanism, creative class theory and gentrification in the case of 629 Eastern Avenue. The amalgamation of Toronto’s municipalities in 1998 resulting from the “Common Sense Revolution”, and the ‘creative turn’ in the 2000s are identified as two key evolutionary stages in Toronto’s neoliberal urbanism. The City’s contradictory positions as “grassroots” organizers, market actors and market regulators reveals their interventionist role in this case. The analytical imperative presented by this case study to expose the contradictory and contingent nature of ‘actually existing neoliberalism’ (Brenner & Theodore, 2002) leads to challenging our very understanding of neoliberalism in the context of contemporary urban planning practices. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Watt, Kathleen Allison | Conway, Tenley | Successes and Challenges of Implementing the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan | Geography | 2016-11 | A common planning response to urbanizing regions is the creation of protected zones or greenbelts at the edge of existing urban development, with the goal of controlling the location of future development while conserving natural features. The Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2002) was created by the Ontario Provincial Government to protect the Oak Ridges Moraine, one of the few remaining large greenspace corridors in southern Ontario that is threatened by the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area. This research investigates the effectiveness of the Plan at protecting the Moraine. It explores the successes and challenges of implementing the Plan and the proposed changes by the provincial government. Regional town hall meetings and open houses were attended, and interviews and questionnaires were conducted. The results suggest the Plan has effectively protected the Moraine through changing building practices, although the Plan requires some modifications to better protect the Moraine. | M.A. | urban; conserv | 11, 14 |
| Waung, Debbie | Master, Emma | Optimizing Enzymatic Preparations of Mechanical Pulp Through the Characterization of New Laccases and Non-productive Interactions Between Enzymes and Lignin | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-12-30T16:19:10Z | The overall objective of this research is to identify and optimize enzymatic applications that have the potential to degrade middle lamella lignin, so as to decrease economic and environmental costs associated with the production of mechanical pulp. Non-productive binding of enzyme to lignin in lignocellulosic biomass reduces enzyme availability and efficiency. The elucidation of non-productive binding behavior between hydrolytic enzymes and lignocellulosic substrates could significantly improve the efficiency of corresponding industrial bioprocesses. The first part of this report presents a study that characterizes non-catalytic interactions between enzymes and fibre. The second part of this report presents the biochemical and mutational studies of a novel, small laccase SCO6712 from Streptomyces coelicolor. The findings from this research support the design, control, and optimization of enzymatic treatments of lignocellulosic fibres in the pulp and biofuel industries. | MAST | environment; industr; production | 9, 12, 13 |
| Weber, Maria Ingrid Anne | Brett, Clare | Diapers and Downloads: How Young Mothers Negotiate the Pressures of Finishing their Secondary School Education Online | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-11 | Online learning is increasingly regarded as a way to accommodate the needs of students who are compromised by geography, health, and socio-economic status. This research examines the experiences of young single mothers who are enrolled in online courses in order to graduate from secondary school. With the promise of anytime, anywhere education, women who have not been able to complete secondary school enroll in online courses with an expectation that they will be able to care for their children and complete courses while at home with relative ease. Using the dual lenses of poststructuralism and critical theory, this research investigates how the prevailing assumptions concerning the benefits of online learning accord with the experiences of this particular group of women and how the dominant societal discourses surrounding educative technologies are reflected in the women's utterances. | M.A. | health; educat; women | 3, 4, 5 |
| Wei, Yufeng | McCabe, Brenda||Pressnail, Kim | Study of Hoist Performance during Peak Hours for Tall Building Construction | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | The increasing height of urban buildings creates challenges in the vertical delivery of essential resources during construction phase, which makes the efficient use of construction hoists crucial in building construction. The inappropriate arrangement of temporary hoists can result in a loss of productivity, especially during peak-hours when a large number of specialty trades requires hoists simultaneously. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a discrete-event simulation model that can assist in examining the impact of different lifting strategies on workers’ delay during peak-hours. The application of the proposed model in high-rise building projects shows a potential for minimizing workers’ idle time and increase labour productivity. | M.A.S. | labour; worker; buildings; trade; urban | 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Wen, Wei-Te | Ruda, Harry E. | Hybrid Organic / Inorganic Solar Cells Based On Electrodeposited ZnO Nanowire Arrays on ITO and AZO Cathodes | Materials Science and Engineering | 2013-06-27 | ZnO nanowire arrays (NWAs) and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) cathodes were applied in hybrid organic / inorganic solar cells for lower-cost solar energy. Parameters for the electrodeposition of ZnO NWAs and the fabrication of NWA-free baseline devices were systematically optimized using ITO as the cathodes. High efficiencies of up to 5.4% were achieved. Incorporation of the ZnO NWAs into the baseline devices significantly reduced their efficiencies due to possible shorting in the active layer. Devices fabricated using AZO cathodes were characterized. The AZO-based devices achieved efficiencies of up to ~4.8%, showing promising results for the application of AZO as an ITO alternative. Formation of numerous large nanoplatelets was observed during the electrodeposition of ZnO NWAs on AZO cathodes. The NWAs grown on AZO cathodes were also non-uniform. Future studies were proposed to address the issues with incorporation of ZnO NWAs in hybrid solar cells and their combination with AZO cathodes. | MAST | energy; solar | 7 |
| White, Andrew James | Kirk, Donald W. | Development of an Activated Carbon from Anaerobic Digestion By-product to Remove Hydrogen Sulfide from Biogas | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-12-03 | The production of biogas through the anaerobic digestion of cattle manure and its subsequent use in the generation of electricity on large Ontario farms is currently economically attractive. While larger farms have advantages of scale, there are substantially more small farms for which individually designed and engineered biogas systems are prohibitively expensive. Although biogas has numerous benefits, it contains hydrogen sulfide, an odourous, poisonous and corrosive gas, which emits sulfur oxides upon combustion. Larger systems can afford to use specialized biogas engines which tolerate some levels of hydrogen sulfide. For smaller scale systems to be financially attractive the hydrogen sulfide needs to be removed inexpensively, allowing for more flexibility in engine choice for electricity generation. In this work, the solid by-products from the anaerobic digestion process were used to create activated carbon, which has a high capacity for hydrogen sulfide. Not only does the carbon adsorb hydrogen sulfide, it allows for the surface oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur and sulfate. Since the sulfur is in a beneficial form for fertilizer use, and there are no chemicals added to create the carbon, the spent sulfur-containing carbon can be land applied, eliminating any spent carbon disposal costs. | MAST | production | 12 |
| Wickett, Jocelyn | Goldstein, Tara ||McCready, Lance | Queering for Social Change: An Auto-ethnographic Study of the Role of Drama in Creating a Transformative Practice with At-risk Youth | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2012-11-29 | This thesis explores the role of drama in creating transformative schooling practices with at-risk youth. Specifically, through an auto-ethnographic study of my own experiences in the dramatic arts as a student and teacher, I analyze the potential of drama education to disrupt hegemonic performances of gender and sexuality in the classroom. By using feminist and queer theories, I analyze my experiences and then share key insights through narrative writing. My narrative, analysis and findings are organized into three thematic lenses: body as a site of knowing, drama space as a queer space, and drama as a method for creating change. This thesis also offers specific pedagogical, curricular and relational strategies for developing a transformative schooling practice. Finally, the study examines the role of teacher positionality in creating a transformative practice, and the potential of using a queer pedagogy. | MAST | educat; gender; queer | 4, 5 |
| Wilkinson, Hannah | Widener, Michael J | Understanding Undergraduate Food Behaviours: A Spatiotemporal and Socioeconomic Analysis | Geography | 2019-06 | Food behaviours and food insecurity are complex topics, but there is minimal research on the food behaviours of post-secondary students, a population at higher risk of food insecurity. To understand the financial and temporal constraints faced by this population, this study uses a mixed-method approach. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted, and an online survey was administered to 743 undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. The results of the analyses indicate students who live with their families’ face fewer barriers to accessing food, and students are more likely to report a healthy diet when they prioritize healthful food consumption. The findings demonstrate a need for more research on undergraduate student nutrition and lifestyle in relation to temporal and financial constraints. Such work will help universities and public health researchers gain a better understanding of how students purchase, prepare, and consume food, and ultimately contribute to student success and well-being. | M.A. | socioeconomic; food; nutrition; health; consum | 1, 2, 3, 12 |
| Williams, Camille Kimberley | Carnahan, Heather | An Assessment Tool and Interactive Simulation for Using Healthcare Personal Protective Equipment | Biomedical Engineering | 2010-12-30T16:32:09Z | In healthcare, personal protective equipment (PPE) are sometimes misused due to improper skill acquisition or skill decay before clinical practice. Training is often didactic or web-based but it is unclear whether these methods transfer to effective physical performance. There is no standard method to evaluate these competencies and scheduling or space restrictions can limit physical practice. A Delphi survey produced relevant checklist and global rating items for evaluating use of PPE. Principles from skill learning and human-computer interaction were combined with the survey results to develop an interactive computer-based simulation for procedural practice of these skills. The assessment tool differentiated between experienced and newly-trained users and demonstrated inter-rater reliability. Learners rated their satisfaction with the simulation similar to a provincial online tutorial and pilot studies with the simulation demonstrated that learners practiced for a longer period when using the simulation as compared to the provincial online tutorial. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Williams, Gregory Evan | Uliaszek, Amanda A | Positive and Negative Emotion Vulnerability Following a Positive Mood Induction in the Context of Borderline Personality Disorder | Psychology | 2015-11 | Studies to date have demonstrated that greater borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptom severity is related to greater negative emotional experience, and that depression, trait negative affect, and difficulties regulating emotion each play a role in this relationship. Additional research is necessary, however, to determine if positive emotional experience may be similarly affected by BPD features. In the current study, data was collected from 120 undergraduate students pertaining to baseline intensity, reactivity, and post-induction stability for both positive and negative emotion in the context of three discrete positive mood inductions. Measures of BPD and depression symptom severity, trait negative affect, and maladaptive emotion regulation were administered at baseline. It was found that greater BPD symptom severity predicted greater concurrent negative reactivity and less positive emotion decay at 3-minute follow-up. These findings may portend to intervention strategies designed to foster healthier positive emotional experience for those with BPD. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Williams, Marcus | Miller, Eric | Coordinated Land Use and Transportation Planning – A Sketch Modelling Approach | Civil Engineering | 2010-12-30T16:42:02Z | A regional planning model is designed to facilitate coordinated land use and transportation planning, yet have a sufficiently simple structure to enable quick scenario turnaround. The model, TransPLUM, is built on two existing commercial software products: the Population and Land Use Model (PLUM); and a four-stage travel model implemented in a standard software package. Upon creating scenarios users are able to examine a host of results (zonal densities, origin-destination trip flows and travel times by mode, network link flows, etc) which may prompt modification of a reference land use plan and/or network plan. A zonal density-accessibility ratio is described: an index which identifies the relative utilization of a zone and which could serve as a coordinating feedback mechanism. The model was implemented for a pilot study area – the Winnipeg Capital Region. Development of a baseline scenario is discussed. | MAST | land use | 15 |
| Williamson, Juliana Tanya | Pedretti, Erminia | Re-engaging students with nature: Using local settings as a context for learning | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2014-06 | The aim of this case study was to determine how place-based learning in a natural environment impacted disengaged students. Intermediate students at a large suburban high school were provided with an opportunity to engage in a field study that investigated a local creek. Participating students shared their knowledge with a class from a local elementary school and engaged in action that created a greater awareness of environmental issues. The results of this study indicate that place-based learning in a local forest coupled with mentoring opportunities had a positive impact on student perceptions of school and learning. In addition, findings suggest that students developed more of an understanding of ecological principles and gained a greater awareness of local environmental issues. | M.A. | urban; environment; forest | 11, 13, 15 |
| Willson, Erin | Kerr, Gretchen | Exploring the Prevalence of Maltreatment amongst Canadian National Team Athletes | Exercise Sciences | 2019-11 | The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of maltreatment amongst National Team athletes in Canada. In total, 1001 male and female National Team athletes participated in this study, including 764 current athletes and 237 athletes who had retired in the last 10 years. Athletes completed an anonymous 127 item online survey consisting of questions on psychological, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, disclosure and reporting of instances of harm, and mental health outcomes. Athletes reported experiencing psychological harm most frequently, followed by neglect, sexual harm and physical harm. Harmful behaviours were enacted most frequently by coaches, followed by peers, high performance directors and sport administrators. The findings revealed significant and positive relationships between all forms of harm (psychological, physical, sexual and neglect) and the negative health outcomes of engaging in self-harming behaviours, disordered eating behaviours/eating disorders, and having suicidal thoughts. Finally, athletes provided recommendations for advancing safe sport. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Willson, Melanie | McCready, Lance T. | Reframing Classroom Encounters: Teachers Making Sense of School Securitization | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2013-03-18 | This thesis explores the discourses available to teachers in navigating and making sense of their role in the securitization of high schools. My analysis is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with nine teachers working in urban schools in Toronto. Drawing on frameworks from post-colonial, critical race, and urban education studies, I argue that school securitization is not just complicated by racism, but structured and enabled by it. While there is an urgent need to resist the implementation of particular security and surveillance measures that intensify the targeted disqualification of racialized youth, it is equally if not more important to uncover and resist the ways that racial thinking organizes a much wider range of classroom encounters and pedagogical practices. I urge teachers to interrogate their investments in the categories and subject positions that race thinking makes available, including those that are desirable and pleasurable. | MAST | educat; urban | 4, 11 |
| Wilson, Arthur Dillon | Brunnee, Jutta | The China Syndrome: Challenges for Addressing Climate Change in the 21st Century | Law | 2010-12-30T17:40:59Z | Climate change is the greatest environmental international problem facing the world today. This paper begins with a review of the climate change regime to date showing the mistakes that were made leading to failure in Copenhagen. It looks at China’s unique position in the international community and concludes that a meaningful climate change solution is not possible without China’s participation. It examines the concepts of CBDR and fairness to determine whether it is fair for the world to demand China’s participation. It looks at characteristics which should be present in a fair climate change solution, and concludes with a brief look at international trade law to determine what alternatives would be available to a coalition of willing states to encourage China’s participation in a global solution or, in a worst case scenario, to form an effective solution without China’s willing participation. | MAST | environment; tradel climate | 10, 13 |
| Wilson, Heather | Leydon, Joseph | Understandings of Liveability: An Exploration of University Student Perceptions of Neighbourhood Spaces | Geography | 2017-11 | Developing “liveable cities” that accommodate population growth while reversing trends toward sprawl is a foremost concern of urban planning. Across North America planner advocacy for “complete communities” has resulted in compact neighbourhood (re)design within urban cores but has encountered resistance in suburban locations. The contrast between planning visions and suburban consumer preference for the existing landscape prompts consideration of how residents perceive liveability and the implications posed for neighbourhood redesign. While planning authorities assume public education can persuade residents to embrace compact designs, this study suggests otherwise. Utilising photo-elicitation in focus groups with university students at an urban and suburban campus, the research indicates lived experience, rather than education, informs perceptions. Based on their lived experiences students from the two campuses reacted very differently to the same neighbourhood images. The results of the study suggest understanding resident perceptions is vital to successful planning for liveability. | M.A. | educat; cities; urban; consum | 4, 11, 12 |
| Wilson, Melissa | Razack, Sherene | Understanding the Racial Consciousness of White Women in Interracial Families | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2012-07-19 | This thesis is an examination of how white women in interracial relationships and/or white mothers of biracial children understand race. Through interviews with six self-identified white women who have black-white biracial children, I seek to understand what role racism plays in their lives and whether these women have a heightened consciousness about race as a result of being in an interracial family. Using their narratives and a spatial framework, I explore the concept of white supremacy, whiteness and blackness, representations of white femininity and black masculinity in the media, and how white women in interracial relationships cross the colourline in their everyday lives. I suggest that white women learn about colourlined spaces in public, but that they also learn about blackness and teach their biracial children about antiracism in private spaces. Overall, white women need to negotiate rules and norms within racial hierarchies in order to navigate white supremacy. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Wilson, Sarah | Andrews, Susan | Impact of Water Quality on Solar Disinfection (SODIS): Investigating a Natural Coagulant Pretreatment on the Photoinactivation of Escherichia coli | Civil Engineering | 2010-12-30T17:43:23Z | Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is the process of treating microbiologically contaminated water in clear plastic bottles through exposure to sunlight. One of the major limiting factors of this treatment is source water quality. This work investigates the impact of organic matter and turbidity on SODIS efficiency. Organic matter was found to decrease bacterial inactivation to a much greater extent than the presence of inorganic particles. The ability of moringa oleifera seed emulsion to clarify source waters was investigated as a coagulation pretreatment. This coagulant is most effective in highly turbid, high humic content waters, and achieves up to 1-log bacterial removal. The combined moringa oleifera coagulation-SODIS treatment sequence was tested in highly coloured natural source water and was found to reduce the sunlight exposure time required by up to 2 hours. Treated water should be consumed immediately following the individual or combined treatments due to the potential for bacterial regrowth. | MAST | water; solar; consum | 6, 12 |
| Wilson, Tina Esther | Chambon, Adrienne S. | In Their Own Best Interests? Textually Mapping Governmentality in the Lives of Young People without Stable Housing in Canada | Social Work | 2010-02-17T19:53:00Z | Working to untangle the multiple interests and “truths” that manifest in decision-making in youth shelters, I draw on the Foucauldian perspective of governmentality as an alternative means of problematizing “youth homelessness” in Canada. Tracing interdiscursivity between levels of authority, I use critical discourse analysis to deconstruct federal and Ontario government, and Toronto youth shelter discourses. Aiming to normalize the problematic, I uncover tensions between crime control and human resource development within each level of authority. Further, usurping attention to employment and housing, mental illness and youth criminality are taking over as dominant discourses. Moreover, the discursive production of “needy” and “helping” subjectivities is serving to depoliticize and individualize institutionally structured relationships, thereby limiting the depth of citizenship permitted poor, racialized and gendered young people. Concealing ongoing neo-liberal restructuring, therapeutic community-based governance is thus justified over action to address the roots of youth homelessness. | MAST | institution; production; employment; gender; governance | 5, 8, 12, 16 |
| Winer, Oren S. | Lee, Ian B. | Determining the Constitutionality of the National Securities Regulator Proposal and Beyond: The Federal Trade and Commerce Power, the General Motors test and the Choice Between ‘Categorization’ and ‘Balancing’ | Law | 2012-01-04 | In addition to demonstrating the judiciary’s role in constitutional adjudication and an application of the federal trade and commerce power, judicial determination of Parliament’s constitutional jurisdiction to enact securities legislation is noteworthy also due to the vast policy debates that are involved. Though such determinations routinely invite a process removed from the contemplation of desirable policy, the ‘General Motors test’ used to define and apply the relevant constitutional power here seems to implicitly allow it. The choice between ‘categorization’ and ‘balancing’ in constitutional analysis is therefore significant, in terms of its juxtaposed tolerance for policy considerations. With these analytical options in mind, this thesis considers Parliament’s proposal, so to identify a reasonable process for determining its constitutionality. It argues that balancing relevant policy concerns is necessary and justifiable in the application of the legal norms in question. Crucial, however, is lending the process structure, so that its shortcomings are mitigated. | MAST | trade | 10 |
| Wisniewski, Victoria Eleonora | Lehnherr, Igor | Seasonal Variations in the Limnology and Ecosystem Metabolism of a Canadian hHgh-Arctic Permafrost Thaw Lake | Geography | 2020-03 | Aquatic ecosystem metabolism describes the turnover of carbon biomass and energy available within an ecosystem to support aquatic food webs. This research provides insight on ecosystem responses to seasonality in a high-Arctic thaw lake. Skeleton Lake (Nunavut) was sampled over multiple ice-covered and open water seasons to quantify how the presence and absence of ice effects physical, chemical, and biological factors that drive whole-lake ecosystem metabolism. This provides valuable data on the energetic processes supporting all aquatic life, allowing us to understand how climate change may impact the security of freshwater resources. This research captures a meaningful understanding of year-round carbon metabolism in small Arctic lakes and displays the importance environmental factors have on metabolic processes. Open water provides ample opportunity for primary production in surface waters; while deep below ice, this lake teems with biological activity both in complete darkness and at the first signs of spring light. | M.Sc. | food; water; energy; production; climate; environment | 2, 6, 7, 12, 13 |
| Wolf, Derek | Caspersen, John | Adjusting Expectations of Scale Based on Limitations of Supply: A Review of the Case for a Forest Bioenergy Strategy that Prioritizes Decentralization, Efficiency, and Integration | Forestry | 2012-11-27 | The limitations of renewable energy technologies require that pathways are carefully chosen such that renewable resources are used most effectively in addressing modern energy challenges. Optimized decision-making is particularly challenging for the forest bioenergy sector because of the multitude of potential pathways and because profit is highly sensitive to biomass procurement costs. I assessed energy wood recovery and procurement costs during semi-mechanized selection operations in the tolerant hardwood forests of Ontario. Logging contractors were able to recover unmerchantable sections of branches normally discarded during conventional operations, amounting to 1.3 to 2.7 dry tonnes of additional biomass per hectare. Supply chain scenarios are used to show that the biomass can be brought to market at a cost similar to mechanized operations. The need for prioritization of decentralization, efficiency, and integration with the value-added forest sector is discussed with reference to the relative scarcity and high cost of the forest resource. | MAST | forest; renewable; energy | 7, 15 |
| Wong, Andrew Chun Kit | Shalaby, Amer Saïd ||Abdulhai, Baher | Travel Time Prediction Model for Regional Bus Transit | Civil Engineering | 2011-03-30T14:07:52Z | Over the past decade, the popularity of regional bus services has grown in large North American cities owing to more people living in suburban areas and commuting to the Central Business District to work every day. Estimating journey time for regional buses is challenging because of the low frequencies and long commuting distances that typically characterize such services. This research project developed a mathematical model to estimate regional bus travel time using artificial neural networks (ANN). ANN outperformed other forecasting methods, namely historical average and linear regression, by an average of 35 and 26 seconds respectively. The ANN results showed, however, overestimation by 40% to 60%, which can lead to travellers missing the bus. An operational strategy is integrated into the model to minimize stakeholders’ costs when the model’s forecast time is later than the scheduled bus departure time. This operational strategy should be varied as the commuting distance decreases. | MAST | cities; urban | 11 |
| Wong, Andrew Hon Cheung | Gillis, Joseph Roy | The Prevalence of Ethnicity-related Victimization in Urban Multiethnic Schools | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2009-12-14T19:00:28Z | Bullying remains a serious issue in our schools. The goals of this study were three-fold. Firstly, to obtain an estimate of ethnic-racial bullying victimization in urban schools, secondly, to examine protective factors for bullying victimization, and finally, to explore gender differences in bullying behaviour. A total of 319 students in grades 6 and 7 completed a measure of bullying victimization and safe school environment. The results revealed an overall bullying victimization rate of 53.9% with 17.8% of students reporting being bullied based on their ethnicity or race. Contrary to previous research (McKenney, Pepler, Craig, & Connolly, 2006), girls and boys were equally likely to engage in all types of bullying behaviours. Extracurricular activities were generally not a protective factor against bullying, while a large network of close friends was. Bullying intervention programs need to focus on ethnic/racial bullying, and teachers need to increase their awareness of this problem. | MAST | gender | 5 |
| Wong, Andrew Kai Cheung | Bazylak, Aimy | Designing microporous layers for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: pore network modelling and fabrication | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-11 | Liquid water transport and oxygen diffusion within the gas diffusion layer (GDL) play key roles in the performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Understanding how liquid water and oxygen are transported through the GDL is crucial for informing future fuel cell material designs. This thesis contains two studies, one numerical and one experimental, that are focused on liquid water and gas transport in GDLs. The first study is an investigation of how liquid and gas transport in the GDL are affected by increasing microporous layer (MPL) intrusion into the carbon fiber substrate. The second study is an examination of the transport mechanisms in the MPL via the fabrication and testing of GDLs that were entirely composed of MPL (called standalone MPLs). Together, these two studies provide a deeper understanding of how novel applications of the MPL can unlock higher performance in PEM fuel cells. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Wong, Annabelle Po Yin | Ozin, Geoffrey A | Enhancement of Hydride-terminated Silicon Nanocrystals for Gas-phase Heterogeneous Carbon Dioxide Reduction | Chemistry | 2017-06 | Utilization of solar energy for the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels and chemical feedstocks serves as a promising solution to mitigate anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions while providing global energy security and environmental protection. Silicon nanocrystals (ncSi) are attractive materials for the photoreduction of CO2 due to their favorable earth-abundance, non-toxicity, optical properties, and high surface area. Herein, through rational modification of ncSi by introducing boron and phosphorus dopants utilizing a novel, facile sol-gel synthesis, it was demonstrated that dopants successfully enhanced the gas-phase CO2 adsorption capacity and solar fuel production rate. Remarkably, it was found that phosphorus-doped ncSi was the best performer among the various ncSi samples due to the combination of the number of surface hydrides and the addition of electronegative surface atoms. Preliminary results of the optimization of reaction conditions in a batch photoreactor enabled an enhancement of the solar fuel production rate. | M.Sc. | energy; solar; production; greenhouse gas; environment | 7, 12, 13 |
| Wong, Elizabeth | Schneider, Margaret | LESBIANS’ AND GAY MEN’S PERCEPTIONS OF STEREOTYPING: RELATIONSHIP TO CAREER INTERESTS AND SENSE OF BELONGING | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-03 | The “gender inversion” stereotype that lesbians and gay men are similar to the opposite gender continues to be a pervasive part of how others perceive lesbians and gay men (Reyna, Wetherell, Yantis, Brandt, 2014). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lesbians’ and gay men’s awareness and endorsement of the gender inversion stereotyping and their interests in pursuing gender typical careers (masculine careers for gay men and feminine careers for lesbians). Seventy-four gay men and 108 lesbians completed questionnaires assessing awareness and the endorsement of gender inversion stereotype, sense of belonging, anticipated discrimination, perceived support from role models and interest in pursuing masculine and feminine careers. Awarenes of stereotypes had no influence on gay men’s or lesbians’ career interests. This study expands the research on stereotypes into the area of lesbians’ and gay men’s career development. | M.A. | gender | 5 |
| Wong, Ilona Gee Guan | Rose, Jonathan S||Eizenman, Moshe | Mobile Perimeter | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2016-06 | We developed a novel perimeter that is implemented on a low-cost tablet that can be used by patients at home and/or to screen for visual field defects in areas of the world in which access to expensive medical instrumentation and hospitals is limited. To perform visual field tests on a standard tablet in an uncontrolled environment, we have developed methods that are able to test the entire visual field and extend the limited dynamic contrast range. Furthermore, we have developed methods that automatically adjust the testing procedure (i.e. change the intensity of the stimuli) when the ambient light in the room changes and automatically compensate for relative movements between the subject and the display so that patients will not have to use chin-rest during the test. We obtained comparable results to the Humphrey Field Analyzer (the industry standard) when testing on control groups and patients with glaucoma. | M.A.S. | industr; environment | 9, 13 |
| Wong, Jessica | Williams, D. Dudley | Source Tracing of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in Watersheds Using UV and Fluorescence Spectroscopy | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2010-02-17T20:11:46Z | In aquatic ecosystems, dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important source of detrital energy on which microorganisms rely. However, its dynamics are not well understood in an ecological context. By isolating watershed sources, the work reported in this thesis has attempted to characterize the seasonal patterns of DOM in the hyporheic zone of a temperate stream and to find the likely sources that contribute to this pool of organic carbon. Hyporheic DOM characteristics described by UV spectroscopy indicated temporal rather than spatial dependence. Excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) showed that hyporheic DOM was mainly comprised of fulvic- and humic-like fluorescence with small amounts of protein-like fluorescence. Increases in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations from birch litter isolates were greater than those from cedar litter in early autumn, but less in late autumn. Although streambed biofilm was not significant in increasing DOC concentrations, it was also a source of protein-like fluorescence. | MAST | energy; water | 6, 7 |
| Wong, Sze Ki Agnes | Woodruff, Earl | Relationship between Participation in the Webinar and Students’ Behaviours and Engagement in Online Learning | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2012-07-24 | A graduate level Flex Mode course “Introduction to Computers in Education” using online learning concept, which includes the discourse environment and the webinars, was investigated in the current study. Twenty one students enrolled in the course in fall 2010. Since the design of this course is new and in its experimental stage, this study explored how webinar participation predicts students’ behaviours and engagement in online learning, and the experiences and perspectives of students who take this course. Data retrieved from the course database show that webinar participation correlated significantly with the engagement construct (about reading and writing online). Results from the questionnaire suggest that students were satisfied with both the webinar and online discussion components of the course. Interview findings indicate that students credit the webinar with helping them feel more connected to their classmates. Implications for the design of online learning program will be discussed. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Wong, Tsz On Chris | Sargent, H Ted | Light Management across the Nano and Macro Lengthscales to Enhance Photovoltaic Device Performance | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2014-11 | Colloidal quantum dot photovoltaics (CQDPV) have the potential to be a low cost and renewable source of electricity, with state-of-the-art CQDPV certified at a power conversion efficiency of 8.5%. What prevents further breakthroughs in performance is the limitation placed by the electron diffusion length of CQD materials. The compromise between two interrelated drivers of solar cell performance - the ability to extract charge carriers versus the amount of photons being absorbed - needs to be solved. There are solutions available on both the macro and the nanoscales, through careful design of the device architecture and substrates. Herein, we utilized a structured plasmonic electrode for the nanoscale case and a folded-light-path architecture for the macroscopic case to improve light absorption. Through these techniques, we observe 20% improvement in short-circuit current, leading to a 10% enhancement in power conversion efficiency. In addition, the operational mechanisms and design constraints for integrating these techniques are discussed. | M.A.S. | solar; renewable | 7 |
| Wonnacott, Vanessa | Esmonde, Indigo | Teaching Mathematics for Social Justice and its Effects on Affluent Students | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2011-05-31T19:27:40Z | There is a crisis in mathematics education (National Research Council, 1989). This crisis has caused stakeholders to question the purpose of mathematics education. Teaching mathematics for social justice is a pedagogy that uses mathematics as a tool to expose students to issues concerning power, resource inequities, and disparate opportunities between different social groups to illicit social and political action (Gutstein, 2006). This study uses action research to explore the effects of incorporating social justice issues in mathematics with affluent, middle school students. Findings indicate that integrating social justice issues into mathematics affected some students’ cognitive and affective domains and in some cases led to empowerment and action. The study also found that students’ perception of responsibility, their age and personal connections along with the amount of teacher direction may have affected students’ development of social agency. These findings help to inform teachers’ practices and contribute to literature on critical mathematics. | MAST | educat; justice | 4, 16 |
| Woo, Karen Frances | Shalaby, Amer Saïd | Investigation of the Relationship between Transit Network Structure and the Network Effect - The Toronto & Melbourne Experience | Civil Engineering | 2010-02-17T20:27:28Z | The main objective of this study was to quantitatively explore the connection between network structure and network effect and its impact on transit usage as seen through the real-world experience of the Toronto and Melbourne transit systems. In this study, the comparison of ridership/capita and mode split data showed that Toronto’s TTC has better performance for the annual data of 1999/2001 and 2006. After systematically investigating travel behaviour, mode choice factors and the various evidence of the network effect, it was found that certain socio-economic, demographic, trip and other design factors in combination with the network effect influence the better transit patronage in Toronto over Melbourne. Overall, this comparative study identified differences that are possible explanatory variables for Toronto’s better transit usage as well as areas where these two cities and their transit systems could learn from one another for both short and long term transit planning and design. | MAST | cities | 11 |
| Wood, Cody D. | Farnood, Ramin | Catalytic Gasification of Pretreated Activated Sludge Supernatant in Near-critical Water | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-01-04 | Pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) and the subsequent near-critical water gasification (NCWG) is a potential avenue to convert WAS into value added products. Part one of the research investigated thermal and thermochemical pretreatments. No difference was observed in the percentage of sludge liquefied beyond 10min between 200°C to 300°C. It was found that pretreated activated sludge supernatant (PASS) doubled the gas yield compared to untreated sludge when gasified. The order of effectiveness for sludge treatment was thermo-alkali > thermal > thermo-acid for hydrogen production in NCWG. Part two investigated NCWG parameters to identify optimal conditions. High gasification yields were obtained using a commercial catalyst (Raney nickel), with hydrogen content of 65-75% of the gas phase products. Thermo-alkali treated PASS was found to perform well at subcritical temperatures with 25% higher yields than thermally treated PASS. Increased catalyst loading had little additional effect on gas yields above 0.075g. | MAST | water; production; waste | 6, 12 |
| Wood, Nicholas | Master, Emma ||Tran, Honghi | Pretreatment of Pulp Mill Wastewater Treatment Residues to Improve Their Anaerobic Digestion | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2009-02-26T16:08:22Z | Anaerobic digestion of excess biological wastewater treatment sludge (WAS) from pulp mills has the potential to reduce disposal costs and to generate energy through biogas production. The organic matter in WAS is highly structured, which normally hinders biogas production. This study investigated three methods of pretreating WAS from two different pulp mills before anaerobic digestion to improve biogas yield and production rate. The three pretreatment methods tested were: i) thermal pretreatment at 170oC, ii) caustic pretreatment at 140oC and pH 12, and iii) sonication at 20 kHz and 1 W/mL. Thermal pretreatment proved to be the most effective, increasing biogas yield by 280% and 50% and increasing production rates 300-fold and 10-fold for the two samples, respectively. Caustic pretreatment showed similar results, but resulted in the formation of soluble non-biodegradable compounds. Sonication was the least effective pretreatment and did not substantially increase biogas yield, but increased biogas production rate. | MAST | waste; water; energy; production | 6, 12 |
| Wood, Stephen | Wania, Frank | Mechanistic Modelling in Support of Human Biomonitoring | Chemistry | 2016-11 | Lifetime exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were calculated using a combined mechanistic model of environmental fate (BETR-Global) and human food chain bioaccumulation (ACC-Human) for 6128 participants of the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004. Important questionnaire information from NHANES (year of birth, diet, body mass index (BMI), sex, reproductive behaviour) were used as model input. The model performed well on a popula- tion level, where the geometric mean modelled concentration of 13.3 ng/g lipid is close to the geometric mean measured concentration of 22.0 ng/g lipid. While the model successfully reproduced measured trends with age, sex, BMI, a failure was observed with diet. Furthermore, the model was used to explore the relationship between PCB levels and BMI, and it was found that these relationships depend on i) age, ii) the time of sampling, and iii) the range of body mass index sampled. | M.Sc. | food; nutrition; health; environment | 2, 3, 13 |
| Woodhead, Sean | Wheelahan, Leesa||Childs, Ruth | Pressures of Isomorphism on the External Institutional Diversity of Ontario College Activity and Performance | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2017-06 | This study examined the external institutional diversity of the Ontario college system, while also examining the degree of diversification or isomorphism that would exist if all plans in the Strategic Mandate Agreements are realized. Analysing the state of diversification has important public policy relevance, particularly in light of Ontarioâ s Differentiation Policy Framework for Postsecondary Education. College activity and performance were measured across a series of variables, and these findings were triangulated with an abductive document analysis of Strategic Mandate Agreements and annual reports. Two additional dimensions were identified by this research that extend beyond the seven dimensions presented by Birmbaum (1983): aspirational diversity, and evaluative diversity. The results show that institution size is highly diversified and this corresponds with diversity in institutional activity. At the regional level, Toronto-area colleges have the highest degree of activity. The findings also conclude that, if all plans were implemented, there would be considerable isomorphism. | M.Ed. | inclusive | 4 |
| Wootten, Sarah | Gillis, Joseph Roy | Mental Health, Identity and Coping Following Hate Crime Victimization | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | Previous research has explored the impact on individuals following hate crime victimization, including prevalence estimates in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual (LGBT) community. Past research, however, has been limited in its scope when exploring the impact of the hate crime event on the overall mental health of the survivor often examining only one measure of functioning. The current project aims to fill this gap by analyzing measures of posttraumatic symptoms, depression, stress and dissociation, collected on a sample of 30 LGBT individuals who have experienced hate crime victimization. In addition to clinical features, this study also analysed identity, openness about LGBT identity and coping behaviours. Results indicated that social support, identity and coping impact recovery from hate crime victimization. The effect of these factors differed over time (within one month of the hate crime) and up to as much as five years later (within the month of the interview). | MAST | gender; health | 3, 5 |
| Woudenberg, Mariel Van | Pausova, Zdenka | Blood Pressure Responses to Physical and Mental Challenges in Adolescent Males and Females | Physiology | 2012-11 | Enhanced blood pressure (BP) reactivity from stressors predicts hypertension, a disease more common in men than women throughout their reproductive age. Visceral obesity and genetic predisposition are major risk factors for hypertension. Here, we investigated whether visceral fat (VF) and one of the best-established loci of hypertension, CYP17A1, contribute to the sex difference in BP reactivity. In a community-based sample of 596 adolescents, we measured beat-by-beat BP during posture and math-stress tests, quantified visceral fat with magnetic resonance imaging, and genotyped all subjects at CYP17A1. Adolescent males versus females demonstrated greater BP reactivity to physical and mental stressors. In males but not females, VF was associated with higher BP reactivity to active standing and a specific variant of CYP17A1 was associated with higher BP reactivity to math stress. VF and CYP17A1 contribute to the observed sex-differences in BP reactivity. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Wright, Gregory Douglas | Farnood, Ramin R.||Yan, Ning | Mathematical Modeling of the Solid-liquid Extraction of Phenolic-rich Compounds from Pinus contorta Bark | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | There is an ongoing effort to replace traditional wood adhesives with tree bark-derived resins that use an underutilized biomass residue (tree bark) to reduce the consumption of petroleum-derived chemicals for economic and environmental benefits. A key step in bark-to-resin conversion involves the reactive solid-liquid extraction of phenolic-rich compounds from bark by a caustic solvent. Despite significant work concerning bark conversion, efforts to understand this process were mostly empirical investigations. Therefore, this thesis focuses on developing mechanistic models for the solid-liquid caustic extraction and comparing theoretical predictions with experimental data. Among five types of kinetic behaviour models, it was found that the extended Fick’s law most accurately described the process. Isotherms were proposed to model equilibrium, which was found to have the best fit with the BET isotherm. This thesis work provided valuable insights into the extraction process mechanism that will help with future improvement in equipment design and scaling-up studies. | M.A.S. | consum; environment | 12, 13 |
| Wu, Chen | Wodchis, Walter | Adverse Drug Reactions in the Emergency Department Population in Ontario: Analysis of National Ambulatory Care Reporting System and Discharge Abstract Database 2003-2007 | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2010-02-17T19:22:58Z | ADR is an important public health problem which reduces quality of care patients receive and increases cost to healthcare system. Little is known about the incidence and economic burden of ADR-related ED visits and subsequent hospitalizations in Canada. This study estimated the incidence and cost of ADR-related ED visits and subsequent hospitalizations for patients (>65 years) in Ontario, and explored patient, drug and system factors associated with severe ADRs. In a population-based retrospective cohort of Ontario older adults, 7222 (0.75%) of all ED visits were ADR-related, and among these patients 21.56% were hospitalized in 2007; In 2007, the total measured cost of ADR-related visits and subsequent hospitalizations amounted to $13.6 million with the cost being $333.47 and $7528.64 per person for ED visits and subsequent hospitalizations, respectively. Severe ADRs were associated with sex, age, comorbidity, multiple drugs, multiple pharmacies, newly prescribed drugs, recent ED visit, recent hospitalization and LTC residents. | MAST | health | 3 |
| Wylie, Aaron | Abbatt, Jonathan P D | Kinetics and Mechanisms of the Heterogeneous Ozonolysis of Tetrahydrocannabinol and Nicotine | Chemistry | 2020-06 | Thirdhand smoke (THS) deposits to surfaces following smoking events and is a source of chemical exposure to humans in its vicinity. However, evolution of THS in indoor environments is not well understood. The heterogeneous reaction of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nicotine, major components of cannabis and tobacco smoke respectively, with ozone was examined within smoke and as pure compounds. Oxidative decay and product formation were monitored by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Numerous ozonolysis products of THC and nicotine were detected – these products were also found as oxidation products within THS. Heterogeneous reaction rates were determined to be similar whether each compound was pure or within THS. THC was non-volatile, and surface loss was solely due to O3 reaction – in contrast, nicotine was semi-volatile and surface loss was due to volatilization and O3 reaction. These data improve our knowledge on THS evolution and better inform indoor chemistry models. | M.Sc. | environment | 13 |
| Wyper, Laura | Restoule, Jean-Paul | R.A.G.E.: Reflections on Acts of Gendered Violence and our Educational Lives | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2012-11-29 | This is an arts-informed qualitative research study looking at violence against women and how it affects their educational outcomes. It uses an art installation in which the narratives of the women involved are combined with photographs and real world objects in which viewers take on a ‘walking meditation’ as well as the use of participation stations for viewer feedback and further sharing of stories anonymously. This project is based on the belief that through a feminist research lens, participatory practice with the use of storytelling can be a form of transformation in community development. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Xiang, Liyao | Li, Baochun | Mobile Offloading for Energy-efficient Computation on Smartphones | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2015-06 | Mobile offloading enables mobile devices to distribute computation-intensive tasks to the cloud or other devices for energy conservation or performance gains. In principle, the idea is to trade the relatively low communication energy expense for high computation power consumption. In this thesis, we first focus on the technique of mobile code offloading to the cloud by proposing the new technique of coalesced offloading, which exploits the potential for multiple applications to coordinate their offloading requests with the objective of saving additional energy on mobile devices. We then turn our attention to collaborative mobile computing where a group of mobile users with the common target job form coalitions to reduce the overall energy costs. We propose distributed collaboration strategies through game theory, and formulate the problem as a non-transferable utility coalitional game, and solve it by merge and split rules. | M.A.S. | energy; conserv | 7, 12 |
| Xiao, Jia Jun | Shu, L. H. | Incorporating Regulatory Focus in Product Design Towards Pro-environmental Behaviour | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-06 | A traditional approach to reducing energy consumption focuses on increasing the energy efficiency of products. However, the energy saved by increasing product’s energy efficiency can be easily overridden by inappropriate usage behaviours. This phenomenon emphasizes the importance of users to engage in pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). Few effects were achieved on promoting PEB with environment-related messages, raising focus on fostering PEB through human-product interactions. This thesis aims to integrate the regulatory focus theory (RFT), a goal-pursuit psychology theory, with product design strategies towards interventions to promote PEB. Individuals experience regulatory fit effect when information received aligned with their regulatory focus. Regulatory fit effect on PEB was examined. Small sample size and confounding individual differences preclude decisive conclusion. Measurement of individuals’ regulatory focus through intervention is necessary to utilize regulatory fit effect. Various interventions were explored. No reliable measurement model was constructed, but the thesis provides insights for future studies. | M.A.S. | energy; consum; environment | 7, 12, 13 |
| Xiao, Johnny Zi Jun | Edwards, Elizabeth A | Developing a Clostridial Heterologous Expression Host and Producing a Prenylated Flavin Cofactor: Steps in Elucidating an Anaerobic Mechanism for Activating Benzene | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | Benzene, a toxic aromatic compound, has become an increasingly prevalent environmental contaminant in anaerobic environments, but the initial degradation step used by microbes for breaking its unsubstituted aromatic ring is unknown. Proteogenomic studies have implicated the involvement of a putative benzene carboxylase operon belonging to a Peptococcaceae sp., but it remains uncharacterized. Methods for growing and transforming shuttle plasmids into C. acetobutylicum, a close phylogenetic relative of Peptococcaceae were developed. Screening of the E. coli proteome was able to elucidate two novel in vitro pathways for producing the prenylated FMN (prFMN), and two protein-free forms that could be used to activate UbiD-like enzymes were identified. The combination of a Clostridial expression platform and a purified prFMN cofactor working in conjunction could be the key to successful functional characterization of the putative anaerobic benzene carboxylase, which could serve as a biomarker for the substrate-specific monitoring of benzene bioremediation at contaminated sites. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Xie, Lin | Kawaji, Masahiro | Experimental and Analytical Investigation of Thermal Energy Storage System for Automotive Applications | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-11 | Driving with an engine in winter increases fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in automobiles. A latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) device has been designed, constructed and tested to investigate waste heat recovery and reduction of engine warm-up time. Different thermal insulation methods were tested to select a proper one that could minimize heat loss from the TES during energy storage under a below freezing ambient temperature. Heat discharging tests were then conducted with the TES system. Two analytical models were developed to simulate the heat transport processes. An unsteady heat balance model was set up and solved to simulate the temperature profiles. Both the experimental and model simulation results demonstrated the potential of the TES device for use in engine warm-up during a winter season. Further model development and validation using laboratory and field test data would contribute to the development of commercial TES products in the future. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas; energy; consum; waste | 7, 12, 13 |
| Xiong, Chen | Colantonio, Angela | Needs and Preferences of Technology among Chinese Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia: A Pilot Study | Rehabilitation Science | 2016-11 | The purpose of this study was to examine the technology needs and preferences of Chinese family caregivers of PWDs with a sex and gender lens in Canada. A survey was distributed to Chinese family caregivers of PWDs was conducted. Frequency distributions, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test and multiple regression analyses were performed. The majority of the respondents did not demonstrate knowledge about technology for caregiving. Overall, respondents demonstrated a positive attitude towards the use of technology during caregiving. Ease of installation and reliability were identified as the most important features when installing and using technology respectively. Controlling for age, female respondents were significantly more receptive of technology compared to males. Our findings suggest a need to increase awareness of technology options to assist caregiving in this ethnic population. They provide insight for future development and marketing of technological innovations that will better align with the needs and preferences of caregivers. | M.Sc. | gender; innovation | 5, 9 |
| Xu, Lining | Sinton, David | Microfluidics and Nanofluidics for Unconventional Resources in Micropores and Nanopores | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2018-11 | Unconventional resources play a crucial role in meeting the current global energy demand, however, production from these formations is challenging. The challenge mainly stems from either the extreme fluid properties (oil sands) or extreme rock properties (shale and tight sandstone). Primary production from unconventional reservoirs is very low which motivates testing and developing recovery strategies to improve the reservoir production. Micro/nanofluidic technologies have shown to be a promising tool to quantify the pore-scale recovery efficiency of different methods with a tight control over the operating conditions, i.e. pressure, temperature, and composition. In this work, we designed and developed two distinct micro/nanofluidic platforms to test some of the recovery methods for both bitumen and tight oil systems. This work highlights the unique potential of microfluidic and nanofluidic methods in resolving the pore-scale behavior of enhanced oil recovery processes under relevant reservoir conditions. | M.Sc. | energy; production | 7, 12 |
| Ya, Jaehoon | Allen, D. Grant||Tran, Honghi N. | Electro-dewatering Treatment of Pulp and Paper Mill Biosludge: The Effects of Conditioners | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2017-11 | Biosludge has been a problem for pulp and paper mills due to its difficulty to dewater. Electro-dewatering can significantly reduce the water content of biosludge, but the effect of electro-dewatering on pulp and paper mill biosludge is not well understood. This study examined the feasibility of using electro-dewatering on pulp and paper mill biosludge and observed that over 40% dry solids content could be achieved. Chemical and physical additives including synthetic polymers, cationic proteins, fly ash, lime mud and wood fines were added to biosludge, and electro-dewatered at 20V using a batch-scale electro-dewatering device. Overall, the addition of conditioners did not improve the removal of water from biosludge. However, biosludge conditioned with a small dose of weak cationic polymer (2% Organopol5400) reduced the energy consumption of electro-dewatering by ~19%. Electro-dewatering of biosludge is also expected to consume less energy compared to thermal drying for removing the same amount of water. | M.A.S. | water; energy; consum | 6, 12 |
| Yablecki, Jessica | Bazylak, Aimy | Modeling the Effective Thermal Conductivity of an Anisotropic and Heterogeneous Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layer | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-27 | In this thesis, two numerical modeling methods are used to investigate the thermal conductivity of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell gas diffusion layer (GDL). First, an analytical model is used to study the through-plane thermal conductivity from representative physical GDL models informed by microscale computed tomography imaging of four commercially available GDL materials. The effect of the heterogeneity of the through-plane porosity of the GDL and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) treatment is studied and it is noted that the high porosity surface transition regions have a dominating effect over the addition of PTFE in impacting the overall thermal conductivity. Next, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed to study both the in-plane and through-plane thermal conductivity of stochastic numerically generated GDL modeling domains. The effect of GDL compression, binder content, PTFE treatment, addition of a microporous layer (MPL), heterogeneous porosity distributions, and water saturation on the thermal conductivity are investigated. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Yachouh, Rosemary | Kidd, Sean | A Qualitative Investigation of the Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugees and Immigrants | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2018-06 | The mental health of Syrian refugees has become extremely important for refugee and mental health scholars worldwide. A scoping review of 14 publications was conducted to synthesize current findings on this issue, which displayed a gap in understanding Syrian coping strategies and well-being. A qualitative investigation was done to explore the mental health perceptions and related resources of Syrians that migrated to Canada both before and after the war. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Syrian immigrants, 15 non-refugees and 15 refugees. The purpose was to investigate perspectives on mental health, resilience, and desired or received services. Study findings showed refugees’ mental health was affected by traumatic events and their resettlement process. Non-refugees expressed feelings of sadness because their homeland has been destroyed. All participants sourced social support as extremely helpful in their lives and was preferred over professional help. These findings can help develop appropriate mental health resources. | M.Sc. | health; resilien | 3, 11 |
| Yadav, Shwetank | Singh, Chandra V | First Principles Investigation of Nanomaterials for Hydrogen Generation and Hydrogen Storage | Materials Science and Engineering | 2015-03 | Ab initio computational modelling was used to examine nanoscale materials for renewable energy applications. Hydrogen production from water splitting was investigated on three edges of two-dimensional monolayer molybdenum disulfide by studying active sites, reaction pathways, activation energies and rates of reaction. The Mo-edge termination was found to adsorb and spontaneously dissociate water at room temperature conditions. Hydrogen storage through adsorption was studied on metal decorated graphene, defective graphene and metal decorated non-graphene 2-D carbon allotropes. Nickel was found to produce the best hydrogen gravimetric density for metal decorated graphene at 6.12 wt.%, lower than previous studies which neglected van der Waals forces. Defect engineered graphene produced a maximum gravimetric density of 7.02 wt.% while the lithium decorated 2-D carbon allotropes produced a best of 7.12 wt.%. | M.A.S. | water; energyl renewable; production | 6, 7, 12 |
| Yamanidouzisorkhabi, Sami | Amon, Cristina H | Multi-objective Energy-noise Wind farm Layout Optimization under Land Use Constraints | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2015-11 | Recently the environmental impact of onshore wind farms is receiving major attention from both governments and wind farm designers. As land is more extensively exploited for wind farms, it is more likely for wind turbines to be in proximity with human dwellings, infrastructure, and natural habitats. This proximity makes significant portions of land unusable for the designers, introducing a set of land-use constraints. In this study, we perform a constrained multi-objective wind farm layout optimization considering energy and noise as objective functions, and considering land use constraints. A stochastic evolutionary algorithm (NSGA-II) solves the optimization problem, while the land-use constraints are handled with penalty functions and a novel hybrid constraint handling approach based on Constraint Programming. Results of this study illustrate the effect of constraint severity on the energy-noise trade-off. In addition, the potential of the new constraint handling approach to outperform existing constraint handling approaches is investigated. | M.A.S. | energy; wind; infrastructure; trade; environment; land use | 7, 9, 10, 13, 15 |
| Yamashita, Anna Cavaco | Chen, Becky Xi | Specific needs in literacy & language learning of refugee children: A comparison of German and Canadian Syrian refugee families | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-11 | Literacy and language development and wellbeing of Syrian refugee students are influenced by many factors including educational and refugee protection policies and socio-economic influences within schools and communities. The present study examined these factors contributing to the successes and challenges in language and literacy development, both in English, the second language (L2) and Arabic, the first language (L1), of Syrian refugee children as they settle in Canada. We employed a mixed measures design, five families participated in qualitative interviews, and nine children (5 girls; M age = 134.67 months) also completed a short battery of quantitative language and literacy measures. The interviews uncovered the importance of L1 maintenance and L2 acquisition, and support systems; and results from the quantitative measures suggested that the sample was significantly behind in language and literacy development. When compared to the German sample, both samples showed L2 difficulties. | M.A. | girl; educat | 4, 5 |
| Yan, Benjamin | Martins, Joaquim R. R. A. | A Framework for Aerostructural Analysis of Wind Turbine Blades | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2012-01-04 | As international growth in wind energy steadily increases and the world gradually moves away from fossil fuels, advanced computational tools are required to produce accurate and fast predictions in wind turbine performance, and to allow efficient design cycles using advanced materials and manufacturing methods. Currently, aerostructural analysis often employs the relatively fast but inaccurate Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory, while accurate but slower Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods are generally used for aerodynamic analysis alone.To bridge the gap between speed and accuracy, a 3D panel code, TriPan, was coupled with an advanced structural Finite Element Method (FEM) code, TACS, to perform aerostructural analysis for wind turbine blades. In addition, the framework allows the replacement of the panel solver by higher fidelity solvers to increase the accuracy of the overall aerostructural solution. | MAST | energy; wind | 7 |
| Yan, Bennett Chek Kin | Barati, Mansoor | Electrolysis of Titanium Oxide to Titanium in Molten Cryolite Salt | Materials Science and Engineering | 2016-06 | Cost-effective production of titanium is becoming a challenge being tackled in the metallurgical and sustainability sector and technological advancements are required to effectively separate the metal from its oxide. The existing methods of Ti production are extremely energy intensive and slow. This proof-of-concept study investigated the feasibility of separating and capturing Ti from TiO2 through electrolysis after it has been dissolved in a cryolite bath at 1050oC. XRD and SEM/EDS results verified that TiO2 is only partially reduced. However, addition of Al assisted in the precipitation of Ti in the form of TiAl and TiAl3. Parameters such as electrolysis time, concentration of TiO2, and electrolysis potential were explored. The experiments that were run for 4h, with TiO2 | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Yandulska, Kateryna | Janischewskyj, Wasyl | Connection between Severe Weather and Intense Lightning | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2010-02-17T21:09:30Z | This Thesis researches, explains and provides conclusions for the question of correlation between data and criteria used by Environment Canada (EC) and Lightning Studies Research Group (LSG) of University of Toronto. The necessity of such correlation arises from the question of common criteria between severe weather, as it shown in graphical data from EC, and intense lighting storms, recorded by LSG, despite deep differences in area, time scale and object of observation used by those two organizations. The objective of the Thesis is not only to compare those two, very different sets of data and criteria and find out the common ground between them, but also to provide in-depth explanation of criteria, used by Lighting Studies Research Group, along with revisiting and establishing some of them. Eight storm cases, taken from years 2005-2008 provide cases for practical research, which affects intermediate Greater Toronto Area. | MAST | environment; weather | 13 |
| Yang, Shuo | Lam, Tony K. T. | Hypothalamic AMP-activated Protein Kinase Regulates Glucose Production | Physiology | 2012-01-04 | Hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates energy homeostasis in response to nutritional and hormonal signals. However, its role in glucose production regulation remains to be elucidated. Here, we tested the hypothesis that bidirectional changes in hypothalamic AMPK activity alter glucose production in rodents. First, we found that knocking down hypothalamic AMPK activity in an in vivo rat model led to a significant suppression of glucose production independent of changes in food intake and body weight. Second, we showed that activation of hypothalamic AMPK negated the ability of hypothalamic glucose- and lactate- sensing to lower glucose production. Collectively, these data indicate that changes in hypothalamic AMPK activity are sufficient and necessary for hypothalamic nutrient-sensing mechanisms to alter glucose production in vivo, and highlight the novel role of hypothalamic AMPK in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis in addition to energy balance. | MAST | production; energy; nutritionl food | 2, 7, 12 |
| Yang, Ye Zheng | Andrews, Robert C||Legge, Raymond L | Development of Practical Applications of Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Water Quality Monitoring | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Extensive research has been conducted regarding the characterization of natural waters using fluorescence spectroscopy, involving complex data analysis approaches not suitable for on-line implementation. This research investigated approaches to streamline data analysis such that assessment of water quality is both rapid and sensitive. A novel continuous mixing and analysis system was developed and applied to two aspects of surface water quality monitoring: quantification of environmental contaminants, and detection of wastewater. Several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticides were observed to have fluorescence patterns that could be separated using parallel factors analysis (PARAFAC). Reliable quantification of these compounds was achieved at levels typically detected in natural waters. Analysis of wastewater revealed that its presence was strongly correlated to microbially-derived humic-like fluorescence. An approach using of a moving baseline showed that simulated wastewater presence at 1% v/v (wastewater/lake water) was correctly detected in 89% of samples analyzed. | M.A.S. | water; waste; environment | 6, 12, 13 |
| Yao, Yuxiang (Bill) | Azimi, Gisele | Development of Supercritical Fluid Extraction for Urban Mining of Rare Earth Elements and for Purifying Recycled Plastics | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11 | Supercritical fluid extraction is an emerging green technology with a wide range of applications. The full technical potential of supercritical fluid extraction has yet to be discovered. This study put the emphasis on discovering technical potential of supercritical fluid extraction application and developing the supercritical fluid extraction process for both urban mining of rare earth elements from end-of-life Nickel Metal Hydride battery, and for purification of recycled waxes from waste plastics. The novel, environmental sustainable supercritical fluid extraction process is proven to be successful in both urban mining of rare earth elements from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and purifying recycled polymeric waxes from waste plastics. | M.A.S. | urban; waste; recycl; environment | 7, 11, 12, 13 |
| Yasui, Simone-Louise | Cadotte, Marc W | Intraspecific Variation and Phenotypic Plasticity in the Invasive Vine Vincetoxicum rossicum | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2016-06 | The human-mediated movement of species across the globe has led to the growing field of invasion biology, which is devoted to understanding more about invasive species and the impact they have on the ecosystems into which they are introduced. One particular invasive species that is extremely abundant and widespread in Southern Ontario is the vine species Vincetoxicum rossicum. V. rossicum is found in a variety of environments including open fields and forest understories, however, little is known about how the traits of this species varies in the different environments. In a field study in the Rouge Urban National Park and a complementary greenhouse study, I found that this invasive species optimizes light capture efficiency by changing its morphological traits. This potentially contributes to its invasion success and provides further insights and its future spread. Additionally, this work can provide insight on other invasive species that exhibit similar invasion strategies | M.Sc. | urban; environment; forest | 11, 13, 15 |
| Yavorska, Tatyana | Jurisicova, Andrea | Role of TAp73 in Female Reproductive Aging and Fertility | Physiology | 2013-11-15 | An increasing number of women delay childbearing and consequently face infertility and pregnancy complications associated with age. The central contributor to compromised reproductive performance is poor oocyte quality. Despite advances in assisted reproductive technologies, a strategy to overcome the damage that oocytes receive with age is yet to be identified. This work focuses on the influence of TAp73, a protein that decreases in mouse and human eggs with age, on the developmental capacity of mouse oocytes. TAp73 deficient mice were found to have fewer active mitochondria and compromised clearance of damaged material in their oocytes, possibly due to reduced mTOR-TAp73 axis signaling. These qualities were shown to contribute to low oocyte maturation rates. Additionally, TAp73 likely mediates the action of coenzyme Q10, which restores oocyte TAp73 levels and mitochondrial quality in aged mice. Together these findings suggest that TAp73 is a promising therapeutic target for improving oocyte function. | MAST | women | 5 |
| Yee-Ching, Ge-Hung | Panesar, Daman | The Effect of Low Temperature on the Binding of External Chlorides | Civil Engineering | 2012-03-26 | Designing durable concrete structures is becoming increasingly important with emphasis being placed on extending service life. This project focuses on the effect of low temperatures on chloride binding, chloride binding capacity and ion-binder interactions with respect to hydroxyl ions and pH. Three supplementary cementitious materials were used as well as two w/b ratios, and four curing times. The effect of temperature cycling on chloride binding, binding capacity and ion-binder interaction were also investigated. With temperatures decreasing from 23°C to -15°C, there is a decrease in bound chloride and chloride binding capacity, with GGBFS>GU>MK>SF being the order of binding. When temperature cycling was performed, the binding capacity changed depending on the exposure temperature, with warmer temperatures associated with higher binding capacities. When service life estimates were conducted using Life-365 software, it was found chloride binding capacities determined at 23°C may not be conservative when estimating service life in colder climates. | MAST | cities; climate; conserv | 11, 13, 14 |
| Yeung, Coleman Yue | Thomson, Murray J. | Experimental and Kinetic Modeling Study of 1-hexanol Combustion in an Opposed-flow Diffusion Flame | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2012-01-04 | Biofuels are of particular interest as they have the potential to reduce our dependence on petroleum-derived fuels for transportation. 1-Hexanol is a promising renewable long chain alcohol that can be used in conventional fuel blends or as a cosolvent for biodiesel mixtures. However, the fundamental combustion properties of 1-hexanol have not been fully characterized in the literature. Thus, new experimental results, consisting of temperature and concentration profiles of stable species were obtained for the oxidation of 1-hexanol generated in an opposed-flow diffusion flame at 0.101 MPa. The kinetic model consists of 361 chemical species and 2687 chemical reactions (most of them reversible). This experimental data were compared to the predicted values of a detailed chemical kinetic model proposed in literature to study the combustion of 1-hexanol. Reaction pathway and sensitivity analyses were performed to interpret the results. In addition, several improvements were investigated to optimize the proposed chemical kinetic mechanism. | MAST | renewable | 7 |
| Yip, Vivian Wing Tung | Conway, Tenley | Species Diversity and Preferred Attributes of Trees: A Case Study of the Private Urban Forest in the Greater Toronto Area | Geography | 2018-06 | Healthy urban forests should have a diverse, native assemblage of species to support ecological integrity and reduce vulnerability to stressors. Since most urban trees are located on private property, landowner preferences for urban trees have a significant impact on the urban forest. Recent studies indicate that landowners select tree species based on aesthetic or functional attributes, without considering species diversity or ecological integrity. To examine the impact of landowner decisions, this study explores the relationship between property-level diversity metrics and aesthetic and functional attributes. Field inventories of trees on residential properties were conducted in Oakville and Markham, Ontario, and the results were analyzed along with residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and corresponding household characteristics gathered through a written survey. Few significant relationships were found in the statistical analysis, indicating that the residents’ decision-making process is complicated and requires further study. | M.Sc. | health; urban; forest | 3, 11, 15 |
| Young, Patrick | Lawryshyn, Yuri Andrew | Investigating the Validity of UV Reactor Additivity | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2013-12-11 | Ultraviolet (UV) light reactors or banks are often arranged in series in order to meet microbial inactivation credit requirements. It has been assumed that UV doses given by each reactor in series are mathematically additive, though work done to substantiate the hypothesis has been inconsistent. Based on previously developed theory of reactor additivity and the reactor additivity factor (RAF), three types of UV reactors are modelled using computational fluid dynamics and their RAFs are computed. It is noted that the assumption of perfect mixing may not be valid depending on the distance between reactors in series. It is discussed that the original formulation of the RAF is inadequate when dealing with wastewater. It is shown unexpectedly that even with perfect mixing performance, worse than additivity would be achieved. A new performance factor (PF) is introduced and the implications of this are further discussed in the context of UV reactor validation. | MAST | waste | 12 |
| Youssef, Hoda | Iravani, Reza | A CONTROL STRATEGY FOR A MICROGRID INTEGRATED WITH MULTIPLE SOLAR-PV UNITS AND A LARGE-SCALE BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2018-11 | This thesis presents a control strategy and its algorithms for a microgrid system that can operate in the grid-connected mode, in the islanded mode, and transfer between them. The microgrid includes three Solar-PV units and one large-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Performance evaluation of the microgrid is carried out in the time domain, using the PSCAD/EMTDC software platform, to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy. In the grid-connected mode, the three Solar-PV units are controlled to track their Maximum Power Points (MPPs) and the battery State of Charge (SOC) is maintained within a prespecified range. In the islanded mode, the BESS controls the voltage and frequency of the microgrid. The control system is also tested for other transient conditions such as load shedding, Solar-PV loss, temporary faults, reconnection to the utility grid and charge or discharge of the BESS in the case of low or high SOC, respectively. | M.A.S. | energy; solar | 7 |
| Yuan, Xi Zhou | Palaniyar, Nades||Sweezey, Neil B | Sex differences in neutrophil extracellular trap formation | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Immune responses vary between men and women. The female sex is considered protective in combatting acute infections, but disadvantageous in chronic inflammatory diseases. As neutrophils play a central role in innate immunity, they may mediate the sexual dimorphism in immune responses. Neutrophils can combat invading microbes by forming neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). We hypothesize that females release higher amounts of NETs, leading to more robust acute immune responses. To test our hypothesis, neutrophils isolated from healthy human males and females were induced to form NETs in response to various pharmacological and biological stimuli. Total DNA content was higher in neutrophils from females compared to males. Female neutrophils released decreased levels of DNA in response to the calcium ionophore A23187. PMA, LPS, ionomycin and bacteria stimulation did not result in significant sex differences. Correlating the serum levels of the sex hormones testosterone, estradiol and progesterone to NETosis levels in the above conditions revealed a negative correlation between testosterone and A23187-mediated DNA release. No correlation was detected in relation to endogenous estradiol and progesterone levels, but a combination effect has not been fully explored. Exogenous estradiol or progesterone treatment at physiological concentrations did not influence DNA release. Given the results thus far, a sex difference in NETosis was detected with A23187 treatment but not from biological stimuli in the context of healthy neutrophils. | M.Sc. | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Yuen, Stephanie | Chiao, Vincent | Unnecessary, Counterproductive, Unconstitutional. An examination of Bill C-54: The Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act | Law | 2013-12-11 | The involvement of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system is receiving increased attention. Under the current law, the court or jury makes a special verdict of “Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder” if the accused did not at the time of the offence appreciate what he or she was doing, or that it was wrong, due to a mental disorder. This paper will outline the current Criminal Code mental disorder regime, before examining how Bill C-54, the Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act, proposes to build on the existing law. By exploring the provisions of Bill C-54 aimed at enhancing public safety, this thesis will discuss whether the reforms are supported by empirical evidence, and will likely achieve its stated objective. This paper will also consider the possibility of constitutional challenge in light of the ‘twin goals” statutory framework and Supreme Court jurisprudence. | MAST | justice | 16 |
| Yunger, Robyn Rebecca | Geva, Esther | Acquisition of Hebrew Noun Plurals in Early Immersion and Bilingual Education | Human Development and Applied Psychology | 2011-01-01T19:08:54Z | This study examined the acquisition of Hebrew noun plurals in early immersion and bilingual education by focusing on performance, as well as morpho-syntactic and semantic errors in inflecting nouns. A total of 196 students from Senior Kindergarten (n = 86) and grades 1 (n = 58) and 2 (n = 53) were administered measures of inflectional morphology in Hebrew. Results indicated that children applied high frequency, salient, simple to apply inflectional patterns involving male-female nouns, as well as the basic way of noting plurality. Two major obstacles in the pluralisation of Hebrew nouns were suffix regularity and stem transparency. Error analysis revealed three categories of responses: rule-based, analogy-based and non-strategic errors. The principal conclusion was that errors notwithstanding, young children learning Hebrew as a foreign language are moving toward an understanding of plural formation. The development of morpho-syntactic structures gradually develops over time and with exposure to Hebrew instruction. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Zadmajid, Sina | Thomson, Murray J | The Development of a New Experimental Facility for Pyrolysis Liquid Biofuel (Bio-oil) Combustion | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2016-11 | Bio-oil is made from pyrolysis of waste biomass, which provides a carbon-neutral combustion energy alternative. This study focuses on developing burners for use with bio-oil. The previous burner using bio-oil/ethanol mixtures had a small combustion chamber with no refractory lining. It was not feasible to stabilize flames of pure bio-oil and the pollutant emissions were relatively high. In this study, the burner is made more comparable to actual bio-oil burners by implementing a refractory-lined combustion chamber and increasing the size of the chamber to investigate the relationship between burner design and combustion performance of bio-oil. After making some modifications in the new burner configuration and adjusting the operating parameters, stable flames of pure bio-oil are achieved with no major nozzle coking problems, and almost no unburned hydrocarbons and low CO emissions (below 10 ppm) in the exhaust gases. The effects of operating conditions on the pollutant emissions are also investigated. | M.A.S. | energy; waste; pollut | 7, 12, 14 |
| Zahedi, Polad | Mostaghimi, Javad ||Borairi, Majid | Tritium Removal Facility High Tritium Distillation Simulation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2013-07-10 | A dynamic model was developed for the distillation mechanism of the Darlington Tritium Removal Facility. The model was created using the commercial software package MATLAB/Simulink. The goal was to use such a model to predict the system behaviour for use in control analysis. The distillation system was first divided into individual components including columns, condensers, controllers, heaters and the hydraulic network. Flow streams were then developed to transfer enthalpy, pressure and mass flow rate between the components. The model was able to perform various plant transients for validation and analysis purposes. A comparison of the different controllers was made with the introduction of various disturbances to the system. Also, the effect of the system disturbances when isolated from the transients was studied using the same controllers. Studying different plant transients and disturbances under each controller enabled a comparative analysis. | MAST | urban | 11 |
| Zaheer, Juveria | Links, Paul S | Life Experiences and Patterns of Distress in Chinese-Canadian Women with a History of Suicidal Behaviour | Medical Science | 2015 | Recent studies have highlighted higher rates of suicidal ideation and behaviour and associated themes of gender role stress in Chinese women residing in North America (Chung, 2004). Through qualitative interviewing and analysis, this study explores the experiences, stressors and beliefs of Chinese-born women living in Canada with a history of suicidal behaviour. They describe restricted patterns of emotional communication, feelings of lack of agency, experiences of victimization and oppression and stress related to traditional gender expectations and those related to social change. Expectations of immigration often go unmet and stress arises from financial, educational and family pressures. As the women struggle to endure this distress, they experience a negative view of self, worsening depressive symptoms and hopelessness. They come to a "breaking point" leading to suicidal behaviour that can be understood as an escape from pain, a strategy to communicate distress and a consequence of pervasive hopelessness. | M.Sc. | educatl gender; women | 4, 5 |
| Zaheer, Sameer | Drake, James ||Huang, Xishi | Fast Segmentation of Vessels in MR Liver Images using Patient Specific Models | Biomedical Engineering | 2013-12-11 | Image-guided therapies have the potential to improve the accuracy of treating liver cancer. In order to register intraoperative with preoperative liver images, joint segmentation and registration methods require fast segmentation of matching vessel centerlines. The algorithm presented in this thesis solves this problem by tracking the centerlines using ridge and cross-section information, and uses knowledge of the patient’s vasculature in the preoperative image to ensure correspondence. The algorithm was tested on three MR images of healthy volunteers and one CT image of a patient with liver cancer. Results show that in the context of join segmentation registration, if the registration error is less than 2.0mm, the average segmentation error is 0.73-1.68mm, with 88-100% of the vessels having an error less than a voxel length. For registration error less than 4.6mm, the average segmentation error is 1.17-2.11mm, with 79-98% of the vessels having an error less than a voxel length. | MAST | innovation; health | 3, 9 |
| Zaman, Mohammad Shawkat | Trescases, Olivier | A Current Re-distribution Scheme for Improved Energy Harvesting in Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems Using Fine-grained dc-dc Conversion | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2013-03-19 | This thesis presents a distributed power-management architecture for concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) systems. Specifically, the Δ-conversion scheme with voltage equalization is analyzed and verified for the CPV system from Morgan Solar, Inc. This architecture uses inverting buck-boost converters, denoted Δ-converters, which equalize the voltages of neighbouring CPV cells in a series-connected string of cells and improve the systems tolerance to parameter variations. The power benefits of Δ-conversion and the Δ-converter current distributions are investigated using statistical simulations. The effectiveness of Δ-conversion in the presence of randomly distributed mismatches is demonstrated, and current cascading is identified as the main design challenge. The Δ-converter is modelled and compensated using Middlebrook's Extra Element Theorem. Analysis of measured data from a six-cell CPV system demonstrate the benefits of Δ-conversion under realistic scenarios. Experimental results from prototype systems show up to 31% power benefits in the presence of mismatches. | MAST | solar | 7 |
| Zang, Lijuan | Buliung, Ron | Understanding the Geography of Industry Canada's Community Access Program in Toronto | Geography | 2012-01-04 | Industry Canada’s Community Access Program (CAP) aims to provide affordable public access to the Internet and the skills that people need to use it effectively. In fact, the CAP is an Industry Canada effort to bridge the digital divide (rural-urban, intra-urban). In the City of Toronto Industry Canada funding is used to support CAP sites managed by two organizations, the Learning Enrichment Foundation and the Toronto District School Board. CAP was implemented through the establishment of community-based public Internet access facilities. The implementation of the CAP in Toronto has resulted in the use of a wide range of organizations and locations including: libraries, schools, community centres, employment and social service agencies, and language development centres. This research asks the question, is the current network of CAP locations adequately geographically organized to meet the demand for service provision? Adequate supply means that the neighbourhood CAP supply is not over-served and under-served. Data from Industry Canada’s CAP database and the Canada census are input to a modeling process that combines multi-attribute decision analysis with a location-allocation model. The results suggest that there is likely a need to reevaluate the geographical structure of the current CAP network, with a view to achieving a more equitable allocation of supply. | MAST | equitable; employment; industr; urban; rural | 4, 8, 9, 11 |
| Zangneh, Hooman Farhang | Feld, Jordan J | Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance in Patients with Hepatitis C Related Cirrhosis after Sustained Virological Response | Medical Science | 2015-11 | Hepatitis-C virus related cirrhosis is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Antiviral therapy resulting in a sustained virological response (SVR) substantially decreases the risk for HCC. Surveillance for HCC in cirrhosis patients has been shown to be cost-effective; whether it remains so post-SVR is unknown. A Markov model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of biannual ultrasound surveillance versus no surveillance for HCC in post-SVR patients from the healthcare-payer perspective. Parameter values were obtained from the literature and expert opinion. Primary outcomes were quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and costs, both discounted at 5%, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Surveillance, with 0.5% annual HCC incidence, provided an additional 0.0705 QALYs leading to an ICER of $204,301/QALY. Sensitivity analyses identified HCC incidence and transition to symptomatic disease in the unscreened population as the main drivers of the analysis. With current estimates of HCC incidence post-SVR, ultrasound surveillance is unlikely to be cost-effective. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Zannella, Vanessa | Koritzinsky, Marianne | A Genetic and Pharmacological Response to Improve Radiation Response | Medical Science | 2012-11 | Radiotherapy (RT) is one of two most effective treatments undertaken by 50% of cancer patients in a curative and palliative setting. However, 10-30% of patients, dependent on the tumor site, experience minimal RT response. Novel methods of improving RT response are clearly necessary. Since both radiation-activated proteins and low tumor oxygenation may negatively influence treatment response, we predicted that they represent important targets to enhance tumor radiation-sensitivity. Through this dissertation, it is demonstrated that radiation response can be enhanced through genetic disruption of adenosine mono-phosphate protein kinase (AMPK), a RT- activated protein, in-vitro, and acute pharmacological administration of metformin, a respiratory inhibitor which improves tumor oxygenation, in-vivo. Both interventions increased radiation- response under conditions of poor nutrient availability, which mimics the tumor microenvironment clinically. Therefore, genetically targeting AMPK and administration of metformin independently demonstrate clinical potential in improving radiation response as a consequence of microenvironment-mediated, contextual synthetic lethality. | MAST | innovation; health | 3, 9 |
| Zare, Mahnaz | Siegel, Jeffrey Alexander | The Building Science of Office Surfaces: Implications for Microbial Community Succession | Civil Engineering | 2015-06 | The Surface Project studied the microbial succession on office surfaces in nine offices in three North American cities. Building science parameters including relative humidity (RH), temperature, equilibrium relative humidity (ERH), illumination, and occupancy were measured to investigate their impact on microbial communities. Parameters were measured every five minutes over the course of a year. ERH, RH, temperature, occupancy, and illumination varied between offices, and cities which suggests that building characteristics and climate are important factors. RH, ERH, and temperature showed clear seasonal variation. The drywall ERH varied from ERH of ceiling tile and carpet and from the RH of air. Illumination was different in occupied and unoccupied offices. Occupancy did not cause that much difference in RH. Methodology analysis revealed no difference between different frequency measurements, although it is suggested that short-term intervals to be considered since long-term intervals may not show the large variation of building science parameters. | M.A.S. | cities; climate | 11, 13 |
| Zareey, Sana | Dei, George Jerry Sefa | The Experiences of Mornelle Court Youth with Secondary School Streaming in Scarborough, Ontario | Humanities, Social Sciences and Social Justice Education | 2013-11-20 | Streaming involves dividing students at varying levels of education into distinct “streams” or “tracks”, each with its own set of future academic options. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of youth and their families in Mornelle Court, Scarborough, Ontario. Through bringing youth voices to the fore, this thesis addresses a critical research gap. Overall it was found that: (i) the streaming placement of these youth was not determined by their desire to pursue a specific profession; (ii) the youths and their parents did not have adequate information on streaming; (iii) there were strained relationships between students of different streams; (iv) for youths who attempted it, moving from less to more academic streams was not possible; and (v) there were clear race and class biases affecting stream placement. This study serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, educational practitioners, and the public at large. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Zarei, Ali | Trass, Olev ||Sain, Mohini | Characterization of Szego-milled Hemp Fibers | Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry | 2010-12-31T01:49:14Z | Hemp, one of the fast-growing plants with strong, durable fibers is being used for industrial applications, including papermaking, as a biodegradable reinforcing material for plastics as well as in construction. A series of tests has been conducted grinding hemp with the SM-220 Szego Mill equipped with three helically grooved, 30 cm long rollers with 8*8 or 4*4 mm grooves. A range of flow rates and rotational speeds has been covered in both dry and wet operation to determine the best processing conditions for various potential applications of refined hemp fibers. Particle size distributions and power consumption have been measured. Fiber length and diameter measurements allow an evaluation of fiber aspect ratio. For dry grinding, these are relatively low, typically in the 6-10 range. Wet grinding generally favors higher aspect ratios due to reduced fiber cutting and greater clearing action in the mill. Measured values are in the 60-80 range | MAST | industr; consum | 9, 12 |
| Zarei, Shadi | Sadavoy, Joel | Tele-Mindfulness for Dementia's Family Caregivers: a Randomized Trial with a Usual Care Control Group | Medical Science | 2018-11 | Caring for a family member with dementia is associated with chronic stress which can have negative effects on caregivers’ mental and physical health. Mindfulness-based interventions have been proposed to improve psychological outcomes in caregivers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of live online mindfulness (tele-MBCT) program for caregivers of people with dementia. 26 family caregivers were randomly assigned to a tele-MBCT intervention or control group. Intervention participants attended eight weekly live online training and practiced at home. All participants completed surveys at baseline, post-intervention and 4-week follow-up. Majority of participants completed the study. Intervention group reported high satisfaction with the intervention and the online delivery method. Pre-Post improvement in self-compassion and coping strategies in the intervention group were noted. Tele-MBCT is a feasible intervention and may improve psychological outcomes and adaptive coping in dementia’s family caregivers. A larger controlled trial is warranted. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Zarek, Judith | Koren, Gideon | A Re-assessment of the Risk:Benefit Analysis of Statin Therapy during Pregnancy: Do Benefits of Treatment Outweigh Putative Reproductive Risks. | Pharmacology | 2012-11-27 | An animal model has implicated elevated levels of tissue factor (TF), and resultant hypercoagulability and inflammation, as key factors in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and has demonstrated that pravastatin is effective in treating this condition. In this study, we have re-evaluated the contraindication of statins during pregnancy. Evaluation has shown that while animal testing (at maternally toxic doses) and case reports of birth defects have led to the contraindication of statins during pregnancy, our controlled study, similar to previously published controlled studies, has failed to demonstrate increased fetal risks. As well, we demonstrated that transfer of pravastatin across the placenta is likely limited. While short term suspension of therapy during gestation is considered safe, extended time without therapy is detrimental to cardiovascular health. Coupled with a trend of elevated TF levels in women with RPL, reconsideration of the contraindication of statins is warranted based on appropriate risk: benefit assessment. | MAST | health; women | 3, 5 |
| Zaretsky, Evan | Sigal, Michael ||Friedman, Clive ||Judd, Peter ||Titley, Keith ||Locker, David | Pediatric Dentists’ Behaviour Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders | Dentistry | 2011-08-29 | This study assessed which behaviour management techniques, BMTs, pediatric dentists are using, and find effective in treating patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders, ASD and identified influences which contributed to their use. Surveys were mailed and emailed to 1669 members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Seven hundred eighty-nine (48.2%) completed surveys were returned. Nearly 60% of respondents treated children with ASD weekly or more frequently. Of the 23 listed BMTs, General Anaesthesia, Tell-Show-Do, Distraction, and Non-verbal Communication, were considered effective. Seventy percent of respondents were primarily users of classical BMTs. Pharmacological and classical techniques, are used frequently, but may not be effective. Time and costs limit the use of modern techniques. Cost efficiency and long-term patient management were the most influential factors in selecting a BMT; patient co-operation was the least influential. Pediatric dentists recognized a need for further education related to behaviour management of children with ASD. | MAST | educat | 4 |
| Zarghami-Tehran, Milad | Thomson, Murray J. | Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Fuel Aging on Combustion Performance and Emissions of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Liquid-Ethanol Blends in a Swirl Burner | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2012-11-27 | Biomass fast pyrolysis liquid is a renewable fuel for stationary heat and power generation; however degradation of bio-oil by time, a.k.a. aging, has an impact on combustion performance and emissions. Moreover, the temperature at which bio-oil is stored has a strong effect on the degradation process. In this study, the same biooil-ethanol blends with different storage conditions are tested in a pilot stabilized spray burner under the same flow conditions. Measurements were made of the steady state gas phase emissions and particulate matter, as well as visual inspection of flame stability. The results confirm a relationship between room temperature storage time and storage at higher temperatures (accelerated aging). They also show that fuel aging increases the emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon and the organic fraction of particulate matter. These emissions increase more rapidly as more time is allocated for aging. NOx emission shows a slight decrease with fuel aging. | MAST | renewable | 7 |
| Zawawi, Halah | Wolever, Thomas M.S. | The Antioxidant Status of Breast Milk in Women with and Without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-06 | Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in blood, but association of GDM with breast milk (BM) TAC and antioxidants is unknown. Therefore, BM TAC, α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and β-carotene concentrations were compared in GDM (n=8) and normoglycemic (NG) women (n=10) in a cross-sectional study. This study found no differences between BM TAC and antioxidant concentrations in women with GDM versus NG. BM α-tocopherol correlated significantly with TAC (p = 0.011) in NG and ascorbic acid correlated significantly with TAC (p = 0.040) in GDM. BM β-carotene in the combined group (p = 0.005) and in NG (p = 0.003) correlated significantly with β-carotene consumption. The results suggest that GDM has no association with BM TAC and antioxidant concentrations. The correlations between BM TAC and antioxidants differed in GDM versus NG for α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid suggesting that unmeasured antioxidants differ in GDM versus NG. | M.Sc. | women; consum | 5, 12 |
| Zdravkovic, Ana | Woodruff, Earl | Understanding Math Anxiety in School-aged Children | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2019-11 | This study investigated the effectiveness of measuring math-anxiety in elementary school students using real-time facial expression software (emotient) and self-reported Math anxiety using the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire- Elementary Students (AEQ-ES). Students aged 11-14 were asked to complete the AEQ-ES. Students were then given 5 standardized math questions taken from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and asked to rate how difficult they found each question (1-4). It was hypothesized that math anxiety would be related to difficulty ratings of math questions and performance on the math task, while parent ratings of their child’s math abilities was expected to affect the development of child’s math anxiety and math performance. This study will inform research on development of math anxiety and possible areas for intervention. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Zeglen, Laura | Campbell, Carol | Ontario's Daily Physical Activity Policy: Exploring the How and Why of Implementation by Teachers | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2013-11-20 | Daily Physical Activity (DPA) is one component of Ontario’s Healthy Schools strategy. This case study of two schools in geographically and culturally diverse contexts explores DPA implementation according to the focus areas of the Ministry of Education. The conceptual framework of Clune (1990) was employed to explore implementation according to three perspectives, revealing disconnects between the policy mandate and educational contexts, as well as potential improvements to the current policy. It was found that time constraints are the most prominent barrier to DPA implementation, and that the primary focus of DPA for educators is often provision, but not quality, of daily physical activities. It was also found that teachers’ perceptions of policy importance are a stronger predictor of implementation than a supportive school administration, given there is no conflict with other school policies. Recommendations for policy revisions are provided based on the findings. | MAST | health; educat | 3, 4 |
| Zendel, Adam Michael | Leslie, Deborah | Living the Dream: Precarious Labour in the Live Music Industry | Geography | 2014-11 | This thesis explores the precarious nature of backstage work within the live music industry. Live music is replacing recorded music as the economic core of the music industry. Live music is a unique sector, in that it is valued for its ephemerality. Given the ephemerality of concerts, new frameworks are required to understand technical and logistical production of live music. Labour arrangements in live music reflect sweeping trends in the labour market. Backstage workers are employed in flexible, contract and contingent arrangements leading to precarious livelihoods. This thesis argues that labour precaritization in the live music industry is part of an accumulation strategy by suggesting that employers exploit the affective, emotive and cathartic nature of live music to reduce wages and extract surplus from workers. Essentially, workers are willing to accept a psychic wage in lieu a living wage. This arrangement can be called `lifestyle labour' in that workers are willing to accept lifestyle components as part of their wage. | M.A. | production; industr; wage; worker | 8, 9, 12 |
| Zeng, Cuiling | Brunnee, Jutta | The Future of China's Climate Change Policy: Where to Go? | Law | 2012-11-27 | This article aims to discuss China’s possible future climate change policy after the 2011 Durban Conference. Before engaging in a discussion on China’s future policy, a brief review of China’s climate change policy before the Durban Conference, as well as the logic behind the making of China’s stance will firstly be investigated. Furthermore, this article also makes inquiries into the implications of the Durban outcomes, and then discusses China’s position during the transitional period of 2012-2020. Additionally, the article analyses China’s climate change stance in future climate negotiations in a post-2020 era and the key domestic measures that China will take to cut its carbon emissions after 2020. In conclusion, the article reveals that China’s real significance for global climate action in future is not coming through an international regime, but through the global importance of its domestic measures. | MAST | urban; climate | 11, 13 |
| Zeng, Rui | Chan, Arthur W.H. | Chemical Characterization of Automotive Coverstock and Biomass Burning Emissions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11 | Indoor and outdoor sources emit organic compounds which can have substantial impacts on human health and climate change. In this study, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from automotive interior materials and from laboratory biomass burning were analyzed to identify specific sources that lead to their emissions. VOC emission profiles from finished and raw materials used in automotive coverstock were compared. Four compounds originating from raw liquid materials were identified as sources of odor in the finished products. Organic particles emitted from biomass burning play an important role in the Earth's radiative balance and are related to climate change. A laboratory tube furnace system was constructed to generate and collect organic aerosols from biomass thermal decomposition in a consistent manner. Methoxyphenol compounds were the most abundant compound group identified. Temperature and combustion environment were found to be two important variables that determine product abundance and distributions. | M.A.S. | environment; climate; health | 3, 13 |
| Zhang, Beiping | Chen, Jing Ming | Carbon Dynamics in Canada's Managed Forests from 1991 to 2006: A Comparison of InTEC and CBM | Geography | 2010-02-18T15:58:34Z | This study examined the annual C balance and its shifting trend in Canada’s managed forests from 1991 to 2006 using the Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem C-budget (InTEC) model. During this period, Canada’s managed forests remained a moderate C sink of 58 Mt C yr¬¬¬-1 on average, but displayed an apparent trend of shifting towards a C source. The combined risk of climate change and increased disturbances are weakening the C sink in Canada’s managed forests. This study also compared the results from InTEC with those from CBM-CFS (Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector) at both national and regional levels. InTEC shows larger inter-annual variability and regional difference than CBM-CFS due to its incorporation of both disturbance and non-disturbance factors. In comparison, CBM-CFS3 has likely underestimated both the true C loss and the C sink potential of Canada’s managed forests, given that it does not account for the non-disturbance factors. | MAST | urban; climate; forest | 11, 13, 15 |
| Zhang, Biyun | Lawryshyn, Yuri A||Davison, Matt | Optimization of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion with Flexible Expansion Time | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2015-06 | The municipal water and wastewater sector is considered to be one of the most capital intensive industrial sectors. Optimization methods that reduce both capital and operating costs can be of great benefit to this sector. Models using real options approaches to determine the optimal size of a wastewater plant expansion can provide insights that traditional Net Present Value approaches cannot. Previous studies on optimal plant expansion utilizing the real options framework only considered a predetermined expansion time. In this study, we expand on previous work and also utilize the Monte-Carlo simulation technique to consider a wastewater plant expansion in a high growth municipality. In the enhanced model, the date of the decision for the expansion is not a predetermined fixed variable, leading to Bermudan-like Asian option formulation. The results show that a wastewater plant which faces uncertain future demand can benefit from time-flexible modular expansion. | M.A.S. | waste; industr; water | 9, 12, 14 |
| Zhang, Jiachen | Wonham, Walter M | Bidirectional and Multiple Reconfiguration of Discrete-event Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | Owing to the complexity and flexibility of modern industry, a system often has multiple operation modes and the reconfiguration mechanism is often required to be bidirectional. The unidirectional reconfiguration approach for discrete-event systems has been proved to effectively solve one-way reconfiguration problems modeled from real scenarios but fails to handle bidirectional reconfiguration problems. In this thesis, we study the fundamentals of bidirectional reconfiguration and multiple reconfiguration on discrete-event systems. Specifically, we introduce a bidirectional reconfiguration specification by analyzing states and events in each plant component and extend similar techniques to multiple reconfiguration in both monolithic and localized architectures. The proposed approaches are compatible with supervisory control theory, so the resulting supervisors can regulate both reconfiguration and normal behaviors of the system. Finally, the trigger requirement and guaranteed reachability are studied as notable issues in applications. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Zhang, Jing | Abraham, Drassinower | Restrictions on Moral Rights – A Comparative Study on Its Legislation and Application in Civil Law and Common Law Jurisdictions | Law | 2012-11-27 | At first sight in copyright, moral rights seem to form a less significant part compared with economic rights. However, new technology has strongly overwhelmed traditional moral rights regime and consequently, inherent but concealed conflicts between moral rights and other legitimate interests have become increasingly prominent. Notwithstanding recognition of moral rights doctrine shows much unevenness both theoretically and in legislation with different jurisdictions in the world, the rush of economic and informational globalization has prompted the convergence of sentiment on moral rights worldwide. There can be no doubt that the essence of copyright, whether moral part or economic part, is to keep a “balance”. How to strike such a balance in moral rights system is thus becoming the main task of this thesis. Drawing from typical countries’ legislation, this thesis applies a restrictive perspective, to depict the picture of a “balanced” moral rights regime to fit in current trend of globalization. | MAST | rights | 16 |
| Zhang, Juan | Hofmann, Ronald | Control of Emerging Contaminants by Granular Activated Carbon and the Impact of Natural Organic Matter | Civil Engineering | 2012-08-17 | This research ranked the adsorbability of 115 emerging contaminants by granular activated carbon (GAC) from drinking water, mainly the organic chemicals identified on the Contaminant Candidate List 3 (CCL3), using classical and quantum quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR). 80% of the investigated contaminants were classified as cost effectively treatable by GAC based on the models. A rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) conducted with Lake Ontario water spiked with 8 selected emerging contaminants showed the modeling results were accurate. This research also tested the hypothesis that GAC exhaustion for geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol would be due entirely to natural organic matter, and would occur independently of the presence of these two compounds. RSSCT results confirmed this hypothesis. Mathematical modeling supported this observation by demonstrating that the ratio of the effluent concentration to the influent concentration of a trace organic contaminant is only dependent on the NOM loading state at any bed depth. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Zhang, Li Hao | McCabe, Brenda Y | Building Information Modelling in the Canadian Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industries | Civil Engineering | 2019-06 | Building information modelling (BIM) has gained popularity in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries around the globe. Comparing to other leading nations, Canada has limited studies and initiatives on BIM. To fill the knowledge gap, the research will assess and quantify the adoption of BIM in the Canadian AEC industry, and identify relevant visualization technologies that facilitate the adoption of BIM. The first and second annual BIM surveys were reported for the Greater Toronto Area and Canada in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Key findings were highlighted in the thesis, such as the limited use of BIM in engineering, construction, and facility management. In addition, a content-based literature review was conducted for 126 journal articles from 2000 to 2018. Eight construction applications were identified and discussed. The contributions of this research include three conference papers, two technical reports, and a review article that will be submitted for peer review. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Zhang, Weitao | Arhonditsis, George | Application of Bayesian Inference Techniques for Calibrating Eutrophication Models | Geography | 2009-02-26T16:09:24Z | This research aims to integrate mathematical water quality models with Bayesian inference techniques for obtaining effective model calibration and rigorous assessment of the uncertainty underlying model predictions. The first part of my work combines a Bayesian calibration framework with a complex biogeochemical model to reproduce oligo-, meso- and eutrophic lake conditions. The model accurately describes the observed patterns and also provides realistic estimates of predictive uncertainty for water quality variables. The Bayesian estimations are also used for appraising the exceedance frequency and confidence of compliance of different water quality criteria. The second part introduces a Bayesian hierarchical framework (BHF) for calibrating eutrophication models at multiple systems (or sites of the same system). The models calibrated under the BHF provided accurate system representations for all the scenarios examined. The BHF allows overcoming problems of insufficient local data by “borrowing strength” from well-studied sites. Both frameworks can facilitate environmental management decisions. | MAST | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Zhang, Yikai Jr. | Ho, Betty | Towards Sustainable Development: Chinese Environmental Law Enforcement Mechanism Research | Law | 2010-02-17T21:36:40Z | Environmental degradation is one of the most important problems facing by Chinese people. This unsatisfactory situation majorly lies in the weak implementation of environmental laws. The essential reason causing the ineffective enforcement of Chinese environmental law is people’s distorted cognition about the relation between human being and the environment. As an important principle of international environmental law, the sustainable development principle emphasizes intra-generational and intergenerational equality, aiming to realize a balance of environmental interest and socie-economic interest, which could become the guideline of the reformation of Chinese environmental law enforcement mechanism. At last, this paper analyzes the solutions to appeared problems, which are underpinned by the sustainable development principle. The ultimate purpose is to promote rational policies and responsible conducts of governments, to foster enterprises’ voluntary compliance with environmental law and to foster citizens’ environmental awareness. | MAST | equality; sustainable development; environment | 5, 8, 13 |
| Zhang, Yizhi | Siegel, Jeffrey A. | Impact of Residential HVAC Filters on Particle Concentration and Exposure | Civil Engineering | 2020-06 | Filters in heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can improve indoor air quality. In North America, residential air cleaning is usually done by recirculating indoor air through a filter. In this work, I explored two methods of assessing the impacts of HVAC filters in residences. The first method was through examining year-long PM measurements in 20 Toronto homes where different types of filters were installed. I found no evidence that higher efficiency filters reduced long-term exposure to PM. The second method was by studying the particle size distribution of filter dust. I explored the possibility of size separating filter dust to gain more information on smaller particles. One major challenge is the sticky nature of filter dust makes both the separation and mixing (with water for size analysis) processes difficult. Despite the caveats, these findings suggest that both methods are promising and can provide useful information for future studies. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Zhang, Yue | EI-Diraby, Tamer | Sustainability Oriented Feasibility Model for Construction Decision Making: Water Recycling Cases in Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2010-02-18T15:34:44Z | Traditionally, feasibility analysis in the construction sector is limited to financial considerations. As the concept of sustainability becomes increasingly important, the methods used in a feasibility analysis have to be reconfigured in a way that incorporates elements of sustainability. This research uses water recycling systems (within the built environment) as an example to demonstrate how sustainability factors can be integrated quantitatively in feasibility studies. The model is structured in a triple-bottom-line framework, which consists of economic, environmental, and social aspects. Each aspect is measured by a spectrum of parameters, which evaluate three project outcomes of water recycling systems—water savings, project requirements, and positive image. Based on the quantified parameters, Green Factor, a decision making method, is formulated to assist in sustainability oriented feasibility analysis for construction projects. | MAST | water; recycl; environment | 6, 7, 13 |
| Zhang, Yun | Amon, Cristina | Topics in Wind Farm Layout Optimization: Analytical Wake Models, Noise Propagation, and Energy Production | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2013-07-17 | Wind farm layout optimization (WFLO) is the design of wind turbine layout, subject to various financial and engineering objectives and constraints. The first topic of this thesis focuses on solving two variations of WFLO that have different analytical aerodynamic models, and illustrate deep integration of the wake models into mixed-integer programs and constraint programs. Formulating WFLO as MIP and CP enables more quantitative analysis than previous studies could do with heuristics, and allows the practitioners to use an off-the-shelf optimization solver to tackle the WFLO problem. The second topic focuses on another version of WFLO that has two competing objectives: minimization of noise and maximization of energy. A genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used. Under these two objectives, solutions are presented to illustrate the flexibility of this optimization framework in terms of supplying a spectrum of design choices with different numbers of turbines and different levels of noise and energy output. | MAST | wind; energy | 7 |
| Zhang, Yuxiang | Chow, Chung-wai | Effects of Concurrent Exposure of Diesel Exhaust Particles and House Dust Mite on the Development of Allergen-Induced Airways Inflammation | Medical Science | 2016-11 | Chronic air pollution exposure is associated with accelerated lung function decline and increased prevalence and exacerbations of chronic inflammatory lung diseases, such as asthma. However, its pathological effects have not been studied extensively. Therefore we assessed the physiological and immune responses induced by chronic exposure to low concentrations of diesel particles (freshly-generated particles [DEP] or diesel standard reference material [SRM]) in both healthy mice and those with house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic airways inflammation (reflective of asthma). We found that SRM exposure led to subtle neutrophilic inflammation in healthy mice, and that DEP increased central airway reactivity without affecting resultant airway constriction to methacholine in the asthma model. Results suggest that chronic exposure leads to immune changes in mice representing healthy individuals that may enhance the adverse effects of future allergen encounter; the low dose of particulate matter exposure has no effect in asthmatic background. | M.Sc. | pollut | 14 |
| Zhang, Zhe Ming | Sarhangian, Vahid | Predicting Hospital Readmission and Assessing the Cost-eEfectiveness of Post-discharge Intervention Programs | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-06 | Hospital readmissions are common, costly, and impose a difficult challenge for hospitals to address in the face of increasing costs and budgetary constraints. In this thesis, we develop readmission prediction models for seven clinical programs at the University Health Network using only data available shortly after patient discharge to provide a 30-day unplanned readmission risk prediction. We conduct sensitivity analysis to assess the model performance under varying operational complexity and show improved performance can be achieved using simpler models with a careful selection of predictors. Additionally, we investigate the use of readmission risk predictions in design of cost-effective intervention programs. Specifically, we answer the question of whether a hypothetical intervention program implemented over a period of time in the past with some cost and efficacy level would have been cost-effective or not. Our results demonstrate that cost-effective intervention programs are possible through the use of more targeted intervention strategies using predicted readmission risks. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Zhang, Zhi Jin | Iravani, Reza | Control and Operation of a Utility Grid Connected DC Fast Charging Station | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-11 | This thesis investigates the impact and the performance of a grid-connected DC fast charging station (DCFCS) in a rural distribution system. The fast charging station consists of three DC fast chargers (DCFCs), each of which is rated at 800 V and 360 kW. The studies are conducted in time-domain using the off-line PLECS software. It is observed that, in the uncontrolled charging scenario, the lowest short-circuit ratios (SCRs) the charging station can operate in, without violating the system voltage drop constraint, are 7.1 under 2% unbalanced grid and 6.4 under balanced grid conditions. Subsequently, a curtailment scheme and a supervisory control strategy utilizing a battery energy storage system (BESS) are proposed to extend the DCFCS' operational SCR limit down to 4.0 in a 2% unbalanced grid. Both off-line and real-time simulation results verify that the BESS-enhanced DCFCS is able to operate under the extended grid SCR condition. | M.A.S. | energy; rural | 7, 11 |
| Zhao, April (Yang) | Ng, Wai Tung | Efficiency Enhancement Techniques for Switched Mode Power Electronics | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2011-08-29 | In the design of the state-of-the-art electronic products, power management circuits play a very important role for the enhancement of overall system efficiency. Switched mode DC-DC converter is an increasingly popular power management circuit due to its superior power conversion efficiency. This thesis introduces two efficiency optimization techniques for switched mode power electronic circuits. One is dead-time optimization. This technique can automatically adjust the dead-time on-the-fly according to the circuit operating conditions. Second, an energy conservation based high-efficiency dimmable multi-channel LED driver is discussed. An auxiliary power switched is use to allow free wheeling of the inductor current during the load disconnect period. The sequential burst mode PWM current sharing scheme with dimming capability can effectively reduce design complexity and cost. The proposed LED driver provides a practical solution for the realization of LED BLU in the flat panel TVs with local dimming capability according to the video content. | MAST | conserv; energy | 7, 14 |
| Zhao, Shuze | Trescases, Olivier | A Dimmable LED Driver For Visible Light Communication Based On the LLC Resonant Converter | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2013-12-11 | This work presents a new wireless Visible Light Communication lighting system targeted to future Smart Buildings. A digitally controlled LLC resonant dc-dc converter targeted to white LED luminaires is demonstrated. Visible Light Communication is implemented with minimal incremental cost, by operating the LLC converter in burst mode, without causing any visible disturbance. The converter operates with a regulated average LED current by adjusting the switching frequency, while the burst pulse timing is controlled to minimize the current disturbance and minimize the value of the output capacitor. Variable Pulse Position Modulation is used to modulate the data, while supporting a range of dimming settings. A digital demodulation scheme that supports variable frequency transmission is demonstrated. The 80 W, 400 V to 23 V converter experimental prototype has a peak efficiency of 93.8 %. The bit error rate of the complete system is fully characterized versus distance and angle. | MAST | urban; buildings | 9, 11 |
| Zhao, Yu | Andrews, Robert C | Carbon-based nutrient enhancement to improve biofiltration performance for drinking water treatment | Civil Engineering | 2018-11 | Biofiltration is a popular drinking water treatment strategy due to its ability to biodegrade organic and inorganic substances. However, water treatment plants have faced the problem of low biomass concentration ( | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Zheng, Dana | Andrews, Robert C. ||Andrews, Susan | Effects of Coagulation on the Removal of Natural Organic Matter, Genotoxicity, and Precursors to Halogenated Furanones | Civil Engineering | 2013-07-17 | Disinfectants in drinking water can interact with natural organic matter (NOM) to form disinfection by-products (DBPs). Halogenated furanones (including MX and MCA) are a group of emerging DBPs that can account for a significant amount of the total mutagenicity found in drinking water. Source water characteristics and NOM removal capabilities of coagulation can greatly influence the formation of DBPs. This project examines the effects of bench scale coagulation and chlorination tests on NOM removal, DBP formation, and genotoxicity. NOM was characterized using liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD). Experiments with Ottawa River, Otonabee River, and Lake Simcoe waters show that DBPs decreased with increases in coagulant dosage, due to the removal of NOM during coagulation. DBP formation and speciation was then compared with NOM content to identify specific fractions that contribute to the formation of these DBPs. Genotoxicity was directly linked to MX presence in chlorinated waters. | MAST | water | 6 |
| Zhong, Margaret | MacLean, Heather L | Life Cycle External Cost Evaluation of Crude Oil Transportation Options | Civil Engineering | 2015-11 | Widespread concerns associated with crude oil transportation which could drive decision-making motivate the life cycle evaluation of crude oil transportation options. This thesis integrates life cycle assessment, economic input output life cycle assessment, and life cycle costing to examine the internal and external costs of pipeline, rail, and tanker transportation. The case studies used in this work illustrate the difference in impacts and costs between pipeline and rail transport for similar original-to-destination routes (including tanker, where relevant). Results show that pipeline costs are lower for each of case studies compared to the equivalent rail routes. No changes within the plausible ranges of input values for transport operation, greenhouse gas emissions, health impact, volume transported and discount rate would change the overall outcome from a preference for pipelines to rail (tanker costs included where relevant), however, cross-over between favoring pipeline over rail is possible with varying changes in the capital costs. | M.A.S. | health; greenhouse gas | 3, 13 |
| Zhou, Mo | MacLean, Heather L||Roorda, Matthew J | Life Cycle Emissions and Lifetime Costs of Medium-duty Diesel and Alternative Fuel Trucks. A Case Study for Toronto | Civil Engineering | 2016-11 | This thesis analyzes a Class 6 diesel truck, compressed natural gas truck, hybrid-electric truck and battery-electric truck, in terms of energy consumption, life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cost of ownership. The energy consumption simulation and life cycle emissions for the trucks are based on payload, temperature and two drive cycles in Toronto. The energy consumption simulations are performed using Autonomie, a simulation software. The simulation data are used in GHGenius to calculate the life cycle GHG emissions. The cost of GHG emissions abatement for each alternative fuel truck is determined based on the differences in cost and GHG emissions between the alternative trucks and the diesel (reference) truck. The results of the analyses indicate that there is no dominant technology that reduces both GHG emissions and ownership cost under all driving conditions, a conclusion that can inform transportation climate change policies. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas; energy; consum; climate | 13 |
| Zhu, Hao Cheng | Liu, H.T. Hugh | Indoor Simulation of Wildfire Detection and Monitoring using UAV | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2014-11 | Wildfires have been a major source of environmental and economical damage for Canada. Wildfire detection and monitoring using UAVs have garnered great interest. This thesis project investigates the use of colour-based vision feedback for tracking a dynamically expanding wildfire simulated in a fully coloured environment. A custom Indoor Simulation Platform is developed to test and debug various navigation algorithms using a physical quadrotor. The proposed fire perimeter tracking navigation algorithm has been tested in both computational simulation and on the Indoor Simulation Platform, and could be used in an outdoor mission with high confidence of success. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Zhu, Huimin | Drake, Jennifer | Winter Road Salting on Parking Lots: Permeable Pavements vs. Conventional Asphalt | Civil Engineering | 2017-06 | Permeable pavements have been widely used in stormwater attenuation, water balance, and stormwater quality control. Recent studies suggested that the usage of permeable pavement may offer the possibility to reduce the frequency and application rates of road salt during winter time, while simultaneously maintaining required skid resistance on pavement surfaces. This research summarizes the winter performance assessment study of a heavily used permeable pavement parking lot in St. Catharines, Ontario. The purpose of this monitoring study is to evaluate the safety and environmental benefits of permeable pavements, by comparing them to a traditional asphalt pavement. This thesis will present the results and findings from winter 2015/2016 for the pervious concrete and porous asphalt pavements. | M.A.S. | water; environment | 6, 13 |
| Zhu, Xia | Rochman, Chelsea | The Sources of Microplastics in San Francisco Bay, California, USA | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-11 | Understanding the sources of microplastics to an ecosystem informs mitigation. Here, I determined the importance of specific sources of microplastics to San Francisco Bay – a heavily populated bay in California, USA. I quantified and characterized microplastics in surface waters of the bay and adjacent National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS). I also quantified and characterized microplastics in source waters: wastewater effluent and stormwater runoff. I compared the diversity of microplastics in source waters to surface water. My results suggest that stormwater runoff influenced microplastic concentrations in Central Bay and South Bay, while wastewater effluent influenced microplastics in North Bay and Lower South Bay. Our findings show that effective mitigation strategies may vary by location. Throughout this project, we came across difficulties identifying fibers using spectroscopic techniques and developed a method to circumvent barriers. The success of the method was confirmed and applied to samples from The Bay to demonstrate its applicability. | M.Sc. | marine; water; waste | 12, 14 |
| Zizzo, Ryan | Kennedy, Christopher A. | Designing an Optimal Urban Community Mix for an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System | Civil Engineering | 2010-02-18T15:37:29Z | This research examined what mix of building types result in the most efficient use of a technology known as Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). Hourly energy simulation models for six different building archetypes were created based on representative building characteristic and energy use data from the Toronto area. A genetic algorithm optimization tool was then created to vary scheduling and production properties of the ATES system and the relative number of different building archetypes. The tool found that a cooling season from weeks 16‐42 maximized the useful energy output of the ATES and resulted in roughly 30% reduction in heating and cooling energy use and associated GHG emissions. It was also found that creating a mix consisting of a higher percentage of larger buildings than is currently found in most neighbourhoods could reduce energy usage by an additional 10%. | MAST | energy; buildings; production | 7, 9, 12 |
| Zoltok, Scott Earl | Mojab, Shahrzad | State and Ideology: Youth Public Policy in Ontario | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2015-11 | As global youth unemployment and youth led social movements become increasingly widespread, states have begun to consider youth a policy concern. In this thesis, I ask how youth experience being a policy concern. Ontario is the site of analysis, where the provincial government has recently released numerous public policies that draw on contemporary trends in youth research. Through policy analysis and semi-structured interviews, I connect the experience of Ontario’s young people to the theoretical principles of the state's policy approach. I focus on the tension between the individual and the social: between the idea of youth as described in public policy, and the actual social conditions of the youth who participated in this program. The experiences of individual youth, whose lives are socially coordinated by state policy initiatives, are a window into understanding the consciousness and learning that arises for a generation brought up in economic instability and austerity. | M.A. | employment | 8 |
| Zuchniak, Anna | Roth, Daniel E | Renal Consequences of Cadmium Exposure Among Pregnant Women in Dhaka, Bangladesh Receiving Placebo or Vitamin D Supplementation: An Observational Cohort Study Nested within a Randomized Controlled Trial | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11 | Bangladeshi women are exposed to the toxic metal cadmium (Cd) through consumption of contaminated foods, and exposure to tobacco products. At high levels of vitamin D supplementation, increasing gastrointestinal uptake of Cd may occur. Cd exposure could lead to renal dysfunction, especially during a sensitive period such as pregnancy. In a cohort of pregnant Bangladeshi women enrolled in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in Dhaka, we examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation on maternal blood and cord blood Cd concentrations and the association of Cd with renal biomarkers. There was no effect of vitamin D supplementation on maternal blood Cd concentrations at delivery; however, vitamin D supplementation increased the probability of detecting Cd in cord blood. Maternal blood Cd concentrations were not associated with markers of renal functioning. Further work is required to clarify the potential effect of vitamin D on maternal-fetal transfer of Cd. | M.Sc. | food; women; consum | 2, 5, 12 |
| Zwingerman, Rhonda | Okun, Nanette | A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Preimplantation Genetic Screening with In Vitro Fertilization In Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2017-11 | Background: Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is an increasingly common addition to IVF cycles in an effort to improve upon current embryo selection techniques by limiting the transferrable cohort of embryos to those that are euploid. Objective: To examine the cost-effectiveness of preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) with IVF compared to IVF alone in terms of additional live births. Methods: A decision analytic model was created using TreeAge Pro to compare IVF with PGS to IVF alone for women of different age groups with one to ten blastocysts from the societal perspective. Sequential single embryo transfers of blastocysts from a single oocyte retrieval were modelled until all blastocysts were exhausted, treatment was discontinued or a live birth was achieved. Results: PGS became both incrementally less costly and more effective as the number of blastocysts and the age of the woman increased. IVF alone was the superior strategy â more effective and less costly - for all women under age 35. This was also true when three or fewer blastocysts were available, regardless of age. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model was most sensitive to the implantation rates and early pregnancy loss rates of both IVF with PGS and IVF alone. Conclusions: Using currently available data, PGS appears to be more costly and less effective than IVF alone in the majority of scenarios. However, PGS may be less costly and more effective for older women with a large number of blastocysts. Future research should focus on improving available population-based PGS outcome data. | M.Sc. | innovation; health | 3, 9 |
| Zywiel, Michael George | Coyte, Peter C | The Health Economic Implications of Perioperative Delirium in Older Orthopaedic Surgery Patients with Fragility Hip Fractures | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-06 | Patients who experience fragility hip fractures are at high risk for delirium. However, little is known about changes in health resource utilization associated with this adverse event. The objectives of this work were to quantify the difference in episode of care costs and length of stay from the hospital perspective between patients who do and do not experience perioperative delirium. Patient care data from a single centre were linked with micro-case costing reports. Propensity matching and regression modeling were used to control for potential confounders. Delirium was found to be associated with significant incremental episode of care costs and length of stay. The difference in costs was partly, but not fully, explained by differences in length of stay. Future work should focus on confirming the generalizability of these findings, assessing the impact using broader economic perspectives, and implementing cost-effective interventions to reduce the rate of perioperative delirium in this population. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Giannitsopoulou, Shannon Jean | Todorova, Miglena||Sztainbok, Vannina | "What Happens Beyond the Talking": A Critical Policy Analysis of Sport and Recreation Equity Policies in Higher Education | Social Justice Education | 2020-11-01 | This thesis is a critical policy analysis of a Canadian urban university sport and recreation department’s equity policies. Through a documentary analysis and interviews, this research reveals the connection between what equity policies claim to achieve and the (in)equity experienced by students. Findings demonstrate that the policies advance discourses that evince neoliberal values of competition, commodification, and elitism. They also further notions of institutional excellence in equity, while simultaneously lacking a plan to achieve such equity. The study concludes with recommendations for policies rooted in anti-oppression principles that address the needs of marginalized students through structural change, including a measurable action plan. Equity policies should also name publicly histories of oppression and exclusion in Canada as the rationale for institutional commitments to supporting Muslim, transgender, queer, Indigenous, Black, and racialized students who do not identify with Eurocentric cultures of masculine and competitive athletics, or fitness routines revolving around normative bodies. | M.A. | justice, institut, urban, queer, gender, educat | 4, 5, 11, 16 |
| Wang, Si Tan | Lehn, Peter W. | A 3-phase Electric Vehicle Charger Integrated with Dual Inverter Drive | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | This thesis proposes a 3-phase electric vehicle (EV) charger which reemploys components of a dual inverter drive for charging when the EV is parked. Reemployment of drive components for charging can significantly reduce charging station infrastructure costs. The proposed charger's current source converter basis improves fault detection and prevents motor torque generation during charging. The dual inverter drive allows for integration of mixed energy storage media during driving and reduction of current ripple during charging. The proposed charger was tested through experimentation on a 10kW prototype. Experimental results showed the charger could perform constant-current constant-voltage charging of two isolated energy storage units from a 3-phase grid with >0.99 power factor. Charging wasperformed with balanced DC current passing through the EV's motor windings which prevented torque generation during charging. The prototype achieved an overall efficiency of 93% at rated power while meeting the international grid current harmonics standard IEC 61000-3-12. | M.A.S. | infrastructure, employment, wind, energy | 7, 8, 9 |
| Olanrewaju, Bolaji Akinola | Saxe, Shoshanna||Panesar, Daman K | A Comparison of Material Quantities Estimates to Onsite Material Use for Bridge Infrastructure Projects | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Material estimates play a crucial role in predicting project cost, project duration, and embodied CO2e emissions for construction projects. Several factors that occur during the implementation stage introduce discrepancies in material quantity estimates, which misinform critical decisions that affect project delivery. There is, however, a limited understanding of the variability in material estimates for construction projects, and its impacts on other estimating processes. This thesis compares construction stage quantities to detailed design estimates for eighteen Canadian-based bridges to quantify the variability in material quantities and to determine the driving factors. Results show a 3%-85%, 8%-23%, 5%-19%, and 11%-17% increase in concrete, rebar, structural steel, and asphalt quantities between estimates and onsite use. The results of this thesis inform our understanding of design estimates and their interpretation. Adjusting for the discrepancy between estimates and onsite measurements and targeting the driving factors will reduce environmental impacts, minimize cost overruns and limit delays. | M.A.S. | environment, infrastructure | 9, 13 |
| Storey, Emily Elizabeth | Helmy, Amr S | A Complete Portable and Low-cost Micro-opto-fluidic Raman Spectroscopic Measurement and Characterization System | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-06-01 | There is a glaring, unmet demand for a healthcare analysis method which is non-invasive, rapid, portable, and flexible, to provide consistent results for novice and expert users alike. Such a technique would facilitate access to health solutions in rural settlements, where population health can suffer due to limited specialized facilities. Raman spectroscopy of biological fluids is ideal for this task. Widespread adoption requires a robust collection system and a model which can withstand routine spectrum variability, but current methods place the end-user in charge of these remedies. In this thesis we present a point-of-care system for fluidic analysis using Raman which eliminates sample preparation and optimizes analysis, independent of end-user proficiency. A micro-opto-fluidic device greatly enhances the Raman signal, and accompanying machine-learning suite optimizes preprocessing methods to compensate for routine signal variation. We demonstrate performance on artificial human tears and whole-blood, achieving user-independent predictive concentration precision below 500 microMolar. | M.A.S. | rural, health | 3, 11 |
| Teran, Alfonso Sebastian | Mercan, Oya | A Computational Wind Engineering Framework for Studying Climate Change on High-rise Buildings in Dense Urban Areas | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Structures in the built environment that are safe and serviceable under current wind loading conditions may experience problems in the coming decades as wind load characteristics get affected by rapidly changing climate. Given the high uncertainty in predicting future wind environment conditions, there is a need to formulate flexible adaptation strategies that mitigate climate change effects in urban regions. The present work proposes a multi-disciplinary framework to investigate and address the impact of climate change and the associated wind load effects on the built environment. As an example application of this framework, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed on a building located in downtown Toronto, under current and projected wind conditions to evaluate its response. The framework seeks to translate the range of predicted effects of climate change into actionable knowledge useful in the area of urban building design. | M.A.S. | environment, climate, urban, buildings, wind | 7, 9, 11, 13 |
| Maghami, Amir | Posen, Daniel||Panesar, Daman | A Data-driven Method to Estimate the On-site GHG Emissions of Construction Activities in the Planning Phase | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | The construction industry is a major contributor to global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Most of the studies in the literature focused on the embodied emissions of construction activities with little attention to the on-site emissions. This thesis demonstrates a method to estimate the on-site GHG emissions of construction activities in the planning phase. The method is then applied to 974 earthwork activities that are obtained from RS Means and the GHG emission per unit of output is estimated for each. Since during the planning phase detailed data about the construction activities is usually not available, this study has also developed statistical relationships between on-site GHG emissions and other better-known quantities (cost). In the case of the earthwork activities that are analyzed, I found that there is a strong correlation (R2 = 0.9) between the cost and on-site GHG emissions with a correlation factor of 0.31 (kg CO2 eq/$). | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas, industr | 9, 13 |
| Zhang, Shengbo | Touchie, Marianne||O'Brien, William | A Practical Simulation Framework for Thermal Sensation Analysis of Fenestration Designs | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Buildings with highly glazed envelopes have gained popularity over the past decades. Though it is known that these buildings are less energy efficient, few attempts have been made to investigate their effect on thermal comfort apart from surveys. The gap between research and the industry arises because predicting thermal sensation is labourious and lacks suitable tools. In response, a simulation framework, which is the novelty of this work, is designed to reduce such effort. Direct solar radiation and ankle draught effects are considered since they have been shown to increase warm and cold sensation, respectively. Example applications using visualization and sensitivity analysis techniques suggest that window size increases both warm and cold sensation levels, which are also positively correlated with window overall solar heat gain coefficient and U-factor, respectively. The results from the example applications provide insights into how different window designs can affect thermal sensation within a similar context. | M.A.S. | buildings, industr, labour, solar, wind, energy | 7, 8, 9 |
| Webb, Denise | Allin, Sara||Mashford-Pringle, Angela | A Scoping Review: Comparing Federal Health Policy and the Associated Impacts on Access to Care in First Nations and American Indians/Alaska Natives Communities | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2021-06 | Canada and the United States each have a federal responsibility to deliver health services in First Nations (FNs) and American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIANs) communities. Yet, inequitable access to healthcare continues to disproportionately impact both communities. Little research has compared federal health policies between the two countries to see how they may help to explain the current state of healthcare access. This study aims to fill this gap. To do so, I completed a scoping review and three validation interviews with Indigenous health policy experts. The findings suggest that Canada exercises a greater use of informative policy instruments, compared to regulatory instruments in the United States. Policies in the two countries were frequently described as impacting similar dimensions of access. This study offers perspective on key policies involved in healthcare access, the contextual differences between the two countries Indigenous health policy making practices, and may inform future policy analysis. | M.Sc. | equitable, health | 3, 4 |
| Goldberg, Lauren Charisse | Peterson-Badali, Michele||Skilling, Tracey | A Systematized Review of Youth Mental Health Courts: An Evaluation of the Courts' Operations and Outcomes | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-03-01 | In this study I reviewed the Canadian and international published literature examining youth mental health courts to provide an overview of their processes, mechanisms of change, and outcomes. A systematized literature review was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR checklist as a guideline following a search of PsychINFO, ERIC, ASSIA, MEDLINE, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text, and Child and Adolescent Studies databases. Inclusion criteria stipulated that studies be original research, and examine at least one aspect of the courts’ operations or outcomes. Twenty articles satisfied inclusion criteria. Results showed considerable similarities among intake, referral and case monitoring procedures across courts, and recidivism outcomes. Youth reported courts to be collaborative and supportive, with stakeholders reporting reduced case processing times, improved access to treatment services and reduced recidivism. I highlight findings on operations and outcomes of youth mental health courts that have important implications for policy and practice. | M.A. | justice, labor, health | 3, 8, 16 |
| Bridgehouse, Emily | Andrews, Robert C. | Addition of GAC Caps and Ozonation to Conventional Filters for Improved Organics Control and Disinfection By-product Reduction | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Granular activated carbon (GAC) caps are used in drinking water treatment facilities to help mitigate seasonal taste and odour events, however they may also provide additional water quality benefits, which have not been as widely examined. The objective of this pilot study was to compare filters utilizing GAC caps to conventional anthracite/sand filters in terms of disinfection by-product formation potential (DBP FP) reduction, organics removal and operational flexibility. Two different source waters (Otonabee River and Lake Erie) were examined such that differences in pre-treatment and organics composition may be considered. GAC caps employing biological and adsorptive filtration mechanisms, in combination with ozonation was observed to reduce HAA FP by 9±8 µg/L (12±10%) and DOC removal by 0.2 mg/L (6%) in Otonabee River samples. Application of GAC caps to the Lake Erie water system improved DOC reduction by 0.7±0.3 mg/L (44±17%) and DBP FP removal by 11±7 µg/L (33±19%) for HAAs and by 7±6 µg/L (23±17%) for THMs. As such, GAC caps may represent a cost-effective solution for facilities targeting specific components of regulatory importance. | M.A.S. | water | 6, 14 |
| Babici, Isabelle | Wheelahan, Leesa | Advisement and Transtions in the Trades: A Process of Fustration in Ontario | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, has the lowest apprenticeship completion rates compared to other provinces. This study seeks to understand the factors that contribute to these poor outcomes by researching policy and practices based on transition systems in Canada which work against the trades. The research focuses on the electrical trades in Ontario and utilizes interviews as its method. Interviews were undertaken with apprentices, electricians, union/association representatives and educators. Given the lack of policy and research about Ontario’s vocational dilemma, whereby poor organization affects access, qualitative methods based on constructivist theory are used to establish exploratory findings. The study seeks to understand how young people were able to enter the electrical trades, the nature of the transitions which supported or undermined these processes, including the kind of student advisement that they received. | M.Ed. | justice, trade, educat | 4, 10, 16 |
| Soczynska, Izabela | Maguire, Jonathon | Age of Cow Milk Introduction and Childhood Growth | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-06-01 | Recommendations on the age that children can start consuming cow milk vary between countries. In Canada and Denmark, cow milk can be introduced as early as 9 months; however, in most countries it is recommended to wait until 12 months. Through this thesis I aimed to determine if the age that cow milk is first introduced into the diet influences childhood growth. In this prospective study of healthy children enrolled in the TARGet Kids! cohort, introducing cow milk at a younger age was associated with greater height by age 3-5 years. Each month earlier that cow milk was introduced was associated with 0.03 higher height-for-age z score or 0.1 cm per month. There was no significant association between timing of cow milk introduction and adiposity. In this cohort of children aged 3-5 years starting to consume cow milk earlier in life contributed to gains in height, without adversely affecting adiposity. | M.Sc. | consum, health, nutrition | 2, 3, 12 |
| Ziebarth, Katie | Fortin, Marie-Josée||Rollinson, Njal | Alpha- and Beta-diversity of Amphibians and Reptiles in Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-03-01 | Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing a global decline. Anthropogenic factors (habitat loss and climate change) are among the many forces causing such decline. At a regional scale, understanding the drivers of amphibian and reptile diversity may be important in the establishment of protected areas. My study leveraged data from the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, a citizen science initiative of amphibian and reptile presence data, to uncover the regional-scale drivers of alpha- and beta-diversity of amphibians and reptiles in Ontario. Using univariate and multivariate regression trees, I found that temperature, agriculture, and road density were most strongly associated with alpha- and beta-diversity. My work emphasizes that amphibian and reptile diversity is greatest in southern and central Ontario, where human density is also highest. Future research should examine temporal changes in diversity while accounting for variation in sampling intensity, in order to recommend areas of conservation for wildlife corridors. | M.Sc. | conserv, climate, agricultur | 2, 13, 14, 15 |
| Guo, Yawen | Sinton, David D.S. | Altered Biological Responses of Primary Producers to Multiple Stressors in the Presence of Nanoplastics | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-03-01 | The interactions between nanoplastics and factors that simultaneous present in the aquatic environment, including climatic change stressors and local chemicals, are largely unknown. This thesis presents methods to understand how nanoplastics will affect species or interfere with their response to local chemicals in concert with climate change in freshwater ecosystems. With the aid of a high-throughput screening platform, we first discovered the interactive effects among nanoplastics, CO2, light, and temperature on freshwater algae, Scenedesmus obliquus. We then studied the control of CyanoHABs considering nanoplastics contamination and captured the non-additive combined effect of H2O2 and nanoplastics on freshwater cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa. Using these methods adopted here, one can screen a wide range of stressors combinations, identify interesting ones, then study chronic effects at those levels. They also provided improved accuracy and realism in nanoplastics exposure experiments to properly depict local aquatic conditions and investigate the subsequent ecological impacts on aquatic life. | M.A.S. | ecolog, environment, climate, water | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Olejarz, Daniel Adam | Roorda, Matthew J | An Assessment of the Use of Autonomous Ground Vehicles for Last-mile Parcel Delivery | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Last-mile parcel delivery is a particularly costly element of the freight supply chain. The high cost of last-mile delivery can be attributed to the complexities associated with business to consumer e-commerce and current labour-intensive delivery methods. This thesis quanties the cost savings associated with implementing an automated last-mile delivery system. A literature review focused on vehicle routing problems and their applications to automated delivery systems is presented. Parcel demand data are provided by a large courier company operating in Canada. These data are described with gures and summary statistics. A novel synchronized split-delivery vehicle routing problem is formulated, which ensures delivery vehicles arrive at their destinations at the same time as all others if deliveries are split between vehicles. The model is applied to the sample data to compare cost of operating an automated system with the current manual system. Finally, recommendations to the data provider on implementing such a system are made. | M.A.S. | consum, labour | 8, 12 |
| Nathan, Colleen Ann | Gagné, Antoinette | An Autoethnographic Perspective on Restorative English Education in Marginalized Communities | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-03-01 | In this autoethnographic study, the author explores how restorative English education can meet the needs of minoritized English learners with a particular focus on Indigenous learners of English. After reviewing the literature on several interrelated pedagogies, she braids together 1) stories from her childhood and adolescence in Toronto where she faced numerous types of discrimination as a Patois speaker and the child of Caribbean parents new to Canada, with 2) stories from her 10 years as a teacher in Attawapiskat as well as her time as a teacher in the ‘South”, and 3) stories shared by elders and other members of the Attawapiskat community. This autoethnography shines light on why it is problematic to impose a ‘one size fits all’ curriculum on minoritized English learners and provides concrete suggestions on how to implement restorative English education to help English learners develop a sense of self-worth while addressing social justice issues. | M.Ed. | justice, educat | 4, 16 |
| Crawford, Rayna | Ferguson, Brian | An Empirical Investigation of the Role of Population Health in the Aggregate Production Function: A Multi-country Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-03-01 | Adopting an aggregate production function approach, we investigate the role of population health on output per worker. A panel fixed-effects estimation is used to conduct the primary analysis and we employ the use of subsets to investigate the relationship at various life expectancy thresholds. Our results indicate that health capital, proxied by life expectancy at birth, has a U-shaped relationship with output per worker. In the subset analysis, we find that in shorter-lived countries, improvements to life expectancy at birth have a positive and significant relationship with output per worker. In longer-lived countries, improvements to life expectancy at birth have an insignificant impact on output per worker. | M.Sc. | production, worker, health | 3, 8, 12 |
| Inceoglu, Defne | Brower, Matthew | Animal Bodies in the Climate Crisis: A Visitor Study at the Royal Ontario Museum | Information Studies | 2020-11-01 | This interdisciplinary research project focuses on The Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) ‘Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity’. The vast majority of the objects within this gallery's displays are taxidermic animals and models from a wide variety of species. The gallery’s primary thematic concern is climate change, with an emphasis on the impact of human life on animal habitats. The research looks into the relationships of audiences to non-human animals in the gallery. It asks how these relationships may be reinterpreted to include an introspective look at human decisions to display animal bodies, with newfound emphasis on climate and animal advocacy, agency, collaboration and storytelling. Through interviews with museum patrons, this project explores the effectiveness of displaying animal bodies in achieving the gallery’s aims of promoting awareness of human responsibility for the current crisis. | M.M.St. | biodivers, climate, labor | 8, 13, 15 |
| Hsu, MoWei | Liu, Hugh H.T. | AquaFly: A Tilt-rotor Vertical Take-off and Landing Aquatic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2020-11-01 | This thesis presents the development of a novel tilt-rotor aquatic unmanned aerial vehicle that can land and take-off from water surfaces with an innovative box tail design, named AquaFly. The box tail provides buoyancy and flotation stability for the vehicle on water surfaces while improving its flight stability in forward flight. Flight tests demonstrated successful autonomous and piloted water take-off and landing in the presence of wave and wind disturbances. A nonlinear hierarchical adaptive control framework is proposed. It is designed to cover all flight modes of AquaFly which include hovering, transition, and forward flight. The adaptive nature of the control framework allows compensation for modeling errors, uncertainties, and disturbances. Stability analyses are presented to show asymptotic tracking performance as well as the boundedness of all signals for the proposed control framework. Finally, simulation analyses are conducted and show control effectiveness for all flight modes. | M.A.S. | urban, innovat, wind, water | 6, 7, 9, 11, 14 |
| Monri-Fung, Haruna | Karney, Bryan | Assessing the Performance of Stormwater Management Facilities in Oshawa, Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Stormwater management facilities can protect against urbanization-induced downstream channel erosion, but detention-based approaches commonly used in Ontario tend to exacerbate the underlying issue. This thesis presents two case studies evaluating the performance of stormwater management alternatives in urban and suburban settings to protect against downstream channel erosion while maintaining flood protection requirements using a high-level modelling and estimation method intended to act as a screening tool. Performance results indicate that reducing runoff volume tends to reduce the potential for erosion. When performing assessments in practice, engineers are inevitably limited in resources, which may deter study approaches and simulation techniques best suited to address the objective. Maintaining the stability and ecological integrity of the downstream watercourse is the overarching purpose of stormwater management and facilities implemented on upstream sites should be designed and tested using a comprehensive set of metrics with an explicit link to this objective. | M.A.S. | ecolog, urban, water | 6, 11, 14, 15 |
| Bian, Jia | Andrews, Robert C||Bérubé, Pierre | Assessment of Ultrafiltration Membrane Ageing in Full-scale Water Treatment Facilities | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | The incorporation of ultrafiltration has become increasingly prevalent in drinking water treatment. However, limited data exists regarding the impacts of membrane ageing over extended periods of full-scale operation. The present study examined performance factors (clean membrane resistance, fouling rate, and susceptibility to breach), as well as characteristics (presence of hydrophilic additive (HA) present in membranes) for polyvinylidene fluoride membranes that are widely employed. Clean membrane resistance remained constant over time, whereas the fouling rate decreased with age. Surface and bulk HA content were observed to decrease with age. However, poor correlations were observed between HA content and clean membrane resistance. Results suggest that although a reduction of HA occurs as membranes age, membranes continued to provide good treatment performance until they reached a certain level of HA content reduction that was site-specific. Overall, these findings provide important insights regarding the mechanisms associated with membrane ageing. | M.A.S. | water | 6, 14 |
| Sidiqi, Aysha | Roth, Daniel E | Association of Dietary Protein Intake with Skeletal Muscle Mass in 4-year-old Children in Dhaka, Bangladesh | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is a key determinant of metabolic health in children and adults; yet, despite its importance, there has been a lack of research on the determinants of SMM development, particularly in low-resource settings with emerging concerns related to the ‘double burden’ of malnutrition. In a cross-sectional study of 4-year-old children in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we measured appendicular lean mass (ALM) using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, dietary protein intake using repeated 24-hour recall, hand-grip strength, and anthropometry. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression models showed that there was no association between dietary protein intake and ALM (n=93). In a secondary analysis of an extended cohort of children (n=566), a 1 kg increase in ALM was associated with a 1.04 kg increase in muscle strength (hand-grip test) (p | M.Sc. | energy, health, nutrition | 2, 3, 7 |
| Anderson, Nicole | Boler, Megan | Capturing Affect: The Agentic Power of The Colonial Photograph as a Form of Visual Testimony | Social Justice Education | 2020-11-01 | This thesis explores the affective properties of material representations of the colonial legacies of Indian Residential Schools in Canada. Considering the material and ontological turn that recognises the agency of objects, I argue that these material traces are bestowed with significant agentic, affective and pedagogical power. Specifically, I show how archival photographs act as forms of "visual testimonies" that prompt settlers to consider their responsibility to be ethical witnesses to systemic colonial violence. By examining these material legacies, I explore how agentic visual traces teach settlers to "see" differently; allowing settlers to recognise their habitual blindness towards past and present colonial injustice. I explore how certain pedagogical conditions enables their affective and agentic power, particularly how multi-sensory curatorial approaches blur the binaries of the past/present, Self/Other and subject/object. I argue that disrupting these bifurcations creates new relational ontologies that prompt a collective settler responsibility towards ongoing colonial violence. | M.A. | justice | 16 |
| Krause, Kevin Aaron Chen | Bazylak, Aimy | Characterizing Unstable Operation in Flow Cells for CO2 Electroreduction | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction flow cells are a promising means of curtailing anthropogenic CO2 emissions by reducing CO2 to generate useful carbon fuels when coupled with renewable energy sources. However, operating these devices at commercially relevant conditions is typically accompanied by mass transport issues related to unstable performance that is often overlooked. This thesis contains two studies focused on identifying and characterizing the source of unstable performance in these devices. In the first study, the effect of gaseous accumulation at the cathode gas diffusion electrode interface on the performance of an alkaline flow cell was investigated. In the second study, the relationship between unstable operation and the electrolyte layer gas saturation in a flow cell was characterized. These two studies aim to provide the necessary first steps in addressing unstable operation in CO2 reduction flow cells towards achieving stable, commercially relevant operation. | M.A.S. | renewabl, energy | 7 |
| Gill, Inderpreet Kaur | Starmans, Christina | Children’s Judgements of Fairness and Reparations | Psychology | 2021-03-01 | Do children, like adults, consider the original cause of the inequality as well as when the inequality happened? In two experiments, we investigate how children reason about whether and when past inequalities due to differences in hard work, bias and luck should be corrected. Younger (5-6 years) children distribute coins equally regardless of the cause of the inequality or when it happened (i.e. past or present). Older (7-8 years) children distribute more coins to the child who worked harder (thus increasing inequality), and to the child who was biased against or unlucky (thus decreasing inequality) when the inequalities happened in the present. However, they were more likely to distribute coins equally when the inequality happened in the past. These findings suggest younger children have strong preferences for equal distributions despite existing inequalities and older children are less likely to rectify inequalities created in the past than those created recently. | M.A. | inequality, equality | 5, 10 |
| Krzyzanowski, Daniel | Remington, Gary||Goghari, Vina | Cognitive Discrepancies, Values and Subjective Well-Being in People with Schizophrenia | Psychological Clinical Science | 2020-11-01 | Past research indicates that people with schizophrenia often achieve similar levels of subjective well-being (SWB) compared to healthy individuals despite prominent symptomatology and significant functional, social and cognitive difficulties. People with schizophrenia also report more conservative value systems (less openness to change and greater emphasis on tradition), suggesting that changing motivations and personal values may contribute to SWB and the apparent motivational deficits commonly reported in this population. In the current study, middle-aged people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (n=29) and community control participants (n=23) rated their current SWB, life satisfaction, hope, and values. They also completed a battery of cognitive tests and diagnostic interviews. Patients reported similar levels of SWB in the context of significant cognitive, social and functional difficulties, more conservative value systems, and a greater propensity for goal disengagement compared to controls. These results are discussed in relation to lifespan development and motivational theory. | M.A. | conserv, well-being, health | 3, 14, 15 |
| Chari, Malini | Quiñonez, Carlos | Comparing the Magnitude of Oral Health Inequality in Canada, United States and United Kingdom | Dentistry | 2020-11-01 | Objectives: To compare the magnitude of oral health inequality over time in Canada and United States (US), and at a single point in time between Canada, US and United Kingdom (UK). Methodology: Data was obtained from five national surveys; two Canadian, two American and one from the UK. The slope index and relative index of inequality were used to estimate absolute and relative inequality, respectively. Results: In both Canada and the US, absolute inequality in oral disease declined while relative inequality increased; however, inequality for filled teeth declined significantly. Inequality in untreated decay was highest in the US, and in Canada for edentulism. Inequality was lowest in the UK for both untreated decay and filled teeth. Conclusion: Despite what appears to be greater utilization of restorative care among the poor over time, inequality in oral disease prevailed in all three countries and was consistently higher in the US, followed by Canada and lowest in the UK. | M.Sc. | inequality, equality, health, socioeconomic | 1, 3, 5, 10 |
| Blackford, Christopher | Fortin, Marie-Josée||Krkošek, Martin | Connectivity Coarse Filter Approach for Marine Protected Area Network Design | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-11-01 | Human use of the ocean is impacting biodiversity sustainability. To mitigate human pressure, governments have committed to protecting 10% of their oceans/coasts as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Determining the most effective placement of MPAs for conserving biodiversity should be done at a network scale such that MPA networks are placed to provide the greatest protection for multiple species. I propose a methodology to determine priority conservation areas for distinct species assemblages, located at different depths, to determine MPA network placement, using the Pacific Ocean in Canada as a case study. I found dispersal ability had a larger impact on MPA network configuration for species spending a long time as larvae compared to species spending a short time as larvae, and that climate change is likely to shift priority-area locations. The methodology proposed for MPA design relies on limited data and can be applied to other regions and ecosystems. | M.Sc. | ecolog, biodivers, conserv, marine, ocean, climate | 13, 14, 15 |
| Boyne, Holly | Hamza, Chloe A | Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Nonsuicidal Self-injury Among Emerging Adults: An Examination of the Mediating Effect of Self-compassion | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11-01 | Many emerging adults report experiencing mental health challenges, such as depressive symptoms and stress, during the transition to university. These mental health challenges are also associated with increased risk for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI; e.g., self-cutting without lethal intent). It may be that students who experience these mental health challenges have greater difficulty being compassionate towards themselves, leading to NSSI engagement as a form of self-derogation. However, longitudinal research has yet to examine the mechanism through which depressive symptoms, stress, self-compassion, and NSSI are associated. To address this gap in the literature, 1125 university students (Mage = 17.96 years, 74% female) completed an online survey three times in first year university. Path analysis revealed significant indirect effects from depressive symptoms and stress to NSSI, through self-compassion. These associations were bidirectional, such that NSSI engagement predicted increases in depressive symptoms and stress through self-compassion. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Yuan, Chuqiao | Andrews, Robert RCA | Development and Application of Sampling and Extraction Methods for Microplastics in Drinking Water | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | To-date, no standardized methods have been proposed for analyzing microplastics in drinking waters. This study assessed known methods to collect and extract microplastics from treated drinking waters and identified two common limitations: use of insufficient water, and lack of method recovery assessment. In response, this study developed an in-line filtration method, which improved accuracy when compared to in-laboratory filtration methods. In-line filtration was shown to have higher recoveries for the reference microplastics examined (+37% for PVC fragments, +23% for PET fragments, +22% for nylon fibers and +7% for PET fibers) and a greater potential to reduce microplastic contamination. The filtration capacity of in-line filtration method was observed to exceed 350 L of treated water. Application of in-line filtration was validated using ultrafiltration (UF) influent and effluent from two full-scale drinking water treatment facilities. UF represents an effective technology which is capable of removing ~95% of microplastics from drinking water. | M.A.S. | labor, water | 6, 8, 14 |
| Lin, Shuting | Acosta, Edgar J | Development of an Expeller Extraction for Beta-carotene from Carrot Pomace via Lecithin-Linkers Microemulsions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11-01 | This work introduces a new green extraction solvent, based on fully dilutable lecithin-linkers microemulsions (LLMs), that is used in a continuous expeller to recover -carotene from carrot pomace obtained after carrot juice production. The optimal LLMs for the extraction was identified via the HLD-NAC framework, and the predicted formulations confirmed via phase behavior studies. An expeller extraction method was developed and optimized for -carotene yield, with respect to LLMs. The results suggest that the combination of expeller and LLMs extraction have 3-6 fold increase in -carotene extraction as compared to other extraction methods. The optimal extraction is obtained with highly diluted LLMs, that lead to the lowest extraction costs. The LLMs containing extracted -carotene were microencapsulated via spray-drying to extend shelf life and prevent the release of -carotene at the stomach’s pH. The encapsulated product is a free-flowing powder that can be incorporated into a variety of products. | M.A.S. | production, food | 2, 12 |
| Burton, Katherine Isabelle | Stephan, Douglas W | Development of Carbon Lewis Acids for Hydrodefluorination Catalysis | Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | Industry relies heavily on costly noble metals for use in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and petroleum research. However, extraction of polymetallic ore deposits contributes to human rights violations and irreversible ecological damage. These concerns must weigh on the scientific community as rare-Earth feedstocks decline, and industrial means of satisfying demand grow more extreme. By contrast, metal-free main group elements exhibit considerable natural abundance and structural diversity, yet their use as catalysts remains underdeveloped. Chapter 1 discusses the development of novel carbon-based bipyridinium and phenanthrolinium dications. Applicability of these species towards catalytic hydrodefluorination (HDF) is reported in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 details the computations used to determine the Hydride Ion Affinity (HIA) of these species and to examine their participation in HDF. Overall, this thesis demonstrates application of novel main group initiators towards modes of reactivity potentially useful in the remediation of chemically persistent perfluorinated compounds. | M.Sc. | rights, ecolog, industr | 9, 15, 16 |
| Hennessy, Kelly | Wright, Virginia | Development of the Challenge-coach as a Contribution towards Understanding Physical Literacy in Children with Neuromotor Disabilities | Rehabilitation Science | 2020-11-01 | Background: Children with neuromotor disabilities often experience barriers to developing/advancing physical literacy (PhysLit) (i.e., physical competences, knowledge, motivation, confidence), and may benefit from a PhysLit-related on/offboarding assessment when they enter and complete a physical activity program. Purpose: (1) Reduce item length of the Ignite Challenge and Challenge-Fun (assessments of the physical competence component of PhysLit) to create coach-friendly versions; (2) explore child and caregiver interest in on/offboarding assessments; (3) elucidate PhysLit meaning for these children. Methods: Twenty-five children with neuromotor disabilities completed the Ignite Challenge or Challenge-Fun, with Ignite-Coach and Fun-Coach candidate item sets extracted and analyzed. Fourteen children and 19 caregivers were interviewed post-Challenge assessment. Results: The 5-item Ignite-Coach and 4-item Fun-Coach met the targets for use in a community-based on/offboarding process. Participants expressed interest in on/offboarding. A more inclusive PhysLit definition was created. Impact: Coaches can apply study findings to encourage a PhysLit-based approach within their programs. | M.Sc. | inclusiv | 4 |
| La Mantia, Claire | Tarasuk, Valerie | Diet Quality in Relation to Income, Education, and Food Insecurity among Canadian Adults | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Given the social gradient in nutrition-related conditions in Canada, we investigated the relationships between Canadian adults’ socioeconomic characteristics and diet quality. Using the Canadian Community Health Survey 2015: Nutrition, we compared one-day mean intakes foradults aged 25-64 (n=8,109) by income quintile, education, and food insecurity status. While few differences were identified based on income quintile, post-secondary education and food security benefitted Canadians’ intake of micronutrients, fibre, fruits/vegetables, percent of energy from ultra-processed foods and/or Healthy Eating Index scores. High income/education in women was also associated with higher diet quality in most indicators analyzed. However, sodium and saturated fat intakes did not differ by socioeconomic characteristics. Our results indicate that higher socioeconomic status, particularly in women, is associated with higher diet quality. Moving forward, nutrition policy should consider the relationships between socioeconomic status and diet quality to optimize interventions and reduce the likelihood of exacerbating the nutrition disparities observed. | M.Sc. | energy, women, educat, health, nutrition, food, socioeconomic | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 |
| Tian, Xinyi | Bobicki, Erin | Diethylenetriamine (DETA) Mitigation at Strathcona Mill: Adsorption Isotherms and Geochemical Modelling | Materials Science and Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Diethylenetriamine (DETA) is an effective reagent for pyrrhotite depression in the flotation of copper-nickel sulphide ores. The rejection of pyrrhotite can increase the concentrate grade and decrease smelter SO2 emissions. DETA can form soluble and stable complexes with nickel and copper at alkaline pH. Thus, the use of DETA in mineral processing can result in soluble metal complexes in the effluent that cannot be removed by conventional wastewater treatment facilities. The objective of this thesis is to understand how DETA behaves in the tailings management area using geochemical modelling and sorption tests. The geochemical modelling showed that Cu and Ni form stable complexes with DETA through pH range 2 to 14 and 4 to 14, respectively. The adsorption tests indicated warm temperature and acidic pH promote the adsorption. Upon dilution, DETA desorbs off from the solids. These results can provide guidance for the development and assessment of DETA mitigation plan. | M.A.S. | waste, water | 6, 12, 14 |
| Seshadri, Akshay | Naguib, Hani E | Direct Sensing of Hydrocarbon Pollutants via Soluble Polymeric Sensors | Materials Science and Engineering | 2018-11-01 | Hydrocarbon leakages are a prominent environmental and economic issue in today’s oil and gas transportation infrastructure. In the US alone, over 100 hydrocarbon spills occur yearly, resulting in billions of dollars of civil and environmental damage. To mitigate the impacts of this issue, development and implementation of leak detection systems are prominently applied in industry. However, current state-of-the-art sensor systems utilize indirect methods of sensing that feature poor hydrocarbon selectivity and low detection accuracies of 16-17%. Herein we employ hydrocarbon-soluble polymers in fabrication of sensor designs for direct and selective crude oil sensing. Composite EVA/carbon fiber sensors are fabricated and show 421% sensor responses after 6 hours of oil exposure, while reflectometry sensing via EVA and silicone coaxial cables show sensor responses of 9.71% to 115% after 24 hours of oil exposure. Overall, high efficacy in hydrocarbon leak detection is achieved, validating the sensing effectiveness of hydrocarbon-soluble polymers. | M.A.S. | pollut, environment, industr, infrastructure | 9, 13, 14, 15 |
| Saleh, Thomas D | Ekers, Michael | Economics of Vulnerability: Infrastructures of Climate Change Adaptation in the Rupununi, Guyana | Geography | 2020-11-01 | This thesis examines the recent emergence of “vulnerability to climate change” as a framework for development in rural Guyana. More specifically, I study experts’ use of the term “vulnerability” throughout the implementation of four recent water infrastructure projects on Indigenous lands in the Rupununi savannah bordering Brazil. The research draws on scholarly analyses of Guyanese postcolonial governance in conjunction with maps, semi-structured interviews, and secondary economic and climatological data. With this evidence, I demonstrate that each project approaches “vulnerability” as a justification for imposing technocratic governance through infrastructure. Examining the planning process more closely, I further find that Guyana’s push for climate change adaptation is marketized, granting decision-making power to funders and contractors over “beneficiaries”. Thus, the new infrastructures in the Rupununi reproduce many of the historical patterns of power originally responsible for the region’s present vulnerabilities. The thesis concludes by discussing alternate approaches to addressing climate change in Guyana. | M.A. | governance, land use, ecolog, climate, rural, infrastructure, water | 6, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| Anderson, Jonathan David | Hum, Sean V | Electromagnetic Surface Treatments for Improving Ground Penetrating Radar | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Autonomous vehicle development and research has recently become a focus many vehicle manufacturers with billions of dollars of investment in recent years. It is shaping the future of the transportation industry. An open problem facing autonomous vehicles surrounds the development of a robust suite of sensors that is able to safely and reliably operate in all weather and road conditions. This thesis investigates the potential of localizing ground penetrating radar as a piece of that sensor suite while simultaneously demonstrating an approach to constructing an LGPR's antenna array by incorporating an artificial magnetic conductor with a resistively loaded dipole. This antenna array has a reduced profile and improved gain performance compared to the current implementation. Such an improvement in gain and profile reduction will allow such a sensor to be more easily incorporated into a vehicle's design and provides a potential road-map to further reduce the size of such arrays. | M.A.S. | weather, industr | 9, 13 |
| Luzuriaga-Aveiga, Vanessa E. | Weir, Jason T. | Elevational Differentiation Increases Rates of Trait Evolution but not Diversification in Neotropical Passerine Birds | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-11-01 | The importance of ecologically-mediated divergent selection in elevating rates of trait evolution has been poorly studied in the most species-rich biome of the planet, the continental tropics. I performed a macroevolutionary analysis of trait divergence and diversification rates across closely-related pairs of passerine birds, belonging to the Amazon basin and adjacent Andean slopes, to assess whether the difference in elevational range separating species pairs influences the speed of trait evolution and diversification rates. Difference in elevation was used as a proxy for the degree of ecological divergence. I found that the amount of elevational separation is associated with faster differentiation of song frequency, a trait important for premating isolation, and several morphological traits, which may contribute to extrinsic postmating isolation. However, ecological differentiation does not primarily drive bird diversification and, thus, may have limited influence on patterns of species richness along the eastern slope of the tropical Andes. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 15 |
| Bell, Natalie Gretchen | Mubareka, Samira | Environmental Sampling and Next-generation Sequencing as a Novel Approach for the Detection and Characterization of Influenza A Virus (IAV) in Swine | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2020-11-01 | Current influenza surveillance systems detecting zoonotic sources such as swine, are costly and labour-intensive. The genetic diversity due to reassortment of influenza A virus in swine underscores the need for a non-invasive, population based surveillance approach to improve pandemic preparedness. Aggregate, environmental samples from agricultural settings can be analyzed using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) techniques, providing an alternative approach to classic surveillance methods for influenza viruses of public health importance. We collected environmental samples from a swine barn in Southern Ontario, Canada. All samples were analyzed by RT-PCR for detection of the matrix gene. A subset of samples were sequenced using two HTS techniques for comparison. We derived viral genomic sequence from environmental samples and identified segment diversity of IAV of swine origin. We also demonstrated that personal samplers retained IAV from the breathing zone of personnel working with swine. The feasibility of environmental sample collection underscores its utility in IAV surveillance in swine production facilities. | M.Sc. | environment, production, labour, health, agricultur | 2, 3, 8, 12, 13 |
| Third, Laura | de Kerckhove, Dak||Chu, Cindy | Evaluating Model Uncertainty to Inform Offset Ratios for the Protection of Freshwater Fish Productivity in Canada | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-11-01 | Ecological models allow resource managers to evaluate human impacts on fish and their habitat. However, quantitative methods that incorporate and assess uncertainty in these models are rare. These models require fish life history information, which is often uncertain, and can thus lead to uncertain predictions and pose risks to either the environment or proponent. I utilized a multispecies size spectrum model to evaluate uncertainty surrounding estimates of three fish life history traits: (1) asymptotic weight; (2) the von Bertalanffy growth coefficient; and (3) weight at maturity. I then applied an existing framework for quantifying compensation ratios to achieve “no net loss” (NNL) in the context of a theoretical development project. The results of this study show that asymptotic size and forage fishes have the greatest influence on predictive uncertainty. I recommend that sampling effort be prioritized for these and demonstrate how to account for uncertainty in a precautionary management framework. | M.Sc. | ecolog, fish, environment, water | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Plue, Reilley Marie | Widener, Michael J | Evaluating the Role of Selective Daily Mobility Bias in Retail Food Environment Research | Geography | 2020-11-01 | Global positioning system (GPS) devices are increasingly being used to provide insight the into retail food environment and how it might be contributing to the ongoing obesity epidemic. Concern has recently been raised about the potential for GPS-based research to over-estimate the impact that exposure to food retailers has on food behaviour. This phenomenon, where it is difficult to discern using GPS data whether an individual is passively exposed or actively seeking a space out, is referred to as a ‘selective (daily) mobility bias’ (SDMB). Using GPS-generated activity spaces from the Canada Food Study, this thesis investigates whether or not including activity locations where food purchases occur changes the association between exposure to restaurants and self-reported consumption of fast food. No significant associations were found in any of the models, but suggestions are made for adopting a biopsychosocial approach in future work that aims to address SDMB within the context of food behaviour. | M.A. | environment, consum, food | 2, 12, 13 |
| Rivera Sanchez, Miryam Lizeth | MacLean, Heather||McCabe, Brenda | Evaluation of Energy Efficiency Measures in High-rise Buildings from a Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Perspective | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Due to its significant contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the building industry is taking action to fight climate change, developing measures for reducing the operational emissions of buildings. However, some of these well-intentioned measures can result in higher embodied emissions. Under certain conditions, this increase in embodied emissions can more than offset the reductions achieved during the building operational phase. This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of five passive energy efficiency measures to reduce GHG emissions from a life cycle perspective for high-rise residential buildings in Toronto, Canada. Decreasing the window-to-wall ratio was found to be the most effective measure to reduce total GHG emissions. Increasing the continuous insulation on walls and roofs with GHG intensive materials can increase total emissions. The thesis also compares the embodied GHG emissions of curtain walls and window walls finding no practical difference in embodied GHG emissions between the options studied. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas, climate, buildings, industr, wind, energy | 7, 9, 13 |
| Keon, Meaghan Rowan | Andrews, Robert C | Evaluation of Enzyme Activity for Monitoring Biofiltration Performance in Drinking Water Treatment | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Recent studies have proposed that enzyme activity may be used as an indicator of biofilter function, as supposed to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), as it provides a means to quantify biodegradation which may allow for a more accurate measure of biofilter performance. This study, 1) developed a methodology for enzyme extraction from filtration media, and 2) evaluated the use of enzyme activity for monitoring biological processes by examining full- and pilot-scale filters to assess impacts associated with pre-treatments, sources waters, and operating conditions. An optimized biomass extraction method for filter media is proposed. Results confirmed that ATP was not a reliable monitoring tool for organics reduction in biofilters whereas strong relationships between esterase and chitinase activity and organics reduction were observed. This study showed that enzyme activity may be appropriate for monitoring biological processes within drinking water filters and may act as a surrogate for the removal of organic compounds. | M.A.S. | water | 6, 14 |
| Hurtado Bolanos, Alonso Javier | Hofmann, Ronald | Evaluation of Mussel Control Strategies in Drinking Water Treatment Plants: Peracetic Acid, Earthtec QZ, and Preclorination | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Mussel macrofouling is a major concern for water treatment plants in the Great Lakes region. This research evaluated peracetic acid (PAA) and EarthTec QZ for mussel control by conducting batch and flow-through tests. Peracetic acid doses ≥ 5 mg/L and a dose of 60 μg/L EarthTec QZ were effective for adult mussel control. This research also explored potential impacts of applying PAA for mussel control on chlorine disinfection by developing a mathematical model running multiple simulations at different pHs. It was concluded that chlorine consumes the hydrogen peroxide in a few minutes, whereas PAA and AA concentrations were largely unaffected. A final component of the research was a multi-year monitoring program at two plants in Ontario to explore settlement rates as a function of temperature. The evidence suggested that temperature alone is not a reliable indicator of settlement activity, and that a calendar-based prechlorination program may be more effective. | M.A.S. | consum, water | 6, 12, 14 |
| Jenks, Bradley Wyatt | Karney, Bryan W.||Papa, Fabian | Evidence-based Water Loss Management: A Novel Approach to Data Collection and Performance Benchmarking in Ontario, Canada | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | It is well understood that leakage in water distribution systems (WDSs) yields adverse financial and environmental impacts. Consequently, effective practices to manage and control leakage are becoming increasingly desired. Existing methodologies, however, have emerged mostly from the European context, giving rise to various limitations and forms of uncertainty when employed in North America. Accordingly, this research promotes field-based practices to enable the assessment of actual system performance, thereby mitigating the potential (and often appreciable) impact of such uncertainties. Central to this work is the development and deployment of a mobile testing unit to monitor flows, with and without pressure reduction, into temporarily configured district metered areas (DMAs). Results from an Ontario-wide testing program have informed various benchmarking metrics from which DMA performance can be objectively quantified. The research targets municipalities in their decision-making efforts through the provision of insightful information to better manage both system leakage and pressure. | M.A.S. | environment, energy, water | 6, 7, 13, 14 |
| Bansal, Jotthi | Chen, Charles | Examining Factors which Affect Self-esteem of Professional Immigrants in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11-01 | To benefit the economy, Canada accepts thousands of professional immigrants each year. However, they often encounter unforeseen hardships in acculturation and employment pursuits which negatively impact self-esteem: a predictor of career success and life satisfaction. Since existing supports for professional immigrants have proven unsatisfactory, the current study aimed to identify and understand impacts of adjustment barriers on self-esteem to inform development of resources including career counselling protocols. Methodologies included analysis of qualitative interviews with professional immigrants who underwent retraining in Canada. Results revealed fluctuations in self-esteem throughout adjustment periods. Self-esteem was highest prior to immigration and upon initial arrival in Canada but significantly decreased during primary attempts at job searching and acculturation. During retraining and post-retraining employment, self-esteem increased but was threatened by remaining adjustment barriers. Eleven key impactors on self-esteem were revealed. By identifying challenges for professional immigrants, results can inform development of resources to encourage health and success. | M.A. | employment, educat, health | 3, 4, 8 |
| Mandla, Serena Marie | Radisic, Milica | Examining the Efficacy and Mechanism of a Peptide Modified Hydrogel for Wound Healing Applications | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Wound healing is a pandemic, challenging doctors, patient quality of life, and healthcare dollars. Current research is focused on developing a multi-modal approach which seeks to heal wounds during all phases of healing, as opposed to tackling one. Using the QHREDGS (Q- peptide)-hydrogel, we seek to elucidate the mechanistic effect of the Q-Peptide on the immune system, specifically evaluating macrophage polarization and how this may affect scar formation. When cultured in the presence of the Q-Peptide, bone marrow derived macrophages differentiated into a novel polarization that is favourable in promoting wound healing. Further, in a clinically relevant model of healthy human healing, the Q-Peptide accelerated and attenuated scarring. This research suggests that the Q-Peptide hydrogel supports wound healing by enacting a response on all phases of healing, adding motivation driving the clinical translation of this biomaterial. | M.A.S. | health | 3 |
| Sikma, Douglas Clarence | Sandwell, Ruth | Experiences and Perceptions of Rural Students in an Urban Situated Regional Faith Based School | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2020-11-01 | Research considering urban and rural student participation, achievement, and experiences in schools notes differences based on geography and cultural milieus. Regional faith-based schools are often populated by students from both rural and urban areas leading to convergence of cultural contexts. Regional schools located near urban centers are typically administered by urban located teachers and other staff, teaching a curriculum that is urban oriented, which has the potential to disadvantage rural students in a variety of ways. A faith-based regional school is meant to alleviate some rural/urban cultural differences by uniting all students and teachers through shared faith and doctrine. This study explores how an urban located regional faith-based school in Southern Ontario services rural students and gives these students voice to share how the school fosters either a more unified faith community through cultural exchange or entrenches a more fragmented collection of cultural communities by reinforcing rural/urban prejudices. | M.A. | rural, urban, educat | 4, 11 |
| Yusuf, Entisar | Lopez, Ann | Experiences of Institutional Racism: Black Graduate Students Navigating Higher Education | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | There is an educational problem that is ongoing and evident – namely, the paucity of Black students in higher education across Canada. Black students who are enrolled in these institutions experience challenges navigating them. The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain deeper insights into the experiences of Black students in predominantly White higher education institutions. Data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews with five Black students, who attended a predominantly White institution in the Greater Toronto Area. Critical Race Theory, which validates the narratives and counter narratives of marginalized groups, framed this research. The following themes emerged as impacting Black students: a) issues of degree attainment, b) navigating campus climate and, c) impact of ongoing activism and burnout. It is hoped that this research will assist post-secondary institutions in implementing programs not only to attract and retain Black students, but offer supports to serve their needs and academic success. | M.Ed. | institut, climate, educat | 4, 13, 16 |
| Rajapakse, Sarin Yasas Sri | Lehn, Peter W | Experimental Implementation of DC Microgrid with Energy Management System | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Due to the impacts of climate change, there is a need to reduce emissions from fossil fuel based electricity generation. DC microgrids are effective for integrating solar photovoltaics and battery energy storage together with local loads due to simple power conversion and control systems. This thesis focuses on a decentralized energy management strategy for a DC microgrid operating in islanded mode to ensure long-term health and protection of the battery energy storage systems. The energy management system utilizes variable-intercept droop characteristic adjustments to balance the state-of-charge of multiple storage elements, and a renewable source limiter to avoid overcharging batteries. The functionality of the energy management approach was validated through PSCAD/EMTDC simulations, and an experimental DC microgrid consisting of a PV source, two energy storage systems, and a DC load. The proposed decentralized energy management system achieved the intended objectives and proved its successful application to practical DC microgrids. | M.A.S. | climate, solar, renewabl, energy, health | 3, 7, 13 |
| Togone, Iman | Mirchandani, Kiran | Exploring Counter-space Adult Literacy Practices in Kingston Galloway Orton Park | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | Classifying adult literacy as an essential skill for the job market in Canada perpetuates capitalistic and elite structures. Through policy changes and shifts, adult literacy programs have been structured as a pathway to employability. However, only 5 to 10 percent of adults who require literacy and upgrading ever enroll in a program, and many of those who do, drop out (Pound, 2006). This research employs Henri Lefebvre's philosophies on the counter-space theory which focuses on the rejection of dominant structures and emphasizes the importance of creating spaces of resistance. The Kingston Galloway Orton Park Adult Literacy Program (KGO ALP) located in Toronto, Canada is an example of a program which uses counter-space literacy practices. The program operates on the assumption that adult literacy learning is a process of self-development. Using a case study design, I found KGO ALP’s counter-space practices reveal learner-centered and progressive practices that allow for more creative, flexible, and innovative solutions. | M.A. | innovat, educat | 4, 9 |
| Sekulovich, Bronwyn | Miller, John P | Exploring Ecologies of the Heart: a Pedagogy for Healing | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2020-11-01 | Throughout this work I outline the crucial role education plays in developing students’ capacities to lead a good life. Without an awareness of the nature of life as interdependent, the mind as self-deceptive and spirit as all encompassing, students are shielded from their capacity to emancipate from cognitive distortions and attune to the healing potential of nature. Without the engagement of contemplative practice from which ecologies of the heart can emerge to cultivate meaning and significance in life, education remains confined to recreating relationships of disconnect and contributing to a colonialist cycle of trauma and self-destruction. The entangled relationship between declining ecological diversity and student mental health and well-being reveals a problem with education. This problem is argued to be grounded in the narrative of human-nature duality (Orr, 2013; Louv, 2011; Zylstra et al., 2014). | M.A. | ecolog, cities, educat, well-being, health | 3, 4, 11, 15 |
| Nsouli, Lea | Lopez, Ann E. | Exploring the Impact of Schooling on Identity Development of Diverse Students in Quebec | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | This research utilized Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory and Cummins’ (1996) coercive and collaborative relations of power framework to explore the experiences of five students who self-identify with multiple cultural identities and who have graduated from the public-school system in Quebec. The study is a qualitative research that employed narrative inquiry methodology to obtain participants’ narratives and experiences. The following areas of schooling in Quebec have significant impact on the identity development of diverse students. These revolved mainly around development of curricula and the implementations of educational policies. Firstly, religious expression and home culture; secondly, school environments; thirdly, sense of belonging and power dynamics; and fourthly, influence of parents. The findings reveal that participants who self-identified with various cultural identities appeared to have experienced conflicting situations in which school values and family values were not aligned. The school system appeared to have neglected supporting the development of students with multiple cultural identities. | M.A. | environment, labor, educat | 4, 8, 13 |
| Hisey, Forrest Barnett | Olive, Andrea | Exploring the Saskatchewan Grasslands: An Investigation of Crown Land and Appropriate Use | Geography | 2020-11-01 | Canadian crown lands are a collection of landscapes which allow for a diversity of actors to interact with. These areas provide platforms for connections between users based on intra-societal values surrounding preservation and extraction. Understanding how actors use crown lands uncovers society’s value of public spaces; and how society influences and is influenced by socio-ecologic connections. Accompanying this is the intimate knowledge constructed through engagements with spaces and local communities. This thesis examines a Saskatchewan case study that focuses on divested crown land from the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency (PFRA) and performs analysis based on interviews surrounding reactions to the divesture. The analysis of citizens and environmental NGO’s (ENGOs) suggests that historic management of PFRA lands was overwhelmingly positive and important on many scales due to their socio-economic and ecologic valuations. Further, this thesis showcases management strategies which could provide similar benefits through administration of crown lands. | M.A. | ecolog, environment, natural resource, socio-economic | 1, 12, 13, 15 |
| Lin, Tian | Isaac, Marney E. | Farmer Advice Network Ties as Predictors of Organizational Leadership | Geography | 2020-11-01 | Increasingly, more farmers are turning to agroforestry, or the integration of trees with agriculture, to diversify their livelihoods while contributing to environmental sustainability. Despite the prominence of farmer groups in the diffusion of agroforestry, few studies have examined predictors of organizational leadership in these groups. By applying social exchange theory and principles of leadership theory, this study used social network analysis to investigate agroforestry advice ties between members of a farmer group in the Ayeyarwady delta region of Myanmar. Advice-seeking ties were found to be influential in predicting leadership status. Actors who received more advice requests and had more frequent interactions through these requests were more likely to be organizational leaders. Also, actors with more ties to elicit and provide advice were more likely to report higher levels of socio-cultural well-being. Study findings suggest farmer groups are well-suited to serve as learning and resource platforms for the adoption of agroforestry. | M.A. | forest, environment, well-being, agricultur | 2, 3, 13, 15 |
| MacDonald, Brianna Allison | Childs, Ruth | First in the Family: On-campus Employment and Academic Success | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-03-01 | This study is concerned with the university experiences of students who are the first in their family to attend university in Canada, and how on-campus work programs, such as Work Study, may affect their sense of belonging to the university campus. The results of this study are based on 14 semi-structured interviews with undergraduate and graduate students studying at a large, urban, research intensive university in Ontario, Canada. The students valued how on-campus work accommodated the demands of their studies and the career-relevant skills and networks that on-campus work helped them develop. They believed that, as first-generation students, they particularly benefitted from the opportunities on-campus work gave them to increase their knowledge about the university and to develop a sense of belonging to the university community. | M.A. | urban, employment | 8, 11 |
| Kent, Jordyn | Christopoulos, Constantin | Flexure and Shear Base-mechanism for the Enhanced Resilience of RC Coupled High-rise Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | This thesis presents the development and analytical investigation of a flexure and shear yielding base-mechanism that improves the seismic performance of RC coupled wall high-rise buildings. Although current design practice achieves life safety and collapse prevention during major earthquake events, there is often extensive damage located in the plastic hinging regions including the wall bases and coupling beams. A system of buckling-restrained braces located below the core is implemented as an alternative seismic fuse. With this system, the first-mode and higher-mode responses of the structure are limited through a combination of flexural and shear yielding. Nonlinear time-history analyses have been carried out comparing the performance of a reference structure to this alternative design. Results demonstrate that the base–mechanism improves the overall performance of the structure by limiting damage and improving safety at all hazard levels. Connection details for the system and design steps are also proposed. | M.A.S. | resilien, buildings | 9, 11 |
| Sundar, Suryavarshini | Acosta, Edgar||Ramachandran, Arun | Formulation of Oil Spill Dispersants using Biobased Surfactants and the Study of Flow-induced Breakup of Floating Oil Drops | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11-01 | This thesis deals with two challenges related to oil spills. First, the Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Difference (HLD) framework was used to develop a lecithin formulation containing food-grade lipophilic and hydrophilic linkers in combination with a non-volatile, mineral oil solvent with food additive status. The HLD parameters of the components were used to determine the lecithin-linker formulations and the interfacial tensions were of the order of 10-2 mN/m and emulsification effectiveness in the range of 75- 85%. The second part of this thesis addresses the breakup oil drops floating on water/aqueous medium under simple shear flow, using a counter-rotating circular Couette device. It was observed that floating drops produce fine droplets via tip-streaming in viscosity matched systems too. At a solvent to bitumen (S/B) ratio of 2, diluted bitumen drops formed a rigid network upon spreading on the interface, but at lower S/B ratios (0.5), they formed drops that rotated like rigid structures. | M.A.S. | water, food | 2, 6, 14 |
| Vela Alarcón, Andrea Melanie | Mojab, Shahrzad | Gender, Migration, and Newcomer Artists | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | The art world is grounded in the gendered and undervalued work of social reproduction. Thus, the high female presence in the newcomer arts scene is not circumstantial but a common trait of an increasingly gendered art world. Drawing from dialectical historical materialist anti-racist Marxist-feminism and existing literature, I explore the conditions in which newcomer female artists come to engage with the Toronto art world, and how do their experiences are imbricated with the power relations that constitute a gendered society. Through interviews to eight artists, I present not only a description of these women’s experiences, but their intersection with gender and racial hierarchies and capitalist social relations embedded in the art world in which they wish to be included. | M.A. | production, women, gender | 5, 12 |
| Roy, Adrien | Posen, Ira D||McCabe, Brenda Y | Generalizable Approaches for Tracking, Estimating, Optimizing, and Quantifying Uncertainty of Fuel Use in Earthworks Operations | Civil Engineering | 2020-11 | Fuel use in earthworks processes are responsible for a considerable portion of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are directly tied to operation costs. Environmental and financial interests are therefore tied to the mitigation of fuel use. There is limited research devoted to understanding how to estimate, and ultimately minimize fuel use in earthwork processes, prompting a detailed analysis into how factors related to equipment, operations, and worksite influence the consumption of fuel. These factors were investigated in a comprehensive review of literature related to earthwork emissions and fuel use. In seeking to address these inconsistencies found in reviewed fuel use tracking efforts, a set of recommendations for tracking influencing factors during earthworks fuel use studies was developed and outlined in detail. Additionally, a modelling approach was developed to accurately estimate fuel use, GHG emissions, activity duration, and cost in a variety of earthwork contexts. | M.A.S. | environment, greenhouse gas, consum | 12, 13 |
| Zaraza, Julian | Posen, Daniel||McCabe, Brenda | Generative Design to Reduce Embodied GHG Emissions of High-rise Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Although countries have reduced their total greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy and transportation policies, the contribution of the building sector has been widely overlooked. Embodied emissions (EE) are particularly important since they are released upfront rather than over the lifespan of buildings, making them critical for accomplishing the 2030 Canadian emission reduction targets. Accordingly, this study developed a tool to reduce EE at the conceptual stage of high-rise residential buildings. The tool also incorporates goals and constraints that are inherent to conceptual building design, such as maximizing site use, views, and complying with building codes. In a case study, it was able to achieve a 7% reduction in EE when compared to a sub-optimal solution. This research elucidated the potential of using generative design in early-stage design, proposed novel systems for the generation and evaluation of design alternatives, and delivered GenGHG, a ready-to-use, open-source tool for conceptual building design. | M.A.S. | greenhouse gas, buildings, energy | 7, 9, 13 |
| James-Wilson, Symon Ameliah | Cowen, Deborah | Geographies and Infrastructures of School Segregation: A Historical Case Study of Rochester, NY | Geography | 2020-11-01 | School segregation in the United States is at a crisis point. The educational landscape in Rochester, NY has become increasingly segregated along the lines of race, class, and geography in recent decades. This thesis investigates the geographies and infrastructures that laid the foundation for Rochester’s school segregation crisis. In particular, it asks how settler colonialism and racial capitalism have sculpted urban and suburban communities’ socio- spatial histories. This research aims to support academics, policymakers, and activists who are committed to developing more historically informed school desegregation policies, and to actualizing “equal educational opportunities for all.” | M.A. | urban, infrastructure, educat | 4, 9, 11 |
| Hubbard, Justin | Mandrak, Nicholas E||Drake, Andrew R | Global Climate Change Alters the Survival Potential of Freshwater Invasive Species | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-11-01 | Global climate change is predicted to alter environments and allow some freshwater species to survive in new areas. Estimates of potentially invasive species’ survival probabilities provide valuable information for resource managers to develop effective invasion mitigation strategies. The probability of species’ survival is commonly estimated by quantifying the similarity in climates between species’ existing ranges (source region) and an area of introduction (recipient region). I quantified the climate similarity between all pairs of source-recipient global watersheds and freshwater ecoregions under historical and future climate scenarios. Results indicated climate change will alter climate similarities between source-recipient pairs with varying intensity depending on the pairing and, consequently, influence survival probabilities at a global scale. Moreover, estimates of climate similarity tended to be higher for larger spatial scales. Risk assessments of non-native species estimating survival probabilities would benefit from incorporating climate change and applying a multi-scale approach to better inform management decisions. | M.Sc. | environment, climate, water | 6, 13, 14 |
| Bedward, AJ | hampton, rosalind||Sztainbok, Vannina | I Hate it Here: A Critical-creative inquiry into Notions of Freedom, Safety, and Privilege | Social Justice Education | 2020-11 | My research examines how Black critical thinkers theorize notions of freedom, safety and privilege. The research asks, how do Black radical understandings of these concepts overlap with, contradict, and challenge the ways in which freedom, safety and privilege are operationalized in liberal discourses? What are the implications and potentialities of Black radical notions of freedom, safety, and privilege for Black life in good relation with Indigenous Peoples? Building on Lisa William-White’s (2011) work of expanding the potentials of qualitative research methodology through evocative performance narratives that are created from journal entries, document analysis, music, poetics, spoken word performance, and sociological introspection; I situate Black critical-creative praxis as one that challenges whiteness, liberal multiculturalism, settler colonialism, patriarchy, transatlantic slavery, racial capitalism and high-education investment in perpetuating imperialism. I comment on “academic freedom”, “safe space”, and the “privilege” of entering the academy through an engagement with poetics, as I grapple with belonging, unbelonging, love, music, and aesthetics. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Arain, Ateeqa S | Campbell, Carol | Impact of Teacher Leadership on Teacher Self-efficacy | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | Being a teacher leader involves teachers understanding and believing in their ability to influence and lead change, which requires teachers to be self-efficacious. Teacher self-efficacy is an important catalyst for the development of students and schools. This paper explored the connection between teacher leadership and teacher self-efficacy, to highlight the importance of developing teacher leadership to improve the education system. I used previously conducted research and one-on-one interviews with teachers to gather data. An analysis of the interviews indicated that teacher leadership supports teachers beyond the classroom, nurtures collaboration and according to the participants it has the capacity to build teacher self-efficacy. It can also be concluded that both concepts bolster each other and collectively impact teacher practice and thus student achievement. Although there are limitations to this study, it forms the basis for understanding teacher leadership and how it supports teachers’ beliefs of their own practice. | M.A. | labor, educat | 4, 8 |
| El Chawra, T Nevine | Buckner, Elizabeth | Implementing Digital Student Data Portability: Experiences and Lessons Learned | Adult Education and Counselling Psychology | 2020-11-01 | A number of institutions and government organizations have embraced Digital Student Data Portability (DSDP) to meaningfully support student mobility. This research examines the lived experience of organizations that implemented innovative DSDP projects. Participating institutions shared their experiences and lessons learned. A key commonality is that each of the participating institutions complemented their existing infrastructures with new platforms that helped translate student’s achievements through a portable, interoperable, comparable, authentic, transparent, relevant, encrypted, shareable, and instantly verifiable record. Perceived benefits that surfaced throughout the interviews are access, shareability, employability, fraud prevention, privacy, portability, and micro-learning. Factors that impacted the uptake of DSDP projects are values, priorities, and the leadership capacity of the organization. Finally, the findings of this study take on new significance in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis that erupted in March 2020. Now is a critical time to understand DSDP, its benefits, implications, and challenges. | M.A. | institut, innovat, infrastructure | 9, 16 |
| Bateman, Alanna | Trbovich, Patricia | Improving Interprofessional Bedside Rounds in a Paediatric Critical Care Unit | Biomedical Engineering | 2020-11-01 | In critical care, communication is essential to patient safety. Patient care rounds are integral to communication and collaboration among interprofessional healthcare providers (HCPs). However, little research has explicitly aligned rounding interventions to HCP needs, which neglects the principle of tailoring interventions to local needs. This study aimed to elucidate HCPs rounding needs, to transform them into interventions within a paediatric critical care unit. First, needs were elucidated from interviews and surveys. Second, interventions were co-designed with HCPs using participatory design. Results uncovered collective and profession-specific needs and associated interventions were identified. To minimize undesirable variability from insufficient clarity on content that should be discussed, HCPs reached consensus regarding the main reasons for rounds. Aligned with these reasons, a rounding structured was created to collaboratively synthesize patient’s problem and develop corresponding care plans. Findings outline how a user-centred design approach can be adapted by institutions to tailor interventions to local needs. | M.H.Sc. | institut, labor, health | 3, 8, 16 |
| Boland, Jared | Bale, Jeff | In-service Skill Development on Queer and Trans Identities and Literacy Practices for Ontario French as a Second Language Professionals | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-03-01 | French teachers are under significant and unique pressures to address gaps in curriculum and practice with regard to Two Spirit, queer, and trans students.Though a helpful tool, Miller’s (2015) queer literacy framework (QLF) has not been considered in published research in French as a second language (FSL) classrooms. In this study, I draw on sociocultural theory to offer professional development to FSL professionals regarding the QLF. The findings confirm a fear of consequences for integrating queerness into teaching. Additionally, the instruction of grammar is understood to be a vehicle for (safely) bringing queerness to the FSL classroom. It also shows how mediation was and was not possible in a digital environment. Finally, it suggests the importance of examining teacher beliefs and practices in professional development. Further work is required to confirm theorizing on the relationship between grammar and social justice and what more is required to integrate the QLF into FSL practice. | M.A. | justice, environment, queer | 5, 13, 16 |
| Amerian, Tasnim | Farnood, Ramin||Tabe, Shahram | Integrity assessment of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes in tertiary treatment applications using fluorescent nanoparticles: bench-scale and pilot study | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11-01 | Development of a robust protocol for in-situ integrity assessment of membrane separation modules is of great practical interest for the effective operation of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment. In this study, fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles were used as non-biological virus-surrogates for indirect integrity assessment of nanofiltration and ultrafiltration membranes. A bench scale and a pilot scale membrane separation study were conducted using a tangential flow filtration (TFF) membrane module and four commercial flat sheet nanofiltration and ultrafiltration polymeric membranes. Fluorescent nanoparticles passing through breached membranes were successfully detected in laboratory and pilot tests using a fluorescence sensor. This result suggests that continuous injection of nanoparticles could be a reliable and efficient method for membrane breach detection. | M.A.S. | waste, labor, water | 6, 8, 12, 14 |
| Besik, Ariana | Ensminger, Ingo | Intraspecific Variation in Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Pigment Composition in White Spruce (Picea glauca): New Physiological Traits for Identifying Trees Better Adapted to New Climates | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11-01 | Analysis of intraspecific variation in photosynthetic productivity and phenology can help us to better understand local adaptation and inform breeding decisions for optimally performing genotypes in extreme and changing environments. We used chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment composition, ground and drone-based spectral reflectance measurements to quantify the variation in photosynthesis of ten 5-year-old white spruce genotypes across a latitudinal gradient in summer, and within one site over a year to determine differences between the ten genotypes in seasonal changes of photosynthesis. The results reveal no genotype-environment interactions or differences between genotypes for pigment composition or fluorescence parameters likely due to a lack of stressful events. However one genotype performed consistently across environments, potentially having stable higher photoprotective capacity than other genotypes. The strong relationship found between vegetation indices measured from the drone and ground based physiological data will enable the high-throughput monitoring of the phenology of photosynthesis in conifer forests. | M.Sc. | forest, environment, climate | 13, 15 |
| Noordermeer, Devin | Ensminger, Ingo | Intraspecific Variation in Regulation of Water Status and Cold Acclimation in Interior and Coastal Douglas-fir in Response to Simulated Warmer and Drier Climate | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-03-01 | Climate change in northern forests is causing increased water stress during summer droughts and potentially increased frost vulnerability following warmer autumns. Physiological responses to changing climate may vary among populations of tree species with broad ranges, such as Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). We aimed to characterize intraspecific variation in the responses of interior and coastal Douglas-fir to summer drought and autumn warming. We assessed photosynthesis, water use efficiency, xylem function, and freezing tolerance in seedlings under controlled conditions. Interior populations exhibited hydraulically safer but less efficient xylem whereas coastal populations exhibited more hydraulically efficient but less safe xylem. Differences in photosynthesis were minimal but suggested lower drought tolerance in the most coastal population. Autumn warming delayed downregulation of photosynthesis, however this did not impair development of freezing tolerance. This research will help determine which tree populations are best adapted to future warmer and dryer climates and thus improve forest regeneration efforts. | M.Sc. | forest, climate, water | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Hutchison, Brian Robert Matias | Wallace, James S | Investigating the Influence of Fuel Volatility on Particle Emissions Phenomena in a Production Gasoline Direct Injection Engine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Due to both potential climate and health concerns, research interest in the formation of particulate matter in GDI engines remains strong. However, the processes driving the emissions are still not fully understood. This experimental study investigated the influence of fuel volatility on the particulate matter emissions, using both commercial and specifically targeted and controlled surrogate fuel blends to isolate the influence of fuel volatility from traditionally considered causative effects of fuel chemistry and properties. In non-ethanol containing fuels, high measured volatility fuels resulted in increased PM emissions in comparison to low volatility fuels, while also generating increased nitric oxide emissions. The effect of 10\% ethanol match blended in these fuels varied with volatility level, with E10 fuels always presenting high PM emissions, unlike their ethanol-free counterparts. A fuel injector deposit driven change in PM emissions was noted in the dataset, which appeared to show dependence on fuel volatility as well. | M.A.S. | climate, production, health | 3, 12, 13 |
| Mazullo Mascarenhas Pereira, Lais | Edwards, Elizabeth A | Investigation of Bioprocesses to Enhance Metal Extraction from Ores and Wastes in Mining Operations | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11-01 | Mine sites are a large source of genetic information that can be studied to explore ways of processing minerals using bacteria. This study investigates the bioleaching potential to extract nickel from ores and wastes at circumneutral pH and denitrifying conditions, and the cyanide biodegradation phenomenon at a gold heap leaching operation by examining naturally growing bacteria at two mine sites. Neutral pH bioleaching of nickel was achieved using nitrate as electron acceptor and oxidant. A mass balance revealed that about 20-30% of the original concentrate was leached over a period of more than 500 days. Faster rates could possibly be achieved by increasing biomass concentration. Thiobacillus was the dominant microbe identified in these microcosms. In gold heap leaching with cyanide, the microbial community was found to be almost entirely composed of a Hydrogenophaga with 16S sequence most similar to other alkaliphilic strains. This strain is presumably growing on the cyanide. | M.A.S. | waste | 12 |
| Majeed, Hamnah | Sherwood Lollar, Barbara | Investigation of Soil Gas Geochemistry at Thorn North Forest Ring | Chemistry | 2020-11-01 | Forest rings are big circular features of low tree density. Studies conducted on Northern Ontario forest rings found CO2 enrichments compared to atmospheric levels in the soil gas at the ring edge. Previous researchers attributed such enrichments to microbial respiration. In this study, shallow and deep samples were obtained from colleagues at the Ontario Geological Survey and were analyzed for their gas composition and stable carbon isotope analysis of CO2 at Stable Isotope Laboratory. The average O2, N2, and CO2 concentrations were 20.79%, 79.00%, and 0.12% respectively. Values of δ13C(CO2) ranged from -11.5‰ to -22.2‰ with the most depleted δ13C(CO2) values associated with the highest CO2 concentrations, and was observed most clearly in the shallow samples, suggesting a larger contribution of microbially-derived CO2. The explanation for this is not yet completely understood, but likely related to greater microbial presence, root respiration, and organic matter decomposition at shallow depths. | M.Sc. | forest, labor | 8, 15 |
| Roberts-Stahlbrand, Anika | Sumner, Jennifer | Is the Meal Hall Part of the Campus Learning System? Investigating Informal Learning in a University Residence Meal Hall | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | Food offers uniquely generative learning opportunities because it is both something to learn about (nutrition, ethical sourcing) and learn through (conversations over shared meals). This thesis bridges the fields of Food Studies, Higher Education and Student Affairs, and Adult Education by asking: What informal learning takes place in the university meal hall? I performed a qualitative case study on a meal hall with more than 1000 students from over 65 countries. My findings cluster around six themes: identity development, food literacy and embodied learning, community and social learning, learning and agency, habit and learning, and food systems learning. My findings point to the powerful promise of intentionally-curated learning in the meal hall to disrupt the invisibility of the modernist food system, and to maximize the pedagogical potential of food to contribute to the campus learning system. This research justifies further study of university meal halls as distinct learning communities. | M.A. | educat, nutrition, food | 2, 4 |
| Kirk, Jessica Paulina | hampton, rosalind | Mapping Livable Geographies: Black Radical Praxis within and beyond Toronto | Social Justice Education | 2020-11-01 | The mid-to-late-2010s involved radical responses to gentrification, surveillance and police violence toward Black diasporic communities in Toronto. My thesis research examines these realities and conditions of Black life in the city, engaging with the following areas of inquiry: The geographies in which Black community organizing and Black art practice take place in Toronto; How Black community organizers, artists and cultural workers relate to and support one another’s work, and how their work responds to historically and contemporarily absented issues concerning Black people in Toronto. Contextualized through theoretic engagement with Black geographies, Black Canadian studies and Black radical thought, this project offers critical insight through a focus group of local Black artists, organizers and community members in Toronto who refuse notions of belonging within a state founded on Black enslavement and Indigenous dispossession. Instead, they theorize tensions and possibilities for Black radical creative practice to generate livable geographies rooted in care. | M.A. | worker | 8 |
| Pirmohamed, Jenna | Ivers, Noah M.||Vigod, Simone N. | Mental Health Care for Common Perinatal Mental Disorders: What Do Fathers Need? | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-11-01 | Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand fathers’ decision making processes around help-seeking for symptoms of common perinatal mental disorders. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey, we recruited a large sample of fathers to identify their decision making needs and preferences for mental health services, in accordance with the Ottawa Decision Support Framework. Results: Our results revealed that fathers’ knowledge about mental disorders was relatively high. Knowing how a mental disorder impacts child development was an important reason to seek treatment. Only 50% of fathers reported being comfortable disclosing symptoms to a healthcare provider, and the preferred disclosure settings were an online survey or primary care provider. Fathers with a history of a perinatal mental disorder had greater acceptability towards pharmacotherapy, compared to fathers with no history. Conclusions: Our findings support the need for the design of targeted decision support to optimize fathers’ engagement in mental health services. Conclusions: Our findings support the need for the design of targeted decision making support that overcomes obstacles to help-seeking among fathers and optimizes their engagement in mental health services in the perinatal period. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Gallage, Kavishka Subashana | Lovejoy, Nathan R||Mandrak, Nicholas E | Metabarcoding Approach to Identifying Early Life Stages of Great Lakes Fishes | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-11-01 | Accurately identifying fishes in their early life stages using morphology is challenging, time-consuming, and requires taxonomic expertise. Metabarcoding is a method that can be used to identify species in batch samples (Cruaud et al. 2017). Detection of early life stages of fishes is important for understanding life history patterns and critical spawning habitat. In this study, metabarcoding is used as an identification tool to identify 1119 egg and larva batch samples from Sydenham River and Rondeau Bay. I identified 34 species from Sydenham River and 8 species from Rondeau Bay and the spawning months of these species based on date of capture. I determined the materials and supplies cost of metabarcoding in this study to be $6597.33, compared to $62289.09 for individual-based barcoding. This study shows the potential of metabarcoding as a broad-scale detection and identification method for early life stages of Great Lake fishes. | M.Sc. | fish, consum | 12, 14 |
| Xie, Yuanyuan | Evans, Greg J.||Brook, Jeffrey R. | Metals in Particulate Matter and Deciduous Teeth | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | Numerous studies have linked airborne metal exposure to adverse health outcomes. Inter-related characteristics of metals were investigated to gain a better understanding of metal exposure in Toronto including the metal composition of size-resolved road dust particles, potentially bioavailable fractions of metals (water-soluble metals) in PM2.5, spatial variability of PM2.5-bound metal concentrations, and the use of deciduous teeth as a novel biospecimen to reconstruct metal exposure timing. High crustal element content and low intrinsic toxicity were found for road dust particles. Local emissions and possible atmospheric processing were found to affect levels of water-soluble Fe, Cu and Mn in PM2.5. Land-Use Regression modelling of Fe, Cu, Ba, Mn, Zn and Pb in PM2.5 revealed different spatial patterns across Toronto. Microstructure identification and micro-spatial trace metal concentration measurement of primary teeth were performed to support Toronto children metal exposure studies. | M.A.S. | water, health | 3, 6, 14 |
| Kung, Jo-Wen Jasmine | DeMartini, Nikolai N.A.D. | Modeling the Dynamics of Evaporator Wash Cycles | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | In the pulp and paper industry, black liquor evaporation is an essential step that leads to energy and chemical recovery. Fluctuations in liquor chemistry can result in evaporator scaling events, which negatively impacts thermal efficiency and mill production. Efficient evaporator washes result in scale dissolution and recovery of the heat transfer rate. Tool development is needed to improve the current evaporator washing strategies, which are primarily based on trial and error. The focus of this work was on the modeling approach and the evaluation of the impact of evaporator wash cycles on the fluctuations in sodium and oxalate in the feed liquor. The simulation was based on the evaporation plant of a South American pulp mill, and the dynamic model was developed in Matlab Simulink. The developed model demonstrated the potential to estimate the concentration of key ions that cause scaling, and to lead to improvements in evaporator washing strategies. | M.A.S. | production, industr, energy | 7, 9, 12 |
| Yu, Shi Miao | Bilton, Amy | Modelling and Control of a Pico-scale Hydro Turbine for Pressure Regulation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Hydraulic pumping systems account for 8.6\% to 9.2\% of total global energy usage. Significant research has gone into improving pumping system efficiency. Pressure control devices, such as throttling valves, are a large source of inefficiency to any large hydraulic system. To offer an alternative to throttling valves, an inline pico-scale ( | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Desai, Aditi | Gupta, Sumit | Morbidity, Mortality, and Healthcare Use Among Siblings of Children with Cancer | Medical Science | 2020-11-01 | We investigated the impact of childhood cancer on siblings by characterizing their long-term physical health outcomes. Population-based cohorts of exposed and unexposed siblings were created and linked to health services data. Outcomes compared between the two groups included: 1) physical health conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes); 2) acute healthcare use (hospitalizations and emergency department [ED] visits), and; 3) preventive healthcare use (e.g., periodic health checkups and influenza vaccinations). Compared to 30,364 unexposed siblings, 7,591 exposed siblings were at increased risk of hypertension [HR 1.8; 95CI 1.1-2.9; p=0.016]. They also had higher rates of ED visits [RR 1.1; 95CI 1.1-1.2; p | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Li, Peixuan | Park, Chul B.||Lee, Patrick C. | Morphology and Mechanical Properties of In-situ Fibrillated Polyethylene Based Composites | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Spunbond fibrillation, an industrial scaled technology, is utilized in a wide range of applications such as medical products, textiles, and others. Here, an in-situ fibrillated method was proposed to fabricate the fiber-in-fiber polymer composite using spunbond technology. In the study, we investigated four researches: Chapter 2 explored the influence of morphology of PBT domains on the crystallization, rheological, and mechanical properties of PBT/HDPE composites; Chapter 3 investigated the effectiveness of the coupling agent on the surface compatibility between PBT and PE interfaces and its mechanical behaviour; Chapter 4 discussed the impacts of the UV curing time and the second phase content on the morphology, and mechanical behaviours of the EPDM/PE composites; and Chapter 5 studied the morphology of the E-beam cured EPDM/PE (and mPE/PE) composites. The in-situ fibrillar strengthened/ toughened composites are promising for applications such as automotive, astronomy, medical services, and consumer goods, and so on. | M.A.S. | consum, industr | 9, 12 |
| Croxall, Mark Peter John | Goh, Cynthia | New Methods for Tracking the Photocatalytic Efficiency of BiOX and TiO2 Nanocomposite Materials using NMR | Chemistry | 2019-06-01 | Photocatalysis has been proposed as a green method of solving environmental and human health related issues such as wastewater treatment, anti-microbial treatment, and development of self-cleaning surfaces. Despite thousands of papers on photocatalytic materials and theory, photocatalytic materials have not been able to redefine our industrial landscape as once thought. I will describe the synthesis and characterization of new highly efficient photocatalytic materials, nanoplate- BiOCl and TiO2-NGQD nanocomposites. Further traditional methods, such as UV-Vis, TOC, and LC-MS, for evaluating efficiency and their shortcomings will be discussed. Finally, novel work in using NMR to track photocatalytic reactions and its potential to glean new insight into the mechanism is shown. | M.Sc. | environment, waste, industr, water, health | 3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14 |
| Dimayuga, Pia Isabel | Saxe, Shoshanna | Northern Ontario Air Transportation and Remote Community Resilience and Wellbeing | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | This thesis explores the role air transportation plays in northern Ontario remote community wellbeing and resilience using mixed methods based on a modified resilience framework. Six years of cargo data and flight operations data from one airline in the region are analyzed to first, map how remote communities and their infrastructure systems are dependent on air transportation, and second, to analyze air transportation performance. Air transportation is the only mode of year-round travel in 31 northern Ontario communities and therefore plays an essential role in connecting communities to essential goods and services (e.g. food, healthcare). In terms of infrastructure interdependencies, the main cargo delivered by air is diesel fuel for energy, with a secondary good being construction materials. Performance-wise, air transportation faces both infrastructure challenges (e.g. lack of weather reporting, inadequate de-icing services) and operating challenges (e.g. poor weather) that are exacerbated by climate change effects. | M.A.S. | weather, climate, resilien, infrastructure, energy, wellbeing, health, food | 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13 |
| Mirek, Patrick Michael | Mostaghimi, Javad | Novel Industrial Scale Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma Torch | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11-01 | A novel industrial scale radio frequency inductively coupled plasma (RF-ICP) torch design is proposed which uses a conical geometry. The objective of this thesis is to investigate whether this geometry can provide reduced gas power consumption and a higher quantity of spheroidized (i.e., melted) particles. The investigation is conducted using computational fluid dynamic simulations in ANSYS Fluent by simulating the injection of powder particles into the plasma discharge produced by the RF-ICP torch. Simulations are performed to optimize the conical torch and compare its performance to a conventional RF-ICP torch. It is found that the new conical torch achieves spheroidization ratios up to 2 times higher than the conventional torch, due to higher temperatures and an induction zone closer to particles. Additionally, it runs at 42% lower gas consumption and can achieve industrially acceptable spheroidization ratios at half the power level of the conventional torch. | M.A.S. | consum, industr | 9, 12 |
| Kim, Junseob | Bazylak, Aimy | Novel Porous Transport Layers with Through Pores for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzers | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Development of cost-effective porous transport layers (PTLs) for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers is crucial for the implementation of clean energy systems. In this thesis, novel PTLs with through pores have been investigated. Limited mass transport in the in-plane direction was observed in through pore PTLs, using in operando synchrotron X-ray radiograph. Furthermore, the limited in-plane mass transport led to dehydration of the catalyst layer (CL). Therefore, the placement of through pores play a critical role in the performance of PEM electrolyzers. Next, through pore PTLs consisting of woven meshes were studied. The contact resistance between the woven mesh PTL and the CL dominated performance losses, and smaller pore sizes improved the contact resistance. Stacking meshes with different pore sizes resulted in inhomogeneous compression of the CL, significantly degrading the PEM electrolyzer performance. The results from this thesis contribute to the development of cost-effective PTLs for next generation PEM electrolyzers. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Potvin-Bernal, Julian | Shu, Lily H | Nudging Eco-driving Behaviour using Motive Substitution | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11-01 | The behaviour change technique of motive substitution may be a more effective method of motivating drivers to adopt an energy efficient driving style than existing strategies. Previous research has tested dashboard displays that inform, score, and advise drivers, but do little to overcome attitudinal barriers, intention-action gaps, and apathy. An animated sloshing coffee-cup display applies motive substitution by providing an alternate gameful experience that is intuitive, engaging, and congruous with the goal of low-acceleration driving. This intervention incorporates principles from cognitive and social psychology, human factors engineering, and behavioural economics to influence driver behaviour while managing distraction risks. The intuitive elements of the display were tested in an online survey with drivers reporting a significant preference for the coffee-cup display over an acceleration dial gauge. A driving simulator study was developed to test the behavioural impacts of a functional prototype using measures of acceleration, fuel consumption, and eye glance durations. | M.A.S. | environment, consum, energy | 7, 12, 13 |
| Donia, Joseph | Shaw, Jay A.||Jadad, Alex R. | Patient and Public Co-design of Smart Technologies for Health Care: A Meta-narrative Review | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-11-01 | This thesis reports on how patient and public co-design of smart technologies for health care has been conceptualized in the academic literature. Drawing on perspectives from critical data studies, it analyzed findings to generate insights into the circumstances under which co-design might create a positive future with these technologies as they become more deeply embedded in health care. Three meta-narratives animating the literature on co-design of smart technologies for health care were identified: co-design as usable design, co-design as responsible design, and co-design as design by society. The study concludes with the presentation of a series of ‘myths and misconceptions’ related to co-design of smart technologies for health care. It suggests that these myths serve particular interests over time, and that alternative formulations might serve as a starting point for illuminating strategies that enable co-design to engage with the broader range of normative issues raised by digital capitalism. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| neufeld, megan christine caldwell | Bialystok, Lauren | Pedagogy Otherwise: Queer Temporality and Social Justice Education | Social Justice Education | 2020-11-01 | Social change is an engagement with time: it alters, reframes, and reckons with temporal experiences and expectations. Social change engages time to improve the justice of our conditions. As such, social justice education should be conscious of the ways that its pedagogies engage time. This thesis looks to critical pedagogies and community education to draw out how time is already considered in social justice education, and to suggest how else time might be taken up in pedagogy. To do this, the thesis looks at how education can broaden possibilities by rejecting the dominant order as the only reality. The thesis looks at the various ways that queer theorists understand thinking about the future, and what these conceptions of time mean for social justice pedagogies. The findings of this thesis are collected under the concept of Pedagogy Otherwise, which offer an initial sketch of how temporal conceptions can support social change through education. | M.A. | justice, queer, educat | 4, 5, 16 |
| Cevallos Nunez, Melanie Domenica | Hofmann, Ronald | Peracetic Acid Disinfection Synergy With Alum and Direct Reaction With Chlorine | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Peracetic acid (PAA) is an effective disinfectant during wastewater treatment. Anecdotal reports suggest that its disinfection efficiency increases when combined with residual alum from upstream coagulation. This research focused on determining if PAA and aluminum could initiate an advanced oxidation process. Two probes were used during this study to test the presence of hydroxyl radicals (OH•), and neither showed OH• formation. E. coli inactivation was also assessed, with no significant increase in log reduction observed when alum was present during PAA disinfection. This research also focused on the effect of PAA on chlorine disinfection when used as a pretreatment for DBP and mussel control during drinking water treatment. A kinetic model was developed to simulate the impact of PAA on chlorine consumption as a function of pH. It was determined that chlorine decay was attributed mainly to the reaction with the slow formation of H2O2 associated with PAA decomposition. | M.A.S. | waste, consum, water | 6, 12, 14 |
| Fernandes, Timothy John | McMeans, Bailey C. | Physiological Consequences of Seasonality in Temperate Fishes: The Effect of Thermal Preferences on Energy Storage Strategies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-06-01 | Aquatic ectotherms are faced with seasonal fluctuations in metabolic rates and prey density that can drive distinct patterns in energy storage. Lipids are crucial for overwinter survival and successful reproduction in many aquatic organisms. My thesis investigated the effect of seasonality on lipid dynamics in fish with different thermal preferences. I conducted a comprehensive literature review of seasonal lipid levels in freshwater fishes. Then, I compared lipid and protein dynamics in a warm and cold water fish species sampled from Lake of Two Rivers in Algonquin Park. Seasonal lipid variation appeared widespread across thermal guilds, suggesting that energy acquired during warm months is universally important for overwinter survival and reproduction. Across-species, larger bodied fish had dampened seasonal lipid variation. Algonquin lake trout (cold water) exhibited more variable seasonal energy levels than smallmouth bass (warm water). These findings provide a new perspective on general physiological responses to seasonality in freshwater fish. | M.Sc. | fish, production, energy, water | 6, 7, 12, 14 |
| Shi, Yuelun | Chan, Arthur AC | Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Settled House Dust | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds which generated from high-temperature incomplete combustion processes. A major route of exposure to PAHs occurs in the indoor residential environment. PAHs can sorb into dust particles, and resuspension of these particles mobilizes potentially toxic compounds. The sources of indoor PAHs are still poorly understood. In this study, we examine the results from the Fire Ash Characterization and Evaluation of Toxicity (FACET) study. We found that the profile of PAHs in indoor house dust resembled that from vehicular emissions and/or local oil sand processing operations. We also investigated the effects of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and found limited impacts on PAH levels. Total PAH levels are lower in the winter, likely due to an increase in wet deposition to snowfall. The change of vapor pressure of PAHs under different seasons also shapes the overall PAH profile in Fort McMurray. | M.A.S. | environment | 13 |
| Gillis, Daniel Paul | Minns, Charles K||Shuter, Brian J | Predicting Open-water Thermal Regimes of Temperate North American Lakes | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-11-01 | Temperature affects lakes’ physical, chemical, and biological attributes, and is influenced by several abiotic factors. Lake temperature modelling permits regional estimates of seasonal fish thermal habitat; however, this requires accurate models for large spatial scales. To address this, I fit a semi-mechanistic seasonal temperature-profile model (STM) to 369 North American lakes with data spanning 1971-2016. STM with a fixed-depth thermocline formula accurately modelled lake temperature (median lake-year-specific RMSE: 1.13 ºC). I selected candidate predictors using random forests, then used linear mixed-effects modelling to create empirical equations to predict STM parameters from lake-specific morphometry and climate. I tested the accuracy of my equations with 776 Ontario lakes and found good agreement between predicted and observed temperatures (median lake-year-specific RMSE: 2.28 ºC) and stratification occurrence (91.9%). These findings enhance our understanding of factors that influence lake temperatures and could identify lake types and regions that may be especially susceptible to climate change. | M.Sc. | forest, fish, climate, water | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Patel, Nirali | McCready, Lance T | Reimagining Informal Place-based Learning: An Exploration through Narratives of Scarborough Residents | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-03-01 | Scarborough, a region marred by its representation as a “dangerous” region has arguably left residents with internalized otherness, along with complicated understandings of themselves and their surroundings. Using narrative inquiry, this qualitative study explores how Scarborough residents conceptualize informal learning in connection to place. Interviews were conducted with six residents from the Malvern and Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhoods to better understand their lived experiences and interactions with informal learning. Critical pedagogy of place and critical consciousness are the theories informing the conceptual framework and guiding this study. Emerging from the data are four themes: shared understandings of community, barriers to learning and opportunity, meaningful informal learning experiences and representative and reciprocal relationships. In using place as a guiding framework for inquiry, residents describe the creation of informal spaces of gathering and storytelling as tools in countering the hegemonic narratives of Scarborough and its many communities. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Chang, Ya-Ching | Gauvreau, Paul | Relationship Between Lateral Load and Interstorey Drift in Total Precast Concrete Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | This thesis documents the first phase of the project in which the end goal is to develop a model that characterizes the relationship between lateral load and interstorey drift in total precast concrete buildings. CSA Standard A23.3 and the CPCI Design Manual will be used as the main source of design codes and standards for this project. In this thesis, the lateral load-deflection response of the welded plate connection, which is one of the two main connection types used in total precast concrete buildings, has been developed based on a series of experiments. The following have also been completed in this thesis: 1. The experimental design for characterizing the tensile load-deflection response of the grouted dowel connection, which is the other main connection type, and 2. The preliminary experimental design for a storey test, which aims to characterize the behaviour of a storey within a total precast building. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Mazur, Natalie Monica | Piccardo, Enrica | Research Perspectives on the Marginalization of Core French Teachers: A Qualitative Meta-analysis and Research Agenda for Elementary-level Ontario Core French Education | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2020-11-01 | French as a Second Language (FSL) education is mandatory in Ontario. Research on elementary Core French education in Ontario has shown that its teachers are marginalized in practice. How this marginalization is positioned by researchers and what researchers recommend to end it are key foci of this thesis. Using a hybrid framework of complexity theory, critical theory, and language as right, the research perspective on the marginalization of Core French teachers is examined in order to form an agenda for future research. Dichotomy and variability in researchers’ positioning of the issue as well as in their recommendations are uncovered. A move toward grassroots-level activist research is highlighted, with a salient theme of agency and empowerment. A major implication of this research is the need to address the place of Core French within national bilingualism. Suggestions for future research include larger sample sizes, quantitative investigations, and interventionist research. L'enseignement du français langue seconde (FLS) est obligatoire en Ontario. La recherche sur l'enseignement du français de base au niveau primaire en Ontario ont montré que les enseignant.es sont marginalisé.es. Comment cette marginalisation est positionnée par les chercheurs et ce que les chercheurs recommandent pour y mettre fin sont les axes clés de cette thèse. En utilisant un cadre hybride de théorie de la complexité, de théorie critique, et de langage comme juste (Language-as-Right), les perspectives de la recherche sur la marginalisation des enseignants de français de base est examinée afin de former un agenda pour les recherches futures. La dichotomie et la variabilité du positionnement des chercheurs sur la question et aditionellement dans leurs recommandations sont découvertes. Un mouvement vers la recherche militante au niveau local est souligné, avec un thème saillant de l'agence et de l'autonomisation. Une implication majeure de cette recherche est la nécessité d'envisager la place du français de base dans le bilinguisme officiel du Canada. Les suggestions de recherche future comprennent des échantillons plus grands, des enquêtes quantitatives, et de recherche interventionniste. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Goel, Natasha | Wakefield, Sarah | Residential Segregation and Inequality: Considering Barriers to Choice in Toronto | Geography | 2021-03-01 | Segregation of visible minorities has persisted throughout time in Toronto. In examining these concentrations, the literature has been heavily focused on the notion that visible minorities are choosing to live in proximity of their respective ethno-racial groups and that these are spaces of aspiration rather than marginalization in Canada. This thesis raises questions about the assertion of ‘self-segregation’ by emphasizing affordability constraints on residential choices that are often rooted in discrimination and inequality in the housing and labor markets. Census data from 2016, the dissimilarity index and an adopted neighborhood classification scheme was used to understand the spatial patterning of visible minorities in the Toronto CMA and highlight differences in the socio-economic characteristics of visible minority dominant and white dominant census tracts. The findings invite the inference that economic opportunities play a critical role in the residential choices of visible minorities and raise concerns about the quality of life in visible minority neighborhoods. | M.A. | inequality, labor, equality, socio-economic | 1, 5, 8, 10 |
| Abdelwahab, Bilal | Shalaby, Amer||Farber, Steven | Ridesharing and Social Inclusion: The Role of Ridesharing in Improving Job Access for Disadvantaged Populations | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Research has shown a lot of promise that ridesharing services could be contributing to more- equitable transportation systems by improving job access to groups at high risk of social exclusion. Since the main purpose of transportation is giving individuals access to the destinations that they value, it is most appropriate to evaluate ridesharing through the lens of accessibility. This study investigates how ridesharing contributes to job access in the city of Toronto through a multimodal accessibility assessment. Specifically, the study uses the generalized cost to construct contours of the cumulative opportunities and evaluates the benefit of ridesharing in terms of the accessibility improvement that this mode provides – as seen by socially disadvantaged groups. The findings suggest that ridesharing offers the most benefit in areas with lower transit service levels and with higher job concentrations. Also, using ridesharing as an ingress mode to higher-order transportation lines offers very little benefit. | M.A.S. | equitable | 4 |
| Watterworth, Jessica Charlotte | Roth, Daniel E. | Risk factors for low physical activity levels in preschool-aged children in urban Bangladesh | Nutritional Sciences | 2018-11-01 | Physical activity (PA) is a known determinant of health and is important in the development of young children. Risk factors for PA may be different in low- and middle-income countries, such as urban Bangladesh, where the environment is densely populated and nutritional deficits are common. We aimed to describe the PA levels of preschoolers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as well as estimate the associations between preschooler PA levels and household and nutritional factors. We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study, collecting accelerometry, hemoglobin concentration, socioeconomic status, anthropometry, and data on the home built environment. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the associations between PA and the exposures of interest. The entire sample were found to meet Canadian preschooler PA guidelines for daily activity. There were no associations between PA and characteristics of the built environment of the home, nor hemoglobin concentration, suggesting a need for further exploration of potential influential factors. | M.Sc. | environment, urban, health, nutrition, socioeconomic | 1, 2, 3, 11, 13 |
| Yu, Zhu Hao | Passeport, Elodie | Role of Salinity, Genotypic Variation, Microbial Communities, and Algae on the Elimination of Benzotriazole by Duckweed Lemna minor | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-11-01 | Benzotriazole is an emerging contaminant incompletely removed by wastewater treatment plants. This work investigated several environmental factors that may influence the transformation of benzotriazole by wetland model plant duckweed Lemna minor, including salinity, variation among duckweed genotypes, microbial communities, and algae Chlorella vulgaris. Results show that high salinity (10 g/L) reduced the phytotransformation (transformation by plant) of benzotriazole. Intermediate salinity (0.8 g/L) modulated the formation of phototransformation (transformation driven by light) products aniline and 3-aminophenol. Microbial inoculation promoted the formation of a phytotransformation product, benzotriazole acetyl-alanine. Variation among duckweed genotypes in transforming benzotriazole suggests that constructed wetlands could be designed to increase benzotriazole depletion and reduce effluent toxicity by selecting appropriate duckweed genotypes. Algae also depleted benzotriazole, but it did not influence the depletion kinetics by duckweed in a symbiotic manner. Other plants and algae could potentially phytotransform benzotriazole as the proposed pathways are shared among plants and algae. | M.A.S. | environment, waste, water | 6, 12, 13, 14 |
| Yang, Ruifang | McCabe, Brenda Y | Safety in Construction: Connecting Safety Climate, Safety Performance, and Leading Indicators | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Due to the injury-prone nature of the general construction industry, identifying the sector as the better performer in safety would provide insights on aspects requiring further improvement, and determining the leading indicators of injury can help companies develop preventive measures towards increasing injury reports. The two objectives were achieved into two sub-studies. Based on self-administrated survey data, comparisons on workers’ demographic information, their safety perception, and safety performance were conducted between the nuclear sector and the general construction industry through Mann-Whitney test. The nuclear sectors was found to have better safety performance, and factors where the nuclear sector is the better performer were also identified. Besides, based on a 2019 incident dataset, time-dependent relationships between injuries and near miss events were developed using time series analysis. It was found that near miss and physical injuries are interacting with each other closely with lag-time of 1 or 2 weeks. | M.A.S. | climate, industr, worker | 8, 9, 13 |
| Versteeg, Evan John | McMeans, Bailey C | Seasonal Variation of Brain Size and Structure in a Freshwater Top Predator | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-03-01 | Teleost fishes occupy a range of ecosystem and habitat types subject to large seasonal fluctuations. Strategies for surviving theses seasonal environments can vary widely and are commonly accompanied by variation in brain structure. However, our understanding of how predictable changes in behavior across seasons shape, or are shaped by, the nervous system is limited. Here I investigate how patterns in the brain size and brain region sizes of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) coincide with seasonal changes in habitat and behavior using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and bioacoustic telemetry. There was significant seasonal variation in whole brain size, as well as the size of some regions, which coincided with movement of lake trout between nearshore and offshore habitats. Successful completion of annual life history events (i.e., reproduction, habitat use, and diet shifts) could therefore be supported by seasonally responsive brain size flexibility that allows for a cognitive capacity more tailored to different parts of the year. | M.Sc. | fish, environment, production, water | 6, 12, 13, 14 |
| Rutayisire, Emmanuel | Springgay, Stephanie | Sensuous Clothing – Cultivating a Hidden Fashion Curriculum that Moves and Bends with Living Atmospheres | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-03-01 | In this thesis I theorize what I call ‘fashion atmospheres’ as a pedagogical mode that considers both the visible and invisible aspects of clothing. I theorize a fashion pedagogy that considers both human and more-than-human presences. I use non-representational theories along with feminist new materialisms and anti-colonial theories to argue for relational, affective and equitable fashion systems. As a research-creation project, I theorize with three textile-based artworks that work to unsettle the idea that clothing is empty of meaning outside of human use and capital gain. Instead, I argue that fashion and clothing are complex sites of knowledge that needs to be taken seriously. I challenge the idea that a garment is a dead object waiting for human extraction by attuning to the many possibilities of a garment as a relational and affective object that has always been influenced by the ways we come to relate to each other and to the more-than-human. | M.A. | equitable | 4 |
| Tsang, Tara | Ratto, Matt | Social Responsibility in Future Worlds: Using Student-led Futures Thinking Practices to Assist in Redesigning Engineering Education | Information Studies | 2021-03-01 | This research explores the potential for integrating futures thinking and speculative design practices in undergraduate engineering education, as a move to push Canadian engineering pedagogy into student-led spaces for more creative, reflective, and civic-oriented thinking. The research examines iterative design and development sessions, which detail the transformation of an educational, student-led intervention into an exploratory, futures-based workshop— Undiscipline. Though pilot play sessions, the potential of this tool is examined, particularly in its encouragement of participants to continually question their perception of the future, their understanding of society, and their role and responsibility to shape a preferable future. Lastly, this study discusses the potential for this game as a tool for student-led and values-driven education, to propose the implementation of futures studies in mainstream education as a method for reflective and creative growth, and how Undiscipline can be used as a lens to examine institutional pushback and burgeoning possibilities for educator implementation. | M.I.S. | institut, educat | 4, 16 |
| Vallieres, Morgan | Donaldson, D.James | Studies of Photochemistry in Some Indoor and Outdoor Environments | Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | The impacts of photochemistry can be observed in our everyday lives. This thesis explores two small portions of this daily importance, by highlighting its impact on tracking our oceans’ primary productivity, and the air we breathe inside our homes. Chlorophyll fluorescence can be correlated to phytoplankton in our oceans. We look at chlorophyll, to examine the fluorescence quenching rate constants of common seawater components such as halides (Cl-,Br-,I-) and Iron(III). We do this by comparing spectra which show fluorescence intensity of pure chlorophyll in comparison to this same solution’s fluorescence in the presence of sea water quenchers. In a second study, we show that paints specifically marketed to be photoactive can produce NOx compounds such as (NO,NO2,HONO) from the aqueous deposition of nitrate (NO3-) and gas (NO) phase at 0 and 50 % RH, under illumination sources found indoors (fluorescent ,xenon, incandescent). These gaseous species can be important sources of indoor ozone and OH, which impact the oxidation capacity indoors | M.Sc. | ocean, environment, water | 6, 13, 14 |
| Courts, Rachel | Childs, Ruth | Supporting Students’ Well-being through Student Voice Initiatives: An Exploration of Well-being Teams in Ontario Secondary Schools | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | As mental health concerns among youth persist, there is a growing need for schools to better support students’ well-being and to also involve students in these efforts. Using a qualitative research design, this study explores student-led well-being teams across secondary schools in Ontario, Canada. Interviews were conducted with four students involved in their school’s well-being team in order to better understand their perceptions of their roles and experiences on these teams. This study’s conceptual framework was informed by the literature related to student voice and its connection to well-being. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), three superordinate themes were identified in this study: Independent/Dependent Nature of Roles, Integral to and Integrated in School Community, and Experiencing Growth. Overall, students described aspects of both positive and negative well-being as a result of their experiences, which demonstrates the importance of establishing certain conditions that allow for student voice and well-being to thrive. | M.A. | educat, well-being, health | 3, 4 |
| Sahib, Khatija | Prudham, Scott | Supporting Urban Stormwater Management Programs with a User-fee: The Evaluation of Experiences from New South Wales/Blacktown City Council, Philadelphia and Mississauga | Geography | 2020-11-01 | In the absence of adequate and consistent funding from traditional revenue sources, cities consider or implement a user-fee to sustainably support stormwater management initiatives. User-fees are policy tools charging customers for their consumption and utilization of a service the government delivers. Cities report favourable results as user-fees provide dedicated funding due to purposeful collection. However, it is challenging to design and administer a stormwater user-fee as staff must balance various considerations while responding to those in opposition. In fact, opposition has halted implementation in multiple cities. For instance, officials and the City of Toronto’s electorate viewed the 2017 Stormwater Charge as regressive, resulting in the initiative's abandonment. By assessing user-fee programs in three broadly comparable cities to Toronto – New South Wales/Blacktown City Council (Australia), Philadelphia (USA), and Mississauga (Canada) – this research determines if key recommendations from broadly comparable cities can inform the design and administration of a user-fee for Toronto. | M.A. | consum, urban, cities, infrastructure, water | 6, 9, 11, 12, 14 |
| Avery, Teresa Lynn | Brett, Clare||Hewitt, Jim | Teacher Presence Pedagogy, a thematic interview discussion about online learning | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2018-11-01 | This paper examines drivers of online instruction methods, through thematic open-ended interviews with 10 graduate-level faculty, active in online and blended learning courses in a major Canadian public university. The research forms a bounded case study of ten instructors who teach online courses using a web-based environment, PeppeR. The research question motivating this study is: How do online instructors describe the processes and activities they try to nurture in online courses, and what sort of decisions and methods do they use? Educators are conscientious about being stakeholders, giving concrete examples, and offering suggestions that are meaningful. Findings highlight detailed responses from educators which emphasize design and organization, facilitating discourse, and direct instruction in a computer-mediated environment. Ideas around effective online teaching presence echo in the pedagogy of stakeholders in an environment of engaged learners and faculty. | M.A. | environment, educat | 4, 13 |
| Ahmad, Shayla Nahar | Labrie, Normand | Teachers’ Beliefs about Assessment: A Multiple Narrative Case Study of Internationally Educated Teachers’ Assessment of Speaking Skills in Canadian ESL/EAP Classrooms | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-03-01 | This multiple narrative case study examines the assessment beliefs of internationally educated teachers in assessing speaking skills in Canadian ESL/EAP classrooms. Research highlights how teachers’ assessment beliefs influence the way they conceptualize assessment purposes and integrate them into curriculum and lesson planning. With the increasing number of internationally educated English language teachers working in various K-12 and post-secondary contexts in Canada, it is important to understand how their previous assessment beliefs and practices impact their assessment in a new teaching context. The study revealed IETs held multi-layered beliefs focused on the purpose of assessment, types of and tools for speaking assessment, and feedback. Also, numerous contextual factors including classroom contexts, institutional requirements, and curriculum expectations seem to contribute to their change in speaking assessment practices in varied contexts. The results implicate IETs as a heterogeneous group of professionals who require differentiated professional development opportunities and mentorship programs to better integrate in Canadian ESL/EAP classrooms. | M.A. | institut, educat | 4, 16 |
| Brulé, David | Boon, Heather | Telemedicine use Amongst Homeopaths and Naturopaths in Ontario, Canada | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Telemedicine, in the form of online video consultations, holds great potential for the delivery of medical care. This research aims to investigate the extent of, rationale for, and the motivations for telemedicine use by homeopaths and naturopaths. State-regulated homeopaths and naturopaths in Ontario were surveyed. Survey questions captured telemedicine use, demographic and socio-economic data, and opinions regarding respondents’ motivations behind telemedicine use. The survey, conducted between October 2018-January 2019, had 183 homeopath and 366 naturopath respondents. Telemedicine consultations were performed by 65.6% of homeopaths and 32.5% of naturopaths in the previous 6 months. There were no significant differences between telemedicine users and non-users for gender, geographical location, and age. The best fit regression model of motivational factors comprised of attitude towards telemedicine and perceived ability to use telemedicine (Nagelkerke R-squared=.281). Telemedicine is used substantially by Ontario homeopaths. Attitude and perceived ability to use telemedicine were associated with telemedicine use. | M.Sc. | gender, health, socio-economic | 1, 3, 5 |
| Boccia, Christopher Kevin | Mahler, D. Luke | Testing for Convergent Evolution in Semi-aquatic Anolis Lizards | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-11-01 | Twelve species from six different clades of Anolis lizard exhibit a semi-aquatic lifestyle. These unusual species are found only along neotropical streams, and are known to swim, capture aquatic prey, and dive to escape predators. Based on ecomorphology theory, and anoles’ famed predisposition for convergence, we would predict that these anole lineages should have undergone convergent evolution. However, previous morphometric research suggested that semi-aquatic anoles are not convergent. This thesis reinvestigates whether semi-aquatic anoles have convergently evolved using novel morphometric and experimental approaches. I assessed the morphology, swimming speed, and diving performance of semi-aquatic and non-aquatic anole species from throughout the neotropics. My results suggest that semi-aquatic anoles have converged upon similar morphologies, superior swimming performance, and a previously undiscovered potential adaptation for diving: underwater rebreathing. Semi-aquatic anoles show evidence of repeated multidimensional convergence, and, somewhat uniquely for Anolis, provide strong evidence for convergence between mainland and island forms. | M.Sc. | water | 6, 14 |
| So, Cameron | Weis, Arthur E | The Adaptive Potential of Lifetime Fitness Increases under a Future Climate Change Scenario in a Population of Brassica rapa | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-11-01 | The persistence of any declining population in the face of an environmental perturbation may depend on how fast natural selection restores fitness, a process called “evolutionary rescue”. Evolutionary rescue depends on the adaptive potential for fitness: the additive genetic variance for fitness (VA(W)) divided by mean fitness (W ̅). I conducted an outdoor warming experiment to estimate the change in VA(W) and W ̅ in the annual Brassica rapa using a predicted 2100 temperature regime. Surprisingly, plants exposed to a warmer climate exhibited greater W ̅, suggesting plasticity may enable population persistence to climate change, but could also hinder the adaptive potential by increasing denominator W ̅. Nevertheless, the magnitude of VA(W) expressed under heated conditions was considerably higher, thereby a greater adaptive potential was observed. My findings suggest that standing genetic variation in B. rapa may be sufficient to buffer and facilitate rapid adaptive evolution to warmer temperatures imposed by climate change. | M.Sc. | environment, climate | 13 |
| Brown-Walkus, Janelle Jennifer Carrie | Lawrence, Herenia P. | The Development and Assessment of a Measure of the Quality of Preventive Oral Health Services for First Nations Communities | Dentistry | 2021-03-01 | Indigenous populations face inequities in oral health compared to the Canadian population. Prevention is key in reducing this gap. This thesis develops and assesses the sensibility and initial validity of a novel instrument for preventive oral health care delivery to Indigenous communities in Canada. Using a mixed-methods sequential approach and concept mapping methodology, the resulting Quality Preventive Oral Health Services for Indigenous Communities (QPOHSIC) scale contains 53 items organized into 7 domains, which present new themes that are not included in previous measures of oral health care delivery, while maintaining themes captured by frameworks and measurements of quality oral health services. The QPOHSIC demonstrated excellent sensibility. Initial construct validity supports that the QPOHSIC measures dental satisfaction, with additional measures of quality pertaining to Indigenous peoples that do not exist in other dental satisfaction measures. Further reliability and validity testing will be performed to complete psychometric assessment of the QPOHSIC scale. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Baddour, Jermeen | Chen, Dr. Xi | The Development of English and Arabic Language and Literacy Skills of Syrian Refugee Children and Youth in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11-01 | Language and literacy skills are crucial for the integration and academic achievement of refugee students. In particular, heritage language (L1) maintenance and majority language (L2) acquisition are key to achieving optimal acculturation outcomes. This study examined the performance of Syrian refugee children and youth in word reading, vocabulary and reading comprehension in Arabic and English over a one-year time period. In addition, the extent to which proximal and distal factors pertaining to the child/youth predict performance on the three measures was investigated. Findings suggest that one school year of English instruction enhanced students’ English performance and reduced the gap between them and their monolingual peers. Evidence of Arabic language progress was also demonstrated. Moreover, age and parental education were among the factors predicting English and Arabic language proficiency. Implications are discussed as well as recommendations to promote Arabic and English language and literacy skills in school-aged Syrian refugees. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Gagliano-Veiga, Christina Maria | Besco, Laurel | The Development of Green Building Standards in Canada | Geography | 2020-11-01 | This research looks to understand where green building standards exist in Canada and what factors motivate the uptake of this type of sustainability practice. Although literature has highlighted the use of standards, there is a lack of research done in Canada. A mixed-method approach is used to answer these questions and includes geographical information system mapping of green certified buildings across Canada and the analysis of policy, demographics, and economic variables to evaluate when and where standards have been used. The findings show a concentration of green building standards in Canadian cities. Median income, number of buildings, and population density are also shown to have a positive and statistically significant relationship with green building standard use. Further, the findings highlight that policy is a driving factor for the increase in overall standard use and building type certified and that economics is a motivating factor for the type of standard used. | M.A. | cities, buildings, energy | 7, 9, 11 |
| Ettahiri, Anas | Ramchandran, Arun | The Generation of Extremely Fine Water-in-Bitumen emulsions via the Satellite Drop Formation Mechanism | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2018-11-01 | This thesis is concerned with the generation of fine water-in-bitumen emulsions through drop fracture during the bitumen froth treatment process. Due to their negative economic and environmental impact, the stability of these emulsions has received tremendous attention; however, little work has been conducted on the manner through which they form. In this study, we use a novel microfluidic platform to study the satellite drop generation mechanism via drop fracture. Using this technique, satellite drops several orders of magnitude smaller than the mother drop were generated and characterized. The smallest satellite drops observed were below 2μm in radius. The range of satellite. The effects of industrially relevant parameters, namely, water pH, solvent dilution and capillary number, are investigated. The satellite drop volume and number of drops were found to increase with the capillary number and dilution while process water pH was found to have a smaller effect. | M.A.S. | environment, industr, water | 6, 9, 13, 14 |
| Babij, Stephanie Nicole | Cairney, John | The Impact of Dance on Physical Literacy in Children: An Evaluation of the Sharing Dance Program | Exercise Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Regular participation in physical activity (PA) provides numerous health benefits for children, yet the recommended PA guidelines are not being met. Experts have argued this may be due to the lack of physical literacy (PL) among children. The objective of this pilot study was to explore the impact of the Sharing Dance program offered by the National Ballet School of Canada (NBS) on total PL and its main components, and the effect of gender, in children (N = 70, ages 8-12). A paired samples t- test was conducted to analyze the changes in PL and its main components, and residualized regression was conducted to examine the effect of gender. Results showed a significant increase in movement competence scores from pre- to post intervention (p | M.Sc. | gender, health | 3, 5 |
| Osborne, Emily | Bialystok, Lauren | The Impact of the Repeal of the 2015 Health Physical Education Curriculum on Ontario Teachers | Social Justice Education | 2019-11-01 | This project analyzes how the repeal of the 2015 Health Physical Education curriculum for Grades 1-8 impacted Ontario teachers. Eight Grades 7-12 teachers from one school board in southern Ontario were interviewed. Interviews found that participants faced major constraints in teaching sex education, both before and after the repeal. All participants disagreed with the repeal of the 2015 curriculum and felt the 2018 interim curriculum did not meet the needs of students. Both elementary and secondary teachers expressed concern over teaching sexual health topics over the 2018-2019 school year due to the political tension surrounding sex education. Teachers who felt supported by their school administration felt more comfortable teaching sex education over the 2018-2019 school year than those who lacked administrative support. This study emphasizes the chaos surrounding sex education following the 2018 Ontario election, the danger of relying on outdated curriculum, and the importance of comprehensive sexuality education. | M.A. | educat, health | 3, 4 |
| Bird, Elizabeth Atik | Nixon, Stephanie | The Percy Papers | Rehabilitation Science | 2020-11-01 | The Indian Residential School era took its toll on the health and wellbeing of the entire Indigenous population in Canada. How does one rehabilitate after suffering tremendous loss of culture, language, voice, and self? My father, Percy James Bird, spent 15 years in an Indian Residential School. He then worked nineteen years with the federal government. After retirement, he took a creative writing course, producing 21 stories. A critical read of the stories, using Indigenous story telling methods, begins the process of tearing down a negative colonized version of Percy. As a silent survivor, his stories diffuse much of the violence from his past. The objective of this rehabilitation science inquiry is to use an Indigenous storywork research approach to explore patterns of healing and examine how Percy’s personal healing led to his later aspirations to create systems of healing for his people. | M.Sc. | wellbeing, health | 3 |
| Shamaly, Sheikh Sharmin | Vieta, Marcelo||Ryan, Sherida | The Quest for Autonomy: Transformations of South Asian Women Immigrants in Canada | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | This study explores how South Asian immigrant women in Canada perceive autonomy and the transition of their decision making process after experiencing Canadian post-secondary education. Through using feminist standpoint as a theoretical framework and narrative inquiry as a research approach, the study found out: The prevalence of patriarchy was stronger before immigration. A greater sense of autonomy has been achieved through Canadian educational and professional experience and financial independence. Awareness regarding patriarchy exists among the participants, with evidence of acceptance of patriarchy and resistance towards patriarchy. Greater happiness and confidence are achieved after immigration through sacrifice, struggle, and conformation with evidence of a subdued presence of patriarchy. This study has shown a nuanced way of understanding autonomy. The participants try to find subtle ways of showing their confidence which contributes to the current feminist literature concerning the autonomy of educated South Asian immigrant women. | M.A. | women, educat | 4, 5 |
| Baskararajah , Nishani | Persaud, Nav | The Relationship Between Number of Medicines Prescribed, Free Medicines, and Adherence | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-11-01 | Introduction: The number of medicines prescribed to a patient can be an obstacle to medicine adherence. CLEAN Meds randomized clinical trial aimed to determine the provision of essential medicines at no charge. Providing free medicines improved adherence. However, free medicine provision, might have different effects depending on the number of medicines prescribed to a patient.Objective: To determine whether the number of prescribed medicines modifies the beneficial effect of free medicine distribution. Methods: Using binary logistic regression, the analysis determines whether the number of medications modified the intervention of free medicine distribution while correcting for confounders. Results: While providing medicines free of charge improves adherence (P= 0.02), this effect was not modified by the number of medicines prescribed (p = 0.52). Conclusion: The beneficial effect of free medicine distribution does not depend on the number of medicines prescribed. These findings can help inform changes to medicine access policies in Canada. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Khanjani, Marjan | Chen, Charles | The Role of Career Self-determination Theory in the Retraining Experiences of Professional Immigrants in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11-01 | Professional immigrants come to Canada with valuable skills, education, and hopes for future career success. However, they are often met with barriers to desired employment which impact vocational, physical, and psychological well-being. During the adjustment process, immigrants strive to fulfill basic needs, both physical and psychological in nature. This study explored the role of a recent psychology theory titled career self-determination theory (CSDT) in the retraining experiences of professional immigrants in Canada. Specifically, this study examined how professional immigrants negotiated, fulfilled, and were influenced by, three key determinants in CSDT: career autonomy, career competence, and career relatedness. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, qualitative interviews were analyzed. Results indicated evidence for the key themes posited by CSDT, as well as relevant subthemes, and suggest the importance of need fulfillment within vocational contexts and a consideration of self-determination in career development. Findings provide preliminary theoretical contributions to the CSDT framework and practical implications for supporting professional immigrants. | M.A. | employment, educat, well-being, wellbeing | 3, 4, 8 |
| Brown, Kaitlyn Sarah | Gilbert, Benjamin | The role of trophic interactions in shaping species persistence and coexistence outcomes | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2018-11-01 | What maintains species diversity? While trophic interactions are hypothesized to promote species diversity, there are few empirical tests of how trophic interactions influence rare species persistence and coexistence. Here, I ask how fitness in rare plant species is indirectly influenced by the surrounding community via pollinator interactions. I found that the surrounding community can increase rare species fitness, but only when neighbouring species have a similar pollinator niche. This suggests that the effect of the surrounding community on rare species fitness depends on the overlap in trophic partners (mutualists, antagonists), and by promoting rare species fitness and persistence, trophic interactions can facilitate rare species establishment, invasion, and potentially coexistence in communities. I test these questions in an on-going experiment asking how herbivory influences plant species coexistence. Together, these results suggest that trophic interactions play a critical role in maintaining species diversity via rare species persistence, invasion and coexistence in communities. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 15 |
| Jeswani, Kevin Kamlesh | Christopoulos, Constantin | The Seismic Resilience of Critical Spatially-distributed Building Portfolios: A Case Study of Public School Buildings in Makati and Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines | Civil Engineering | 2021-03-01 | This thesis presents an integrated seismic resilience framework that links advanced building-specific earthquake engineering techniques and portfolio risk methodologies for evaluating large building portfolios in a computationally efficient manner. The framework is applied to a spatially-distributed infrastructure portfolio composed of over 1,000 public school buildings across two cities.The near-fault seismic hazard of the region was defined using state-of-the-art tools. A rapid visual screening of approximately 200 buildings was conducted to enhance high- level inventories and inform the development of detailed non-linear structural models of the key archetypes. Building response simulations under a range of seismic intensities were coupled with the FEMAP-58 and Arup REDi Monte Carlo analyses, requiring the adaptation of existing post-earthquake consequence functions. Normalized archetypal vulnerabilities were developed and assigned to all the buildings before simulating portfolio losses under various seismogenic sources. The impacts of proposed portfolio-level mitigations strategies were then discussed. | M.A.S. | resilien, cities, buildings, infrastructure | 9, 11 |
| Luo, Ruiping | Gilbert, Benjamin | The Timing and Extent of Water Limitation Structures Trophic Interactions in a Terrestrial Plant-insect System | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-03-01 | In many terrestrial systems, water is an important resource that impacts plant growth, survival and responses to herbivory. These impacts often cascade to affect herbivores and their predators, altering trophic interactions. Working with milkweed plants and aphid herbivores, I investigated: 1) The interactive effects of water availability and temperature on plant-herbivore-predator dynamics and 2) The effect of drought timing on plant-herbivore interactions. I show that water is important in shaping trophic dynamics. While I did not find evidence for interactions between temperature and water availability impacting trophic dynamics, my first study demonstrates the influence of water and temperature on herbivore populations differed over time, and my second study showed both plants and herbivores to be highly sensitive to changes in the timing of short-term drought. This research illustrates the significance of considering temporal scale when examining environmental change and trophic dynamics. | M.Sc. | environment, water | 6, 13, 14 |
| Laufer, Eitan Dov Shour | Burke, Carol-Ann||Gaztambide-Fernandez, Rubén | The Underrepresentation of Youth from Low-income Communities in STEM Education: A Case Study Illustration from One Organization Seeking to Confront this Situation | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2020-11-01 | This study explores the underrepresentation of youth from low-income communities in STEM education. The data for this thesis is taken from a larger study looking at community responsiveness in STEM clubs belonging to a single organization. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews. This study uses social dominance theory to carry out a case study analysis. Social dominance theory encourages examination of group-based hierarchy as three related social dimensions: age, gender, and “arbitrary set.” In this study social dominance theory is explored focusing on hierarchy enhancing and hierarchy attenuating forces. The interviews reveal that the STEM clubs are uniquely positioned in the minds of youth participants as a positive STEM learning environment. However, the extent to which these attributes can reverse underrepresentation trends of youth from low-income communities is confronted by inequities in STEM education. This thesis ends by making a call for the STEM clubs to enhance community-oriented STEM education. | M.A. | environment, gender, educat | 4, 5, 13 |
| Wei, Linzhuo | McCabe, Brenda||Hyatt, Douglas | Towards Effective Safety Benchmarking: Scope and Factor Selection | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | The construction industry is known for its high safety risk compared with other industries and effective safety benchmarking is essential to continuously monitor and improve safety performance. In this research, the safety culture and three categories of safety performance, namely physical injuries, psychological stresses, and unsafe events, were investigated with a self-administered survey and the data were analyzed using statistical and machine learning approaches. Two foundational elements to achieve effective safety benchmarking were examined: benchmarking scope and benchmarking factors. It was found that safety culture and performance can differ between construction sectors and geographic regions. Thus, they should be considered during the benchmarking scope determination. Factors influencing safety performance were ranked according to their importance and the top-ranked factors are recommended priority when limited resources for safety management occur. | M.A.S. | industr | 9 |
| Dorakhan, Roham | Chin, Ya-Huei (Cathy) | Tuning of Pd Clusters and their Local Environment for CH4 and CO Oxidation Reactions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-11-01 | Pd clusters are active catalysts for oxidation of CH4 and CO, the major components of exhaust gas emissions and significant greenhouse gasses. Addition of Pt enhances the reactivity of Pd for either oxidation reaction by modifying the electronic properties of the Pd. This thesis explored (i) the optimum Pd-to-Pt atomic ratio for CH4 and CO oxidation reactions and (ii) the effects local Pd site environment alteration by confining of the clusters in SSZ-13 zeolite pores and the resulting dynamic interconversions among small and large Pd clusters. The optimal Pt-to-Pd atomic ratio was between 0.2 and 0.3, maximizing Pd-Pt interactions. In SSZ-13 zeolites, reversible re-dispersion was achieved using subsequent treatments under O2 and H2, and 10 kPa O2 partial pressure during CH4-O2 reactions was found to maximize the Pd cluster dispersion. The modifications on Pd clusters explored in this thesis could help produce more active (Pt incorporation into Pd) and stable (Pd supported on SSZ-13) exhaust emission catalysts that are less prone to sintering. | M.A.S. | environment, greenhouse gas | 13 |
| Maloney, Jamie Lauren | Malcolm, Jay | Using Insect Communities from Window-pane Traps to Test the Sustainability of Forest Management in Northern Temperate Hardwood Forests | Forestry | 2020-11-01 | Conservation of biodiversity is an essential component of single-tree selection (STS) harvesting in Ontario’s hardwood forests. Here, I compare family-level insect communities (Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera) between mature STS-managed and unmanaged stands. I also investigate the effects of trap placement on insect communities, including traps located in the lower-canopy and understory of sugar maple and eastern hemlocks and adjacent to early- and late-decay snags and downed woody debris (DWD). Finally, I explore insect community variation as a function of tree community composition and the quality and quantity of DWD and snags. In total, 57,434 insects were collected, and no overall statistical differences were observed between communities in differently managed stands. However, strong effects on insect community composition and larval trophic guilds were observed due to trap placement. I found little evidence that insect communities varied with habitat features, although abundances of several coleopteran and hymenopteran families varied with DWD quantity. | M.Sc. | biodivers, forest, conserv, wind | 7, 14, 15 |
| Sultani, Be Be Fatima Zakaia | Simpson, Myrna J | Variations in Silviculture Practices Alters the Composition and Degradation of Soil Organic Matter in the Snowden Demonstration Forest, British Columbia | Chemistry | 2018-11-01 | Forest management practices such as clear-cutting may result in the loss of soil carbon (C) potentially accelerating global warming from enhanced soil priming. Green tree retention (GTR) is an emerging silviculture treatment that retains forest cover and is suggested to be a better alternative. However, molecular-level analysis of soil organic matter (SOM) of GTR is lacking. Two different GTR practices and clear-cutting were evaluated at the Snowden Demonstration Forest. SOM biomarkers were analysed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) complimented with solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Results suggests that harvesting of forest biomass resulted in significant differences in the composition of SOM (specifically lignin-derived inputs) compared to the uncut treatment 13 years post-harvest. Additionally, degradation of bulk soil (alkyl/O-alkyl ratio) was a result of lignin oxidation by fungi. Analysis of SOM with forest management practices employed in the logging industry will assist with the development of sustainable forest management practices. | M.Sc. | forest, global warming, industr | 9, 13, 15 |
| Behzadpoor, Doreh | Quiñonez, Carlos | Work-life Balance among Female Dentists In Canada | Dentistry | 2020-11-01 | Work-life balance is increasingly gaining attention as a possible predictive factor in emotional exhaustion and burnout among professionals. While there are studies that point to challenges to work-life balance among female dentists in the United States, there is no study that looks into these issues in Canada, nor has the specific nature of these issues among female dentists been documented anywhere. The first part of our study consisted of secondary statistical analysis of previously collected survey data from a random sample of 3000 dentists practicing in Ontario in 2012 showing significant gender differences, such that female dentists appear to face more obstacles to a well-balanced work and life. In the second part, a qualitative study into what and how female dentists encounter challenges to work-life balance showed nature of the profession of dentistry, dental practice structure, personal life factors, and personal attributes to be contributing factors to such challenges. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Tang, Mingliang | Esmaeili, Kamran | Advances in Heap Leach Pad Surface Moisture Mapping using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology and Aerial Remote Sensing Imagery | Civil Engineering | 2020-11-01 | As easily accessible high-grade mineral reserves are depleting, heap leaching (HL) is gaining an increased interest in the mining industry due to its economic feasibility for processing low-grade ores. For HL operations, monitoring heap leach pad (HLP) surface moisture distribution is essential to ensure optimal leaching conditions and to achieve a high metal recovery. Conventional monitoring methods rely on manual sampling and naked-eye observation by technical staff, which are labour-intensive and expose personnel to hazardous leaching reagents frequently. To complement the conventional approaches, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) combined with aerial imaging techniques can acquire representative data depicting the moisture status across the HLP surface. This thesis presents a practical framework for HLP surface moisture monitoring, consisting of UAV-based data collection and advanced data analytics to generate HLP surface moisture maps, which provide direct visualization of the surface moisture distribution and are effective tools to streamline the HLP monitoring process. | M.A.S. | industr, labour | 8, 9 |
| Roher, Sophie Isabelle Grace | Gibson, Jennifer L | An Exploration of How Male Adolescents who had Childhood Cancer Make Sense of Infertility as a Long-term Effect of Cancer Treatments | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2016-06-01 | Clinical practice guidelines recommend that healthcare professionals (HCPs) discuss fertility preservation (FP) with cancer patients, however studies show that many HCPs do not initiate these discussions with male adolescents. Research examining male adolescents’ perceptions of potential infertility is also limited. Using Frank’s three narrative typologies (restitution, quest, and chaos narratives) as a conceptual framework through which to examine a collection of interviews with 14-18 year old males, this study examines how male adolescent childhood cancer survivors make sense of infertility as a long-term effect of cancer treatments and explores how their experiences of cancer shape their identities. Findings: i) all three narrative types were evident in the interviews with an emphasis on the restitution and quest narratives; ii) the narratives highlighted the important role of family in the adolescents’ understanding and experience of infertility; and iii) the narratives shed light on the importance of biological parenthood to the participants. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Mueller, Megan Elizabeth | Volpe, Richard | An Exploration of the Emotional and Mental Challenges Children Experience following Sport-related Concussions | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11-01 | Recent consensus statements on sport-related concussions (SRCs) highlight the need for further research investigating emotional challenges following SRC in children (Graham et al., 2014; McCrory et al., 2013). The current study used an exploratory retrospective approach to gain a better understanding of the emotional and mental experiences post-concussion. Twenty-one athletes ages 15-24 years participated in semi-structured telephone interviews regarding their concussion and recovery. Thematic content analysis was conducted to identify themes among responses. Results indicated three overarching domains with underlying themes and subthemes within: 1) Acute Challenges Post-Concussion (difficulty accepting unknowns, self-image and mattering, school, missing out and isolation, feelings of hopelessness), 2) Coping with Acute Challenges Post-Concussion (support, previous concussions, prioritizing mental health) and 3) Take Aways Post-Concussion (learning about injury, self-growth, long lasting impacts on overall health). The current results suggest that child athletes face numerous emotional challenges post-concussion and better interventions and support are critical to help athletes overcome these challenges. | M.A. | health | 3 |
| Lumia, Celeste Marie | McPherson, Amy C | An Exploration of the Health and Wellness Experiences of Young People with Spina Bifida | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-03-01 | Introduction: Young people with spina bifida (SB) have unique abilities and challenges that can affect their experiences of health and wellness. Objective: To better understand the health and wellness experiences of young people with SB. Methods: 1. An overview of how the experiences of children and young people with disabilities have previously been explored. 2. A rapid scoping review of how photo-elicitation has been used to engage children and adolescents with disabilities 3. Photo-elicitation interviews with two young people with SB. Results: The voices of children and young people with disabilities have been frequently overlooked. Photo-elicitation can support their expression of ideas. The health and wellness experiences of young people with SB are nuanced and multi-dimensional, characterized by six key features. Discussion: Exploring how young people with disabilities experience health and wellness more broadly furthers understandings of how to promote health and wellness in ways that are important to them. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Mandekic, Claudia | McDougall, Douglas | BallMatics Program - Basketball Court as a Middle-school Math Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-03-01 | Sport has a plethora of documented benefits, and evidence suggests that physical activity can significantly improve academic abilities of students. I propose that sports-based mathematic programming can support academic advancement of youths by actively embedding sports into academic mathematics programming. In this study, a mixed-methods design with one intervention group of 19 middle school youths participating in a movement-based mathematics afterschool program, called BallMatics, was delivered for ten weeks. Qualitative methods were employed to learn about participants’ academic identities and their perceived experience in the movement-based mathematics program. Thematic analyses based on social cognitive theory (SCT) revealed several recurring themes. Paired-samples t-tests demonstrated statistically significant increase in participants’ math knowledge and self-efficacy. Findings revealed increased participant engagement in mathematics content taught, motivation to complete mathematics tasks, eliciting of positive emotions and positive associations with mathematics. | M.A. | educat | 4 |
| Kaspy, Matthew | Hanley, Anthony J | Combined Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Metabolomic Effects and Implications for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-03-01 | A combination of healthy lifestyle behaviors has been consistently associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) although these associations in a multiethnic cohort remain unknown. The aims of this research were to: 1) systematically review published literature on the metabolomic profile of combined healthy lifestyle behaviors and, 2) assess the associations between combined healthy lifestyle behaviors and incident T2DM in a multiethnic cohort. Three databases were searched for studies outlining the metabolomic profile of combined healthy lifestyle behaviors. Multivariable logistic regressions explored their associations with incident T2DM in a multiethnic cohort. Results showed: 1) a positive association between combined healthy lifestyle behaviors and beneficial fatty acids and phosphocreatine as well as inverse associations with TMAO and other biomarkers; and 2) a significant association (OR=0.85, CI: 0.75-0.96, p=0.009) with incident T2DM. Regular adoption of multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors leads to beneficial metabolomic changes and lower risk of T2DM. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Tomlinson, Aidan Charles Andrew | Rini, James M | Coronavirus Evolution and Immune Evasion | Biochemistry | 2018-11-01 | Coronaviruses are emerging pathogens that threaten human health and prosperity. Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with continually circulating coronaviruses that cause the common cold in healthy individuals and kill the most vulnerable of us. Coronaviruses adapt to environmental change at a remarkable rate. The HCoV-229E coronavirus has adapted and evolved over the last 50 years by mutating residues in the receptor-binding loops of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of its spike (S) protein. These sequences phylogenetically segregate into Classes whose viruses have successively replaced one another in the human population. These Classes possess different receptor (hAPN) and antibody binding characteristics and the crystal structures of RBD-hAPN complexes have been solved. Structural insights into the ever-changing RBD and its interaction with hAPN show the use of secondary structure-less loops facilitate tremendous structural variability, a trait that likely enables changes in viral fitness and immune evasion. | M.Sc. | environment, health | 3, 13 |
| deJonge, Melissa Lynne | Sabiston, Catherine M | Exercise as an Alternative Depression Treatment: Perspectives and Practices of Canadian Post-secondary Mental Health Care Providers | Exercise Sciences | 2021-03-01 | Post-secondary campuses are experiencing challenges with increasing reports of depression symptoms among students. Exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression, and prescriptions initiated by mental health care providers (MHCPs) could improve uptake to exercise as a treatment. Campuses provide recreation facilities and exercise programs that could be used to support prescription practices, yet the exercise prescription practices among on-campus MHCPs are currently unknown. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore post-secondary MHCPs’ practices and beliefs towards prescribing exercise for depression. Participants (N = 153) completed a self-report questionnaire to assess exercise prescription practices, beliefs, and theoretical determinants of prescription practices. Semi-structured interviews (N =12) were conducted to provide contextual details. Based on the integration of the findings, favourable perceptions towards exercise were reported and results provide implications for developing theory-informed resources and training opportunities to leverage on-campus exercise programs as an alternative depression treatment approach. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Bui, Sunny | Lindsay, Sally | Exploring the Development of Playfulness among Youth with Disabilities in the HB FIRST® Robotics Program | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-03-01 | Background: Youth with disabilities often have less opportunities to play than their typically developing peers. An adapted robotics program is a promising way to help address problems in play development while learning educational content relevant for success across the lifespan.Objective: To understand the impact of using an adapted robotics program on the development of playfulness among youth with disabilities, aged 9 to 14 years. Methods: Observational research design using a pre-post video analysis on video-recorded raw data using the normalized and standardized assessment tool, the Test of Playfulness. Results: Participants exhibited significantly more playful behaviours following the completion of the adapted robotics program (Δ=0.8, p=0.001). Prior enrollment in the program also significantly impacted playfulness (F(1.0, 25)=10.0, p=0.004) Age, gender and disability type did not improve playfulness. Conclusion: The adapted robotics program improved the playfulness scores of youth with disabilities while enrolled in the program. These findings suggest that youth with disabilities can improve their playfulness through recreational and/or leisurely means. | M.Sc. | gender, educat | 4, 5 |
| Kavalsky, Lance Samuel | Singh, Chandra Veer | First-principles Investigation of 2D Phosphorus for Energy Storage Applications | Materials Science and Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Allotropes of 2D phosphorus have presented themselves as appealing candidate materials for improved energy storage systems to meet current demands. In this thesis, first-principles simulations were conducted to predict the performances of these materials. Blue phosphorene was studied as an anode material for Na-ion and K-ion batteries, and predictions of key performance indicators showed its potential. Additionally, phosphorene’s catalytic properties towards discharge and charge at the cathode for Li-air batteries were estimated. Using overpotentials as a measure of efficiency, phosphorene was able to contribute towards reasonable values showing its promise for future implementation. As phosphorene’s ambient degradation limits its more widespread implementation, strain engineering was explored as a method towards increased stability. It was found that compressive strain can induce an activation barrier towards singlet oxidation splitting, thereby inhibiting the first step of the degradation process. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Castelle , Kahlia | Ryan, Sherida | Innovation in Workplace Learning: Perceptions of the Value of Game-based Learning among Training and Development Professionals | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2020-11-01 | Games are a fundamental part of the fabric of human existence. Their utility extend beyond the sole purpose of entertainment and transcends to the realm of games for learning. The impetus of this study was to examine the perceptions of game-based learning (GBL) through the lens of training and development professionals in Canada. Employing a mixed-method approach, a survey questionnaire was used to explore experience using GBL, intention to use GBL and barriers to adoption. A descriptive analysis of frequencies was performed on the quantitative data and content analysis for the open-ended qualitative survey responses. Based on the results of 172 respondents, only 43.6 percent were using GBL. Majority of respondents lacked GBL knowledge and experienced low self-efficacy for GBL design and application. This was exacerbated by social, organizational and systems-wide barriers. Increased GBL knowledge and support from leadership and peers were among the factors to mitigate GBL adoption barriers. | M.A. | innovat | 9 |
| Cardenas, Analyssa | Fehlings, Darcy | Inpatient Rehabilitation Exergames in Children with Cerebral Palsy after Lower Extremity Orthopaedic Surgery | Rehabilitation Science | 2020-11-01 | Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often require lower extremity orthopaedic surgery, with recovery consisting of pain and fewer opportunities for social interaction. The Liberi Exergames, a multi-player exergame powered by pedaling a stationary bicycle and using game-controllers, may provide opportunities for children with CP to cycle, decrease pain and enhance well-being. The objectives were to assess the feasibility of incorporating exergames for children with CP and to explore pain and well-being. Ten children with CP recovering from lower extremity orthopaedic surgery were recruited; the first five received physiotherapy (“comparison group”), and the next five received 15 exergame sessions and physiotherapy (“case group”). Questionnaires evaluating pain and well-being were administered. All feasibility indicators were met, reduced pain scores were reported for both groups, and improved well-being scores were reported for the case group. This project provides the basis for developing larger studies to evaluate exergames for inpatient pediatric orthopaedic populations. | M.Sc. | well-being | 3 |
| Biscardi, Melissa | Colantonio, Angela | Long Term Reproductive Health Outcomes in Women with Perisistent Symptoms Following Traumatic Brain Injury | Rehabilitation Science | 2019-06-01 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a public health concern, yet little is known about the long-term effects unique to women. This study examined the 1) feasibility of recruitment and study procedures; and, 2) long-term reproductive health outcomes in women living with TBI. A convenience sample of 10 women was consecutively recruited from the largest adult TBI rehabilitation program in Canada. Eligible participants were premenopausal women who sustained a TBI one or more years ago. Participants attended the research clinic and completed a structured questionnaire, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurological Status and provided a serum sample for Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH). Of the participants, 50% experienced low levels of AMH and all participants experienced high levels of symptomology when compared to the general population. These findings suggest monitoring of reproductive health in the long-term post TBI is needed and future research should be sufficiently powered to expand on these findings. | M.Sc. | production, women, health | 3, 5, 12 |
| Zgardau, Alina | Nathan, Paul C | Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes in Female Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer | Medical Science | 2020-11-01 | Childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors may develop long-term health issues. Data are lacking on reproductive complications. Using health administrative data, an Ontario provincial cohort of 3,486 survivors and 17,428 matched cancer-free individuals was assembled. Outcomes included recognized pregnancies, maternal and perinatal complications. Overall, survivors were significantly less likely to have a pregnancy compared to cancer-free individuals [Hazard Ratio 0.79,95%CI 0.73-0.86], especially those who received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT),and cranial radiation. Survivors had a significant relative risk (RR) for severe maternal morbidity (SMM) (RR 2.31,95%CI 1.49-3.59) and cardiac morbidity (RR 3.23,95%CI 1.58-6.60). Among survivors, SMM predictors included CNS tumour and pre-existing kidney disease. Newborns of survivors were at risk for preterm birth (RR 1.56,95%CI 1.23-1.98). Predictors of preterm birth included alkylating agent chemotherapy and HSCT. This study suggests that survivors are less likely to have a pregnancy and are at risk for SMM, cardiac morbidity, and preterm birth. | M.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Violette, Nadine Julie | Bialystok, Lauren | Neoliberal Developmentalism: Challenging Dominant Educational Narratives of Human and Economic Development | Social Justice Education | 2020-11-01 | Educationalists have argued that career and guidance curricula often reflect the structural need to produce a future working population fit to service neoliberal capitalism, a system that demonstrates grave incompatibilities with human well-being. I observe this trend in a New Brunswick curriculum document called Personal Development and Career Planning (PDCP), which has been criticized in the past for its effect on marginalized students. I argue that PDCP effaces the distinction between what it means to be a “person” and a “worker” by conflating one’s ‘mental fitness’ for work with a positive self-concept and self-esteem, and I observe of this pairing a kind of social Darwinian educational schematic. Drawing from a breadth of disciplines, I analyze how students’ expected disillusionment is channeled into forms of “proper adjustment” and “proper resistance” to the oppressive structure of capitalism, whereby the progressive pedagogical tendencies of PDCP are squandered by its main objective. | M.A. | worker, educat, well-being | 3, 4, 8 |
| van der Tempel, Jan | Moodley, Roy | Spontaneous mystical experiences, mental health, and wellbeing: A qualitative study among atheist young adults | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2018-06-01 | Spontaneous mystical experiences (SMEs) are common, spontaneously occurring, anomalous states, often involving spiritual/religious insight and change. Outcomes range from enhanced wellbeing to various mental health problems, and are mediated by spirituality/religiosity. This study employed a qualitative methodology to explore how atheist young adults interpret their SMEs and how their mental health and wellbeing are affected. Data was collected via semistructured interviews with adult participants, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Participants’ SMEs comprised an altered sense of self and connectedness, precipitating changes in self-identity, worldview, values, and goals that facilitated wellbeing across domains of functioning. Difficulties explaining the SME to self and others were linked to uncertainty and rumination, feelings of isolation and alienation, and worries about mental illness, suggesting that atheists may be at increased risk for mental health problems associated with SME. Implications for clinical practice and theory are provided, along with recommendations for future research. | M.A. | wellbeing, health | 3 |
| Saly, Lauren Antonia | Scratch, Shannon E.||Martinussen, Rhonda | Teaching Educators About Acquired Brain Injury: A Usability Study Evaluating the Teach-ABI Module | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-03-01 | Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children, yet it is a “silent voice” in the Ontario education system and Ontario educators do not receive any related training. This study examined Ontario educators’ satisfaction with the Teach-ABI module, an innovative, e-Learning module that provides information about ABI, its outcomes, and classroom strategies to support students with ABI. Eight educators engaged in one-on-one usability sessions over Zoom, involving a concurrent think-aloud protocol, task completion and participant observation, completion of the System Usability Scale, and an exit interview. Educators identified no significant usability issues with the module and were very satisfied with its content, design, and navigation. Results also revealed that educators were very engaged with the content and felt that it increased their knowledge of ABI. The implications of this study on the development of the Teach-ABI module and future research are discussed. | M.A. | innovat, educat | 4, 9 |
| Crampton, Noah | Shachak, Aviv | Teaching Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Data Discipline to Clinical Trainees: A Canadian Pilot Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-11-01 | Evidence suggests that patients whose electronic medical records (EMR) are documented with high quality data obtain higher quality care. However, most clinicians do not routinely document with this data discipline, and to date how to instruct this has not been clear. In this study, the key components of such an educational session for Canadian family medicine trainees were determined, with a particular focus on improving trainee awareness of the importance of data discipline and their understanding of data consistency. We piloted our developed session in three academic teaching sites and found no statistically significant difference when comparing two instructional methods – exploratory case simulations versus didactic only. However, trainee performance in general was satisfactory, suggesting robust immediate learning regardless of teaching method. Trainees also confirmed a strong desire for education on data discipline. Going forward, the educational session can be improved, become embedded in curricula, and evaluated using real-world EMR data. | M.Sc. | educat | 4 |
| O'Rourke, Roxy Helliker | Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Kelly P. | The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Mental Health in Adults with Chronic Disabilities | Exercise Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Compromised mental health (MH) is a common secondary outcome for adults with disabilities. While physical activity (PA) has psychological benefits, PA levels remain low in adults with disabilities. Guided by self-determination theory and Lubans and colleagues’ PA-MH model, this thesis examined the PA-MH relationship in adults with disabilities (N = 100, Mage = 36.61). Three moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) modes [combined (p = .34, p = .01), strength (p = .36, p = .01), aerobic (p = .38, p = .01)] were positively correlated with MH. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness were positively correlated with MVPA and MH. Athletes reported significantly greater MVPA (t(98) = 6.31, p | M.Sc. | well-being, health | 3 |
| Herrera Caceres, Jaime Omar | Fleshner, Neil||Berlin, Alejandro | Use of Adjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy with Primary Radiation Therapy for Patients >75 Years Old with Prostate Cancer: Pooled Analysis of RTOG Data | Medical Science | 2020-11-01 | The use of adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer who undergo primary radiation therapy is recommended by multiple clinical practice guidelines. Nonetheless, ADT has been associated with side effects that can impact the health of men, especially in a population who already has an increased prevalence of comorbidities and can be more prone to complications. We did a pooled analysis of randomized clinical trials looking into survival outcomes in men >75 years old. In the elder population, the benefit of ADT on cancer-specific mortality is clear, although it increases the risk of other cause mortality, resulting in a null effect on overall survival. We had similar findings in the younger population. In terms of length of adjuvant ADT, the use of 24 months of ADT could improve overall survival, compared to 4 months. | M.H.Sc. | health | 3 |
| Gillies, Rolland Christian | Lam, Ernest WN | X-ray Imaging Practices of General Dentists in Ontario, Canada | Dentistry | 2020-11-01 | The objective of this thesis is to determine how general dentists in Ontario currently practice oral and maxillofacial radiology. In this cross-sectional study, an email survey was sent to all general dentists in Ontario; 1,330 dentists responded (14.7% response rate). There is widespread adoption of 2D and 3D digital imaging technologies. Approximately 42.8% of dentists take an individualized approach to ordering images for new adult dentate patients. When dentists are presented with clinical case scenarios and asked to make decisions about imaging, between 18.8% and 57.2% of dentists make decisions that do not conform with established guidelines (depending on the scenario), and over-prescribe x-ray imaging far more commonly than they under-prescribe. Numerous dentist and practice factors correlate significantly with over-prescription of imaging. Changes in dental education, continuing education course offerings, and possibly regulatory requirements are needed to ensure that ionizing radiation is used appropriately in general dentistry in Ontario. | M.H.Sc. | educat | 4 |
| English, Simon G. | Welch Jr., Kenneth C. | An Integrative Analysis of the Effects of Neonicotinoid Pesticides on North American Hummingbirds | Cell and Systems Biology | 2020-11-01 | Neonicotinoids are neurotoxic systemic insecticides applied extensively worldwide. The impacts of neonicotinoid exposure on invertebrates are widely studied, however effects on essential vertebrate pollinators like hummingbirds have received little attention. My study into the effects of imidacloprid, a common neonicotinoid, on hummingbirds integrates lab-based and field-based assays with emphasis on cellular, systems, whole-organism, and behavioural levels. Within 2 h of exposure, hummingbirds exhibited a significant depression in energy expenditure (up to 25% +/- 11%). I did not observe effects on feeding behaviour, immune response, or cholinesterase activity in the lab, or stress hormone deposition in feathers collected in the field. I also determined that hummingbirds excrete imidacloprid quickly (elimination half-life of 2.1 h +/- 0.1 h) relative to other bird species. Hummingbirds exist on narrow energy margins, especially during migration and breeding seasons. Therefore, changes in their metabolism following exposures to imidacloprid observed herein could bear important energetic consequences. | M.Sc. | energy | 15 |
| Wong, Timothy Sheung Bun | Newman, Roger C | Application of Nanoporous Gold to Gas Phase Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2020-11-01 | Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a core component of many applications in modern society. While beneficial due to their various chemical properties, VOCs can pose significant challenges to work with due to their health risks and volatile nature. Existing VOC sensors are insufficient in meeting the sensing challenges posed by chemical and physical nature of VOCs, creating significant personal and societal health and safety risk. Nanoporous gold (NPG) sensors are an excellent candidate material in tackling these challenges. In this work the change in the electronic properties (electrical resistance and capacitance) are used to characterize changes in environmental volatile compounds. Leveraging changes in the impedance at different frequencies, classification and quantification of several model VOCs was achieved. Due to the complex nature of the responses, modern machine learning techniques were leveraged to achieve sensing tasks. | M.A.S. | environment, health | 3, 9 |
| Rayan, Tamara | Duff, Wendy||Cowen, T.L. | Archival Imperialism: An Analysis of Racial Hierarchy in the Six Day War Files | Information Studies | 2020-11-01 | Using a theoretical framework of critical race theory, settler colonialism, and symbolic annihilation, this research investigates how records creators and archivists of the Six Day War Files Collection have constructed their own narrative of the War, thereby legitimizing a racial hierarchy between Palestinians and Israelis and sustaining Israeli imperialism. Chapter One problematizes why there is little written about Palestine from the archival perspective, despite the abundance of scholarship on the colonial power of the archive. Chapter Two analyzes the content of the Collection, investigating how records creators used symbolic annihilation to construct Palestinians as a racialized Other. Chapter Three analyzes the context of the Collection, investigating how archival practices have sustained the colonizer’s representation of the colonized and furthered racial inequality. This thesis offers a novel perspective to the current archival scholarship regarding Palestine, revealing how symbolic annihilation in the archive extends, and is an extension of, systemic annihilation. | M.I.S. | inequality, equality | 5, 10 |
| Charest, Maxime | Gillis, J. Roy | Changes in Sexual Behaviours among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men who Have Sex with Men Occurring during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-03-01 | As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical distancing measures and stay-at-home orders have been put in place around the world to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, several studies outside Canada have found that some individuals, including gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) have continued to engage in sexual activity. As such, the current research explored changes in sexual behaviours as a result of the pandemic among Canadian GBMSM. Findings revealed that Canadian GBMSM did report a reduction in sexual activity. Factors that predicted current high-risk sexual behaviour were identification with the bareback scene, sexual satisfaction and prior high-risk sexual behaviour. Our findings suggest that some Canadian GBMSM have continued to engage in sexual activities with casual and regular partners during the initial height of the pandemic, which has important implications for public health policies and health promotion as the pandemic endures. | M.A. | health | 3, 5 |
| Umbrio, Dana | Evans, Greg | Comparing the Oxidative Potential of Fine Ambient Particulate Matter Across Airsheds in Canada | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | Oxidative potential (OP) and oxidative burden (OB) are being explored as more health-relevant metrics for assessing the risk of particulate matter. Correlations with different metals have been reported, although the findings are often conflicting, and thus not readily generalizable across locations or airsheds. Approximately 1000 PM2.5 samples, collected from June 2016 until December 2018 in forty cities across Canada, were analyzed using three standardized acellular assays: ascorbate (AA), glutathione (GSH) and dithiothreitol (DTT). Linear and multilinear correlations analyses revealed that different metals were influencing OP and OB to different degrees across the airsheds. In particular, OB values for all three assays were associated with Cu and Fe, and in addition, OBAA with S and K and OBGSH with K. The highest OP and OB values were seen in the East Central airshed, while the lowest were in the Southern Atlantic and Northern airsheds. AA and DTT activity are associated with coal combustion and combustion emissions while GSH activity is associated with anthropogenic metals. | M.A.S. | cities, health | 3, 11, 13 |
| Samson, Hugh Kevin | Hartel, Jenna | Contemplating Infrastructure: An Ethnographic Study of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Inforum’s iRelax Mindfulness Resource Area | Information Studies | 2021-03-01 | Created in 2016, the iRelax area is an innovative meditation and yoga resource hub situated within the University of Toronto Faculty of Information’s Inforum. Comprised of approximately fifty interconnected digital, physical, and textual resources, the iRelax area possesses a distinctly open and visible spatial profile intended to promote open conversations about mental health. This ethnographic case study of the iRelax area examines the initiative’s aesthetic, informational, organizational, and spatial properties, as well as individuals’ encounters and interactions therewith. The iRelax area’s associated Mindful Moments program, or free, guided meditation sessions offered within the learning commons one day per week, is also examined. In order to develop a detailed understanding of the relationship between the iRelax area and this program, the study’s design was broadened to include consideration of contemplative inquiry as a complement to ethnography. The study casts the iRelax area and its associated Mindful Moments program as contemplative infrastructure. | M.I.S. | innovat, infrastructure, health | 3 |
| Leng, Jiye | Chen, Jing M | Downscaling the Maximum Carboxylation Rate (Vcmax) Derived from Satellite Sun-induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence Data Using High-resolution Remote Sensing Products | Geography | 2020-11-01 | The maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) influences the magnitude of gross primary productivity (GPP). Currently, reliable global Vcmax products derived from satellite sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) data are at coarse resolutions, which cannot meet the demand of global ecological research. In this thesis, the Vcmax25 (Vcmax normalized to 25°C) dataset derived from satellite SIF at a coarse resolution (0.1°, ~11 km) is downscaled to a higher resolution (1 km) through a downscaling scheme using photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and spatial scaling algorithms based on leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator (BEPS) is used to evaluate the downscaled Vcmax25 using tower flux data. The results show that the LCC-downscaled Vcmax25 data appreciatively improve GPP simulations at the tower sites, indicating LCC as a feasible way for downscaling the Vcmax25 dataset. GPP estimations at the 0.1° resolution decrease by 2-7% after Vcmax25 downscaling. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 13, 15 |
| Ray, Ishita | Amza, Cristiana||de Lara, Eyal | Effect of Skin Tone on the Confidence of WearOS Smartwatches | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Smartwatch technology has the potential to make monitoring chronically ill people continuously without hampering their daily life easier. Physiological information e.g. heart rate can be collected and monitored remotely by smartwatches which can be useful in long term studies, monitoring chronic conditions, timely intervention. However, before we can use the smartwatch data for an error-sensitive clinical setting, we need to be sure about the reliability of the data, both in terms of quality and quantity. In this work, we investigate the effect of skin tone on the heart-rate reliability estimation of seven consumer-grade WearOS based smartwatches by collecting data from 18 individuals. We find that watches tend to report fewer high-confidence measurements for dark skin tones, despite no substantial difference in the actual error of heart rate reading. We also report a wide variation in the behavior of those watches even though they implement the same API for data collection. | M.A.S. | consum, health | 3, 10, 12 |
| Schwartzman, Emily | Rule, Nick | Implicit and Explicit Responses to Male Gender Inversion Stereotype Violation: A Mouse-tracking Study | Psychology | 2020-11-01 | Gender inversion stereotypes characterize straight men as masculine and gay men as feminine. Because people automatically employ stereotypes to conserve cognitive resources, processing masculine gay and feminine straight targets might require more effort. I tested that possibility here by using a mouse-tracking task to examine how perceivers reported the sexual orientation of stereotypical (masculine straight and feminine gay) versus counterstereotypical (feminine straight and masculine gay) men. Results from two studies showed that stereotypes affect accurate identification of men’s sexual orientation in explicit but not implicit judgments: participants in Study 1 were less accurate in explicitly reporting the sexual orientation of counterstereotypical targets (especially feminine straight men) and participants in Study 2 were less accurate in explicitly reporting the sexual orientation of all gay targets, regardless of their stereotypicality. Stereotype-based expectations therefore affect perceptions of male sexual orientation, though additional research will need to further interrogate the nature of these stereotype-based errors. | M.A. | conserv, gender | 5 |
| Gao, Naren | Purtle, Jennifer | “Center” and “Periphery”: Ethnic Artists of the Yuan (1279-1368) and the Cultural Interactions Among the Yuan Literati Community | East Asian Studies | 2022-03-01 | The establishment of Mongol sovereignty brought the deep sorrow of Chinese people for their lost homeland. However, it cannot be overlooked that this was also a period of intensive cultural communication that embraced the diverse arts. The Yuan paintings also underwent a dynamic artistic revolution. Ethnic artists also played important roles in this artistic revolution, but their contribution and surviving paintings were barely mentioned in scholarly publications. Through presenting case studies of three prominent ethnic artists: Zhang Yanfu (ca.1300-1350), a Mongol Daoist priest; Boyanbuhuadejin (d.1359), a Qara Qocho Uyghur prince; and Sadula (ca.1300-1360), a Uyghur poet, my thesis examines how ethnic artists involved in the cultural interactions among the literati community that reveals not only the distinct trajectory of each artist’s artistic development, but also a different perspective of the Yuan painting history with an emphasis on those artists on the periphery of the cultural networks. | M.A. | land, sovereignty | 15, 16 |
| Dunsmore, Kourtney Elizabeth | Hayeems, Robin | “In the lion’s den, we just want to know”: A Qualitative Exploration of Parents’ Decisions to Pursue Pediatric Whole Genome Sequencing | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | This dissertation aimed to explore how personal, interpersonal, and societal factors influence parents’ decision to pursue whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for their child. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children with heart conditions who were offered WGS and secondary variants. Transcripts were coded inductively and deductively, using the Social Ecological Model and Kohler’s framework of personal utility. Nineteen participants were interviewed. During decision-making, parents described personal value they expected to gain from WGS. Gaining an understanding of their child’s current and future health was beneficial and acted as a precursor to enabling cognitive, emotional, and behavioural control. However, parents’ enhanced sense of control required a readiness to learn genetic information. Social contexts also impacted parents’ decisions; WGS was valued as a mechanism for mitigating blame and legitimizing disability. Findings shed light on the acceptability of WGS and may inform counselling strategies and health technology assessment. | M.Sc. | disabilit, ecolog | 3, 15 |
| Conlon, Quinn Juliet | Hackworth, Jason | “Our Families are Fearless”: Navigating, Resisting, and Building beyond Settler Colonial Demands for ‘Reasonableness’ at the Violent Intersections of Housing and Child Welfare Systems in Winnipeg’s North End | Geography | 2021-11-01 | While analysis of the relationship between housing and child welfare is limited in the Canadian academe, the same cannot be said of discussions on the ground: in North End Winnipeg, many Indigenous caregivers are acutely aware of the complex intersections between their housing quality and their ability to bring and/or keep their children home. Landlords, social workers and government officials are adamant that their respective institutions operate according to universally ‘reasonable’ rules – however, interviews with caregivers and a secondary analysis of non-profit tenant advocacy files reveal that each settler colonial system’s ‘reasonable’ demands frequently conflict and contradict to create fundamentally unreasonable expectations of parents. This research gathers together caregiver stories to map out the violent material and immaterial intersections of the child welfare and housing systems in intimate spaces of home, as well as how Indigenous caregivers strategically comply, resist, and build alternatives to keep their families housed and whole. | M.A. | welfare, settler, worker, indigenous, housing, land, institut, indigenous | 1, 4, 8, 10, 16, 11, 15 |
| Sacchi, Alexa | Starmans, Christina | “She’s just a kid!” How Perceptions of Children’s Mental Capacities Influence Moral Character Judgments | Psychology | 2022-03-01 | Why are children and adults held to different standards when they commit immoral transgressions? One answer may be how we perceive the minds of children versus adults. Mind perception is essential when evaluating moral status (who is morally responsible and protected from harm). Developmental changes may influence how adults perceive the mental capacities of children across the lifespan, which may affect judgments of moral responsibility and moral character. Experiment 1 assessed lay intuitions as to why children are seen as less morally culpable than adults. We found that lack of moral knowledge and malleability of character were the most common explanations. In Experiment 2, we find that with age perceptions of mental capacities related to moral knowledge, theory of mind, and self-control increase while malleability of character decreases. Additionally, as these capacities change, judgments of moral character become harsher with age whereas judgments of an immoral action remain the same. | M.A. | knowledge, cities | 4, 11 |
| Han, Rasan | Agur, Anne MR | A 3D Cadaveric Study on the Innervation to the Cervical Zygapophysial Joints: Implications for Image-guided Radiofrequency Ablation Procedure | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Image-guided nerve block (NB) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the medial branches of cervical posterior rami are recommended non-opioid intervention options for chronic cervical zygapophysial joint (CZJ) pain. Although precise 3D knowledge of the course of the innervation to the CZJs is required for these procedures, no 3D studies investigating the articular branches to the CZJs were found in the literature. The purpose of this cadaveric study was to document in 3D the course of the sensory innervation to the C2/C3-C6/C7 zygapophysial joints relative to bony/soft tissue landmarks using serial dissection, digitization, and 3D modelling. The number of articular branches, site of origin, and point of entry into the CZJ capsules relative to bony/soft tissue landmarks were defined in 3D. The result of this thesis provides a novel evidence-based foundation for developing new image-guided NB/RFA treatment protocols. | M.Sc. | knowledge, invest, land | 4, 9, 15 |
| Wilfred, Kattren | Paradi, Joseph C | A Big Data Approach to Accounting Fraud Detection Using Data Envelopment Analysis and One Class Support Vector Machine | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | This thesis investigates a method to use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the context of big data to improve data analysis for the volume and velocity aspects of big data. First, DEA is used to identify fraud indicators in a large dataset. One class support vector machine (OC-SVM) is then used to identify outliers in the same dataset to evaluate the performance of the proposed DEA model. A second DEA model is proposed as a variable selection tool to enhance the performance of an OC-SVM model. The results show that although the proposed DEA model on its own is not as effective in detecting anomalies as OC-SVM, there is potential to use DEA as a variable selection tool to enhance the training and prediction process for anomaly detection using OC-SVM. The parameters and methods examined in this thesis are not exhaustive, but it does provide a baseline for future work. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Kibria, Khalood | Cowen, Deborah | A City in Crisis: Tenant Displacement and the Fight for Housing During COVID-19 in Toronto | Geography | 2021-11-01 | In March 2020, the novel coronavirus triggered a state of emergency around the world and in the city of Toronto, provoking the exacerbation and collision of multiple crises, one of them being the transnational crisis of housing. This thesis investigates the conflict between landlords and tenants in Toronto in the time of COVID-19 as a struggle over and against “accumulation by dispossession." From March 2020 onwards, thousands of racialized working-class tenants who lost income due to COVID-19 have fought to stay housed while landlords, particularly ‘financialized landlords’ who see housing as a commodity — a pure financial asset — have been set on evicting people who fell behind on rent. I explore how this moment of crisis has led to the dispossession and displacement of working-class, primarily racialized people, while also opening possibilities for insurgent practices, producing new spatialities and subjectivities as people fight collectively for their right to stay housed. | M.A. | invest, income, housing, land | 9, 10, 11, 15 |
| Jia, Fan | Carter, Michael W. | A Data-driven Optimized Two-stage Appointment Scheduling Model for CT Simulation and Radiation Treatments | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Radiation treatment, one of the main methods to treat cancer, requires a CT simulation to view the body’s inner structure and generate treatment plans. The appointment scheduling for CT simulation and radiation treatments is a complex two-stage problem for patients of different site groups, categories, and treatment intents. The problem is formulated as a Mixed Integer Programming problem to jointly schedule both kinds of appointments and we propose two alternative objective formulations to minimize the number of patients who wait more than their wait time targets for their treatment. Using historical data analysis to estimate the parameters, the models are evaluated using daily scheduling and patient batching approaches by considering wait time statistics and the utilization of linear accelerators. A heuristic model is also developed based on the results of the patient batching approaches to generate the appointment schedule at the time of consultation. The results of different approaches are compared. | M.A.S. | healthcare | 3 |
| Ghanavi, Rozhina | Liang, Ben Prof | A Deep Generative Model for Missing Data Imputation | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Machine learning relies on data. However, real-world datasets are far from perfect. One of the biggest challenges in working with these datasets is missing data. In this work, we present a novel deep generative model for missing data imputation. What makes our method unique is the focus it puts on classification accuracy while it imputes missing data. This makes our model particularly useful for classification problems. We formulate our proposal as a sequential game and show that it learns the true data distribution. Furthermore, we propose a new algorithm for optimizing our objective. Our proposal is able to learn the feature importance and impute critical features more accurately. Experimental results show our method outperforms existing methods in terms of classification accuracy. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Zhou, Young Yang | Wong, Albert HC | A Gene-environment Interaction Model of Schizophrenia: Maternal Immune Activation in miR-137 Mutant Mice | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | Genome-wide association studies have implicated microRNA-137 (miR-137) as a genetic susceptibility factor for schizophrenia. Individuals with risk alleles for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this gene have increased symptom severity, cognitive deficits, structural and functional brain changes associated with schizophrenia. Maternal immune activation (MIA) has also been implicated as an environmental risk factor affecting neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. Since schizophrenia is thought to result from the combination of susceptibility genotypes and environmental risk factors, we assessed the gene-environment interaction between maternal immune activation and transgenic mice that carry the miR137 rs2660304 SNP. We phenotyped the behaviour of these mice and observed an exacerbation of spatial working memory deficits in the Y-Maze by MIA in female mutant mice. No major behavioral changes were found in the open field, social interaction and prepulse inhibition assessments. Decreased performance in the Y-Maze was accompanied by exacerbation of parvalbumin-positive interneuron deficits in the dentate gyrus of female mutant mice by maternal immune activation. This thesis work demonstrated a gene-environment interaction between a miR-137 and MIA in our animal model. | M.Sc. | female, environmental, animal, animal | 5, 13, 14, 15 |
| Mousavi, Seyed Farzad | Sheikholeslami, Ali | A GPU-Accelerated Population-Based Boltzmann Machine for Solving Combinatorial Optimization Problems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Monte Carlo methods such as Simulated Annealing and Parallel Tempering have been applied to Boltzmann Machines for solving NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems. In practice, their implementations have been limited to small population (only a few CPU cores), not in massively parallel hardware. In this work, we show that Population Annealing algorithm can be applied to Boltzmann Machines and increases their performance in massively parallel hardware. We implement a large-scale GPU-accelerated Population-Based Boltzmann Machine (PBBM) with Population Annealing algorithm for solving all-to-all connected quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems with up to 20000 binary variables. For 1024-variable problems, PBBM is able to perform parallel energy evaluation and local field calculations on a population size of up to 640 parallel replicas about 500x faster than running replicas serially. Benchmark results on Max-Cut problems show that our implementation outperforms state-of-the-art optimizers and on average is 43x faster and has 2.5x less error. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Liang, Jingyuan | Ng, Wai Tung | A High-efficiency Three-level Integrated Boost Converter with a Flying Capacitor for Mobile Application | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | The Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display in modern smartphones requires a high voltage power supply capable of providing 26 V and a driving current of up to 100 mA. In this thesis, an integrated, highly efficient three-level boost converter is designed to address the above challenges. Comparison with the conventional topology boost converter topology is carried out in detail. This study includes an in-depth analysis on the operation and tradeoffs between device voltage ratings and efficiency. In addition, various unwanted power losses are identified, and the approaches to reduce them are applied in both topologies. The proposed three-level integrated boost converter has a peak efficiency of 81%. A 2 to 8% efficiency improvement over the conventional boost converter topology across a wide range of load currents is achieved. The three-level boost converter topology is also designed in an integrated form for the first time. | M.A.S. | trade | 10 |
| Pirmorad, Erfan | Bussmann, Markus | A Hybrid Soft-sphere/IBM-VoF Model for Modelling Wet Particle Collision Dynamics | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Particle collisions and interactions play a key role in many industrial applications including particulate, granulation, and agglomeration processes. The presence of moisture in these processes, in the form of liquid layers or droplets, changes the collision dynamics and the behaviour of colliding particles. In this work, we combine a soft-sphere collision model with an Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) that is coupled to a Volume of Fluid (VoF) method, for the prediction of wet particle collisions. Numerical results are validated against previous experimental and numerical work by simulating spherical particles colliding with a wet flat surface, and wet particle-particle collisions. The effect of different parameters on the characteristics of the collisions is investigated. Finally, a demonstration of particle interactions during agglomeration at a water-oil interface is presented. | M.A.S. | water, invest | 6, 9 |
| Zargham, Saba | Liscidini, Antonio | A Low-power Injection-locked O-QPSK/8PSK Transmitter | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-06-01 | Low-power constant-envelope modulations have gained popularity to meet the increasing demand for efficient transmitters with high data rates. In this thesis, a novel architecture for a low-power wireless transmitter is studied. The idea of employing a single injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) to perform phase modulation is brought forth. The proposed solution, tailored to Offset-Quadrature-Phase-Shift-Keying (QPSK) and 8PSK for various applications such as IoT (Internet of Things), has been realized by exploiting the property of an ILFD to work as a phase rotator. The output is coupled to the antenna via a transformer to deliver the desired power. The highly efficient, high-bandwidth OQPSK and 8PSK transmitters are capable of operating at up to 120 Mbit/s and 136 Mbit/s, with output powers of 1.3 mW and 3 mW respectively and system efficiencies above 30%. The paper on the OQPSK transmitter has won the "Best Young Scientist Paper Award" in ESSCIRC 2018. | M.A.S. | internet | 9 |
| Zuo, Xiaoye Zoey | Farb, Norman||Segal, Zindel | A Machine Learning Approach Towards the Differentiation Between Interoceptive and Exteroceptive Attention | Psychological Clinical Science | 2021-11-01 | Interoception, the sense of the body’s internal state, plays a critical role in emotion regulation and well-being. Attention to interoceptive signals is qualitatively different from attention to the external senses and might therefore recruit a distinct neural system. To better understand the neural underpinnings of interoception, we used a machine learning approach to differentiate neural patterns of interoceptive attention from exteroception using a set of fMRI tasks in which participants focused on their breath or a visual stimulus. Machine learning models achieved high accuracies in distinguishing interoceptive and exteroceptive attention using both in-sample and more stringent out-of-sample tests. We then explored the potential of these classifiers in “reading out” mental states in a sustained interoceptive attention task. Our findings suggested that interoceptive attention and exteroceptive attention recruit distinct neural networks and demonstrated the promising use of machine learning models on interoceptive fMRI tasks to characterize neural networks of interoception and how interoceptive awareness relates to subjective well-being. | M.A. | well-being, learning | 3, 4 |
| Fernandes, Craig J | Chan, Timothy C.Y. | A Markov Process Approach to Untangling Intention Versus Execution in Tennis | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Value functions are used in sports applications to determine the optimal action players should employ. However, most literature implicitly assumes that the player can perform the prescribed action with known and fixed probability of success. The effect of varying this probability or, equivalently, ``execution error'' in implementing an action, has received limited attention. We develop a novel modeling framework based on Markov processes to investigate how execution error impacts a player's value function and strategy in tennis. We power our models with hundreds of millions of simulated tennis shots. We find that optimal strategies become more conservative as execution error grows, and that having perfect execution with the empirical shot selection strategy is roughly equivalent to choosing one or two optimal shots with average execution error. We find that execution error on backhand shots is the costliest, and that optimal shot selection on a serve return is the most valuable. | M.A.S. | invest, conserv, conserv | 9, 14, 15 |
| Massey, Felix | Adams, Matthew D | A Methodological Comparison of Utilizing Different Mobile Monitoring Techniques to Predict the Spatial Variation of Ambient Air Pollution in Southern Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2021-11-01 | This thesis has two main objectives: examine if generating models based on linear representations of air pollution observations could help account for the sampling distance travelled during mobile monitoring and produce better performing models; second, investigate the difference in model performance when utilizing different mobile monitoring platforms within the same study with replicated routes to predict air pollution concentrations in an urban environment. Objective one was achieved by comparing the performance of models generated with a traditional point based methodology and a contemporary line based methodology. Results demonstrated that despite the benefit of incorporating sampling distance travelled, the line based approach produced models with similar performance as the point based models. Objective two was achieved by comparing models from two different monitoring modes; bicycles with air pollution sensors and a motor vehicle with research-grade instruments. Results indicated that the motor vehicle-based models outperformed the bicycle-based models for all assessment cases. | M.Sc. | pollution, learning, invest, urban, pollut, pollut, land use, land | 3, 4, 9, 11, 14, 15 |
| Zhang, Zihan | Lee, Chi-Guhn CG | A Pattern-driven Stochastic Process for Degradation Forecasting with Applications to Rechargeable Batteries | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | In recent decades, there has been significant growth in the development of rechargeable battery-powered devices such as electric vehicles, leading to an urgent demand for batteries with high reliability and quality. The end-of-life (EoL), a critical indicator of battery health, can be estimated by adaptive stochastic processes or advanced machine learning techniques. However, unless such approaches assume that the degradation path has a specific form, they operate as black boxes and are unable to provide stochastic interpretation. To address these challenges, a pattern-driven degradation process (PdDP) was executed that can model battery degradation, controlling degradation fluctuation by a GRU-driven degradation pattern. Further, a joint-learning sampling-based expectation maximization (JSEM) algorithm was developed to handle non-Markovian state transitions in estimating model parameters. Finally, a case study showed that the proposed methods outperform traditional methods with respect to both one-step and multistep-ahead prediction accuracies. | M.A.S. | learning, transit | 4, 11 |
| Motamed, Saman | Khalvati, Farzad | A Semi-supervised Pipeline for Detection of Anomalies in Medical Images | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | With the breakthroughs in the field of deep learning and computer vision problems, manyworkflows have been revolutionized, including diagnostic medical imaging. In this work we developed a Generative Adversarial Network - based pipeline for augmentation of data and detection of anomalies in the form of Viral Pneumonia and COVID-19 in chest X-ray images. By eliminating the need for more labelled data for training our model, we offered a pipeline that reduced the strain on radiologists when curating data for deep learning models. We demonstrated that our pipeline improves results compared to the previous state-of-the-art generative model for detection of anomalies in the images. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Rowntree, John | Schotzko, Nikki||Freeman, Barry | A Star Put It There: Theatre, Astronomy, and Finding Our Place | Drama | 2021-11-01 | Western theatre has reflected millennia of our evolving awareness of humanity’s place in the universe, and the more we learn, the smaller—and less significant—we appear. Two case studies illustrate this interplay between theatrical expression and scientific inquiry through close reading and astronomical context. Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen grapples with ethical questions surrounding the work of influential quantum physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg, while Maureen Hunter’s Transit of Venus provides a biographical exploration of 18th-century astronomy and personal fallout in the life of stargazer Guillaume Le Gentil. A companion piece to the project, a solo play titled A Star Put It There, offers an increasingly macroscopic contemplation of the cosmos and its existential implications. As science continues to seek new truths about our reality, a renewed humanism prompts celebration of the meanings we create for ourselves and each other, an outlook well-suited to the interpersonal immediacy of theatre. | M.A. | transit | 11 |
| Grebe, Christopher | Kelly, Jonathan S | A Study of Observability-aware Trajectory Optimization | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Ideally, robots should move in ways that maximize knowledge gained about the state of both their internal system and external operating environment. Recently, observability-based metrics have been proposed to find trajectories that enable rapid and accurate estimation. A system is observable, roughly, if relevant states and parameters can be recovered from measurements over finite time. Degree of observability has been applied as a metric to optimize motion to produce more observable trajectories that yield better estimation accuracy. The viability of methods for observability-aware trajectory optimization are not yet well understood in the literature. In this thesis, we compare two state-of-the-art methods for trajectory optimization and seek to add important theoretical clarifications and valuable discussion about their effectiveness. For evaluation, we examine the representative task of sensor-to-sensor extrinsic self-calibration using a realistic physics simulator. We also study the sensitivity of these algorithms to changes in information content of exteroceptive sensor measurements. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Devaere, Noel | Papangelakis, Vladimiros | A Study on Water Recovery from Industrial Effluents via Forward Osmosis | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-03-01 | Water removal from aqueous effluents in the mining and metals processing industry poses a unique challenge due to the high concentration of dissolved ions. Forward Osmosis (FO) is a membrane technology, which employs a concentrated draw solution to osmotically draw water through a semi-permeable membrane, that can operate on high dissolved ion feeds. FO operation relies on using a draw solution of higher osmotic pressure to extract water while managing concentration polarization which limits the water flux of the membrane. This investigation evaluated how flow rates, draw salt type and membrane orientation impact FO performance on solvent extraction raffinate and mine water effluent samples under osmotic gradient equivalent scenarios for a flat-sheet commercial FO membrane. The type of feed, osmotic gradient and flow rate were found to have the largest impact on water flux while only the feed type impacted the separation efficacy of the FO membrane. | M.A.S. | water, invest | 6, 9 |
| Nicola, William | Nainar, Hashim | A Survey of Pediatric Dentists in the United States Regarding Prevalence of Adverse Events in Clinical Practice | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Purpose: To examine the prevalence of adverse events during dental care for children in the United States and investigate trends in risk factors that lead to their occurrence. Methods: A self-administered online anonymous survey was sent to all active members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry using REDCap software to collect information regarding their experience with pediatric dental adverse events. Results: Seven hundred and four pediatric dentists completed the survey equating to a response rate of 11.1%. The most prevalent adverse events were self-inflicted trauma to anesthetized soft tissues and nausea and/or vomiting. In addition, 14% of survey respondents reported a major adverse event while 94.2% reported at least one dental adverse event within the past five years. Conclusions: The majority of survey respondents reported at least one minor adverse event within the past five years while a small but significant number reported a major adverse event. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Green, Samuel Christopher | Davidson, Alan R. | A Systematic Investigation of Anti-phage Defense in Pseudomonas aeruginosa | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Phages are obligate parasites that kill bacteria through their lytic life cycle. This constant selective pressure causes coevolution, which has been described as an “evolutionary arms race”. To evade phage predation, bacteria have evolved “defense systems”. To counter these bacterial mechanisms, phages contain reciprocal “anti-defense systems”. With the growing rise of antibiotic resistance, finding alternative ways to treat pathogenic bacterial infections is becoming more pressing. Phage therapy is one such alternative. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multidrug-resistant, opportunistic pathogen. I aimed to study the intracellular defense/anti- defense interactions of P. aeruginosa strains/phages, in vivo, as a greater knowledge of these interactions will hopefully allow for more successful phage therapy. I conducted a screen to assess the ability of a large collection of phages to replicate on diverse P. aeruginosa strains. In cases where a phage did not replicate on a strain, I determined whether the phage in question was able to adsorb to the strain. If adsorption did occur, it was likely that phage replication was being blocked by anti-phage defense systems operating within the cell. Since these types of systems are of greatest current interest, we conducted further studies on these phage/host combinations. In the hope of finding phage genes involved in anti-defense, I expressed several phage moron genes within P. aeruginosa strains being infected by phages that could adsorb but not replicate. I identified one phage protein, gene product 15 from Pseudomonas phage JBD26, the expression of which decreased phage resistance. | M.Sc. | knowledge, invest | 4, 9 |
| Carey, Cassandra Nicole | Jenkins, David | A The Sustainability of Moving towards Healthy Plant-based Dietary Patterns | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-03-01 | A synthesis of the literature on diet-related environmental impacts is needed. We therefore conducted a scoping review to assess the environmental impacts of moving towards plant-based diets. We concluded that shifting toward more plant-based diets can reduce diet-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), land use, water use, energy use, and biodiversity impacts. However, there is a lack of assessment of therapeutic plant-based diet patterns and their human environmental impacts, particularly in real-life settings. Therefore, a randomized controlled trial was analyzed to determine the difference in GHGE between a more plant-based dietary pattern, the Portfolio diet, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). This is the first study to demonstrate how reductions in diet-related GHGE and some cardiometabolic risk factors can be achieved through well-planned therapeutic diets, using past clinical trials. Future research should analyze the many human health and environmental effects of moving towards more plant-based diets in real-life settings. | M.Sc. | water, energy, emission, greenhouse, greenhouse gas, environmental, emissions, biodivers, biodivers, land use, land | 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 |
| Zhang, Yi Fan | Chan Carusone, Anthony | A TX Clock Frequency Modulated Side-channel and a Time-modulated Phase Interpolator for High-speed Wireline Systems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis focuses on two ideas in clocking systems that contribute to the reduction of power in high-speed wireline communication. The first project implements a side-channel to facilitate low-speed data transmission for transmitter-receiver co-optimization. The proposed side-channel modulates a transmitter clock’s frequency and uses the corresponding receiver's clock and data recovery to demodulate its clock-embedded data. A prototype side-channel was tested on a 7nm 56 Gb/s PAM-4 transceiver with a 50 ppm frequency offset, and no visible impact on the high-speed link was observed. In the second project, a 14 GHz injection locked ring oscillator phase interpolator (PI) was designed using 16 nm FinFET technology. This PI time-modulates between four different injection points within a ring oscillator to generate 96 fine phase settings. Based on post-layout simulations, the proposed PI occupies an area of 0.0033 mm$^2$, consumes 24.1 mW of power, and has a rms jitter of 592 fs. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Rose, Katelyn Sidney | Sommerville, Jessica | A Vote of Conscience: Investigating the Early Development of Guilt and Shame in an Online Context | Psychology | 2022-03-01 | In the second year of life, children begin to respond to transgressions with guilt-motivated reparative behaviour or shame-motivated avoidance. Yet, questions remain regarding when and whether guilt and shame are separable, whether the way guilt and shame are measured may lead to different response patterns, and the mechanism underlying reparative responses. Here, 24 two- year-olds’ guilt and shame were assessed through a virtual experimental task, a parent-report questionnaire, and a parent interview question; we hypothesized that other-orientation (measured through children’s memory for the experimenter’s appearance) would predict their reparative behaviour. None of our measures were reliable in distinguishing guilt-specific responses from shameful behaviours and few relations were found across tasks, but admissions of guilt on the paradigm were linked to admissions of guilt on the questionnaire. Other-orientation was found to be unrelated to both guilt and shame across all measures. Implications for future research on early self-conscious emotional expressions are discussed. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Shubin, Dmitrii | Goodfellow, Sebastian D.||Eytan, Danny | About Explicit Variance Minimization: Training Neural Networks for Medical Imaging with Limited Data Annotations | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | We proposed the Variance Aware Training (VAT), the novel method of training well-generalized Deep Neural Networks with limited data annotations. Our method requires selecting only one hyper-parameter and matching or improving the performance of state-of-the-art self-supervised methods while achieving an order of magnitude reduction in the GPU training time. We validated VAT on three medical imaging datasets from diverse domains and for various learning objectives and compared VAT with state-of-the-art self-supervised methods. These included a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) dataset for the heart semantic segmentation (MICCAI 2017 ACDC challenge), fundus photography dataset for ordinary regression of diabetic retinopathy progression (Kaggle 2019 APTOS Blindness Detection challenge), and classification of histopathologic scans of lymph node sections (PatchCamelyon dataset). Our code is available at https://github.com/DmitriiShubin/Variance-Aware-Training. | M.A.S. | learning, trade | 4, 10 |
| Kerson, Emma Katherine Smol | Cesare Schotzko, T. Nikki | Absurding the Absurd: Use and Transformation as Resistance in Performance | Drama | 2021-11-01 | Sara Ahmed’s What’s the Use? On the Uses of Use (2019) offers a critical framework as I question the use of my art form, contemporary dance, and follow an artistic inquiry into the potentially useful idea of the absurd. I problematize the absurd’s white and male-dominated past and move beyond theatre-centric canons to focus on works of dance where the absurd generates ways of being against the dominant sense as forms of resistance capable of transformative action and meaning-making. I apply Ahmed’s notion of queer use to the absurd itself in examining Miguel Gutierrez’s This Bridge Called My Ass (2019), Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), Alyssa Martin’s fantasylover (2018), Dimitris Papaioannou’s Sisyphus / Trans / Form (2019), and Pina Bausch’s Café Müller (1978). Through a feminist lens, I explore how these works use the absurd as a feeling and a verb to subvert expectations and transform perceptions. | M.A. | queer, feminis | 5 |
| Jiang, Chengyang | Andrews, Robert C | Abundance, Composition, and Factors Impacting the Formation of Microplastic-Associated Biofilm in Freshwaters | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Biofilm that colonizes on the surface of microplastics (MPs) may represent a potential health risk. The current study examined factors that influence MP-associated biofilm growth, including polymer type, degree of weathering, and source water quality. Weathered MPs were produced in-lab, and biofilm trials were conducted on-site at drinking water treatment facilities using a passive flow-through system. Biofilm abundance was quantified in terms of adenosine triphosphate (ATP); its composition was assessed via metagenomic sequencing. Biofilm growth was observed on MPs of all polymer types, and most prevalent on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) where ATP levels were 6 to 12 times higher when compared to other polymers. Pathogen-containing species including Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli were observed on all polymers with relative abundance up to 13.7%; S. enterica was selectively enriched on weathered polymers in specific water matrices. These findings support the need to examine the impact of drinking water treatment to minimize potential health risks. As well they suggest the need for future studies to adopt the use of weathered polymers, as they were observed to increase biofilm growth. | M.A.S. | water, weather, species, species | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Samavi, Sepehr | Schoellig, Angela | Accounting for Unpredictability in Autonomous Driving Behaviour | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) need to behave like humans when interacting with them.We define unpredictability of surrounding drivers as a measure to take into account for trajectory planning and use Maximum Entropy Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL) to demonstrate that incorporating unpredictability into a lane change reward function provides insights on human driving behaviour. We first evaluate the IRL algorithm on a Linear Quadratic Regulator proof of concept. Then we use the IRL algorithm to model reward functions for conducting a lane change maneuver in a highway setting. We investigate whether the unpredictability of surrounding traffic will have an effect on the behaviour of the lane changing car by learning two reward functions from human data, a baseline reward function and a reward function that incorporates unpredictability. Our evaluation confirms that incorporating unpredictability results in modest improvements in explaining the behaviour of human drivers and can result in human-like AVs. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Mees, Jayna Hayley | Cesare Schotzko , T. Nikki | Activating Choreographies of Care: An Inclusive Approach to 'Sidewalk Ballet' | Drama | 2021-11-01 | When it comes to immersive theatre, one of its most attractive characteristics is the way it engages audiences in a fictional site by inviting them to play a role in the performance. In order to perform this role, audiences are required to adhere to particular way(s) of moving through the performance site. Similarly, when traversing the sidewalk, pedestrians must adhere to a specific set of spatial scripts established by the physical characteristics of the street, and the bodies that traverse it. This becomes exclusionary for participants from the disabled community in both fictional and non-fictional contexts, as it is primarily non-disabled pedestrians that occupy the sidewalk, and consequently shape its dominant choreographies. To address these issues, this thesis uses a research-creation approach to develop an immersive tour that explores the daily choreographies of Queen Street West, in relation to the fictional choreographies established in my performance. | M.A. | accessib, environmental | 11, 13 |
| Garmabi, Mohammad Moin | Sain, Mohini | Additive Manufacturing of Polyphenylene Sulfide and their Carbon Compositions through Fused Filament Fabrication | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | This study explored the interlayer bonding strength enhancement through process parameters (print temperature chamber temperature and layer height) optimization of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) parts printed with fused filament fabrication (FFF) by the response surface method (RSM). Using DSC, rheometer, and optical microscopy, it was revealed that interlayer bonding was significantly enhanced with parameters’ optimization showing tensile strength and Young’s modulus of 93% and 96% of compression molded specimen, respectively. Optimized parts showed excellent chemical resistance, suggesting potential for under-the-hood application.Moreover, recycled carbon fiber (rCF) reinforced PPS filaments with fiber percentages up to 10% were developed. The superior performance of parts containing 10% fiber (10%CF) was proved using mechanical (tensile, flexural, and impact) and thermal (DSC, TGA, and DMA) tests. Excellent chemical resistance and high print quality of an actual industrial part using 10%CF was verified. Mentioned results suggested a desirable performance of 10%CF for lightweight high-temperature applications in the automotive industry. | M.A.S. | recycl | 12 |
| Udenby, Flroence A.O. | Andrews, Robert C. | Adsorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Polyethylene Microplastics in Freshwaters | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Microplastics (MPs), which are ubiquitous in the environment, have been shown to adsorb organic contaminants of concern including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Any MPs which are not removed via drinking water treatment may enter the human body via consumption and act as vectors for PAHs. In this thesis sorption trials were conducted using both artificial and real water matrices along with two different sizes (200 µm and 1090 µm) of virgin and weathered polyethylene (PE) microspheres. This experimental design allowed direct comparison of the impacts of natural waters and weathering on sorption capacity. Of the factors examined, size and surface area, and hydrophobicity, with respect to both the polymer and PAHs were identified as most critical. Overall, results of this study provide insight into the sorption behavior of microplastics in freshwater environments and their potential to adsorb organic contaminants. | M.A.S. | water, consum, weather | 6, 12, 13 |
| Wei, Haiqi | Taati, Babak||Grantcharov, Teodor | Adverse Event Detection in Laparoscopic Videos | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Human errors are one of the main causes of surgical adverse events. These events are reported by physicians which is an error-prone process. An automatic surgical adverse event detection system can reduce biases in the reports, provide quick feedback to surgeons, and help guide postoperative care. Few studies have developed such a system for laparoscopic procedures -- a major type of minimally-invasive procedure that has 15 million cases each year. We developed a deep learning system that can automatically detect two major surgical adverse events: bleeding and thermal injury. The system consists of a module that reduces camera motion in a scene, a module that extracts spatial-temporal features from videos, and a final module that takes into account the full temporal resolution of a procedure and makes predictions. This system significantly outperforms the prior state-of-the-art architectures developed for action recognition and adverse event detection in laparoscopic videos. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Chiang, Christopher | Zingg, David W | Aerodynamic Shape Optimization of a Boundary-layer Ingesting S-duct Intake | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | An aerodynamic shape optimization framework based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations is applied to the optimization of a boundary-layer ingesting S-duct designed for an embedded engine on a high-subsonic, unmanned flight vehicle. Two composite objective functions are considered. The first combines distortion and swirl at the fan interface plane as well as total pressure recovery, with user-defined weights for each objective, while the second involves pressure recovery, fan blade load variation, and fan blade incidence variation. Pareto fronts are generated that demonstrate the trade-offs between objectives. Single-point and multipoint optimizations are conducted at cruise, descent, and climb conditions to evaluate the robustness of the design. Results indicate that compared to the baseline geometry, a simultaneous improvement in all objectives can be obtained, depending on the priorities pre-assigned by the user. Lastly, multipoint optimization results show that a single S-duct geometry can perform well during cruise, climb, and descent conditions. | M.A.S. | trade | 10 |
| Desor, Shiba | Singh, Neera | Affective Encounters and Activist Subjectivities | Geography | 2022-03-01 | In this thesis, I explore the ways in which notions of activism can be extended by a closer attention to affect from a relational-ontological perspective. Through an autoethnographic study of my own experiences with various forms of activism, I analyze the ways in which different affects emerging from processes of activism may have an impact on activist journeys and subjectivities. Analyzing the affective state of hopelessness or alienation that is often classified as activist burnout, I explore the openings it may present for transformation of self and work. Describing my own ways of addressing such “feelings out of place,” I point to the role of shifting notions of efficacy, time, and belonging in building “infrastructures of response-ability” that are dynamic and attentive to the rewards and strains of activism. | M.A. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Ali, Zehra | Sawchuk, Peter | AI in the Workplace: A Scoping Review of Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required by Employees of the Future | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | With the recent onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace, I ask how it will affect the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) required by employees to work alongside the new technology. By conducting a rapid, scoping literature review in five most relevant databases I provide an original synthesis on the 168 articles. I find that trust in the new technology is an absolute requirement for employees, and this can be further fostered by ensuring that they have the relevant KSA to work along side AI. Additionally, I identify some of these relevant KSA for employees of the future, and the bring to light the imperative need to redesign roles and processes within organizations. Lastly, I provide a critical view regarding the evolution of AI in the workplace and its affect on the employee, recommending changes that will produce positive outcomes for all involved, especially the most vulnerable employees. | M.A. | knowledge | 4 |
| Chung, Danielle Jean | Salter, Michael W | Alternative Splicing of Exon 5 in GluN1 Controls Glycine-stimulated Recruitment of AP-2 to NMDA Receptors | Physiology | 2019-11-01 | The number of surface expressed NMDA receptors (NMDARs) at synapses is dynamic and undergoes clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Aside from gating, glycine triggers the recruitment of the endocytic AP-2 adaptor protein complex to NMDARs and primes them for endocytosis. Here, I provide evidence for the involvement of tyrosine kinases and phosphatases in glycine-mediated AP-2 recruitment. Furthermore, I demonstrate glycine-priming depends on the splicing state of GluN1 exon 5 by measuring glycine-mediated AP-2 binding to endogenous NMDARs from transgenic mice that either completely lack or contain exon 5. Glycine induced AP-2 recruitment and dephosphorylation events at the C-terminus of exon 5-lacking NMDARs, which were absent in exon 5-containing NMDARs. Moreover, the inclusion/exclusion of exon 5 alters basal phosphorylation levels at sites implicated in NMDAR trafficking. Thus, these findings suggest exon 5 may selectively control the stability of cell-surface NMDARs and expands our understanding on GluN1 splice variants and their impact on intracellular signaling. | M.Sc. | trafficking, trafficking | 5, 16 |
| Shao, Mingyang | Nejat, Goldie||Benhabib, Beno | An Affect-aware Socially Assistive Robot for Exercise Facilitation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Older adults generally engage in less physical activities than other age groups, which can increase the risk of developing diseases associated with aging. It is increasingly difficult for caregivers to support older adults due to the global decline in the old-age support ratio. Socially assistive robots have shown success in supporting older adults and extending the capability of healthcare workers. This thesis aims to develop: 1) an affect elicitation and detection methodology using a social robot to directly elicit user affect that occurred during human-robot interactions (HRIs) to train affect detection models; 2) an autonomous socially assistive robot to facilitate upper body exercises. Exploratory experiments with both younger and older adults were conducted to validate the robot’s ability to elicit user affect and facilitate exercises. The results showed that the robot successfully elicited and detected user affect as well as facilitated exercising, and that the participants also reported high acceptance of the robot. | M.A.S. | healthcare, worker | 3, 8 |
| Kamani, Farrah | Cooper, Karyn CP||Niyozov, Sarfaroz SN | An Autobiographical Snapshot: The Impact of COVID-19 on Online Adult Learning in International Development | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-06-01 | COVID-19 has shifted education moving from a primarily in-person model to a virtual one. Within the arena of International Development, higher education, particularly in Canada has had to adapt how they deliver workshops in an accessible way to participants in Egypt. My master’s study is a narrative inquiry told through the Five Contexts which is a framework developed by Dr Karyn Cooper and Dr Robert E White, these contexts include: Autobiographical, Political, Philosophical, Post-Modern and Historical (2012). The methodology adopted for this study is Hermeneutics which allows me to position myself and my interpretation of my experience within the context of the research (Laverty, 2003). The question being explored is how my experience can inform future programming as existing literature does not speak to the comparative education or project manager experience supporting international development programming. The thesis includes recommendations from my experience supporting a three-week Train the Trainers Pedagogy Workshop. | M.A. | pedagogy, learning, accessib | 4, 11 |
| Li, Tao | Jia, Charles Q | An Electrochemical Study of Wood Biochar Monolith as Electrode in Electrical Double Layer Capacitor | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | The core reason for global climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Among many efforts devoted to reducing the dependence on fossil fuels, a particular focus has been developing low-cost and high-performance energy storage devices. The electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) is deemed a candidate due to its fast-charging capability and long-cycling life. With sugar maple as the precursor, this study investigates the behavior of EDLC with thick (up to 3 mm) wood biochar monolith (WBM) electrodes, addressing three topics - 1. the effect of electrode thickness on the performance of WBM-EDLC; 2. the unideal rate capability; 3. the origin of discharge curvature in galvanic cycling (GC). Results revealed that the electrode capacitance increased with the decrease in electrode thickness. Furthermore, the rate capability depends strongly on the electronic resistance of WBM-EDLC. Finally, a bus-passenger model was proposed to illustrate the reasons for GC discharge curvature. | M.A.S. | energy, emission, greenhouse, invest, climate, greenhouse gas, fossil fuel, emissions | 7, 9, 13 |
| Seo, Hyojung Julia | Furness, Colin | An Exploration of Knowledge Practices Among User Experience (UX) Professionals | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | This qualitative, exploratory research investigated the knowledge practices of User Experience (UX) designers, an emerging, knowledge-intensive profession that has not been well studied. Three areas of exploration included the way UX designers share knowledge, manage knowledge in work contexts, and participate in communities of practice (CoPs). Grounded Theory Method was employed to generate two frameworks of knowledge sources, based on 10 emergent themes from 21 interviews with UX professionals: Knowledge Sources in Work and Knowledge Sources in Career Development. These frameworks illustrate sources of knowledge that UX professionals use in their work and throughout their career. They make use of explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, and CoP participation to help identify suitable work processes. In addition, experience and the level of UX maturity in organizations influence the knowledge sources they use. UX professionals and organizations will find value in these frameworks for enhancing practice and supporting UX career development. | M.I.S. | knowledge, invest | 4, 9 |
| Sui, Yi | Sanner, Scott | An Exploration of Modelling for Sparse Data and Explanation in Deep Learning | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Deep learning (DL) models have achieved superior performance in various application domains. However, there are two main issues of DL models. Firstly, these complex models often tend to overfit, especially with sparse observations. Secondly, DL models are hard to interpret and debug. Therefore, in this thesis, we explore solutions for both drawbacks. For the generalizability with sparse data issue, we propose a novel DL architecture for spatiotemporal event predictions with sparse observations that achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art models. The model’s architecture is designed to capture the categorical, temporal, and spatial patterns and achieve better generalization. For the interpretability issue, we explore sample-based explanations, where explanations are generated by estimating training data influence. We demonstrate that our proposed methods can assist with understanding DL models by producing meaningful explanations and facilitate data debugging. In summary, this thesis aims to investigate solutions for two critical problems in DL application. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Aharoni, Jordan Ryan | Buliung, Ron||Mitra, Raktim | An Exploratory Study of the Travel Characteristics of Students who Use Mobility Aids at Ten Universities and Colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Postsecondary students are an underrepresented population in transportation research, and postsecondary students with disabilities even more so. Using survey data from ten universities and colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, I compare demographic, activity, and attitudinal characteristics of students who use mobility aids to other students, exploring potential differences in access and use of transport and education systems. The results indicate that many students who use mobility aids are from lower income families, receive less financial support, and travel at different times than other students. Students who use mobility aids reported greater use of modified vehicles and carpooling with household members. They were also more likely to report that commuting discouraged them from attending campus and limited their academic success. A closer look at the experiences of postsecondary students with disabilities is required. Future research should expand to include other disabilities and a longer observation period. | M.A. | disabilit, income | 3, 10 |
| Zhang, Yilun | Chignell, Mark | An Interactive Machine Learning Approach to Integrating Physician Expertise into Delirium Prediction Model Development | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Delirium is an acute neurocognitive disorder which affects up to half of older hospitalized patients, leading to dementia, longer hospital stays, increased health costs, and death. While delirium can be prevented and treated, it is difficult to identify and predict. Within the GEMINI study, a detailed manual review of medical records has been conducted on nearly 4000 admissions at six hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area, of which approximately 25% have been labeled as having delirium. Using the data collected from this study, we develop machine learning (ML) models with, and without, expert knowledge. By comparison, physician expertise indeed improves delirium status prediction performance and the performance is found to be stable over time. Based on the experimental findings, we further discuss the potential value of using such interactive machine learning (iML) approaches in general healthcare ML applications. Overall, this thesis provides a new perspective on developing delirium prediction models. | M.A.S. | healthcare, knowledge, learning | 3, 4 |
| Chai, Tia Madison | Goh, Cynthia | Analysis of Contaminants in Vaughan Stormwater Ponds for Remediation | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Stormwater ponds, a form of stormwater management, is fundamental for flood control and prevention of erosion around natural bodies of water. Stormwater infrastructure is heavily underfunded in Ontario; due to this, storm ponds do not undergo chemical analysis until they are scheduled for cleaning. Partnering with the City of Vaughan, this project aims to establish historical data that reflects trends in pond pollution to assist Vaughan in employing more efficient and effective cleaning methods. In order to gather and consolidate storm pond data, both bulk water and sediment samples are collected from five storm ponds at different times of the year. pH, conductivity, and concentrations of ions, metals, and total organic carbon are compared to government agency benchmarks to determine contaminant levels. Through the analysis of samples from September and December 2020, commonly occurring pollutants are identified, and a nitrogen-modified activated carbon is investigated as a possible remediation for contaminants. | M.Sc. | pollution, water, remediation, stormwater management, infrastructure, invest, pollut, pollut, erosion | 3, 6, 9, 14, 15 |
| Kouchakzadeh, Mostafa | Roorda, Matthew M | Analyzing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Traffic Congestion and Commercial Vehicle Travel Patterns within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually all social and economic activities in our society, resulting in changing patterns of travel and traffic congestion in Canada. This thesis first analyzes traffic congestion changes throughout the first and second waves of the pandemic on detected freeway bottlenecks within the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA), using travel speed data. Then this thesis focuses on the commercial vehicle (CV) travel patterns, specifically changes in origin and destination in the GTHA. Since the beginning of the pandemic, consumers’ shopping behaviours have changed dramatically. The impact of these changes is investigated by analyzing the origins and destinations of CVs based on GPS data collected by Geotab GO. The changes are described with figures and summary statistics. Next, CVs activities are analyzed on the worst bottleneck in the GTHA, and finally, recommendations for future research are provided. | M.A.S. | invest, consum | 9, 12 |
| Leonardo, Kevin Alfonso | Olechowski, Alison | Analyzing Industry Cloud-computer-aided Design (CAD) Behaviours to Enhance Teaching Practices | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Introduced in the 1960s, computer-aided design (CAD) has become an essential tool in an engineer’s repertoire. Since its inception, CAD has seen emerging breakthroughs in the form of cloud-CAD which allows for greater control and management over the design process. Despite these innovations, we continue to teach CAD focusing on traditional practices.To modernize how CAD is taught, we propose learning from industry CAD users. Through a qualitative study, we interview industry users about the responsibilities and challenges of adopting cloud-CAD. Subsequently, we take a quantitative approach by collaborating with an industry partner and retrieving their server analytics. Through a statistical analysis, we aim to identify underlying behaviours and patterns. Through this joint approach, we can better understand the expectations newly graduated engineers will encounter upon entering the workforce; with this information, we can tailor the CAD teaching practices to best meet student needs. | M.A.S. | learning, labor | 4, 8 |
| Litmanovitch, Tal | Duval, Tim P | Annual Biogeochemical Dynamics of a Stormwater Management Pond | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Since the 1970’s stormwater ponds (SWPs) have been used to mitigate the risks of flooding and pollution posed by stormwater runoff from paved impervious surfaces. SWPs have been evaluated for their function as a nutrient and sediment sink, but few studies have investigated fine scale spatial and temporal changes in biogeochemical properties. The objective of this study was to analyze N and P dynamics in relation to other water quality indicators in a stormwater pond. Changes in total N and P fractions were examined under different water temperatures, and rain and melt event classes. Vertical gradients of N and P fractions were also compared to water column stability. This thesis shows that a SWP transforms the composition of N and P fractions in water, resulting in higher particulate exports. It also demonstrates that despite a shallow depth, stormwater ponds are capable of producing stratified water columns of variable water chemistry. . | M.Sc. | pollution, water, stormwater management, invest, urban, pollut, pollut | 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 15 |
| Paes, Nathan Escolatio | Zee, Robert E | Application of the NewSpace and Microspace Philosophies to Small Satellite Constellation Development | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Through improvements in terrestrial technology and reduced launch costs, small satellites have seen a steady rise in popularity. Organizations like the Space Flight Laboratory utilize the Microspace approach towards satellite development, pushing the envelope and constantly expanding small satellite capabilities. However, for large constellation missions, the NewSpace approach may offer the greater benefit, focusing on manufacturing cadence and cost reduction. This thesis aims to demonstrate how the NewSpace and Microspace philosophies can be applied to the development of small satellite constellation missions. For a new single satellite mission, mechanical modifications were made to the DEFIANT platform, which drove changes to the bus layout of components and thermal design. Qualification vibration and thermal vacuum testing was completed to certify the SPARTAN bus for a commercial constellation mission. Lastly, for a DEFIANT cluster mission, the quality assurance, assembly, and integration processes were analyzed in the context of the NewSpace and Microspace philosophies. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Hall, Elizabeth Scarlett | Awadalla, Philip | Applying Polygenic Models to Disentangle Genotype-phenotype Associations across Common Human Diseases | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11-01 | In recent years, much human genetics research has focused on modeling the polygenic architecture of common human diseases using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Utilizing longitudinal population-level data from participants in the UK Biobank (UKB) and the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath), I investigate how innovations in polygenic risk modelling may be applied to help disentangle genotype-phenotype associations for common human diseases represented across both these populations. By performing stratified GWAS, I capture the shared and distinct polygenic architecture of disease subgroups even among cases of a single ancestry. Subsequently, I compare the efficacy of polygenic risk modeling against more dynamic approaches such as transcriptional risk models which rely on gene expression profiles from tissue and may synergistically capture both individual-level genetic and environmental risk factors. Together, these findings present genetic risk factors for early-onset disease and provide insights into biomarkers for improving personalized disease risk prediction. | M.Sc. | invest, environmental | 9, 13 |
| Mintchev, Andrey Svetlozarov | Tang, Anthony | Applying Videogame Narrative and Level Design To Museum Exhibit Design | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | This thesis examines how practices of narrative and level design used in the videogame industry can be applied to the museum sector, and from this research, propose a set of design lessons that can be used for the creation of exhibits. To that end, this thesis hypothesizes that these practices from gaming will serve the purpose of elevating the visitor experience—specifically in the way museum spaces, artifacts and their stories are presented, navigated, and experienced by the visitor. In order to produce this set of design lessons for exhibit creation, a qualitative study of five videogames was conducted for the purpose of identifying methods of narrative delivery, and level design practices. In regard to narrative design, I establish three methods of narrative embedding, partly inspired by Huaxin Wei’s work, in addition to summarizing Ahmed Khalifa et al.’s findings, which contributed to this studies understanding of level design. The combined knowledge of these works where foundational in developing a unit of analysis, which was used to identify narrative and level design practices within my sample. The findings from this research was then translated into applicable design practices for museum exhibit creation, called design lessons. Moreover, the design lessons developed from this study were used in the creation of a prototype exhibit for the purpose of demonstrating its effectiveness. Thus, this study advocates that there are indeed lessons to be learned from videogames which offer new perspectives in design to the museum sector. That in doing so, this study’s interest in providing museum professionals with new views on narrative and level design, will have a positive affect on the visitor experience. | M.M.St. | knowledge | 4 |
| Mauer-Vakil, Dane Irving Fletcher | Allin, Sara||Rudoler, David | Approaches to Integrate Mental Health Services in Primary Care: A Scoping Review of System-level Barriers and Enablers to Implementation | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2021-11-01 | Despite the growing prevalence of mental illness, the integration of mental health services in primary care has been a persistent challenge in Canada. Successful integration has the potential to reduce stigma, improve treatment of comorbidities, and enhance access to care. This scoping review investigated system-level barriers and enablers to implementing collaborative care models to integrate mental health services in primary care. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were systematically searched in May 2020 resulting in the inclusion of 64 articles. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was utilized to code and analyze implementation barriers and enablers. The main themes that emerged from the findings included: funding and reimbursement; health practitioner workforce and training; relationships with organizations and communities; and policy implementation. Results may inform the scaling up of existing promising local initiatives and pilot projects that integrate mental health services into primary care. | M.Sc. | mental health, illness, labor, invest | 3, 8, 9 |
| Johnstone, Keith David | Mihalache, Irina||McLaughlin, Hooley | Approaching Activism: A Systematic Review of Museum Conservation Education Program Evaluations | Museum Studies | 2022-03-01 | The theory of museum activism argues that when faced with social and ecological crises, museums must act. However, pursuing explicitly activist agendas risks the public trust which is essential for museums’ continued operation. Evaluation could help legitimate activist museum work and maintain public trust, but not all approaches to evaluation are appropriate for an activist context. This thesis determines which approaches are being used to evaluate activist museum work, specifically through a systematic review of conservation education program evaluations. The eighty-one reviewed evaluations employed twenty-five approaches to evaluations. The most frequently employed approach was theory-driven evaluation, followed by responsive evaluation. As well, the results suggest a relationship exists between museum genres and which evaluation approach is employed. These findings set a foundation for determining the nature of this relationship and whether the most prevalent evaluation approaches are the most appropriate to use for evaluations of activist museum work. | M.M.St. | conserv, ecolog, conserv | 14, 15 |
| Ton, Kevin | Lian, Keryn||Chu, Ta-Ya | Aqueous Proton Conducting Polymer Electrolytes as Gate Dielectrics for Organic Field-effect Transistors | Materials Science and Engineering | 2021-06-01 | The vast majority of solid electrolyte-gated field-effect transistors (EGFETs) use ionic liquid or lithium ion conducting electrolytes. However, other classes of solid electrolytes have seen little attention for use in EGFETs despite their promising properties. In particular, proton conducting polymer electrolytes have great potential due to their high ionic conductivity, specific capacitance, and environmental stability. In this work, strong acid based proton conducting polymer electrolytes comprised of either phosphoric acid (H3PO4) or sulphuric acid (H2SO4) in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer host were investigated as potential gate dielectrics. The resulting proton conducting polymer electrolyte gated EGFET devices exhibited promising performance with sub 1 V operation, a high ON/OFF ratio >105 and a low subthreshold swing of 90 mV/decade, which demonstrates the viability of using proton conducting polymer electrolytes as gate dielectrics in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). | M.A.S. | invest, environmental | 9, 13 |
| Faidi, Safa | Olechowski, Alison | Assessing Bibliometrics for the Automation of Technology Readiness Level Assessments | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) are used to assess technology maturity, an important factor in technology investment and onboarding decisions. Expertly assessed TRLs are time-consuming, financially demanding, and subject to bias. While quantitative TRL assessment tools have been suggested, their accuracy is yet to be confirmed. To address this, we explore an existing method that used prevailing bibliometric models of maturity to assess TRLs. We automated and replicated the method and investigated its reliability by estimating the TRLs of 23 technologies. We show that the results of the automated method do not agree with expertly assessed TRLs and we offer hypotheses as to why bibliometrics fail to provide accurate technology maturity estimates. We argue that the single indicator model commonly used to assess technology life cycle stages must be revised. Finally, we suggest machine learning and Natural Language Processing tools to replace outdated models of maturity and automate TRL assessments. | M.A.S. | learning, invest, consum | 4, 9, 12 |
| Incze, Taylor | Trbovich, Patricia | Assessing Surgical Teamwork Skills and their Relationship to Adverse Events Using OR Black Box ® | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2021-09-01 | Surgical teamwork deficiencies are associated with poor clinical outcomes, but the separate influence of individual multidisciplinary team members remains unclear. This thesis aimed to identify the teamwork skills demonstrated by surgical team members and determine if they varied during intraoperative adverse events (IAEs). Seventy laparoscopic procedures were captured using OR Black Box®. Using framework analysis, videos were coded for ‘present’ (i.e., outwardly observed) and ‘absent’ (i.e., expected but not observed) teamwork skills. Trained surgeons identified IAEs. Across four roles (nurses, anesthesiologists, surgeons, and trainees) 3539 skills were observed. While coordination was the skill most present across all roles, aspects of coordination (e.g., check-backs) were often not present when expected. During the 41 IAEs, (versus no IAE), nurses, surgeons and trainees expressed significantly more backup behaviour, conflict management and psychological safety, respectively. Understanding the separate contributions of surgical roles on intraoperative performance provides needed detail to inform targeted interventions. | M.Sc. | healthcare | 3 |
| Yang, Danny | Grantcharov, Teodor TG | Assessing the Feasibility of Using Pressure Sensing Insoles to Measure Physical Fatigue due to Prolonged Standing | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Surgeons often experience physical fatigue from prolonged standing in the operating room, causing pain and discomfort that may affect their well-being and performance. A unintrusive and reliable measure of surgeon physical fatigue does not currently exist. We designed the first proof-of-concept study to test if pressure sensing insoles can be used to identify the physical fatigue caused by prolonged standing. 10 participants stood for 2 hours, rested for 1 hour, then stood for another 2 hours. The average pressure and peak pressure on the left medial forefoot increased after the second standing session (p | M.H.Sc. | well-being | 3 |
| Lagace, Elise Emma | Posen, I. Daniel||MacLean, Heather | Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on Electricity Planning in Ontario, Canada | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Electricity grid adequacy is the ability of the electric system to supply the electricity required at all times, accounting for derates and outages of system components. Ontario’s electricity needs are primarily met by thermal and hydroelectric generators, shown to be impacted by climate conditions. We quantify the effects of climate change on Ontario’s future demand and capacity based on the highest risk climate change scenario (RCP 8.5) for the year 2040. The main climate change variables considered are temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Very minor reductions in summer effective capacity are expected (approximately 0.2%), together with a moderate increase in summer demand (approximately 6%). These results only reflect the impacts of climate change relative to the current climate. Although the Independent Electricity System Operator appears to capture enough variability in their grid adequacy estimates, it may be wise to add additional butter to capture the impact of climate change discovered here. | M.A.S. | hydroelectric, climate | 7, 13 |
| Liu, Jia Zhe | Touchie, Marianne | Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Energy Use and Retrofit Potential of Institutional Buildings at the University of Toronto St. George Campus | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The average greenhouse gas intensity of institutional buildings at the University of Toronto St. George campus was 69kg eCO2/m2 in 2017-2018. In 2019, in line with the commitment to climate action, the University of Toronto set a goal for all three campuses to reduce the average building GHGI to below 32kg eCO2/m2 by 2030, meaning institutional buildings at the St. George campus must undergo major energy conservation changes to meet this reduction goal. An energy modelling analysis of a typical institutional building at the St. George campus was carried out using OpenStudio and RETScreen to demonstrate how a changing climate impacts the building energy consumption and associated GHG emissions and to further assess building retrofit potential through different individual passive and active energy efficient retrofit strategies and their combined scenarios. The results also provide insights into how different energy modelling simulation results compare in the context of a future climate. | M.A.S. | energy, emission, greenhouse, buildings, consum, climate, greenhouse gas, emissions, co2, climate impacts, conserv, conserv, institut | 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| Samson, Isaiah | Frankland, Paul W | Assessing the Role of Sleep in Shaping Hippocampal Engram Connectivity in CA3-CA1 | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Memories are stored in engrams. Crucial to the formation of engrams is the enhancement of synaptic strength between the neurons co-active during learning. Sleep has been hypothesized as a state which drives the ‘offline’ synaptic modification. Recent studies now corroborate this account, uncovering sleep-dependent changes at the synaptic scale. However, the interaction between sleep and the strengthening of engram synapses had not been experimentally reported. We hypothesized that sleep supports the enhancement of engram-engram (E-E) connectivity that occurs during learning. We leveraged dual-eGRASP, a viral labeling strategy which tags converging inputs from engram and non-engram presynaptic populations onto postsynaptic engram and non-engram dendrites, to assess the synaptic connectivity patterns of mice that were sleep deprived after contextual fear conditioning. Our results showed no effect of learning or sleep deprivation on the E-E connectivity in CA3-CA1. Additional experiments are needed to validate this result. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Elbarbary, Mohamed | Azarpazhooh, Amir | Assessment of Concordance between Chair-side Ultrasonography and Clinical Palpation in Detecting Trigger Points in Masticatory Myofascial Pain Syndrome | Dentistry | 2022-03-01 | Objectives: To 1) provide a foundational summary for masticatory myofascial pain syndrome; 2) provide a foundational summary for ultrasonography and; 3) investigate the concordance between ultrasonography and clinical palpation in identification of myofascial trigger points.Methods: A narrative review summarizing masticatory myofascial pain syndrome and its possible diagnostic aids. We discussed the physics and armamentarium of ultrasonography as a potential diagnostic aid. Thirdly, we conducted a scoping review of the uses of ultrasonography in the dental literature. Followed by a scoping review of the usefulness of ultrasonography in masticatory myofascial pain syndrome. Finally, a cross-sectional study of the concordance of ultrasonography and the current reference standard. Results: The diagnostic strategies for masticatory myofascial pain syndrome vary, and the diagnostic aids are not well developed. There could be a broad and multi-use role for ultrasonography in dentistry. Studies assessing the concordance of ultrasonography to palpation are needed since palpation is considered an imperfect standard. The concordance of ultrasonography to palpation is fair to moderate. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Horner, Christine | Chau, Tom | Asynchronous Voluntary Self-regulated Near-infrared Spectroscopy Brain-computer Interface for Children with Complex Communication Needs | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | A brain-computer interface (BCI) access pathway to augmentative and alternative communication could maximize interaction and control for individuals with severe motor impairments and complex communication needs (CCN). However, BCI challenges persist including their high mental workload and unintuitive control. This thesis explored an asynchronous voluntary self-regulation BCI using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in an adolescent population with complex communication needs and limited mobility. Four participants (12–18 years old) weaned off a mental task to achieve self-regulation and BCI performance was evaluated both offline using cross-validation and online using model predictions. Offline cross-validation classification accuracies averaged 85.3 ± 7.17%, and one participant in the first online session was able to surpass the 70% accuracy threshold for effective BCI use (73.3%). These findings suggest that voluntary self-regulation can be achieved in youth with CCN and encourages further research on fNIRS BCI with this clinical population. | M.A.S. | disabilit | 3 |
| Wang, Grace | Meltzer, Jed||Ryan, Jennifer | Attentional Modulation of Emotional Lateralization Biases with Verbal and Nonverbal Stimuli | Psychology | 2011-11-01 | Within hemispheric asymmetry literature, emotional processing appears to be predominately right lateralized; however, this degree of lateralization seems more complex when the stimuli engage with multiple functions lateralized across hemispheres, such as language, face perception, and spatial attention. Using the divided visual field paradigm, our online experiment employs a 2x2 design to examine the scope of emotion laterality by comparing lateralization biases when processing neutral and valence-laden stimuli in both verbal and nonverbal modalities. The study also employs a modified “Posner’s task” to investigate attentional modulation of hemispheric biases. Our preliminary findings pertaining to neutral face and neutral word perception did not show hemispheric bias although both revealed strong cueing effects. Subsequent experiments will investigate how attention cueing impacts hemispheric performances and how these patterns interact with emotion. This research aids to quantify hemispheric interactions when processing emotional stimuli and informs the treatment of mood disorders using non-invasive brain stimulation. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Lariviere, Elise Maria | Damaren, Christopher J. | Attitude Control of a Flexible Solar Sail using Translating Masses | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis is devoted to developing attitude control of a square solar sail spacecraft made of four pre-tensioned triangular sails supported by four flexible diagonal booms each affixed with a translating mass. The control torques are created by the relative displacement of the spacecraft's center-of-mass to its center-of-pressure. A Rayleigh-Ritz method is used to discretize the equations of motion of the spacecraft. Only out-of-plane deflections of the sail membrane quadrants and support booms are considered in the present document. Modal analyses are performed to validate the model’s basic foundations against the results obtained by a finite-element method in past literature. Attitude and vibration control simulations are presented and stability results are discussed. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Ahmadian, Pouya | Kushki, Azadeh AK||De Luca, Gino GD | Augmented Reality Bedtime Application for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Sleep difficulties are highly prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and have a negative impact on the physical and mental health of children and their caregivers. Sleep education programs are often recommended as a first line-treatment to help parents implement healthy sleeping habits, including a bedtime routine at home; however, the accompanying paper-based toolkits have limitations related to engagement and adherence. To address this gap, we iteratively developed and tested the usability of an augmented reality (AR) bedtime routine application. The results of our single-participant design study (n=5 child/parent dyads) demonstrated 80% adherence and good-excellent usability of the app. Although our study design did not allow us to examine the clinical effectiveness of the app, we observed trends towards increased willingness and faster completion of bedtime. This work supports the feasibility of using technology-based tools in sleep education programs and informs future clinical studies examining the effectiveness of technology-based approaches for addressing sleep difficulties. | M.A.S. | mental health | 3 |
| Zhang, Kaicheng | Nejat, Goldie | Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation in 3D Rough Terrain using Deep Reinforcement Learning | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-06-01 | Autonomous 3D rough terrain navigation requires a mobile robot to maneuver cluttered environments that have abrupt changes in terrain elevation and surface normal. Thus a navigation framework is required to determine the traversability of robot surrounding terrain using onboard sensory inputs, and overcome disturbances from 3D terrain interactions and sensor noises. This thesis presents a rough terrain navigation framework developed in simulation using deep reinforcement learning and a novel sim-to-real pipeline to overcome the gap between simulation and the real world. The pipeline was incorporated into a mobile robot architecture and the real-world experiments showed that the robot was able to successfully navigate from any arbitrary starting location to arbitrary goal location in the real-world 3D terrain. | M.A.S. | learning, urban | 4, 11 |
| Hopkins, Charlotte Vivian | Childs, Ruth | Being Academically At-risk and Building Capacity for Self-regulated Learning in University | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-06-01 | University students who experience academic failure are at risk of becoming curbed by a pattern of failure in the absence of adequate self-regulatory processes. Repeated academic failures can result in academic probation or suspension, and the student is labeled academically at-risk (AAR). Adapted from Pintrich and Zusho’s (2007) model for student motivation and self-regulated learning (SRL) in the postsecondary classroom, this study proposes a model specific to the AAR student experience. Using existing literature on academically struggling student SRL and motivation, and psychometric analyses of an academic intervention’s assessment of the study habits and attitudes of AAR undergraduate students, this research investigates SRL within the AAR student experience, expands on the original model’s areas of SRL (cognition, behaviour, motivation and affect, and context), and demonstrates the intervention’s effect on AAR students’ SRL capacity. Future directions for AAR-specific SRL research, refinements to the model and assessments, and other implications are discussed. | M.A. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Xiong, Dingyi | Lehnherr, Igor | Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in a Subarctic Ringed Seal Food Web in Lake Melville, Northern Labrador, Canada | Geography | 2021-11-01 | A study was carried out on the distribution, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and ringed seal food web of Lake Melville. The results indicate that short-chain PFAS such as perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) predominates in Lake Melville water. Concentrations of other PFAS are diluted by seawater intrusion from Labrador Sea along the freshwater-marine gradient of this estuary, with freshwater flowing seaward atop of seawater flowing landward. PFBA predominates in freshwater zooplankton, whereas perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) predominates in marine zooplankton, and PFOS bioaccumulates in both freshwater and marine zooplankton. The results also indicate that perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) predominates in fish livers and PFOS and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) predominate in ringed seal livers. Trophic magnification factor values > 1 (range from 1.66 to 7.44 log ng/ g w.w.) showed that long-chain PFCA, PFHxS, and PFOS biomagnify throughout ringed seal food web. | M.Sc. | water, marine, fish, land | 6, 14, 15 |
| Sheppard, Anneka Caroline | Wyatt, Haley | Biochemical Characterization of the SLX4IP-XPF-ERCC1 Complex and its Roles in Telomere Maintenance | Biochemistry | 2021-11-01 | A subset of cancer cells use the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway to obtain replicative immortality. ALT is a recombination-based mechanism that requires the actions of structure-selective endonucleases, such as XPF-ERCC1 and SLX1-SLX4, to remove branched DNA intermediates called displacement loops (D-loops). Recent work suggests that the activity of these nucleases is regulated by the interaction with a non-catalytic protein called SLX4-interacting protein (SLX4IP). The goal of my project is to determine if SLX4IP modulates the nuclease activity of XPF-ERCC1 in vitro. First, I show that purified SLX4IP and XPF-ERCC1 form a complex in solution. I then show that XPF-ERCC1 cleaves the splayed arm but not the D-loop in vitro and that the addition of SLX4IP does not stimulate the cleavage of either structure by XPF-ERCC1. Further experiments are warranted to investigate the effects of additional proteins or post-translational modifications on the assembly and activity of the SLX4IP-XPF-ERCC1 complex. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Shuster-Hyman, Hannah | Librach, Clifford | Biodistribution and Fate of Intravenously-delivered First Trimester Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cells in a Murine Model of Systemic Inflammation | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Immunomodulation is a major property underlying the therapeutic benefit of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). A lack of detailed biodistribution and fate investigations is limiting our understanding of the relative roles of paracrine secretion and passive phagocytosis in MSC immunomodulation. I investigated the biodistribution and fate of IV-delivered first trimester human umbilical cord perivascular cells (FTM HUCPVC) in a murine model of inflammation. I hypothesized that IV administered FTM HUCPVC MSC will attenuate lung inflammation in a murine model of systemic inflammation, in a time-dependent manner. Immunohistochemistry and cytokine arrays were used to assess FTM HUCPVC biodistribution, apoptosis, impact on immune cells and cytokine levels. FTM HUCPVC localized to the lungs, associated with immune cells, and, despite limited persistence, mediated a reduction in proinflammatory mediators. Results demonstrate a significant role for the innate immune system in MSC immunomodulation and provide insight for potential bolstering of MSC therapy through the immune system. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| LeValley, Samantha | Meyer, David | Biofluidics of Diarrhea in the Anorectum and its Implications for Global Health | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Diarrhea is a symptom commonly reported in patients with diarrheal disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Doctors and public health practitioners rely on subjective, patient-reported data to diagnose, treat, and track these diseases. Theories and models of solid defecation exist, but models of diarrhea are limited, despite it being a common indicator of disease – especially for global health. This research identifies a pathway to objectively study diarrhea, through synthesis and adaptation of medical and engineering knowledge and analysis of anorectal compliance data to create two models of diarrheal defecation assuming homogeneous, Newtonian, fully developed, and steady. The two models provide useful insights on flow (velocity and flow rate) and its relationship with anorectal size and shape that may help guide future studies on diarrhea modelling. Next steps in the evolution of diarrhea modelling should focus on incorporating more complexities unique to diarrheal defecation such as its heterogeneous, Non-Newtonian, and unsteady behaviour. | M.A.S. | public health, global health, knowledge | 3, 4 |
| Syed, Hassan | Whyne, Cari | Biomechanics of Medial Opening-wedge High Tibial Osteotomy in Healthy and Arthritic Knees | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Medial opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOW-HTO) is a well-established treatment option for patients with medial knee osteoarthritis. This thesis aimed to investigate the difference between healthy and arthritic knees in response to MOW-HTO alignment correction. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the effect of partial and complete superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) release across a range of clinically relevant alignment corrections. Cadaver knees were tested under axial loading while measuring tibiofemoral compartment pressure. Arthritic knees did not differ from healthy knees in response to alignment corrections. Compared to constitutional alignment, medial pressure decreased at post-operative mechanical axes crossing the tibial plateau at 50–55% of its width, while sMCL release did not impact medial pressure. This work shows that arthritic status was not a significant factor in MOW-HTO biomechanics and that significant unloading occurs after correcting the mechanical axis to 50–55% of the tibial plateau width, irrespective of sMCL release. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Luo, Lucy | Sone, Eli D||Viswanathan, Sowmya | Biomimetic Mineralized Collagen Fibrils and Their Effect on Osteogenic Differentiation | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Autograft alternatives have not met the performance of autografted, native bone. It is unknown whether the ultrastructural organization of mineral and collagen in bone is significant for osteogenic differentiation and improved bone healing. Here I explore the literature and mechanisms regarding biomimetic mineralized collagen fibrils (BMCFs) and their effect on osteogenic differentiation. I also investigated the effect of various ultrastructural features on the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSCs). These conditions were: aligned, intrafibrillar mineral; aligned, intrafibrillar mineral with misaligned surface mineral; and unaligned extrafibrillar mineral. With n=1 donor, I report the preliminary result that BMCFs with aligned, intrafibrillar mineral promote the expression of mature osteoblast markers even without osteogenic medium. Additionally, morphological differences resulted upon exposure to differences in surface mineral. These results, along with those pending from other hBM-MSC donors, could inform the development of autograft alternatives, with close attention paid to ultrastructural aspects. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Yarascavitch, Marc E | Bressmann, Tim | Biplanar Ultrasound Investigation of Tongue Shape during Mastication: A Tale of Two Textures | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Tongue movement in chewing is complex and three-dimensional. The present study explored quantitative features of tongue movement during mastication of two solid textures (almond vs beef jerky). Temporally linked sagittal and coronal real-time ultrasound tongue videos from nine typical participants were analyzed using outcome measures of chew duration, cumulative displacement, and surface concavity. There was greater posterior tongue travel for the almond texture, and a longer chew duration for beef. Cumulative tongue displacement was significantly greater for the posterior tongue. The concavity distributions showed mostly flatness in the coronal view, and mainly convexity in the sagittal view. A principal component analysis demonstrated that the front and back of the tongue moved independently, with lateral free margins clustering with the center and back. The new measures served to describe global aspects of tongue movement. Future research should test these global measures in clinical populations with typical and disordered chewing. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Larkin, Jillian | Thomas, Scott||Oh, Paul | Breast Cancer Patients’ Experiences While Transitioning to a Virtual Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program during a Pandemic (COVID-19) | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-11-01 | COVID-19 restricted access to onsite Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (CR) programs for patients with breast cancer (BC). Objectives: [1] compare BC survivors’ Physical Activity (PA) in onsite CR to virtual CR following the COVID-19 transition and compare to a matched cohort from prior to the pandemic (2018/2019). [2] explore experiences of transitioning to and engaging in virtual CR. Methodology: Quantitative analysis of CR PA data from pandemic (n=18) and 2018/2019 cohorts (n=18), and semi-structured focus group interviews with the pandemic cohort (n=9) in the context of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Results: No significant differences in mean but increased variation of activity duration, frequency, and MET-minutes were observed. Focus groups revealed women valued their CR experiences pre-COVID-19 and were anxious during the transition. BC patients recommended virtual programs increase comradery, technology, and professional guidance. Conclusion: PA experiences with a pandemic transition vary among BC survivors. Targeting individualized strategies and exercise prescriptions are important. | M.Sc. | women, transit | 5, 11 |
| Haidar, Amir | Schotzko, Nikki T. | Call Me Habibi: Performing Partial Identity in Queer Lebanese Immigrants in Canada | Drama | 2021-11-01 | The split of self that arises from existing as both a queer person in the Middle East and an immigrant in the West culminates in a constant partial identity performance. No spectator can ever fully witness or understand the complete identity of the performer; assimilation becomes a permanently imperative severing of identity. Drawing upon Alameddine’s Koolaids, a 1998 semi- autoethnographic novel which speaks of growing up queer during the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war and the immigration to the United States during the AIDS crisis, and engaging with my own life experiences of growing up queer in Lebanon during the Israeli- Hezbollah conflicts and civil unrest of the 1990s and 2000s before immigrating to Canada post- 9/11, this hybrid thesis examines the inner workings of performing cleaved identity and the effects it has on the performer. | M.A. | queer | 5 |
| McKenna, Christine | Regan Shade, Leslie | Canadian Election Integrity Initiatives and Domestic Disinformation: Investigating the 2019 Canadian Federal Election Across Sectors | Information Studies | 2021-06-01 | This thesis examines several efforts to address the threat of online disinformation to the 2019 Canadian federal election, and considers the degree to which election integrity initiatives by government, industry, and civil society stakeholders accounted for the role of domestic actors within the disinformation ecosystem. While much contemporary discourse on disinformation and election integrity focuses on foreign influence, the phenomenon also implicates domestic actors like political parties, third party groups, mainstream and partisan media, and average social media users. Through qualitative analysis of key legislative, policy, and public awareness initiatives, this thesis draws out common themes, strategies, and perspectives in Canada’s approach to disinformation across sectors, alongside a supplementary analysis of Canadian mainstream media coverage related to the election. It concludes with a critical policy analysis that considers whether Canadian election integrity initiatives sufficiently account for domestically-driven disinformation, particularly given increased political polarization and far-right influence in Canada. | M.I.S. | invest, ecosystem, ecosystem | 9, 14, 15 |
| Mastragostino, Emily | Chen, Charles P | Career Self-determination Theory and the Professional Immigrant Experience | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | Despite established international academic credentials and vocational experience, professional immigrants often face difficulty establishing careers in Canada. Immigration entails a myriad of psychological and financial stressors, including under- and unemployment. Career self-determination theory (CSDT) is an emerging metatheory that proposes considerations to enhance career development and vocational wellbeing. The purpose of the study is to develop a better understanding of the lived career experiences of professional immigrants to Canada while contributing to the development of CSDT. This exploration utilizes constructivist grounded theory in analyzing qualitative interviews with professional immigrants. Results reveal that the essential needs posed by CSDT, including career autonomy, career competence, and career relatedness, are reflected in the participant narratives. Participants demonstrated innate tendencies towards fulfillment of the essential needs, with fulfillment corresponding to greater vocational satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. | M.A. | wellbeing, vocational, employment, transit, self-determination | 3, 4, 8, 11, 16 |
| Marshall, Madison | MacIvor, J. Scott | Cavity-nesting Bee and Wasp Diversity and Foraging Trip Duration in Urban Residential Gardens | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | Urbanization drives changes to biological communities; however, land cover heterogeneity may mitigate these impacts by providing a mosaic of resources. In my thesis, I evaluate patterns in solitary cavity-nesting bee and wasp communities in relation to land cover to determine how urbanization impacts diversity and resource foraging trip duration. Using nest boxes, cavity-nesting bees and wasps were sampled at 104 urban residential gardens. Bee and wasp richness, abundance, and diversity were analysed in response to land cover heterogeneity, proportion of green space and urban land cover. Bee and wasp diversity was negatively correlated with urban land cover, and for wasps, positively correlated with forest cover. Land cover heterogeneity was positively correlated with both bee and wasp abundance and richness. We further determined that cavity-nester foraging trips for nesting materials were significantly shorter than those for food provisions, but further work is needed to disentangle the effects of urbanization and heterogeneity. | M.Sc. | citizen, urban, forest, land | 4, 11, 15 |
| Wang, Kaili | Nurul Habib, Khandker||Miller, Eric J. | Challenges, Issues and Opportunities in Household Travel Surveys | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Urban travel demand analysis efforts predominantly use household travel surveys for data supports. However, the data collection method is facing several challenges. First, online household travel surveys have been suffering declining completion rates, raising data quality issues. Second, the practice of large-scale household travel surveys has been plagued by proxy biases and under-representations for specific sub-groups of populations for decades. The thesis examines the causality and implications of high survey incompletion rates in online travel surveys and makes recommendations for future practice. The thesis also proposes a hybrid data fusion approach to reduce proxy-biases and under-representation in large-scale household travel survey datasets. Besides challenges, online household travel surveys bring unprecedented opportunities due to their operational ease compared to traditional telephone-based surveys. The thesis also presents a case study of an online household travel survey conducted to facilitate policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Wan, Yixi | Schotzko , T. Nikki Cesare||Fan, Xing | Changing Narratives: Adaptations of The Legend of the White Snake | Drama | 2021-11-01 | China has a long and thriving tradition of folktales. These tales always abound with ghosts and spirits. The legend of the White Snake is a widely known story that has various adaptations from centuries. This paper will focus on this legend, discussing the origin of the story, and especially pay attention to the novel adaptation Green Snake, written by the well-known Hong Kong author Lilian Lee (Li Bihua), which shifts the narrative perspective from Madam White to Green Snake, creating grounds for gender and feminism regime narratives. To trace how subsequent adaptations have changed the initial narration through the lens of feminism and colonialism, I’ll also focus on the later film version by Tsui Hark in 1993 and the stage version of Green Snake, directed by a female director Tian Qinxin. | M.A. | gender, female, feminis | 5 |
| Rybkina, Julia | Green, Robin RG | Characterization and Cognitive Rehabilitation Research in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | The purpose of this thesis was two-fold: Study 1 aimed to extend known brain-behaviour relationships to the progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) population, specifically lateralization and regiospecificity with regard to hippocampus-dependent memory, and Study 2 aimed to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a novel, online allocentric spatial navigation intervention for staving off memory decline in people with progressive MS. As expected, Study 1 found a significant positive correlation between a behavioural proxy for pattern separation and CA3 (r=0.794 p=0.003) and dentate gyrus (r=0.611 p=0.030). No compelling evidence of lateralization, nor subregion specificity for pattern completion was found (all ps > .05). Study 2 showed that the spatial navigation intervention is feasible, though with limited benefits generalizable to everyday life, warranting further investigation in a larger-scale RCT. Key limitations, implications and contributions to a growing field of research on memory impairment and cognitive rehabilitation strategies for progressive MS are discussed. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Niakani, Sepehr | Horner, Richard L | Characterization and Relative Efficacy of Muscarinic Receptor Antagonism at the Hypoglossal Motor Nucleus to Block Inhibition of Tongue Motor Activity | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | The hypoglossal motor nucleus (HMN) is the origin of motor output to the tongue, with decreased activity in sleep precipitating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in humans. Our laboratory has identified that muscarinic receptor antagonism at the HMN increases tongue motor activity in sleep. A clinical study also showed that oxybutynin (a muscarinic receptor antagonist) combined with atomoxetine (a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) greatly reduced OSA severity; however, their site of action is unknown. Accordingly, we hypothesized that oxybutynin is an effective muscarinic receptor antagonist at the HMN, and characterized its relative efficacy with other muscarinic receptor antagonists. We recorded tongue muscle activity of anesthetized rats in response to the microperfusion of HMN with several muscarinic receptor antagonists during (i) muscarinic receptor stimulation and (ii) increased endogenous acetylcholine elicited by eserine. This thesis identifies that oxybutynin prevents tongue motor suppression due to increased endogenous acetylcholine by antagonizing muscarinic receptors at the HMN. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| Kao, Ching | Park, Jeehye | Characterization of Matrin-3 Mutations Associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-11-01 | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease that is characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration. Matrin-3 (MATR3) is an RNA-binding protein that is involved in alternative splicing regulation. S85C and F115C are dominantly inherited MATR3 mutations that are linked to familial ALS. I investigated the role of MATR3 mutations in ALS pathogenesis using two models: 1) transgenic flies expressing human wild-type or mutant MATR3 in the motor neurons and 2) MATR3 S85C knock-in mice. I found that mutant MATR3 expression in the motor neurons is more toxic to flies than wildtype MATR3. In addition, MATR3 S85C knock-in mice show features reminiscent of ALS including severe motor impairments associated with degeneration of the Purkinje cells and α-motor neurons. Interestingly, a striking loss of MATR3 expression was observed in the affected neuronal populations. These fly and mouse models will be useful for future studies on the mechanism underlying MATR3-related ALS pathogenesis. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Xue, Alice | Cowen, Leah | Characterization of Compounds with Novel Bioactivity Against the Fungal Pathogens Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Systemic fungal diseases represent an overlooked global health burden, whose treatment is challenged by a limited antifungal armamentarium and the emergence of drug resistance. This research encompasses two complementary strategies to bolster the antifungal drug pipeline: rational optimization of existing antifungal scaffolds, and phenotype-forward screening with subsequent mode of action identification to discover novel antifungal targets. First, I evaluated in vitro target engagement, bioactivity against the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, and mammalian cytotoxicity for over 70 analogs of a previously validated Hsp90 inhibitor scaffold. Through these structure-activity relationship (SAR) analyses, I identified several lead molecules with improved whole-cell activity and fungal target selectivity. Then, I also performed preliminary characterization of nine molecules with novel antifungal bioactivity identified from prior large- scale chemical screening. I outlined their spectrum of activity, mammalian cytotoxicity, and putative molecular target(s) via chemogenomic profiling, identifying NP-BTA as a potent and selective inhibitor of Candida albicans glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase. | M.Sc. | global health | 3 |
| Kim, Jihye | Park, Jeehye | Characterization of FAMILIAL MATRIN 3 S85C and F115C Mutations in ALS | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2019-11-01 | Matrin 3 (MATR3) is one of the most recently discovered gene that was found to be associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Several mutations in MATR3 have been identified in both familial and sporadic ALS cases, but how mutant MATR3 causes ALS is still not understood. Here, we characterized two familial MATR3 mutations by generating mice harboring an ALS-linked mutation S85C or F115C in mouse Matr3 endogenous locus through CRISPR/Cas9. Using cellular models, I also explored how MATR3 mutations change the solubility and localization of the protein, including in the presence of the interactor TDP-43, a key ALS-linked protein. With the implication of environmental stress in ALS, the effect of oxidative stress on protein solubility and localization was also explored. By characterizing novel ALS-linked mutations in MATR3, we hope to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, thus providing insights into developing novel therapeutic approaches. | M.Sc. | environmental | 13 |
| Zhao, Melody | Park, Jeehye | Characterization of MATR3 Drosophila and Human Cell Models to Identify Genetic Modifiers of MATR3 Toxicity | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2019-11-01 | Multisystem proteinopathy (MSP) is a degenerative disorder combining amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, inclusion body myopathy and Paget’s disease of bone. Many MSP genes including Matrin3 (MATR3) encode RNA binding proteins, highlighting the role of RNA metabolism in MSP. Over a dozen mutations in MATR3 have been identified, but the mechanisms of MATR3 pathogenesis remain unknown. To investigate MATR3-associated MSP, we developed a Drosophila model expressing wildtype or mutant MATR3 in indirect flight muscles, which exhibits an abnormal wing position and muscle degeneration. We simultaneously developed human neuronal cell lines stably expressing MATR3. In both fly and human cell models, wildtype and mutant MATR3 are localized in the nucleus. However, MATR3 S85C and F115C are less soluble than wildtype MATR3. A candidate genetic screen identified enhancers of mutant MATR3 toxicity and implicated cytoskeletal dysfunction in MATR3 pathogenesis. Together, this work may shed light on the mechanisms underlying MATR3-associated MSP. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Soleimanpour, Mohammadali | Behdinan, Kamran B.K. | Characterization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s Single and Co-axial Propellers Performance Considering Geometrical and Environmental Factors | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Many studies have investigated the behavior of coaxial propellers for drones considering different design configurations and various external geometrical and environmental factors. However, to date, most studies have been focused on a limited number of influential factors, and no comprehensive study into the complex interactions between design configuration, operating condition, and overall propeller performance has been carried out. In this study, a parameterized CFD model is developed to characterize the performance of single and coaxial propellers based on the individual and compound effects of geometrical and environmental factors such as propeller diameter, number of blades, and inflow velocity magnitude and direction. Through this study, it was found that in a coaxial configuration, corotating propellers generate 60% more thrust than contrarotating propellers in close stacking distance between two propellers. However, by an increase of distance, contrarotating propellers show a higher thrust and efficiency compared with corotating propellers by 6% on average. | M.A.S. | invest, environmental | 9, 13 |
| Khan, Alima Naim | Maxwell, Karen||Moraes, Trevor | Characterizing a Novel Type II-C Anti-CRISPR, AcrIIC6 | Biochemistry | 2021-11-01 | Phages are the most ubiquitous species on the planet, outnumbering bacteria ten-to-one in almost all environments. Consequently, phages exert an immense amount of pressure on bacteria to evolve defense mechanisms against phage predation. One mechanism is the adaptive immune response known as the CRISPR-Cas system. In response to the CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity, phages have evolved small proteins called anti-CRISPRs that inhibit the CRISPR-Cas system. I characterized a novel type II-C anti-CRISPR, AcrIIC6, discovered in a prophage within Neisseria meningitidis and Pasteurella multocida. Through in vivo phage targeting, I determined that AcrIIC6Nme/Pmu inhibits Cas9 proteins that are closely related to Nme1Cas9. Furthermore, AcrIIC6Nme/Pmu only bound to sgRNA loaded Cas9 and did not affect sgRNA integrity or loading. Lastly, I showed that AcrIIC6Pmu prevents Cas9 from binding target DNA efficiently. This work shows a novel anti-CRISPR of the type II-C CRISPR-Cas system that binds to the binary Cas9:sgRNA complex and prevents Cas9 from binding DNA. | M.Sc. | planet, species, species | 13, 14, 15 |
| Dhanji, Erum Zainab | Campos, Eric | Characterizing Novel ATRX-Associating Proteins – CCDC71 and FAM207A | Molecular Genetics | 2021-06-01 | ATRX is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling/helicase protein with a number of established cellular functions that depend on its protein-protein interactions, notably with DAXX, a histone chaperone. ATRX maintains heterochromatin stability and repression over repetitive DNA elements, including pericentric heterochromatin and telomeres. According to current models, ATRX resolves aberrant DNA structures and then enforces heterochromatin stability through DAXX-dependent deposition of histone variant H3.3. How ATRX further promotes chromatin compaction and telomere homeostasis is not well understood. To investigate this, we defined the ATRX interactome and identified two novel and uncharacterized interactors of ATRX: CCDC71 and FAM207A. Here, I show that FAM207A locates to the nucleolus, where it associates with nucleolar proteins. CCDC71 is, however, chromatin-bound and dispersed across the nucleus. It associates with Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1), suggesting that ATRX likely functions with CCDC71 to maintain heterochromatin. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Shah, Lamees | Arhonditsis, George | Characterizing Spatiotemporal Trends of Meteorological Extremes in Southern Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2021-11 | Extreme meteorological conditions are changing in the twentieth century, with potentially severe environmental implications. We explored the changes in these extreme conditions and found seasonal signatures in extreme monthly values of air and dew point temperature and low relative humidity, spatial signatures in those of wind speed and high relative humidity, and no distinct patterns in those of precipitation from 1950–2020 in southern Ontario using the Mann–Kendall trend test and Theil–Sen estimator. We found a minimal role of four large-scale phenomena—Arctic Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation—in the temporal trends using Bayesian Generalized Extreme Value and Poisson regression models. Warming temperature extremes in the colder months imply changes in ecological phenology. Our findings also suggest that there are fewer extreme cold conditions in colder months and more intense plant water loss and thermal discomfort in warmer months. | M.Sc. | water, wind, climate, environmental, ecolog | 6, 7, 13, 15 |
| Adityani, Claresta | McCourt, Peter||Lumba, Shelley | Characterizing Striga hermonthica Gibberellin Receptors and Investigating their Crosstalk with Strigolactone Receptors | Cell and Systems Biology | 2020-11-01 | Gibberellic acids (GAs) are a group of phytohormones known to stimulate germination of land plants. However, a root parasitic plant called Striga hermonthica (Striga) germinates poorly on GA, instead utilizes host root-exuded phytohormones strigolactones (SLs) to initiate germination. It remains unknown why GA signalling is not sufficient to germinate Striga. Here I report the identification and functional analysis of three Striga GA receptors, GA INSENSITIVE DWARF1-Like (GIL), and explored the crosstalk between GA and SL signalling pathways. ShGILs interacted with GA signalling targets, ShDELFAs, and overexpression of ShGIL complemented the germination defect of Atgid1ac loss-of-function mutant, indicating ShGILs may function as GA receptors. In addition, two ShGILs interacted with Striga SL receptors, ShHTLs, and overexpression of ShHTLs increased the GA requirement in GA auxotrophic Arabidopsis (ga1-10) suggesting GA-SL crosstalk and its role in regulating Striga germination. This study provides an insight in understanding GA signalling during Striga seed germination. | M.Sc. | invest, land | 9, 15 |
| Gasner, Avishai Leor Moshe | Librach, Clifford L | Characterizing the Effects of First Trimester Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Cell (FTM HUCPVC) Treatment on the Lungs using an α-PD-1/α-CTLA-4 Combination Immunotherapy Mouse Model | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | One category of immunotherapy that has revolutionized cancer treatments is immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). ICI block cancer-induced negative regulation of T cells, thereby allowing a response against tumor cells. Although ICI use has led to positive therapeutic benefits,there are negative off-target effects, known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). One irAE is checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP). The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as cell therapies has been widely studied for many regenerative medicines as well as immunomodulatory applications but has not been studied in the context of ICI-induced irAE. The aim of my thesis was to establish a small animal model of irAE and investigate the use of firsttrimester human umbilical cord perivascular cells (FTM HUCPVC), a young andpromising source of MSC, to mitigate ICI-induced lung damage. We hypothesized that the use of FTM HUCPVC can reduce lung damage caused by ICI in vivo. | M.Sc. | invest, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Syed, Muzammil Hussain | Al-Omran, Mohammed||de Mestral, Charles | Characterizing the Hospital Burden of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Across Canada: A Population-Based Analysis | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | The burden of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) on the Canadian healthcare system remains poorly defined. First, the accuracy of diagnostic coding for identifying a DFU-related hospitalization was assessed (Study 1). Second, three case-control studies were conducted using Canada-wide DFU-related hospitalizations. In Study 2A, DFU cases comprised the top-10% with the highest acute care hospital costs, and DFU controls were from below the top-10%. Studies 2B and 2C similarly defined cases/controls, but for acute length of stay and number of hospitalizations, respectively. Patient-level variables were tested between DFU cases vs. DFU controls. In Study 1, DFU diagnosis codes showed high prediction compared to hospital records. Sepsis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) conferred the greatest excess cost (Study 2A), whereas lower limb amputation (LLA) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) conferred the greatest excess length of stay (Study 2B) and recurrent hospitalizations (Study 2C), respectively. Early prevention/treatment of CKD, PAD, and LLA might reduce DFU-related high-intensity hospital care use. | M.Sc. | healthcare | 3 |
| Chaharlangi, Danica | Navarre, William W | Characterizing the Inhibitory Effects of Specific Lactobacillaceae spp. on Highly Prevalent Bacterial Families in the Gut | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11-01 | The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that have varied influences on host physiology. By screening for microbe-microbe interactions, our lab found that some, but not all strains of Lactobacillaceae have a powerful inhibitory effect on bacteria from the S24-7 and Lachnospiraceae families – prevalent members of the gut microbiota. Despite a long history of being grouped together, many species within the family Lactobacillaceae are very genetically and functionally distinct from one another. My research has focused on determining how certain Lactobacillaceae species inhibit the growth of key gut bacteria, while others do not. This work is additionally important due to the fact that various lactobacilli are used as probiotics. I have demonstrated that the inhibitory effect is associated with acid production. This data characterizes antagonistic relationships between important members of the gut microbiota and emphasizes how the overall gut community may be influenced by these interactions. | M.Sc. | production, species, species | 12, 14, 15 |
| Ng, Alena (Praneet) | L'Abbe, Mary R | Characterizing Trends in the Dietary Patterns of Canadians: Evidence from Two Cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey—Nutrition | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11-01 | Healthy dietary patterns have been associated with reduced risk of non-communicable diseases. The overall goals of this thesis were to examine adherence to healthy dietary patterns using nationally-representative Canadian data and to determine the association between these trends and obesity among Canadian adults. In the first study, the likelihood of being obese was compared between samples from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition (CCHS) 2004 and CCHS 2015; results suggested that Canadian adults who did not adhere to a healthy dietary pattern had over 2x greater odds of obesity than those who did adhere. In the second study, an energy-dense, low-fiber and high fat dietary pattern was identified in CCHS 2015; results suggest key foods to focus on in policy which contribute to an “obesogenic” dietary pattern. The findings presented in this thesis highlight the importance of examining healthy dietary patterns and their association with health outcomes among the Canadian population. | M.Sc. | nutrition, communicable disease, energy | 2, 3, 7 |
| Wu, Ming Jia Michael | Kandel, Rita | Chondrocyte Migration from Bioengineered Cartilage | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-06-01 | Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment enhances the integration of bioengineered cartilage to host cartilage, which involves cell migration into host cartilage. This study hypothesizes that PRP treatment of bioengineered cartilage supports chondrocyte migration and matrix accumulation by these cells in an in vitro 3D co-culture model. Osteochondral-like constructs were developed by culturing primary bovine or passaged human chondrocytes on a bone substitute which were then soaked in PRP and placed in co-culture with native osteochondral plugs. Controls were not pretreated with PRP. Cells from bovine and human bioengineered cartilage migrated onto fibre networks formed by PRP. However, only the bovine cells had the ability to form hyaline cartilage-like tissue, but this required cell migration from the bone. Cells did not migrate out from the human osteochondral plugs. This thesis demonstrates that cartilage implant integration is likely a complex process. This model system can be used to facilitate future investigations. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Darwish, Lina | Mitchell, Jane||Swardfager, Walter | Circulating Osteocalcin and Memory Performance in People with Type Two Diabetes Mellitus and in the Mouse High Fat Diet Model | Pharmacology | 2019-11-01 | Osteocalcin circulates in carboxylated (cOCN) and uncarboxylated (unOCN) forms, and unOCN is thought to have widespread neuroendocrine effects. In type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), circulating cOCN and unOCN concentrations are lower, and cognitive decline is accelerated. In the high fat diet mouse model of T2DM, injections with unOCN improved cognition in a puzzle box test, and when combined with exercise, enhanced cortical expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor. In people with T2DM, fasting serum concentrations of unOCN were significantly associated with long-delayed free recall (β=0.110, p=0.010), as assessed by the California Verbal Learning Test (2nd Ed.) controlling for age, sex and HbA1c. The results show cognitive benefits of unOCN treatment in animals, highlight neurobiological benefits of unOCN when combined with exercise, and identify the relevance of a bone-derived neuroendocrine mediator in human memory. | M.Sc. | learning, animal, animal | 4, 14, 15 |
| Mahdi, Lobna Tamer | Mojab, Shahrzad | Class, Gender, and Nationalism in ‘Aziza Amir and Fatma Rushdie’s Films | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | This thesis examines the works of lower-class Egyptian women filmmakers during the first half of the 20th century, focusing on the films of ‘Aziza Amir and Fatma Rushdie in particular. After contextualizing their films in the political and intellectual atmosphere of the time, I analyze two of ‘Aziza Amir’s works as a screenwriter and four of Fatma Rushdie’s works as an actress. I demonstrate that both women strategically used their films to interrogate, challenge, and/or reproduce the Egyptian nationalist and feminist discourse of the time, particularly as it related to gender, class, nationalism, and national identity. I argue that both women made significant contributions to popularizing and disseminating the language and ideals that would then become the trademark of the Gamal Abdel-Nasser era starting in 1952. | M.A. | gender, women, feminis, trade, production, nationalism | 5, 10, 12, 16 |
| Tabrizian, Iman | Leon-Garcia, Alberto | Co-location of Deep Learning Jobs in GPU Clusters | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Deep learning (DL) training jobs now constitute a large portion of the jobs in the GPU clusters. Following the success of deep learning in various domains such as natural language processing, image classification, and object detection GPUs have become the new member of the computing clusters. Due to various reasons, GPUs are highly underutilized in the production GPU clusters. In this thesis, we design a scheduler that uses co-location to improve the GPU utilization in these clusters. Using in-depth profiling of DL jobs, we provide metrics that guide us on the compatibility of different DL jobs. Using these profiling data we are able to achieve almost 2X speedup in the makespan when using co-location compared to the first-in-first-out baseline. | M.A.S. | learning, production | 4, 12 |
| Liu, Yicong | Miller, Eric J||Habib, Khandker Nurul | Combining a Smartphone App into a Web-based Smart Survey Tool | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Smartphone-based travel data collection has been a trending topic in the transportation industry, which is believed to have many advantages over traditional travel survey methods, including reducing respondent burden and providing frequent updates. Smartphone-based travel data collection involves passively collecting participants’ travel data through designated smartphone apps. This thesis proposes to incorporate smartphone-based travel data collection with an in-house online travel survey platform named TRAISI to form a web-based smart survey tool. Travel mode detection algorithms and trip purpose inference algorithms are investigated so that trip modes and purposes can be inferred from passively collected smartphone location data. The integration between smartphone collected data and the TRAISI platform is discussed, and the current design of the web interface is presented. The proposed system can take advantage of both the online travel survey platform and smartphone-based passive data collection to make travel surveys more efficient and less burdensome for respondents. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Axiotis, Alexander Ludwig | He, Yuhong | Combining Hyperspectral Imagery and Real-time Kinematic GPS Data to Classify Mixed-wood Forest and Detect Emerald Ash Borer Infestation | Geography | 2021-11-01 | The invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has devastated native ash tree populations in North America. The rapid expansion of its range requires effective monitoring techniques such as remote sensing to understand the severity of these impacts over large geographic areas. I used a real-time kinematic GPS to collect coordinates of individual trees and analyzed sources of error in an EAB-infested old-growth forest. Individual tree locations were collected with sub-decimeter accuracy. Hyperspectral image-derived datasets, including full spectra, derivative, principal components, narrowband multispectral, and textural information, were evaluated in classifying ash from non-ash trees and identifying stages of ash decline. Overall, hyperspectral data differentiated ash and non-ash trees with high accuracy, and narrowband multispectral data provided highest overall accuracy in distinguishing EAB-related ash tree decline. This work highlights challenges and opportunities associated with using high-spatial and spectral resolution data for disturbance detection and improves workflow mapping the severity of forest insect infestations. | M.Sc. | urban, forest | 11, 15 |
| Eisenkraft Klein, Daniel | Darnell, Simon | Community Engagement Practices at MLSE Launchpad | Exercise Sciences | 2020-06-01 | Sport-for-development (SFD) organizations increasingly deliver programs in marginalized communities within the Global North. Despite this growth in programming, and significant academic attention towards this trend, studies of the methods through which SFD organizations receive input from and engage with communities have been largely absent. The purpose of this study was to explore how Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Launchpad, an SFD centre in downtown Toronto recruits in and relates to the surrounding Moss Park community. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with nine staff, and observations over four months at Launchpad and its external community events. The main results were as follows: a significant group of participants were attracted to the space through non-sport activities, despite previous focuses on sport recruitment; Launchpad provided a number of “extras” that filled in fundamental gaps in public services; and important distinctions between the language of “engagement” and “recruitment” among staff emerged. | M.Sc. | marginalized | 10 |
| Chow, Clement Tian-Ren | Colella, Tracey J. F.||Brooks, Dina | Completion of a Phase 2 Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) patients are underrepresented in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (OCR) and the effectiveness and completion of a 24-week OCR program comparing TAVI with surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) patients has yet to be investigated. Objectives: To compare 1) the effectiveness of OCR, 2) program completion rates between TAVI and sAVR patients, and 3) examine predictors of program completion. Methods: A retrospective database review was conducted. Results: OCR was effective in significantly improving the peak oxygen uptake of TAVI (p | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Yazdani, Setayesh | Schapira, Matthieu MS | Computational Analysis of Druggability and Genetic Variability of SARS-CoV-2 Pocketome | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | Emerging novel coronaviruses (CoVs) and new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are a major public health threat. One therapeutic strategy to face this challenge is to develop broad-spectrum CoV inhibitors, also known as pan-CoV drugs by targeting a druggable and conserved binding site of CoV proteins. Therefore, we performed a systemic analysis of seventeen SARS-CoV-2 protein structures and mapped their binding sites in a quest to determine the most conserved druggable sites. We then analyzed the variation of residues lining the SARS-CoV-2 drug-binding pockets across 27 α- and β-CoVs and across thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples from COVID-19 patients. Our findings indicate that the most promising targets for developing pan-CoV drugs include the catalytic site of non-structural protein 12 (nsp12; RNA-dependent RNA polymerase) and the RNA central channel of non-structural protein 13 (nsp13 helicase). Lastly, we present our data on an interactive web portal (https://www.thesgc.org/SARSCoV2_pocketome/) to allow users to view the individual proteins. | M.Sc. | public health, conserv, conserv | 3, 14, 15 |
| Chan, Jason Kai Dat | Bazylak, Aimy | Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Cell Distributions Towards Targeted Re-endothelialization in the Lung | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Complete re-endothelialization of acellular lung scaffolds remains a significant barrier for the clinical application of regenerated lungs. Current methods of delivering endothelial cells have led to insufficient coverage of the pulmonary vasculature. Understanding how reseeding parameters affect cell deposition is necessary to optimize lung re endothelialization. In this thesis, we created a computational fluid dynamics model featuring an inertial particle deposition function to quantify the deposition of cells in mouse lung vasculature for re-endothelialization. Our novel inertial algorithm demonstrated a significant reduction in cell seeding efficiency error compared to two established particle deposition algorithms when validated with experiments. With this newly presented model, cell seeding efficiency and uniformity increased with higher flow rates. Cell seeding efficiency was further improved by utilizing a surrounding parenchymal pressure. Modulating the parenchymal pressure also enabled the targeting of cell deposition locations. This work lays the foundation to computationally optimize lung regeneration towards clinical use. | M.A.S. | regeneration | 15 |
| Robb, Anthony M | Sinton, David | Concentrated Ethanol Electrosynthesis from CO2 | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The concentration of atmospheric CO2 today is the highest it has been in the past 10,000 years. This is due to the widespread use of fossil fuels as an energy source and chemical feedstock since the beginning of the industrial revolution. CO2 electrocatalysis provides a solution to this problem by sequestering CO2 in a chemical form and producing useful chemical feedstocks. One widely used industrial chemical that can be made from CO2 is ethanol; an energy dense liquid fuel that is normally produced via a CO2 positive process. The focus of this thesis is on using a polymer-carbon adlayer to modify the regular Cu catalyst to produce ethanol at industrially relevant concentrations and reaction rates. It achieves 13.5 wt% ethanol at over 200 mA/cm2 with no changes to cell voltage. Other methods of controlling ethanol crossover and concentration in membrane electrode assemblies using bipolar membranes are evaluated. | M.A.S. | energy, renewabl, fossil fuel, carbon dioxide, co2 | 7, 13 |
| Ebrahimi, Khashayar | Saxe, Shoshanna||Panesar, Daman | Construction Techniques for Lowering Embodied GHGs: A Review of Prefabrication and 3D Printed Concrete Mix Designs | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | With ongoing global urbanization, the construction industry has been steering towards adopting automated construction techniques to enhance efficiency and quality in production with the expectation of lowering greenhouse emissions (GHGs). However, there is a limited understanding of the impacts of using these techniques on GHGs. This thesis investigates two such techniques, prefabrication and 3D printing. It assesses the embodied GHGs of prefabricated buildings and 3D printed concrete (3DPC) mixes and compares them with that of conventional counterparts. A meta-analysis of published life cycle assessment results from prefabricated buildings and a detailed analysis of published 3DPC mixes are undertaken in this research. The findings suggest more similarity in terms of embodied GHGs between prefabricated and conventional buildings than widely reported. Results also show that 3DPC mixes usually have higher emissions compared to cast-in-place concrete due to having higher cement contents, though they also have lower emissions per unit of strength. | M.A.S. | emission, greenhouse, buildings, invest, urban, production, greenhouse gas, emissions | 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 |
| Thibeault-Orsi, Gabrielle | Manion, Caroline | Contextualizing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Gender Gap in European and sub-Saharan African Universities | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-03-01 | The STEM gender-equality paradox, which occurs when there are greater gender disparities in STEM education within countries that are considered more gender equal, has raised many questions about factors causing the disparities in tertiary enrollment. This study aims to understand how different contextual factors effect enrollment and self-perception of women in tertiary STEM programs across the European and Sub-Saharan African contexts. This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach with a feminist and gender role theory theoretical framework. An online survey (NS=188) and interviews (NI=11) were used to investigate the role of sociocultural, student self-perception and economic factors on tertiary STEM enrollment. Men and women identified different factors on their pursuit of tertiary education where men indicated financial motives whereas women expressed personal preferences for STEM. Sociocultural factors were found as a discouraging force against STEM education for women. Power, and maintaining institutional patriarchy, are concluded as the key cause for the STEM gender gap. Ignorance and normalized misogyny must be reduced across the studied contexts to improve gender equity in STEM. | M.Ed. | equity, tertiary education, gender, women, feminis, patriarchy, invest, equit, equalit, institut | 4, 5, 9, 10, 16 |
| Xia, Yue Yin | Kotsopoulos, Joanne | Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Ovarian Cancer among Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | BRCA mutation carriers face a high lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer. Oral contraceptives are protective in this high-risk population; however, the impact of other types of contraception (e.g. intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants, injections) is unknown. This study evaluated the relationships between type of contraception and risk of developing ovarian cancer among women with a BRCA mutation. Ever use of any contraceptive was significantly associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer, which was driven by significant inverse associations with oral contraceptives and implants. We observed a similar albeit non-significant effect with use of injections and IUDs. No significant associations were observed between patterns of IUD use and risk of ovarian cancer. These findings support a protective effect of oral contraceptives and implants on risk of ovarian cancer among women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. The possible reduced risk with use of injections and IUDs requires further evaluation. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Yakop, Netan | Lehn, Peter | Control of the Current Shaping MMC to Enable High Step-down AC/DC Power Conversion | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-03-01 | This thesis introduces a new control strategy for the Current Shaping Modular Multilevel Converter (CS-MMC), a recently proposed DC/DC converter intended for medium voltage applications. This new control formulation allows the same CS-MMC to accommodate a vastly wider range of input voltages while also reducing the output current ripple. Experimental results are presented using a 1 kW laboratory scale prototype. It is then shown that this introduced control strategy enables the CS-MMC to also accommodate AC input voltages. To achieve this, the topology must be slightly modified, with the new topology termed the AC/DC CS-MMC. While the CS-MMC is intended for the future DC grid, the AC/DC CS-MMC can be powered from existing AC distribution feeders. Simulation results for a 10 kW system are presented. The input current distortion is shown to be in compliance with the IEEE 519-2014 standard. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Vijayakumar, Abirami | Lindsay, Sally | Coping Mechanisms among Youth and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Competitive Employment | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Successful integration into employment is an ongoing issue for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A primary barrier to successful employment includes being unable to cope with the social demands of work because people with ASD are more likely to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to explore how youth and young adults with ASD cope with stress and anxiety in competitive employment. A phenomenological study was conducted involving in-depth interviews with twelve youth and young adults with ASD. Findings revealed three main themes: (1) salient workplace factors, (2) stress and/or anxiety inducers, and (3) coping mechanisms. The findings shed new light on the impact of stress, anxiety and coping on youth and young adults with ASD and have potential to educate employers about the issues that such employees encounter. | M.Sc. | employment | 8 |
| Hunter, Alexandra Jean | Tenenbaum, Howard | Correcting Deficient Papillae and Gingival Recession using a Conservative Surgical Approach utilizing a Dermal Filler (Juvéderm) and Enamel Matrix Derivative (Emdogain); A Pilot Study | Dentistry | 2022-03-01 | Gingival recession, and “black triangle” (BT) defects are a common complaint for patients. While gingival recession seems to be more amenable to treatment this is not the case for BTs. We have developed a minimally invasive approach with the use of dermal filler and concurrent enamel matrix derivative (EMD). A total of 8 patient with 34 sites needing treatment were involved in this pilot study. Mean gain in attachment was 0.82mm ± 1.47mm (p = 0.002). Mean root coverage was 70.37%. Papilla fill was improved by an average of 1.5mm (mean fill 44.58%) from baseline. Patient satisfaction at 6-month post-operative VAS data shows satisfaction improvement of 92.9% ± 7.0% (p | M.Sc. | conserv, conserv, regeneration | 14, 15 |
| Vaselenak, Sarah | Loutfy, Mona||Coyte, Peter | Cost-utility Analysis of Universal Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Coverage for Men who have Sex with Men at a High Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Ontario, Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved by Health Canada in 2016. Currently in Ontario, those under the age of 25 or aged 65 years or older can access PrEP free of charge through public drug coverage programs. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of providing public coverage for PrEP to all high-risk Ontario MSM. A Markov cohort model was built from the perspective of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOH) using a lifetime time horizon. Health states included HIV positive, HIV negative, and Dead. Transition probabilities, health state utilities and HIV treatment costs were sourced from published literature. Costs of HIV prevention were estimated through a micro-costing approach. HIV infection risk was estimated using the HIRI-MSM screening tool. Offering PrEP to all high-risk MSM through the Ontario MOH is dominant to current coverage circumstances due to a reduction in costly HIV infections. | M.Sc. | transit | 11 |
| Rufino, Brandon | Biddiss, Elaine | Creating and Evaluating an Audio Detection Interface to Guide Families in Musical Play and Learning with Low-cost Musical Instruments at Home | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Musical play and learning are fundamental for child development, yet the opportunities are not the same for children with disabilities. Our overarching goal is to provide more opportunities for home-based musical play and learning for children who may not have access to teacher-led music programs. This thesis describes the design and evaluation of an audio detection interface which can classify low-cost, early childhood musical instruments such as a tambourine, shaker, and castanet. This interface achieves over 84% accuracy using an approximate 93 ms window length to in-lab variants across all 3 instrument families. This interface was deployed and tested with twelve families in a music application called Bootle Band. In this usability study, we observed an average accuracy of 73% [SD=6.8%] in family’s household. We found that children’s play time and responses on the Fun Toolkit Questionnaire were equivalent when the game was played with real-life instruments versus a typical touchscreen. This suggests that the performance of our audio detection interface was sufficient to support playability in real-world settings. This thesis lays the groundwork for a music education application that interacts with real-world musical instruments and is accessible to families and their children, with and without disabilities. | M.A.S. | disabilit, learning, wind, accessib | 3, 4, 7, 11 |
| Pati Tripathi, Suyash | Voinigescu, Sorin P | Cryogenic Characterization and Modelling of FinFET Technology | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-03-01 | This thesis investigates the performance of commercial 5nm and 7nm FinFET technology from room temperature down to cryogenic temperatures for quantum computing and other low-temperature applications. DC characteristics and high-frequency figures of merits show significant improvement in all devices at cryogenic temperaturecompared to room temperature, with 5nm devices performing better than 7nm devices. Furthermore, all measured devices exhibit quantum dot (QD) behaviour when biased in the subthreshold region up to 35K, suggesting the potential of commercial FinFET technologies for monolithic quantum processors where the semiconductor qubits are integrated with the control electronics on the same die. A novel compact analytical model is developed to capture the effect of bias and temperature on the QD characteristics, required to develop a complete simulation environment for designing monolithic quantum processors. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Demetriou, Stephanie Christine | Wakefield, Sarah | Cultivating Care: Backyard Hens and the Changing Geography of Human-Chicken Relations in Toronto | Geography | 2021-06-01 | This project examines the changing geography of human-chicken relationships in Toronto, Ontario. Anchoring my project to themes of care and belonging, I first explore the city’s historical live animal debates through textual news media to highlight how arguments about the inhumane treatment and slaughter of urban chickens informed the expulsion of farm animals from residential and market spaces in the late-twentieth century. I then use contemporary media, documents, and semi-structured interviews with participants of the municipal pilot UrbanHensTO to consider how chickens are making a visible return to Toronto. My study shows that urban chicken-keeping is working in the city in transformative and subversive ways; it is allowing residents to cultivate a companionable ethic of care that brings the individuality, lifeworlds, joy, and suffering of chickens into focus. Importantly, these companionable backyard relations are challenging the ethical invisibility of farm animals while making chickens matter as more-than-producers and other-than-food. | M.A. | urban, animal, animal | 11, 14, 15 |
| Posa, Stephanie | Moola, Fiona J | Curating the Self: Exploring Camp’s Influence on the Illness Identity of Children and Youth Living with Cancer | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Introduction: Camps have been shown to improve the psychosocial wellbeing of children and youth with cancer. Research has not explored how camp influences conceptions of identity among this population. Objectives: To explore how children and youth with cancer define their illness identity, and how camp influences illness identity. Methods: This study adopted an arts-based narrative methodology, and was theoretically informed by Arthur Frank’s Illness Narratives. A portrait activity and qualitative interviews were employed. Analysis proceeded using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: 12 children participated in this study. Illness identity was defined as fluid and contextual, and as a process of discovery. Illness identity was also selectively disclosed, and nonexistent for some. Camp resulted in increased generativity, confidence, and normalcy. Implications: This study expands upon Frank’s illness typologies to account for nuance in illness identity. Methodological implications for the use of arts-informed online methods are underscored. | M.Sc. | wellbeing, illness | 3 |
| McCaw, Laura Katherine | Boonstra, Rudy | Cyclical Variation in Predation Risk: Impacts on Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) Offspring through Maternal Programming | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06-01 | Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations cycle over 10-year periods, primarily driven by predation. High predation risk triggers the decline phase of the cycle through both direct mortality and non-consumptive stress effects that curtail reproduction and survival. The decline phase is followed by an enigma, the prolonged low phase, where the population fails to recover. This suggests maternal stress effects may act to program offspring across generations in this population. Through a natural monitoring study spanning the hare cycle, we investigated the impact of changing predation risk and maternal stress on offspring. Offspring in the decline phase showed a suite of changes to their behaviour, condition, physiology and gene expression compared to offspring from the increase and peak phases, suggesting maternal programming is occurring. This study was novel in documenting changes in gene expression of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors in response to a natural increase in predation risk in a wild mammal. | M.Sc. | invest, consum, production | 9, 12 |
| Kim, Ji Min | Carter, Michael W. | Data-driven Inpatient Bed Demand Forecasting Model for Surge Mitigation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Hospitals have been experiencing more frequent medical surges, the state at which inpatient beds are near or at full capacity, as both healthcare expenditure and demand have been increasing. Currently, there is no surge prediction tool designed for the short-term horizon, resulting in a short lead time to prepare for any upcoming bed demand. This study proposes a data-driven bed demand forecasting model composed of Long Short-Term Memory network, Gamma mixture model, and Discrete Event Simulation model, that intakes only high-level patient visit information and other exogenous variables, such as public holiday status and day of the week, to forecast inpatient admissions, estimate their length of stay, and simulate the upcoming bed usage to identify a potential surge at a specific program level. Given the forecast, the hospital can proactively plan and allocate its resources and reduce the likelihood of poor inpatient bed utilization. | M.A.S. | healthcare | 3 |
| Sánchez Sandoval, Ma. Guadalupe | Broad, Kathryn K||Rajendram, Shakina S | Deconstructing and Reconstructing Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in a Public System of Mexican Higher Education: An Autoethnography | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-06-01 | This thesis explores how a dynamic CLIL project problematized “weak” and “strong” CLIL approaches and deficit discourse of learners and teachers in Mexican (language) education. The study draws from the researcher’s personal and professional challenges as an entry point to analyze language planning and policy in Mexican higher education and to interrogate dominant monolingual ideologies to open spaces for equity-based and inclusive language policy and practice.The study uses layered autoethnographic narratives that integrate experiences as a language educator, literature on CLIL, and primary and secondary sources of language planning and policy. The theoretical framework is grounded on the construct of problematization that derives from critical social theory. Ruiz´s language orientations (1984) guide the analysis of life stories, on-the-ground discourse and policy texts. The study concludes by envisioning a dynamic, critical and plurilingual approach to CLIL that builds on students’ and teachers’ diverse language repertoires and affirms their bi/plurilingual identities. | M.A. | learning, equity, equit, open spaces | 4, 10, 11 |
| Assi, Sofia Shahid | Salter, Michael W | Decreased Periaqueductal Gray Size and Sex-specific Alterations in Rostrocaudal Subregion Size and Astrocyte Counts in a Mouse Model of Pain Priming | Physiology | 2019-11-01 | Mice that receive a hindpaw incision in the first post-natal week display enhanced hypersensitivity (pain priming) after an additional incision in adulthood compared with mice that receive a first-time incision as adults. In whole brain MRI scans, the volume of the periaqueductal gray was robustly different between primed and non-primed mice. I used immunohistochemistry to quantify the size and cell counts of the whole and rostrocaudal subregions of the periaqueductal gray to determine whether there are differences between primed and non-primed mice after adult incision. I observed that the whole periaqueductal gray in primed mice was smaller than in non-primed mice and that female primed mice had a larger subregion four (found within the intermediate periaqueductal gray) with more astrocytes than male primed mice and female non-primed mice. My results demonstrate that astrocytes within the intermediate periaqueductal gray may be responsible for the sex-specific volume difference observed in pain priming. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Suri, Karush | Lawryshyn, Yuri||Plataniotis, Konstantinos | Deep Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | The biological paradigm of learning by trial and error has motivated tremendous success in the field of Machine Learning. While Reinforcement Learning (RL) rests behind a myriad of breakthroughs, its practical application to real-world scenarios remains an open question. This thesis addresses the three challenges of restricted scalability, reduced robustness and limited practical viability through the lens of hierarchies serving as abstractions of composite behavior. Novel evolutionary RL methods present an evolving hierarchy which provisions scalability among members of its population. Novel energy based RL schemes, on the other hand, minimize surprise utilizing low energy configurations among members of the multi agent hierarchy. The framework of energy-based surprise minimization steers practical application of hierarchical RL to the setting of trade execution. The end result of this study is a hierarchical scheme demonstrating trade patterns analogous to humans with this thesis serving as a motivation for application of RL to practical problems. | M.A.S. | learning, energy, trade | 4, 7, 10 |
| Kim, Byungjin | Hawkins, Cynthia E | Defining the Role of the Histone 3.3 (H3.3G34R) Mutation in the Pathogenesis of Pediatric High Grade Astrocytoma | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2020-06-01 | Pediatric high-grade astrocytoma (pHGG) is the leading cause of brain tumour related death in children. Approximately 15% of hemispheric pHGG have a mutations in the H3F3A gene, leading to a glycine-arginine substitution (H3.3G34R). A novel proteomics-based strategy, BioID, to investigate the H3.3G34R-associated changes in the histone interactome. H3.3G34R mutation lead to alterations in the histone H3.3 interactome including chromatin modifiers and DNA repair proteins. Expression of H3.3G34R in normal human astrocytes increased sensitivity to radiation and a delayed double stranded break repair kinetics as determined by neutral comet assay. H3.3G34R lead to loss of homologous recombination specific RAD51 recruitment in response to radiation and a compensation through the error prone 53BP1 specific non-homologous end joining pathway. Our data suggest that H3.3G34R mutation leads to dysregulation of the histone code and may induce genomic instability through loss of function in the DSB repair pathway and may provide a novel avenue of therapeutic vulnerability. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, invest, gini | 1, 9, 10 |
| Lee, Xavier Alexander | Gramolini, Anthony O | Degradation of Phospholamban Disease Mutants in Neonatal Mouse Ventricular Cardiomyocytes | Physiology | 2020-03-01 | Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affects 1 in 500 individuals worldwide. Half of these cases have a genetic basis and Phospholamban is often implicated. PLN is the principal inhibitor of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase and thus instrumental in cardiac Ca2+-cycling. Mutations in PLN, Rdel14 and L39Stop, result in DCM and present with distinct cellular protein localizations possibly attributed to aberrations in degradation. I thus aimed to determine the mechanisms underlying the degradation of Rdel14, and L39Stop. I hypothesized that Rdel14 and L39Stop are subjected to an increased degree of degradation by autophagy. Immunoprecipitations and immunofluorescence in HEK293T cells and neonatal cardiomyocytes indicate that Rdel14 is ubiquitinated, and interacts with p62, but does not colocalize with autophagosomes, suggesting defective trafficking. Similar experiments on L39Stop demonstrated a complete absence of expression. This work contributes to the expanding PLN interactome which will provide insight to cardiomyopathies that have a basis in defective Ca2+ cycling. | M.Sc. | trafficking, trafficking | 5, 16 |
| Lee, Shiron Jessie | Hampson, David R | Delivery of Sodium Channel Subunits via Viral Vectors to Ameliorate Seizures in Dravet Syndrome Mice | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Dravet Syndrome (DS) is caused primarily by impairment of the voltage-gated sodium channel alpha-1 subunit (Nav1.1) in inhibitory neurons. DS is characterized by febrile seizures, autistic behavior, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Customized adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype 9 vectors coding for AAV9-Gad1v1-Navβ1 and AAV9-Gad1v2-NaChBac were tested in Scn1a+/- mice, a mouse model of DS, to restore the activity of inhibitory neurons in Scn1a+/- mice. Neonatal injections with AAV9-Gad1v1-Navβ1 resulted in a partial improvement in the mortality of female Scn1a+/- mice and a reduction in the spontaneous seizure frequency in male Scn1a+/- mice, with no effect on the heat-induced seizures. Treatments with AAV9-Gad1v2-NaChBac did not induce inflammation in mouse brain and indicated that Gad1v2 promoter was more selective towards gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic inhibitory neurons than the Gad1v1 promoter. The findings of this study demonstrated the capability of AAV as a useful tool in gene therapy for DS. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Oliphant, Shannon | Morris, Robert H||Taylor, Mark S | Density Functional Theory (DFT) Study on Selective Reductive Amination of Sodium Triacetoxyborohydride (STAB) with Respect to Imines over Aldehydes and Ketones | Chemistry | 2022-03-01 | Reductive amination is one of the most important methods to synthesize amines, having a wide application in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and materials industry. In general, the reaction begins with a dehydration between a carbonyl and amine compound, forming an imine, which is then reduced to an alkylated amine product. Sodium triacetoxyborohydride (STAB) is a popular choice for reducing agent, as it shows selectivity for imines over aldehydes and ketones, which is particularly important in direct reductive amination. Herein, a density functional theory (DFT) investigation of STAB selectivity with respect to imines over aldehydes and ketones is reported. It was found the reduction of imines over their respective carbonyl compound reactants was both thermodynamically and kinetically favoured, with Brønsted–Lowry and Lewis acids playing pivotal roles in these reactions. Overall, the imine formation and subsequent reduction were both favoured over the carbonyl compound reduction, confirming literature reports of STAB imine selectivity. | M.Sc. | agricultur, invest | 2, 9 |
| Tang, Mingyi | Simmons, Craig||Chung, Jennifer | Dependency of Energy Loss on Strain Rate, Strain Magnitude and Preload: Development of a Novel Biomarker for Aortic Aneurysm Dissection Risk | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Dissection is the most common mode of failure for ascending aortic aneurysms. Currently, failure risk is assessed by measuring aortic diameter, which is insufficient as it misses many dissection patients. This motivated the search for a new biomarker that captures intrinsic tissue material properties related to failure. Energy loss is promising in this regard as it is correlated with microstructure degradation and failure of aneurysms. However, for energy loss to be used clinically, its dependency on in vivo loading conditions, which vary from patient-to-patient, must be determined. In this thesis, the sensitivity of energy loss to physiological strain rate, magnitude, and preload was examined. Energy loss was found to be relatively insensitive to loading conditions while maintaining a significant correlation with delamination strength as a surrogate for dissection except at low strains. These results can be used for clinical translation of in vivo measurements of energy loss to evaluate aortic dissection risk. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Zhang, Yigong (Bella) | Chignell, Mark | Design and Evaluation of a Researcher Platform to Automate Development of Customized Cognitive Games | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The Interactive Media Lab (IML) at the University of Toronto has developed a suite of serious games that can be used to administer psychological tasks. To move these games from laboratory to practical use, it was important to establish their scientific validity through validation studies with large samples. With an increasing demand for customized versions for various research studies, a development capacity bottleneck was reached. To find a long-term solution to this challenge, we create a researcher platform, enabling researchers to customize cognitive games for their research studies without the need for coding skills. This thesis describes the human-centred design process of the platform, which culminated in a ready-to-implement prototype, as well as the insights learned from two rounds of usability evaluation. As a novel experiment builder of serious games for psychological tasks, this platform provides insights on leveraging software tools to make online experimentation more efficient. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Liu, Xinyue | Ramsay, Scott | Design and Implementation of Open Source Testing Equipment in Engineering Education and Research | Materials Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Laboratory work teaches students how technical knowledge is applied in practice and has long been recognized as a crucial component of a complete undergraduate engineering experience. The deployment of new laboratory activities is challenging for several reasons, particularly due to resource constraints. Providing students with meaningful hands-on experience became even more challenging in the remote learning environment during the COVID-19 global pandemic. In the work presented, two low-cost, open-source mechanical testing machines were designed, and implemented in engineering education and research. The Universal Mechanical Testing Kit was launched as lab activities in a first-year introduction to materials science class. The Miniature Mechanical Testing Kit was designed as a remote learning tool and used as a lab kit in a third-year engineering design class during the pandemic to provide students with meaningful hands-on experience while learning from home. Other design variations were also implemented in engineering education and research. | M.A.S. | knowledge, learning, labor | 4, 8 |
| Johnston, Ian Alexander Elliot | Gu, Frank X | Design and Optimization of Buoyant Photocatalysts for Passive Degradation of Trace Organic Pollutants in Drinking and Industrial Process-affected Water | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | The 1.6•10^12 L of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) in sedimentation ponds in northern Alberta contains 20-120 mg L-1 of naphthenic acids (NAs), a class of molecules acutely toxic to aquatic life [1]. Photocatalytic degradation of NAs in OSPW has been demonstrated by TiO2 containing buoyant photocatalysts [2], [3]. Composed of a buoyant hollow glass microsphere, TiO2, and a silica binder, the buoyant photocatalyst degrades the NAs in a passive advanced oxidation process. However, nucleophilic attack on the silica binder by hydroxide ions of the alkaline OSPW reduce the durability of the buoyant photocatalyst. Formulation changes to the buoyant photocatalyst resulted in the adoption of alumina hydrosol as a more durable binder over the previously used silica. In a second study, the improved buoyant photocatalyst was then used to detoxify water containing trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane, an emerging and recalcitrant pollutant found in drinking water. | M.A.S. | water, remediation, pollut, pollut | 6, 14, 15 |
| Gould, Jerome Dean | Prosser, Scott | Design and Study of Novel Fluorinated Tags for Elucidation of Protein Conformational Dynamics by 19F NMR | Chemistry | 2019-06-01 | Here we explore a variety of monofluorinated and trifluoromethyl reporters in an effort to derive optimal tags for purposes of fluorine NMR studies of proteins. By examining fluorine NMR spectra in MeOH and water mixtures, we compared chemical shift sensitivity to solvent polarity. A bromo-acetamide functionalized monofluorinated pyridinol, which was designed to be specifically reactive towards thiols, was observed to exhibit an unprecedented range of chemical shift dispersions of 2.56 ppm in these solvents. A trifluoromethylated analog exhibited a chemical shift range of 1.67 ppm albeit with higher intensity and reduced linewidth. This may be contrasted with conventional fluorinated tags such as BTFA and BTFMA, whose dispersions are on the order of 0.57 and 1.03 ppm, respectively. We anticipate that these next-generation tags will greatly enhance prospects for fluorine NMR studies of proteins and fluorine NMR based drug discovery. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Bostock, Chiara Elisabetta | Shoichet, Molly | Design of an Affibody-modified Hydrogel for the Controlled Release of FGF2 | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Proteins have demonstrated immense potential as therapeutic agents in the treatment of ocular diseases as they possess high specificity and affinity for their targets; however, their short half-lives comprise a significant barrier to their clinical translation. To tackle this challenge, affinity-based hydrogels have been employed to tune protein release and prolong therapeutic residence time. In this thesis, we designed an affibody-modified hyaluronan (HA)-based hydrogel as a delivery vehicle for fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). We identified a highly specific affibody binding partner with an intermediate affinity (3.8 x 10-8 M) for FGF2 using yeast surface display. Importantly, we demonstrated controlled release of FGF2 from the hydrogel vehicle by modulating the affibody to protein ratio and showed a stabilizing effect of the affibody on FGF2. Ultimately, this system serves as a versatile delivery platform amenable to any protein with the potential for distinct multi-species release profiles based on specific affinity interactions. | M.A.S. | species, species | 14, 15 |
| Hu, Han | Nejat, Goldie | Design of Decentralized Robot Architecture and Sim-to-real Transfer Pipeline For Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Rough Terrain Navigation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Robots that autonomously navigate real-world 3D cluttered environments need to safely traverse terrain with abrupt changes in surface normal and elevation. This thesis presents a decentralized robot architecture for navigation and a novel sim-to-real pipeline for learning real-world navigation in simulation using deep reinforcement learning. The decentralized robot architecture design avoids the requirement of a powerful central server and improves the robustness of the processes against hardware and software failures by isolating the computing units. A set of experiments were conducted to demonstrate the robustness of the architecture's mapping system against challenging environmental conditions. The sim-to-real pipeline uses deep reinforcement learning to learn a navigation policy from data collected in simulation. It incorporated a combination of sim-to-real strategies to address the reality gap that uniquely exists for 3D navigation problems. A set of real-world experiments demonstrated that the pipeline successfully transferred the learned navigation policy into the real world. | M.A.S. | learning, environmental | 4, 13 |
| Barbaric, Antonia | Cafazzo, Joseph | Design, Development, and Evaluation of a Voice Based Chronic Disease Management Program | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Digital therapeutics is a new and emerging category of digital health technology being used to help scale effective chronic disease management and prevention and is commonly deployed through smartphone apps. Medly is an example of a digital therapeutic used for heart failure self-management, with previous studies demonstrating the program’s ability to reduce health service utilization and improve clinical, quality of life, and patient self-care outcomes. Although these results show promise, these programs can be more accessible by offering them using alternative platforms. This research investigated whether voice apps can be a practical alternative of enabling patients to receive a digital therapeutic. A user-centered design process was followed and a voice app of Medly was built based on a design research process which included a usability study. Findings from the pilot study showcased the potential benefits this technology has for particular patients by enabling a more accessible model of health-care delivery. | M.A.S. | invest, accessib | 9, 11 |
| Maranga, Denise Coleen Abellon | Reisz, Robert R||Evans, David C | Detailed Morphology of the Skull and Dentition in a New, Exceptionally Preserved Microraptorine Specimen (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Early Cretaceous of China | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | The evolution of non-avian dinosaurs to birds is one of the most significant evolutionary events in the history of life. Microraptorinae, a clade of small, four-winged dromaeosaurs that exhibit both avian and non-avian dinosaurian features, is a fossil group important to this transition. Microraptorine specimens are known from the Early and Late Cretaceous deposits of Asia and North America and are represented by several specimens in the literature; however, well-preserved craniodental material is lacking. Here I describe an exceptionally preserved microraptorine specimen from China, JLUM Y-MR160501, which includes a near-complete skull and dentition in both jaws. The delicate cranial bones retain their shape and are only slightly disarticulated, allowing for the first detailed description of cranial anatomy in microraptorines. This exceptional specimen brings critical new information on microraptorine cranial anatomy and morphology that fills in the current gaps in our knowledge of Microraptorinae and the evolutionary relationships within the clade. | M.Sc. | knowledge, transit | 4, 11 |
| Pupic, Nikola | Dutta, Tilak | Detecting Patient Position Using Bed-reaction Forces for Pressure Injury Management | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Pressure injuries are largely preventable, yet they affect one in four Canadians across all healthcare settings. The best way to prevent and treat pressure injuries is to ensure at-risk individuals are repositioned regularly, but adherence to repositioning is poor. Our team has designed a repositioning prompting system for patients in bed that uses data from load cells under the bed legs. The goal of this project was to improve the accuracy of predicting a patient’s position as left, right, or supine and to determine the value of higher precision prediction (more than three categories). The range of positions that completely offloaded the great trochanters and sacrum were determined. Position detection (left, right, or supine) was improved to 84.2%. The sacrum was only fully offloaded for transverse pelvic angles of -90° and 90°, indicating there was little benefit to predicting with greater precision than with three categories: left, right, and supine. | M.A.S. | healthcare, learning | 3, 4 |
| Moon, Sae Young | Mihailidis, Alex am||Khan, Shehroz sk | Detecting Student Depression Using Smartphone Data | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Technological solutions to screen for depression are being researched to combat the rise of mental health problems in post-secondary students. Specifically, machine learning models can be trained on smartphone datasets to detect depression. However, model performance is hindered by limitations of existing datasets, such as: (1) sparse depression labels and (2) neglecting individual circumstances variables. To address the problem with sparse labels, we explored multiple instance learning on an existing sparsely labelled dataset. We also collected a new dataset containing more frequent depression labels and individual circumstances variables using a custom-built mobile application. Overall, our best performing multiple instance learning model outperformed other models with 0.661 AUC. We also achieved up to 0.992 AUC in depression detection using our own dataset. Ultimately, this work contributed to building a better quality smartphone dataset that can train more accurate depression detection machine learning models, helping future students seek timely care. | M.A.S. | mental health, learning | 3, 4 |
| Cherniak, Samuel L | Andrews, Robert C | Detection and Occurrence of Microplastics through Municipal and Pilot-scale Drinking Water Treatment Plants | Civil Engineering | 2020-03-01 | Concern regarding microplastic contamination in the environment by water providers and consumers has led to the investigation of microplastics in drinking water. Here, the development of a new method is described for microplastic analysis in drinking water samples, minimizing contamination and applying relevant QA/QC guidelines. The described method achieved an overall recovery of >80% for microplastics of various sizes, shapes, and composition, in drinking water matrices. Additionally, a full-scale conventional drinking water treatment plant employing coagulation, flocculation, filtration, and chlorination was sampled for microplastics, alongside a pilot-scale plant with eight parallel filters, receiving different treatment. Full-scale treatment removed 52% of microplastics from raw (42 ± 18 particles/L) to tap water (20 ± 8 particles/L). Ozonation, media type, biological contact, and flow rate through the filters contributed no additional removal. Coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation accounted for 70% of particle removal, the highest removal of unit processes examined. | M.A.S. | water, contamination, invest, consum | 6, 9, 12 |
| Mammoliti, Anthony | Haibe-Kains, Benjamin | Detection of Non-coding RNAs and Assessment of their Predictive Value for Monotherapies | Medical Biophysics | 2022-03-01 | The introduction of high-throughput sequencing technologies has allowed for RNA species detection, both coding and non-coding. This led to the discovery of predictive and prognostic biomarkers, however their validity can be questioned by the RNA selection protocol used by RNA-sequencing for their detection. This project investigates the consistency of mRNA and circRNA expression across inter-lab cell lines from pharmacogenomic datasets and patient lung adenocarcinoma tumors utilizing poly-A selection and rRNA depletion RNA-seq protocols. The results identify features that influence the prediction of instability in mRNA abundance through supervised learning, along with a potential circRNA prognostic biomarker. The intrinsic complexity and continuous growth of biomedical data makes it increasingly difficult to process, analyze, and share with the community. To overcome these issues, we created ORCESTRA (orcestra.ca), a cloud-based platform providing a flexible framework for the reproducible processing of multimodal biomedical data into shareable data objects, allowing for mRNA and circRNA exploration. | M.Sc. | learning, invest, species, species | 4, 9, 14, 15 |
| Esmaili, Siavash | Azhari, Fae | Developing a Gait Monitoring Device for Lower Limb Prosthesis Users | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Gait quality significantly affects the physical and mental health of lower limb prosthesis users. In this work, a wearable gait monitoring system was developed for lower limb amputees (LLAs) who use prostheses. The microcontroller-based sensing system consists of force-sensing resistors (FSRs) and inertial measurement units (IMUs), attached to a custom-designed show cover. Data acquired by the sensors were processed to determine and display temporal gait parameters on a mobile application. This device is simple and easy to don and doff, which makes it a convenient solution for objective gait monitoring in clinical rehabilitation. To evaluate the device performance, a case study investigated its application in assessing the effectiveness of interventions on gait quality. The gait monitoring system was able to detect improvements in gait parameters following the chosen intervention (gait imitation). A future study will investigate the feasibility of using the developed sensing system in a clinical setting. | M.A.S. | mental health, invest | 3, 9 |
| Wong, Ka Cheng | Miller, Eric | Developing a Generative Design Framework for Optimising Public Transit Network Planning | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Despite the plethora of tools and data available to transit planners, transit network design has remained mostly a manual task. There have been many attempts to algorithmically optimise algorithms transit network design based on geography, travel demand, and operating resources. However, the Transit Network Design Problem (TNDP) and Transit Network Design and Frequency Setting Problem (TNDFSP) remain challenging due to their NP-hard nature and the volume of data and computation required to produce good and realistic solutions. Generative Design is an emerging design methodology that takes advantage of computational power and efficient solution generation methods to develop high-quality solutions for complex, multi-objective optimisation problems. This thesis presents a framework that adopts the Generative Design methodology towards optimising transit network design and examines ways to improve adaptability and applicability of the framework in real-world scenarios. | M.A.S. | public transport, transit | 11 |
| Bhalloo, Insiya | Molnar, Monika | Developing Language-specific Screening Tools: Assessing Phonological Awareness Skills in Urdu-English Bilingual Children | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Childhood literacy is a major contributor to future academic and socio-economic success. It is therefore important to provide early reading intervention, via literacy precursor screening tools that can detect potential reading difficulties. Our systematic review and meta-analysis highlighted phonological awareness and vocabulary as commonly assessed literacy precursors that are consistently associated with (and in many cases predict) reading abilities in bilinguals (Chapter 2). To address the English-language assessment bias evident in our review, I developed an age- and linguistically-appropriate Urdu phonological awareness test (Chapter 3). I assessed 95 typically-developing Urdu-English simultaneous bilinguals, in Grades 1-2, across Canada and Pakistan on Urdu and English phonological awareness, expressive vocabulary and word/non-word reading measures. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses indicated significant within-language associations between the novel Urdu phonological awareness test and word/non-word reading, thereby demonstrating criterion-based validity. The developed Urdu phonological awareness test will facilitate early literacy screening in Urdu and linguistically-related languages. | M.Sc. | socio-economic | 1 |
| Aghakhani, Sima | McDougall, Douglas DM | Developing Reflective Practice Among Teachers of Mathematics: A Case Study of Four Teachers | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-03-01 | This qualitative case study of four middle and secondary school mathematics teachers examines how teachers' reflective practice supported their selection of strategies that align with the needs of current mathematics education according to the Ten Dimensions of Mathematics Education (McDougall, 2004). The findings suggest that teachers’ reflection practice through collaboration with other teachers and creating a positive safe environment within their classroom for students' feedback impacts their design of classroom practices. They prioritize planning and preparing for the dimensions that are being discussed in the meetings with other teachers. Another major finding is that high level reflective teachers' attitudes toward teaching mathematics is consistent with the needs of current mathematics education. Lastly, meeting individual needs of students is the dimension that all teachers in this study, regardless of their level of reflection, were struggling to reflect and plan for it. Overall, each teacher reported reflective practices that appeared to align with the “Attitudes and Practices for Teaching Math Survey”. | M.A. | labor | 8 |
| Soon, Kayla Emily | Vasconcelos, Sara | Development and Characterization of a Human Model of Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM)-on-a-Chip | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) is a vascular disease characterized by arteriovenous shunting that results in dilated and fragile vessels. So far, there are no pharmaceutical treatments available for AVMs. To address this need, we engineered an AVM-on-a-Chip that allows for real-time assessment of barrier function and morphological characteristics. The AVM-on-a-chip is created using a heterogeneous culture of immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with KRAS-mutant HUVECs, a know mutations associated with AVM formation, and supporting fibroblasts. A fibrin cell suspension is seeded into the platform to naturally form tubular and perfusable vascular networks. Key hallmarks of AVM were captured through areas of vascular dysplasia from KRAS mutant HUVECs, which affected the overall vascular structure. We found a significant increase in vascular permeability due to cell-cell junction breakdown in KRAS-positive vessel segments. Additionally, KRAS positive segments led to increase in vessel width and decreased branch length. Treatment with MEK inhibitor, a previously investigated reagent in AVM therapy, only recovered barrier function but not vascular distension. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Jin, Jingshu | DaCosta, Ralph S||Minden, Mark D | Development and Characterization of the Femur Window Chamber Model for Leukemia Research | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive disease of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. Unfortunately, the difficulty of traditional methodologies to access the BM in vivo has thus far limited our understanding of disease biology. This project therefore advances the femur window chamber (FWC) mouse model as a new tool for intravital imaging and study of the representative BM of long bones. Here, I have optimized the FWC technique for longitudinal leukemia studies and demonstrated minimal disruption to the native BM vasculature and immune landscape from the surgery. I have also determined that ALL progression results in significant BM remodelling, including elevated hypoxia levels, reduced vascular perfusion, increased vessel diameter, and a dynamic cycle of immune cell recruitment then suppression. These findings not only establish important preclinical research methodologies that overcome the limitations of traditional assays, but also characterize significant ALL dynamics that could inform future therapeutic strategies. | M.Sc. | wind, land | 7, 15 |
| Saun, Tomas J | Grantcharov, Teodor P | Development and Evaluation of a Prototype Camera System for Intraoperative Video Recording of Open Surgery | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Intraoperative video enables better surgical training, continued performance enhancement and quality improvement initiatives; however, there exists a lack of technology to reliably and routinely capture high-quality video of open surgical procedures. Using the limitations of previously identified capture systems as innovation targets, we developed a prototype camera system and benchmarked it against existing capture technology using objective and subjective evaluation frameworks. In a simulated OR environment, there was less movement of the prototype camera measured by a physical sensor, and algorithmic video analysis demonstrated more stable, sharper, higher contrast images but with more surgical field obstruction. In the real OR environment, surgeons rated the usability of the prototype more favourably for ‘weight’ and ‘would recommend to a colleague’, and rated the video product higher for ‘camera stability’ but lower for ‘unobstructed view of the surgical field’. This work demonstrates a novel and effective method for intraoperative video capture of open surgery. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Deonarain, Ashley | Harrison, Robert V | Development and Evaluation of a Simulator for Surgical Training in Tracheostomy and Advanced Open Airway Surgery | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-06-01 | The challenges of resident work-hour restrictions, low case volumes and growing concerns over patient safety limit learning opportunities for surgical trainees in the operating room. Surgical simulation can provide trainees with valuable opportunities to develop technical skills without risk to patient safety. Current synthetic airway simulators lack realistic tissue characteristics and anatomical accuracy. The objective of this thesis was to develop and validate a realistic airway simulator for training in tracheostomy and laryngotracheoplasty using anterior costal cartilage and thyroid ala cartilage grafts. A late adolescent/adult airway simulator was developed using image segmentation techniques, three-dimensional modeling/printing, and silicone casting. Nine expert otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeons evaluated the synthetic simulator as realistic/anatomically accurate (face validity), comparable to a live porcine model (gold standard in open airway simulation) and having perceived effectiveness as a training tool (content validity). The synthetic airway simulator has the potential to enhance tracheostomy and open airway surgical education. | M.H.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Juan, Neil Allen | Thomson, Murray | Development of a Flow Reactor Model for Carbon Nanoparticle Formation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis presents a 1D model to investigate carbon nanoparticle synthesis in flow reactors. The first goal of this work is to improve upon an existing plug flow reactor code by implementing reactive dimerization and the Fuchs collision kernel to the particle formation submodels. Validation cases using discrete element methods and experiments from the literature benchmark the code performance. With these improvements, the predictions of mean particle properties are within 15% of experimental measurements. The second goal is to investigate the effects of radial diffusion on nanoparticle formation in laminar flow reactors by comparing the developed 1D code to a modified 2D laminar flow reactor model. Results show that gas-phase species exhibit plug flow, while particles tend to follow their individual streamlines. Furthermore, by utilizing the radial integration method, the 1D code predicts the gas-phase species and particles with accuracies similar to the 2D model at lower computational costs. | M.A.S. | invest, species, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Chen, James Yu-Hsien | Olechowski, Alison | Development of a Novel Computer-aided Design Experiment Protocol for Studying Designer Behaviours | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is indispensable for modern engineering endeavors. The craft of creating CAD models requires extensive experience and expertise. Unfortunately, most traditional CAD training remains focused on declarative knowledge and not higher-level thinking. Studying expert usage could provide insights into the elements of effective CAD modelling. As the first step towards decoding CAD expertise, a novel experimental protocol was developed to capture and characterize designer actions during modeling. The study will serve as a foundation for future CAD design research. The protocol was tested with an experiment of 19 participants of varying skill levels. Event plot visualizations and hidden Markov Models revealed differences between two groups of performance-segmented participants, with the experts adopting a more consistent and organized modelling approach. Compared to existing methodologies, the automated processes developed for this study leverages automatic data collection and analysis to significantly reduce the time and effort required toperform design experiments | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Makar, David | Cioffi, Iacopo||Ging, Siew-Ging | Development of a Rat Model to Characterize the Effects of Ischaemia on the Masseter and Temporalis Muscles | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Temporomandibular disorders of the muscles of mastication (mTMD) are associated with muscle ischaemia. The objective of this study was to develop a rat model to characterize the effects of ischaemia on masticatory muscles.The right external carotid arteries of 18 Sprague-Dawley rats were ligated to induce masticatory muscle ischaemia. The animals were euthanized at 10-, 20-, and 35- days post surgery. Right and left masseter and temporalis muscles were evaluated by quantitative sensory testing, histological and gene expression analyses. Data were analyzed using mixed and general linear models. Mechanical detection thresholds increased with time and were greater on the right than the left side after 20-days. Histological changes indicative of fibrosis and degeneration of the right masticatory muscles were evident at all timepoints and complemented by gene expression analyses. This novel model of masticatory muscle ischaemia holds promise for future studies of the role of ischaemia in mTMD. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| Alfakir, Abdalrahman | Whyne, Cari||Hardisty, Michael | Development of a System to Measure Adherence to Lower Back Pain Rehabilitation with Wearable Sensors and Artificial Intelligence | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Lower back pain (LBP) is a prevalent health problem that is often effectively treated with physiotherapy/rehabilitation. Adherence to a prescribed rehabilitation program is positively correlated with its overall effectiveness. However, currently there are no simple and deployable quantitative methods to assess home-based LBP rehabilitation participation, where the majority of exercises should be performed. It is hypothesized that inertial data collected from a set of multi-IMU-based wearables analyzed with machine learning will successfully identify the performance of LBP exercises and good sitting posture. With an optimized system utilizing an XGBoost classifier and three IMU sensors placed at the lower back, thigh, and ankle, accuracies of 94% ± 3% and 90% ± 11% were achieved for classification of LBP exercises and good sitting posture, respectively. The technology generated within this project has the potential to improve the effectiveness of LBP rehabilitation by facilitating remote monitoring, early problem diagnosis, and quantitative clinical feedback. | M.H.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Zaman, Mitsue Mariam Mariam | Sidhu, Sachdev | Development of CD200/CD200R Antibodies and Assessment of their Anti-tumor Potency | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2019-06-01 | Immune system evasion in cancer contributes to the failure of host immune response against tumors. Immune escape may be caused by many factors, such as, the expansion of regulatory T cells, production of immunosuppressive cytokines by M2 (type-2 macrophages) or the over-expression of immunosuppressive molecules on tumor cells. CD200 is overexpressed in multiple cancers, and its interaction with CD200R transduces an immunoregulatory signal that can cause myeloid cell inhibition, allowing these CD200+ tumors to escape elimination by macrophages. Using phage-display technology, we developed a panel of synthetic anti-CD200 and CD200R antibodies. Their specificity, affinity, size exclusion profile, and ability to block the CD200:CD200R interaction was determined. Their anti-tumor potency was assessed by phagocytosis of tumor cells in vitro. Three out of four anti-CD200 antibody clones enhanced tumor phagocytosis by macrophages. Thus, synthetic anti-CD200 Abs may offer a new revenue for the treatment of various CD200-positive cancers through CD200:CD200R interaction blockade. | M.Sc. | production | 12 |
| Chan, Donny Ji-Ho | Parkinson, John | Development of Cell4D, a Spatial Stochastic Cell Simulator, and Applications towards CEACAM1 Pathway Modelling | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11-01 | Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) are known to be involved in biological functions such as metabolism, apoptosis, receptor signaling, and tumorigenesis. However, some mechanisms of CEACAM1 activation are still poorly understood from a systemic point of view, partially due to the complexity of the pathway. Here I present Cell4D, a graphical stochastic spatial cell simulator that I have developed to simulate hypothetical CEACAM1 pathways. Cell4D is more robust and complex than other publicly available meso-scale simulators with similar capabilities. I applied Cell4D to create computational models of CEACAM1 signaling systems and made functional predictions about the system through model perturbations. The simulation models predict that clustering increases the effective concentration of CEACAM1, and these clusters can self-propagate upon reaching a critical concentration threshold. In summary, the aim of this thesis is to further investigate mechanisms of CEACAM1 signalling in the context of T cells through computational modelling. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Snow, Melanie Anne | Wania, Frank | Development, Characterization and Field Testing of a Passive Air Sampler for Monitoring Occupational Exposure to Mercury Vapors | Chemistry | 2020-06-01 | An activated carbon-based passive air sampler for gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) was modified for personal exposure monitoring. Calibration yielded a sampling rate of 0.070 m3/day. Deployments lasting 8 hours result in method detection limits below the ASTDR and WHO minimum risk level of 200 ng/m3. The sampler has a measurement range of at least four orders of magnitude. Passive sampler derived air concentrations were not statistically significantly different from active air samplers, but passive sampling was more precise than personal pump sampling. Stationary and personal passive air samplers were used to characterize inhalation exposure to GEM of individuals (1) crushing mercury-containing compact fluorescent lights, (2) living and working in two Ghanaian artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities and (3) working at a Norwegian electronics recycling facility. Exposure concentrations ranging from | M.Sc. | recycl | 12 |
| Nurse, Kimberly Megan | Borkhoff, Cornelia M. | Developmental Screening using the Infant Toddler Checklist at 18 months and School Readiness as Measured by the Early Development Instrument | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-06-01 | Background: This study identified factors associated with a positive Infant Toddler Checklist (ITC) screen and examined the validity of the ITC in identifying vulnerability on the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Methods: Multivariable regression models were used to identify the factors and examine the construct validity of the ITC. Screening test properties were used to evaluate the predictive validity of the ITC, using the EDI as the criterion measure. Results: 10-13% of children had a positive ITC screen. Male sex, lower birthweight, income | M.Sc. | vulnerability, income | 1, 10 |
| Nova, Kyle | Bender, Timothy P | Device Engineering and Outdoor Weathering of Novel Tri-layer and Bi-layer Organic Photovoltaic Devices using Boron Subphthalocyanine and its Derivatives | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Organic solar cells are gaining interest commercially and in academia due to their ease of manufacturing and low-cost materials. Currently, they are less efficient than commercially available silicon solar cells and their long-term degradation is not well known. A commonly used material in organic solar devices is boron subphthalocyanine, which has strong absorbance at the peak of the solar spectrum at wavelengths between 500 and 600 nm. In this work, I fabricated novel multi-layer devices using boron subphthalocyanine and its derivatives, with the goal of increasing the power conversion efficiency above baseline bi-layer devices. I fabricated novel devices utilizing boron subphthalocyanine as an electron donor and an electron acceptor. Simultaneously, I tested the outdoor long-term degradation of the novel devices on a custom rooftop testing apparatus to ensure they maintain high performance over long periods of time. | M.A.S. | solar, weather | 7, 13 |
| Chan, Nathan Kaijen | Graff-Guerrero, Ariel | Differences in Cortical Thickness between Cognitively Impaired Persons with and without Apathy May Reflect Discrete Mechanisms of Neuropathophysiology | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Apathy increases the risk of dementia and is associated with worse outcomes. Deficits in frontostriatal circuits and frontotemporal association areas are associated with apathy in dementia. However, the specific brain regions mediating apathy remain unclear given concomitant neurodegenerative processes. Cognitively impaired (CI) participants with apathy and without apathy from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative matched by demographic, genetic, and cognitive markers were investigated. Differences in region-wise cortical thicknesses were examined by stratified mixed-effects analyses. The right medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and left rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) were thinner and the left middle temporal cortex (MTC) was thicker in CI participants with apathy compared to matched CI participants without apathy. Supplementary analyses with cognitively normal participants showed that apathy among CI participants was associated with thinner right mOFC and left rACC. Meanwhile, CI participants with apathy had spared atrophy in the left MTC relative to matched CI participants without apathy. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Pedroza-Brambila, Marcia | Chan, Arthur W.H.||Evans, Greg J. | Differential Toxicity and Chemical Composition of PM2.5 Emissions from Varying Wood Burning Conditions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | The contribution of residential wood burning to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been reported to be as high as 42% in North American urban areas during the heating season. Wood burning PM2.5 can be carcinogenic and cause oxidative stress via generation of reactive oxygen species (known as oxidative potential, OP). This study analyzed the toxicity of PM2.5 from wood combustion and pyrolysis by varying fuel, ventilation, and oxygen availability. The wood was burned in a tube furnace coupled with online CO/CO2 measurements, followed by PM2.5 offline organic carbon/elemental carbon and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses. The toxicity was measured via the dithiothreitol assay (OPDTT) and the benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (BaPeq). Oxygen deprivation increased the OPDTT and BaPeq for most species. Enhanced ventilation conditions caused the highest OPDTT and lowest BaPeq values. Negative correlations were found between OPDTT and some phenolic compounds. The results presented inform best practices to limit health impacts. La contribución de la combustión de madera residencial a las partículas suspendidas menores a 2.5 micras (PM2.5) se ha reportado tan alta como 42% en áreas urbanas de América del Norte, especialmente durante la temporada de frío. La quema de madera emite PM2.5 que puede causar efectos nocivos a la salud como carcinogenicidad o estrés oxidativo a través de la generación de especies reactivas de oxígeno (lo que se conoce como potencial oxidativo, OP). Este estudio analizó la toxicidad de PM2.5 de la combustión y pirólisis de madera variando el combustible, la ventilación y la disponibilidad de oxígeno. La madera se quemó en un horno tubular con mediciones de CO / CO2 en tiempo real, seguido del análisis de las partículas por medio de espectrometría de masas, cromatografía de gases y carbono orgánico / elemental. La toxicidad se midió mediante el ensayo de ditiotreitol (OPDTT) y el equivalente de benzopireno (BaPeq). Se encontró que la deficiencia de oxígeno aumenta el OPDTT para todas las especies de madera y el BaPeq para la mayoría de las especies. La ventilación en exceso dio como resultado el OPDTT más alto y el BaPeq más bajo. Se encontraron correlaciones negativas moderadas y fuertes entre el OPDTT y algunos compuestos fenólicos. Los resultados presentados informan mejores prácticas de quema de madera con objetivo de limitar los impactos sobre la salud. | M.A.S. | emission, urban, emissions, co2, species, species | 7, 11, 13, 14, 15 |
| Zuo, Kevin | Borschel, Gregory | Direct Nerve Electrical Stimulation and Local FK506 Drug Delivery to Enhance Axon Regeneration in Nerve Gap Reconstruction | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Functional recovery after peripheral nerve injuries is rarely complete, particularly with severe nerve injuries resulting in gap defects. Although nerve autografts are the gold standard for nerve gap reconstruction, they have inherent disadvantages such as limited quantity, donor site morbidity, and variable outcomes. Strategies to improve axon regeneration through nerve autografts or nerve substitutes have important implications for patients with devastating nerve gap defect injuries. In this thesis, we investigate two emerging bioengineering strategies. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that low frequency, direct nerve electrical stimulation at the time of nerve gap reconstruction improves axon regeneration through nerve autografts. In Experiment 2, we demonstrate that a local FK506 (tacrolimus) drug delivery system enhances axon regeneration through fresh nerve allografts, a nerve substitute. Our results suggest that both electrical stimulation and local FK506 drug delivery may be clinically translatable strategies to improve peripheral nerve regeneration for patients with nerve gap defects. | M.A.S. | invest, regeneration | 9, 15 |
| Vassiliou, Jessica | Dei, George J. S.||Bascia, Nina | Discipline Punishment: The Impact of Policies on Children | Social Justice Education | 2021-06-01 | Institutional discipline of child behaviour sanctioned through the education system as well as the legal system displays a disparity in the application of discipline, where racialized children and youth are overrepresented in those penalized. It is through this thesis that the disparities in discipline across the Toronto District School Board will be analyzed and understood as a product of institutional inequalities that are ingrained in the structure of the education system, pedagogy, and practice. It will be argued that these three components that collectively create the institution of education, are responsible for the results we see in disproportionate discipline. It is through this inward glance at the institution, that it becomes clear that an institution built upon the pretense of inequality, perpetuates inequalities. Policy will be analyzed, for its ability and limitations to solving an institutional issue, as well as the future potential of policy’s role in achieving equitable education. | M.A. | disparity, equitable, pedagogy, equitable, inequality, equit, equalit, disparity, institut, legal system | 1, 10, 4, 16 |
| Sumra, Vishaal | Chavez, Sofia | Disentangling the Influence of Blood on Brain Parametric Maps and Volumetry | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Caffeine, the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world, leads to changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). Recent research has shown that changes in CBF can bias regional estimates of brain volume and cortical thickness as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In addition, recent studies have shown that quantitative MRI parameters that are indicative of tissue microstructure (T1, R2* and QSM) may also be sensitive to acute CBF changes. Here, we used an ecologically valid manipulation of CBF (caffeinated vs decaffeinated coffee) to assess whether our estimates of brain volume and qMRI maps are sensitive to caffeine-induced changes in CBF, in moderate caffeine users. Furthermore, an improved method for multi-parametric mapping was proposed and assessed in this study. As expected, CBF was significantly reduced after caffeine, however of all structural metrics explored, only R2* maps were sensitive to changes in CBF in this preliminary dataset of 5 subjects. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 15 |
| Peltier, Shanna | Ansloos, Jeffrey||Tuck , Eve | Dismantling Dominant Discourse Surrounding Complex Death with Indigenous Youth Experience | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-06-01 | Suicide is commonly described as an urgent health concern and tragedy afflicting Indigenous communities in Canada. This work aimed to develop more contextual understandings of complex death, specifically Indigenous youth deaths by suicide that considered social, economic, historical, ecological, and political factors. This work centered the voices of an often-overlooked demographic, urban-based Indigenous youth, and utilized qualitative methodology that included thematic analysis of archival interview data conducted with Indigenous youth wellness facilitators in British Columbia, Canada. Thematic analysis identified multiple socio-political, historical, and colonial factors that contribute to Indigenous youth challenges with suicidality, and mental health. Furthermore, Indigenous youth in the study conceptualized wellbeing in a manner that resisted psychocentrism and described creative, institutional, and structural interventions that are key to promoting a livable life. Critical implications of this work are discussed, particularly, regarding the roles of the psy-disciplines (psychology and psychiatry) in preventing Indigenous youth suicide in Canada. | M.A. | wellbeing, mental health, indigenous, urban, ecolog, institut, indigenous | 3, 10, 16, 11, 15 |
| Summers, Samantha Lynn | Luka, MaryElizabeth||Stanbridge, Alan | Divestment in Times of Change: The Loss of Major Donors in Art Galleries | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | The Sackler family is a billionaire American clan known for its major philanthropic contributions to the arts and culture sector around the world. Today they are perhaps best known for how they gained their fortune: primarily through the ownership of Purdue Pharma. Over the past decade, Purdue Pharma has come under fire for its production of OxyContin and allegations that it concealed data about the addictiveness of the drug. As a result, there have been protests against institutions that have accepted gifts from the Sackler family. Through discourse analysis of official institutional publications, media responses, and professional literature, this thesis tells the story of the tensions embedded in major gift philanthropy between an untouchable family and the institutions that walked away from them, and explores how an organization can best react when a donor’s money is found to be problematic. | M.M.St. | production, institut | 12, 16 |
| McNeilly, Sophie | Cesare Schotzko, T. Nikki | Dramaturgies of Being: Agency, Pedagogy and the Self-focused Performance of Tabletop RPGs | Drama | 2021-11-01 | When approached as a performance medium, tabletop role-playing games, or TTRPGs, demonstrate a dramaturgical method that allows for the exploration of an individual player-performer’s agency, as well as the limits thereof. At the same time, the rule frameworks that structure play work to create experimental and pedagogical environments where suppositions about reality can become true within the virtual play-space, and thus allow space for speculative performances of said reality; if the rules say that something is true, what then becomes true by extension? The combination of these elements allows for the construction of ‘dramaturgies of being,’ which facilitate the performance of identity within the speculative framework, and thus the testing of said identities. Avery Alder’s 2018 game Dream Askew presents a dramaturgy of being for queer postapocalyptic identity exploration, community building, negotiation of agency, and teaching through simulated experience. | M.A. | pedagogy, queer | 4, 5 |
| Alonzo Moya, Carlos | Hofmann, Ronald | Dreissenid Mussel Control in Drinking Water Treatment Plants: Temperature Effects and a Copper-based Alternative | Civil Engineering | 2020-06-01 | The validity of a temperature-based threshold for starting prechlorination for dreissenid mussel control in water treatment plants was evaluated by monitoring larval settlement onto surfaces for two years at three utilities in Lake Ontario. Temperature was a poor predictor of mussel settlement, but settlement was consistently observed between July and November. Therefore, a calendar-based approach for prechlorination was proposed. Chlorine is effective against dreissenids, but it enhances the formation of disinfection by-products. A copper-based product was analyzed as an alternative to chlorine. Doses as low as 30 µg/L of copper were observed to produce increased larval mortality compared to controls. The impacts of copper on coagulation/flocculation and dual media, GAC, and biologically active filtration were studied. Copper was removed to different extents by the different treatment processes. No significant adverse impacts on the performance of these processes were noted. However, studies of longer duration are required to support these findings. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Girgis, Joelle | Donmez, Birsen||Pratt, Jay | Driver Scanning Behavior at Urban and Suburban Intersections: An On-road Approach | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The safety of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), such as pedestrians and cyclists, is highly jeopardized at intersections, with driver inattention being a leading cause. It is not well known (1) where drivers distribute their visual attention at real intersections or how this impacts VRU safety, and (2) how driver attention interacts with different intersection elements from an on-road perspective. This thesis utilizes rich instrumented vehicle data from 26 experienced drivers (13 cyclists and 13 non-cyclists) to quantify drivers gaze distributions at signalized right turns. Key findings include that drivers spent the most time glancing at relevant pedestrians, irrespective of signal status, and that driver attention was heavily skewed toward leftward traffic during red lights. Additionally, this thesis outlines an instrumented study which will examine the effects of Guelph’s suburban road infrastructure on driver scanning behaviour. Reported findings can benefit broad road safety perspectives from urban planning, collision forensics, and more. | M.A.S. | infrastructure, urban | 9, 11 |
| McVittie, Jordan | Ansloos, Jeffrey | Educator Perspectives on Indigenous Child Suicide in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-03-01 | Indigenous children are disproportionately impacted by suicide in Canada. Despite the severity of the crisis, limited research has been conducted on the phenomenon. The purpose of this research was to: (1) initiate some of the first conversations related to the factors contributing to this crisis and (2) discuss support that is needed within the classroom to better support both Indigenous children and educators. Since children spend a majority of their day within the classroom, educators were interviewed for the purpose of this study. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed three main themes and several subthemes related to Indigenous child suicide theory, and four main themes and several subthemes related to supports needed within in the classroom. The findings detail applied implications for suicide prevention and life promotion services within the classroom and education system for Indigenous children, as well as some research related and community-based recommendations. | M.A. | indigenous, indigenous | 10, 16 |
| Maggs, Elizabeth | Tran, Honghi||Jones, Andrew K. | Effect of Black Liquor Burning on the Settling and Filtering Behaviour of Green Liquor Dregs | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | In kraft pulp mills, the burning of black liquor in recovery boilers results in unburned carbon, or char particles, that along with other types of particles form the suspended solids in green liquor called dregs. Poor dregs settling and filterability are a persistent problem at many mills that can result in substantial production losses. A systematic study was conducted to investigate the effect of black liquor burning conditions on the settling and filtering behaviour of dregs using a combination of experimental work and multivariate data analysis (MVDA), with a focus on the char component of dregs. The experimental results show that char is easier to settle and filter when i) black liquor is burned at higher temperatures or for longer amounts of time, ii) char concentration is low, and iii) lime mud is added to char. The results also imply that larger char particles tend to settle faster. MVDA was carried out on operating data from three kraft pulp mills to examine the correlations between recovery boiler operation and the dregs behaviour observed at each mill. The results suggest that low firing load to the recovery boiler, a low extent of char burning, and an unstable or cold char bed could lead to larger amounts of char (dregs) in green liquor. | M.A.S. | invest, production | 9, 12 |
| Javidnia, Haleh | Tenenbaum, Howard C||Goldberg, Michael B | Effect of Emdogain® on Soft-tissure Wound Healing following Surgical Crown Lengthening Procedures | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Enamel matrix derivative (Emdogain®) has been established for years as an agent capable of inducing periodontal regeneration. However, its impact on soft tissue healing is less clear. Various studies have demonstrated enhanced periodontal wound healing as well as reduction of inflammation and discomfort using Emdogain®. A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 22 patients comparing clinician- and patient-based outcome measures as determined by visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. Participants in the Emdogain® group expressed decreased pain and swelling at various follow-up visits on the VAS, with significant reductions noted at week two (2.88mm, p=0.011 for pain and 2.83mm, p | M.Sc. | regeneration | 15 |
| Bremmer, Michael Patrick | Hendershot, Christian | Effect of Intravenous Alcohol on Resting Perfusion: Implications for the use of fMRI in the Study of the Acute Effects of Alcohol | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | Evidence suggests that alcohol’s vasodilatory properties increase resting cerebral blood perfusion, which has the potential to confound the interpretation of the BOLD signal which depends on cerebral blood flow (CBF) to index neural activity. The dynamics of alcohol’s effects on resting perfusion however are still not well understood. Participants (N=50) completed two sessions in which they received intravenous alcohol infusions calculated to achieve 80mg% BAC or saline in counterbalanced order. Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) was used to quantify CBF at three time points (0, 40mg%, and 80mg% BAC) finding dose dependent increases in CBF related to alcohol. A subset of participants (N=29) underwent a fourth ASL scan with BAC clamped at 80mg% to investigate acute tolerance to increases in CBF, finding reductions in CBF over time during both saline and alcohol conditions despite constant BAC during the latter. Acute subjective effects were examined as moderators of CBF change, with no significant clusters emerging from these analyses. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Wunker, Claire Marlow Marriott | Gladdy, Rebecca A | Effect of Magnetic Resonance Image Guided Focused Ultrasound Generated Hyperthermia in Combination with Thermosensitive and Non-Thermosensitive Doxorubicin on Tumor Growth and the Immune Microenvironment of Rhabdomyosarcoma in an Immunocompetent Murine Model | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a common pediatric tumor. Treatment involves surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation, but response in the aggressive form of the disease remains poor. Novel treatments are needed. In cases of relapsed RMS, chemotherapies include doxorubicin which is cardiotoxic. An alternate form of doxorubicin is encapsulated in a thermosensitive liposome (TLD). Magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound (MRIgFUS) is an emerging therapy that combines MRI with ultrasound-generated hyperthermia (HT) and has uses including drug release and/or immune stimulation. We optimized MRIgFUS with TLD for RMS in an immunocompetent mouse model and profiled the tumor immune microenvironment. Longer HT duration increased tumor accumulation of TLD. Furthermore, TLD + HT treated mice survived significantly longer than other treatment groups. The immune profile showed presence of B-cells, T-lymphocytes, and macrophages in treated and untreated specimens. Therefore, knowledge from this preclinical project will serve as the basis for translation into pediatric oncology clinical trials. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Taghivand, Mahgol | Roth, Daniel E | Effect of Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation on Nasal Pneumococcal Carriage in Infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11-01 | Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a necessary antecedent to invasive pneumococcal disease. In vitro studies have shown that vitamin D (VD) is an immunomodulator that promotes specific responses against pneumococcus. This study investigated whether these in-vitro effects translate into the public health context by examining whether VD supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, versus placebo, had an effect on the risk of pneumococcal acquisition, dynamics and density (pneumococcal carriage) in infants in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In this sub-study of the Maternal Vitamin D Supplementation for Infant Growth Trial, we found no significant effect of VD supplementation on pneumococcal carriage. However, parental education, season and number of siblings in the household were associated with carriage. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no protective effect of prenatal and postpartum VD supplementation against infant pneumococcal carriage and therefore cannot be recommended at this time for the prevention of pneumococcal carriage in early infancy. | M.Sc. | public health, invest | 3, 9 |
| Aggarwal, Aditi | Brown, Ian R | Effect of Thermal Stress on the Intracellular Localization of the Constitutively Expressed Heat Shock Protein HSPA8 (Hsc70) in Differentiated and Undifferentiated Cultured Human Neuronal Cells | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11-01 | Heat shock protein HSPA8 (Hsc70) is a constitutively expressed member of the Hsp70 multigene family that is abundantly expressed in neuronal cells. Previous studies in our laboratory suggest that HSPA8 may play an important role in neuronal pre-protection against cellular stress. This thesis highlights the importance of HSPA8 and its role as a fast responder to cellular stress in differentiated human SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. The effect of thermal stress on the intracellular localization of HSPA8 is compared in differentiated and undifferentiated neuronal cells. HSPA8 rapidly translocated into the nuclei of differentiated neuronal cells after heat shock and co-localized at transcription sites with DNAJB1 (Hsp40) and HSPH1 (Hsp105α) components of the protein disaggregation/ refolding machine. The rapid targeting and assembly of an HSPA8 based disaggregation/ refolding machine acts as a nuclear protective mechanism in differentiated neurons without the time lag needed to induce stress-inducible Hsp70. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| Carniglia, Peter August | Gülder, Ömer L. | Effects of Flow Field and Spray Characteristics on Soot in a Swirl-stabilized Model Combustor | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The effect on spray structure, flow field, and sooting characteristics of swirl-stabilized neat Jet A-1 spray flames with n-Pentanol addition was investigated. n-Pentanol addition up to 20% by thermal power was added to neat Jet A-1 fuel to produce flames with a constant thermal output of 8.83 kW. Two air flow rates were used to produce two globally fuel-lean mixtures. Fraunhofer diffraction characterized the fuel spray while stereoscopic particle image velocimetry was used to visualize the flow field. Auto-compensating laser-induced incandescence was used to measure soot volume fraction and primary soot particle diameter at various locations in the flame. Noticeable variations in spray structure were measured with n-Pentanol addition compared to neat Jet A-1 flames. Soot was detected below 40 mm axially with 10% n-Pentanol addition which was explained by the increased evaporation rates of the fuel with n-Pentanol addition. Total soot loading in the combustor decreased monotonically with increasing n-Pentanol addition. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Litman, Kymberly L | Post, Martin | Effects of Hyperoxia Exposure on the Polarization of Alveolar-like Macrophages in a Mouse Model of LPS-induced Lung Inflammation | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-11-01 | Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe lung disease of high mortality (30-50%). Patients require lifesaving oxygen therapy, however hyperoxia can induce pulmonary inflammation and cellular damage. Although alveolar macrophages (AMs) are essential for lung immune homeostasis, they become compromised during inflammatory lung injury. Stem cell-derived alveolar-like macrophages (ALMs) are a prospective therapeutic for lung diseases like ARDS. Using in vitro and in vivo methods, I investigated the impacts of hyperoxia on ALMs during acute inflammation. ALMs retain their viability and antimicrobial abilities during moderate hyperoxia exposure in vitro. ALMs possess a hybrid M1/M2 phenotype that remained stable upon moderate hyperoxia exposure. After intratracheal delivery to mice, ALMs adopt further characteristics of primary AMs. Hyperoxia did not exacerbate phenotypic changes of ALMs caused by LPS-induced lung inflammation in mice. These results support the concept that ALMs may have potential benefit in human ARDS patients receiving conservative oxygen therapy. | M.Sc. | invest, conserv, conserv | 9, 14, 15 |
| Eisha, Shafinaz | McGowan, Patrick O. | Effects of Maternal High Fat Diet and Milk-derived Exosome Supplementation on DNA Methyltransferase 1 | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-11-01 | Maternal high fat diet (mHFD) exposure during perinatal life shapes offspring’s neurodevelopment trajectories. mHFD also influences the bioactive composition of maternal milk, including milk-derived exosomes (MDEs), nanovesicles that transport functional microRNAs (miRNA). miRNA-148/152 regulate DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1), enzyme that catalyzes DNA methylation modifications, which in turn downregulates fat-mass and obesity-associated (Fto) gene via promoter hypermethylation. The main objectives of this thesis were: 1) examine the effects of mHFD exposure on DNMTs and Fto expressions in postnatal day 7 rats and 2) investigate MDE-supplementation effects on DNMTs and Fto expressions using a human microglia cell line. DNMT1 and Fto transcript abundances remained unchanged in the PVN and ventral hippocampus but decreased in the retroperitoneal fat of mHFD offspring. In microglia, MDE-supplementation resulted in increased DNMT1 expression only. These findings indicate that DNMT1 and Fto exhibit tissue-specific sensitivity to mHFD exposure in neonates, and that DNMT1 is altered by MDE-supplementation in microglia. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Bi, Qian Wen | Hooton, Douglas R. | Effects of Mix Design and Curing on Resistance of Mortar and Concrete to Physical Sulfate Attack | Civil Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Physical sulfate attack (PSA) is a serious mechanism of concrete deterioration spurred by temperature and humidity changes. Current standard tests assessing sulfate attack measure length change whereas PSA manifests in mass loss. A preliminary test using mass loss as an indicator was developed previously and used to evaluate the influence of mix design on mortar resistance against PSA. This study extended this research by: further assessing the viability of this test method, evaluating different wet curing durations, and extending the research to concretes. Prisms were stored in 30% by volume (24.5% by mass) sodium sulfate solution and cycled for 100 thermal cycles between 5 and 30 °C. Lowering the water-to-cementitious materials ratio and adding slag cement were found to increase resistance against PSA for mortars and concretes. The effect of wet curing is less conclusive due to interference from differential sulfate exposure occurring during initial cycling using this test method. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| McNamara, Tanner | Ito, Rutsuko | Effects of Sex and Ethanol on Approach-Avoidance Conflict Resolution: Including Female Subjects in a Preclinical Model of Alcohol Use Disorder | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | Preclinical research into alcohol use disorder (AUD) has advanced rapidly over the past decade with the popularization of the intermittent access two-bottle choice drinking paradigm. A major gap in the current literature stems from the widespread failure to incorporate female subjects into preclinical AUD models. Evidence suggests that females actually progress to abuse faster than males and suffer worse from negative health consequences associated with excessive ethanol intake. The current study utilized Long-Evans rats of both sexes to explore approach-avoidance conflict resolution and a potential preclinical AUD model. Female versus male and ethanol-exposed versus ethanol-naïve rats displayed reduced approach of conflict. Females self-administered higher levels of ethanol than males. In subsequent challenges, high-drinking animals compared to moderate- and low- drinking animals reached higher breakpoints on a progressive ratio test, but showed neither higher levels of ethanol seeking during extinction, nor increased resistance to footshock punishment paired with the ethanol reward. | M.A. | female, sexes, animal, animal | 5, 14, 15 |
| Gabhi, Randeep Singh | Jia, Charles Q | Electrical Conductivity of Wood-derived Nanoporous Monolithic Biochar | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-03-01 | The electrical conductivity was exploited to establish monolithic biochar as a low-cost, high-performance material for electrochemical applications like supercapacitors. With a focus on the structure-property relationship, the effects of precursors and pyrolysis conditions were investigated, with four hardwoods, three softwoods, and one grass. The electrical conductivity of biochar monolith increased with temperature due to simultaneous increases in the degrees of carbonization and graphitization. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed the growth of graphite nano-crystallites in an amorphous carbon matrix of biochar. Monolithic biochar conductivity is anisotropic; axial is more conductive than radial orientation. Moreover, the conductivity is uniquely dimension-dependent. A 2-D resistor network model was developed where the biochar is represented by a matrix of resistors in axial and radial directions. Model simulations and experiments reveal that anisotropic morphology, preferred orientation of graphite nano-crystallites and broken electron paths in the monolithic biochar are all responsible for its unique conductivity | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Xiu, Bowen | Dimitrijevic, Andrew | Electrophysiological Correlates of Subjective Cognitive Demand in Cochlear Implant Users during Listening in Noise | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | There is a weak relationship between clinical and self-reported speech perception outcomes in CI listeners, potentially due to differences in clinical and real-world listening environments. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to 1) quantify neural speech tracking in CI listeners to naturalistic audiovisual stimuli in various levels of background noise using temporal response functions (TRFs), and 2) assess speech tracking and alpha power as objective measures of cognitive demand compared to subjective self-reports. Neural tracking of a dialogue-based television show and alpha power were measured for fifteen adult CI listeners, and correlated to their self-reported demand ratings. Late TRF components significantly changes as an effect of background noise, along with non-significant parametric changes in early components. Change in auditory alpha power and demand ratings were significantly correlated as well. These results indicate that meaningful information about the CI listening experience can be extracted from neural responses using “ecological” stimuli. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 15 |
| David, Luke Ajay | Schuurmans, Carol J | Elucidating the Role of Pten in a Newly defined G0-GALERT Transition in Mammalian Müller glia | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-11-01 | Müller glia are endogenous retinal glia that act as adult stem cells in fish and frogs, replacing dying cells due to injury or disease. However, mammalian Müller glia have lost this ability to self-heal. In fish and frogs, the first regenerative step is the repositioning of glial nuclei outside of their inner retinal monolayer in a process known as interkinetic nuclear migration. Herein we discover that the conditional knock-out (cKO) of Phosphatase and tensin homolog (Pten) in mammalian Müller glia leads to spontaneous interkinetic nuclear migration, altered lineage marker expression in displaced glial cells, and an enhanced proliferative response to retinal injury. We further found an upregulation of mTORC1 activity supporting the idea that these glial cells have transitioned to a metabolically active state, priming them to respond to injury, akin to the G0-GALERT priming step seen in seen in other stem cell populations. | M.Sc. | transit, fish, regeneration | 11, 14, 15 |
| Espinosa Alvarez, Karla Gabriela | Dowling, James J | Elucidating the Role of SPEG in Muscle Development and Function | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-11-01 | Centronuclear Myopathy is a congenital neuromuscular disorder mostly caused by mutations on Excitation-Contraction Coupling (ECC) genes. One novel gene mutated in these patients is SPEG (Striated Muscle Preferentially Expressed Protein Kinase). Its absence leads to muscle weakness, increased centralized nuclei in myofibers, and dilated cardiomyopathy, with severe cases including early mortality. Evidence suggests SPEG acts through ECC pathway. However, previous research has focused on cardiac muscle and has been limited by neonatal mortality of the mouse model. Therefore, its function throughout embryonic development and in skeletal muscle remains unknown. The work herein presented demonstrates I successfully generated zebrafish speg KO models which I used to study its role in muscle development and function. These mutants effectively replicate the muscle weakness and decreased survival reported in these patients and KO mice. In absence of therapies, my model also allows future high-throughput experiments in aims to find potential therapies for these patients. | M.Sc. | neonatal mortality, fish | 3, 14 |
| Knapik, Benjamin John | Bender, Timothy P | Embodied Energy and Reaction Calorimetry of Boron Subphthalocyanine Derivatives | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | This thesis is a culmination of my work in advancing the fields around boron subphthalocyanine materials and their applications. First, it details the methods and results from modelling the embodied energy of chloro-boron subphthalocyanine using an established baseline reaction. It then analyzes the opportunity to reduce the embodied energy through process and solvent modifications by swapping from 1,2-dichlorobenzene to 2,4-dichlorotoluene (2513 MJ/kg versus 64 MJ/kg, respectively). Second, this thesis provides calorimetry results for a variety of bromo- and chloro-boron subphthalocyanine reactions. An alternative method for chloro-boron subphthalocyanine was proposed and tested that incorporated scale-up design principles. These pathways were assessed on their applicability for scale-up based on the measured reaction enthalpy and criticality classes. The work compiled in this thesis serves to highlight the positive aspects of boron subphthalocyanines from an environmental viewpoint through embodied energy modelling and provides strong evidence for their near-term ability for scale-up to commercial reaction sizes. | M.A.S. | energy, environmental | 7, 13 |
| Ma, Cecilia | Lee, Spike W. S. | Empathizing with Victims or Culprits: The Roles of Political Orientation and Competitive Worldview in Empathy | Psychology | 2022-03-01 | Victim-blaming and exonerating perpetrators can often be seen in society. This present research aims to understand these phenomena through the lens of empathy for victims and culprits. As victims and culprits espouse qualities that conservatives and liberals may value differently, political orientation may influence who an individual empathizes more with. I propose a model in which political conservatism predicts lower empathy for victims and higher empathy for culprits, as a function of competitive worldview. Study 1 tests this model in a correlational design, finding support for competitive worldview as a mediator of political orientation and empathy. Study 2 builds on these findings by examining the causal effect of inducing competitive views on the relationship between political orientation and empathy, further demonstrating the proposed model. Despite potential limitations, these studies provide initial evidence for the association of political orientation, competitive worldview, and empathy. Planned future studies and research ideas are discussed. | M.A. | worldview, conserv, conserv | 4, 14, 15 |
| Guljas, Andrea | Pomès, Régis | Energetics of π-π Stacking Interactions: Implications in the Phase Separation of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins | Biochemistry | 2021-06-01 | π-π stacking interactions are found throughout the proteome and have been shown to play a role in the liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins; however, the structural and energetic properties of π-π interactions that drive intra- and intermolecular protein interactions are poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the pairwise interactions of sp2-hybridized groups within proteins through an analysis of the Protein Data Bank. Along with these statistical data, small-molecule representations of these groups are simulated using molecular dynamics, while quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations are used to characterize the energies of π-π interactions across their conformational distributions. Molecular dynamics is further used to simulate the folding and unfolding equilibria of small peptides enriched in sp2 groups. Ultimately, this study provides a thorough quantification of the energetics of π-stacking contacts in proteins and evaluates the strengths and limitations of different computational methods in accurately modelling these interactions. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Moran-MacDonald, Adan Onofre | Maggiore, Manfredi | Energy Injection for Mechanical Systems through the Method of Virtual Nonholonomic Constraints | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | This thesis develops a theoretical foundation for the framework of virtual nonholonomicconstraints, which are relations between the generalized coordinates and generalized momenta of a mechanical system that can be enforced via feedback control. The theory is applied towards energy injection for two standard underactuated systems: the variablelength pendulum and the acrobot. Virtual nonholonomic constraints are designed for each system by examining human motion, and energy injection properties of these constraints are proven rigorously. The acrobot constraint is tested on a real-world acrobot, demonstrating highly effective energy-injection properties and robustness to a variety of external disturbances. | M.A.S. | energy, urban | 7, 11 |
| Epp-Ducharme, Brittany | Allen, Christine | Enhancement of a HSP90 Inhibitor through Development of Thermosensitive Liposomes and in vitro Combinations | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-03-01 | The heat shock protein 90 inhibitor, luminespib, has demonstrated potent preclinical activity against numerous cancers, yet clinical translation has been unsuccessful due to dose-limiting toxicities. Thermosensitive liposomes are proposed as a drug delivery strategy capable of delivering high concentrations of luminespib to the tumor in combination with other chemotherapeutic molecules. This work establishes that luminespib exhibits synergistic activity in lung cancer in combination with standard of care drugs, cisplatin and vinorelbine. While thermosensitive liposomes containing cisplatin or vinorelbine have previously been developed, this work presents the first liposomal formulation of luminespib. The physicochemical properties and heat-triggered release of the formulation were characterized. Cytotoxicity assays were used to determine the optimal drug ratios for treatment of luminespib in combination with cisplatin or vinorelbine in non-small cell lung cancer cells. The formulation and drug combination work presented offer the potential for resuscitation of the clinical prospects of a promising anticancer agent. | M.Sc. | cities | 11 |
| Bastas, Denise Mariah | Trinh, Linda | Enhancing Physical Activity Discussions of Oncologists for People Living with and Beyond Cancer: Implementing a Webinar Training Module | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-11-01 | Oncologists hold a unique position to facilitating physical activity (PA) behaviour change in cancer survivors as they are highly trusted. Despite improved PA participation following recommendations by oncologists, many oncologists do not regularly discuss PA with survivors. Oncologists experience low knowledge and confidence with PA discussions, thus there is a need for formal training, targeting these outcomes, to facilitate PA discussions. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a theory-based webinar for enhancing oncologists’ PA discussion practices. Oncologists and oncology residents/fellows (N=13) attended a single 35-minute or 60-minute webinar. Outcomes were assessed pre- and post- webinar. Results demonstrated the feasibility of both a 35-minute and 60-minute webinar for oncologists and oncology residents/fellows. However, there were advantages unique to the 60-minute group, with the inclusion of discussion activities, that further enhanced the webinar experience. Future interventions should target changes in PA discussion practices with formal training. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Dada, Oluwagbenga Olatosin | De Luca, Vincenzo | Epigenetics of Schizophrenia and Suicidality | Medical Science | 2020-11-01 | Suicidal behavior is the product of the interaction of many risk factors, such as genetics and environmental factors, and several studies support a strong association between perceived stress and suicidal behaviors. My thesis aimed to understand the DNA methylation age acceleration in individuals with schizophrenia, severe psychosis, and severe current suicide ideation (SI). It also aimed to determine whether DNA methylation could have a mediating effect on the interaction between stress and severe current SI. Bivariate correlation, mediation model 4 on SPSS, Horvath online calculator were used during these analyses. There was no epigenetic age acceleration between schizophrenia and healthy control; likewise, none was found between SI and non-SI groups. Extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration significantly correlated with BPRS disorganization. Furthermore, Horvath Age acceleration showed a significant correlation with the SCL-90 psychotic domain. Furthermore, our data supported the mediating effects of DNA methylation on the interaction between stress and current SI severity. | M.Sc. | environmental | 13 |
| Regier, Kristen | Conway, Tenley | Equitable Green Infrastructure for Climate Change Adaptation: Distributional and Procedural Justice in the City of Toronto | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Green Infrastructure (GI) presents as a potential tool for climate change adaptation. This study seeks to answer the questions: where should GI be implemented to improve both distributional justice and climate change adaptation in the City of Toronto and how can GI plans be implemented to improve procedural justice. This study takes a mixed-methods approach, developing and applying a GI Equity Index, modelled after Heckert Rosan’s (2016) methodology, to answer question one and semi-structured interviews to answer question two. The results of this study highlight the inequitable distribution of GI in the City of Toronto and proposes prioritizing GI implementation in six neighbourhoods to improve distributional justice. Interviews with residents of the priority neighbourhoods revealed key considerations for future engagement such as distributional injustice and lack of access, desire for more GI and co- production of space, accounting for quality and maintenance in distributional justice, and an inequitable burden of adaptation. | M.A. | equitable, equitable, equity, green infrastructure, infrastructure, equit, green infrastructure, climate change adaptation, production, climate, environmental, climate change adaptation, environmental justice, injustice | 4, 6, 11, 9, 10, 13, 12, 16 |
| McCurdy, Caitlin | Mihalache, Irina D||Keilty, Patrick | Eroticizing Egypt: Voyeurism and Commodification at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology | Museum Studies | 2021-11-01 | The collecting of “erotic” artifacts in 19th century Egyptology reveals the ways in which museums constructed knowledge around sex and grappled with sexual content in relation to the perceived value of artifacts. By looking at two types of artifacts, those with an overt sexual nature or meaning, and those which have been transformed to have an erotic intention in the context of a museum collection, this thesis explores how the commodification of museum objects impact perceptions and treatment of ancient Egyptian “erotic” material culture. This thesis uses the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London, England as a case study for synthesizing an erotohistoriographic analysis into the biography of an object due to its unique context of colonial intervention, Victorian sexual mores, collecting habits and motivations of its founders, Amelia Edwards and Sir W.M Flinders Petrie, at a moment in Egyptology’s infancy as a “scientific” field. Centering pleasure in the study of erotic artifacts reveals new epistemological potential in both Egyptology and Museology. | M.M.St. | knowledge, land | 4, 15 |
| Curling, Emily | Andrews, Robert C | Estimation of Chloramine Decay in Drinking Water Distribution Systems | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Development of a means to identify and predict factors associated with chloramine decay in drinking water distribution systems could assist in providing targeted operational strategies which ensure regulatory compliance and ultimately lead to major cost-savings. In this study, novel bench-scale pipe section reactors (PSRs) were utilized to evaluate the impact of source water (surface or groundwater), pipe material, pipe age, and flow velocity on chloramine decay in a distribution system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. Batch tests in amber glass bottles quantified decay in treated water which were compared to low- and high-flow PSR experiments to elucidate the impact of water velocity and pipe material on monochloramine decay. Of the factors examined, pipe material and condition (e.g., old or new) were identified as the most critical. Overall, the results of this study reinforce the importance of determining the source of residual disinfectant decay when considering chloramination. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Takhar, Shuranjeet Singh | Strudwick, Gillian G | Evaluating the Adequacy and Potential Use of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in Punjabi Communities | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | Mental health first aid (MHFA) is a psycho-educational intervention aimed at promoting mental health and training lay populations to intervene during mental health crises (Mental Health Commission of Canada, no date). Despite its increasing popularity, little research has been conducted into evaluating the adequacy of MHFA with ethno-racialized communities. Peel region, Ontario, is considered an ‘ethnic enclave’ for Canada’s South Asian migrant populations, with a distinctive presence of Punjabi communities (Qadeer, Agrawal and Lovell, 2010). This study critically considers the adequacy of MHFA and its application to Punjabi communities in Peel region. Through an approach based in Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study presents the obstacles and facilitators to MHFA, its perceived adequacy and use with an ultimate view to improving mental health outcomes for Punjabi communities. This study concludes that MHFA is generally perceived as adequate, its applicability is limited in the contexts of research participants. | M.Sc. | mental health, inequality, equalit | 3, 10 |
| Michelini, Alexandria | Andrysek, Jan | Evaluating the Effectiveness of Rhythmic Vibrotactile and Auditory Stimulation for a Biofeedback Gait Training System for Individuals with Lower Limb Amputation | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Individuals with lower limb amputation (LLA) often exhibit asymmetrical gait patterns, which can be a result of insufficient gait training. This often leads to secondary musculoskeletal problems, including joint degeneration and osteoarthritis. A wearable biofeedback system using rhythmic stimulation can enhance motor learning through the synchronization of gait and an external rhythm. This can encourage symmetrical walking patterns and provide supplemental physiotherapy to this population. Here, able-bodied adults with an induced ankle-weight asymmetry are provided rhythmic vibrotactile stimulation (RVS) and rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) to improve stance time symmetry ratio (STSR). RVS and RAS improved STSR, without worsening cadence, velocity, and stride length. RVS showed statistically significant changes in improving STSR. Evaluating if rhythmic stimulation is effective in improving gait symmetry is an integral step in developing an innovative and widely accessible biofeedback system that can enhance the mobility and quality of life of individuals with LLA. | M.A.S. | learning, accessib | 4, 11 |
| Mar, Kendall Deegan | Kim, Junchul||Takehara-Nishiuchi, Kaori | Evaluating the Role Of Hippocampal Inputs to the Mammillary Nuclei In Spatial Memory | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | This study sets the stage for an investigation into the role of subiculum efferents to the mammillary bodies (MB) in spatial navigation. We characterized baseline behaviour of male and female C57BL/6 mice (n = 11) in an egocentric and allocentric spatial escape assay using a Barnes maze. Egocentric testing revealed escape to a previously memorized shelter location can be encoded after a brief exploration under red light condition and that an animal’s position relative to the shelter is constantly updated for goal-directed flight. Allocentric testing revealed mice can encode a shelter location to effectively utilize distal cues for goal-directed escape. Finally, anatomical tracing experiments reveal MB-projecting subicular neurons are organized topographically such that axons originating from the dorsal or ventral subiculum terminate in the dorsal or ventral regions of the medial MB respectively. Parallel pathways may represent a functional differentiation of subicular inputs to the MB. | M.A. | female, invest, animal, animal | 5, 9, 14, 15 |
| Al-Sahar, Rami | Shalaby, Amer AS||El–Diraby, Tamer TE | Evaluating the Use of Twitter in Gauging the Effects of a Transit Service Intervention on Customer Satisfaction | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Due to the prominence of customer satisfaction in decision making, transit agencies are shifting focus from using operational-based measures only to incorporating customer-oriented metrics. This study expanded on utilizing Twitter as a new source to gauge the opinions of riders by developing a novel transit-specific sentiment lexicon to enhance the accuracy of the sentiment analyses. This study also manually investigated the applicability of Twitter by assessing the impact of an intervention - the introduction of Calgary Transit's MAX routes- on customer satisfaction for several service quality attributes. Additionally, the study analyzed the relationship between the perception of users and the performance of vehicles for a commonly used reliability measure, on-time performance. The developed sentiment lexicon improved the accuracy and F-1 score compared to generic sentiment lexicons. Furthermore, the analysis showed a similar trend between customer-oriented measures obtained from Twitter and operational measures related to on-time performance. | M.A.S. | invest, transit | 9, 11 |
| Leung, Jason | Chau, Tom TC | Evaluation of an Electroencephalography Source Imaging based Brain-computer Interface for Youth with Brain Lesions | Biomedical Engineering | 2011-11-01 | Brain lesions are the underlying cause of many neurological disorders that lead to physical impairments and disabilities. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been proposed as an access technology for these individuals since they allow users to communicate using only their brain activity. While electroencephalography (EEG) is one of the most popular BCI modalities due to its affordability and non-invasive approach, it suffers from low spatial resolution and does not account for unique anatomical features present in BCI users with brain lesions, resulting in suboptimal decoding accuracies. This thesis evaluated the classification performance of an EEG source imaging (ESI)-BCI system that incorporates anatomical information from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to estimate electrical activity in the brain based on measured scalp potentials. We investigated the offline classification performance of an ESI BCI and EEG BCI in decoding left- versus right-hand motor execution and motor imagery tasks in 9 youth with brain lesions (cerebral palsy and brain injury). Generally, the classification accuracy of the ESI BCI was comparable to that of an EEG BCI. The ESI BCI showed an 8.68±7.84% improvement in one participant for the motor execution task (p | M.A.S. | affordab, disabilit, invest, affordab | 1, 10, 3, 9 |
| Camacho Perez, Encarna | Santa Mina, Daniel D | Evaluation of an In-patient Exercise, Relaxation, and Music Therapy Program for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-06-01 | Exercise, relaxation, and music therapy interventions have shown to improve the physical function and psychological well-being of cancer survivors. However, few hospitals have integrated these interventions as standard of care. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Group Classes (RGC), an in-patient exercise, relaxation, and music therapy program for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) patients. Methodology: The RE-AIM framework was implemented to evaluate program feasibility (e.g., attendance, fidelity) and effectiveness (e.g., physical and psychosocial outcomes). Assessment of participants occurred at three time points: admission to the unit, discharge from hospital, and 100 days after transplant. Results: The RGC were safely delivered, attendance was high (82%), and participants were satisfied with the intervention. Barriers to attendance were related to fatigue, isolation, and transplant complications. Conclusion: Multimodal interventions are feasible in the in-patient allo-HSCT setting. Research exploring the institutional adoption of in-hospital rehabilitation programs is warranted. | M.Sc. | well-being, institut | 3, 16 |
| Matsui, Robert Paul Masayuki | Azarpahzooh, Amir | Evaluation of an Online Physician Education Module for the Assessment and Management of Non-traumatic Dental Pain and Infection | Dentistry | 2022-03-01 | Background: Tooth pain and infections encountered by physicians in Ontario, Canada are a common occurrence, where definitive treatment is often unfeasible. This often leads to the prescription of unwarranted antibiotic and opioid analgesics for initial management. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational module on Ontario physicians’ knowledge and confidence when assessing and managing non-traumatic dental emergencies. Methods: 39 participants completed a 1-hour online on-demand educational workshop featuring a cognitive aid, as well as pre- and post-module self-evaluations and clinical case scenario tests. Results: Confidence in all areas pertaining to the initial management of non-traumatic tooth pain and infection was improved and knowledge was gained, with adjusted scores for the total group, specifically in theoretical antibiotic stewardship and local anesthesia application. Conclusion: The online educational module is an effective education tool to enhance the confidence and knowledge of physician participants on the management of tooth pain and infection. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Ghavam Mostafavi, Shadan | DeMartini, Nikolai | Evaporator Scaling at a Zero-effluent BCTMP Mill | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-03-01 | Over the last few decades, many pulp mills have implemented measures to reduce water consumption and maximize effluent reuse. With increasing closure of the effluent cycle, species can accumulate in the process streams and deposit in equipment and piping which negatively impacts the mill operations and product quality. This work focuses on scale formation in the evaporators of a zero-effluent bleached chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp (BCTMP) mill in Canada. The evaporators are used to concentrate the effluent and recover water for process use. In this work, the liquor-side scale deposits were characterized, and a mass balance study was carried out to identify the sources of scaling components in the streams to the evaporators. The third part of this work involved solubility experiments to determine the effects of temperature, degree of concentration, and pH on the solubility of the scaling components. The mass balance and solubility data provide information the mill can use to develop mitigation strategies. | M.A.S. | water, consum, reuse, species, species | 6, 12, 14, 15 |
| Kawlay, Akshay | Lie, David DL | Evolutionary Search for Authorization Vulnerabilities in Web Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Access controls are essential to protect private resources in web applications. However, authorization vulnerabilities resulting from improper access controls are common. Existing detection techniques require manual effort and suffer from false positives as automating authorization vulnerability detection in an app agnostic way is challenging. We present two subproblems- automated discovery of app resources and automated detection. This thesis introduces AuthZee, a tool that automatically generates objects and discovers resources in a web app and automatically detects if those resources are vulnerable to improper authorization, without requiring details about the app code/logic. We present a novel evolutionary crawler and triad testing technique requiring login credentials of three user accounts in the app which allows AuthZee to crawl user account space and perform automated authorization vulnerability detection. AuthZee discovered more resources than existing crawling techniques in 7 open-source web apps and detected 1 vulnerability with 0 false positives for most apps. | M.A.S. | vulnerability | 1 |
| Mastin Wood, Rose | Short, Steven M | Examination of Infection Dynamics within a Viral Consortium Infecting the Haptophyte Alga Chrysochromulina parva | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | Viruses are ubiquitous in freshwater and are crucial for nutrient cycling in all aquatic systems. However, little is known about the interactions of freshwater algal viruses and their hosts, or the ecological dynamics of complex systems with multiple pathogens. Here, I investigated these dynamics in a consortium of viruses and virophages infecting Chrysochromulina parva, a freshwater haptophyte alga. Cultures of C. parva were grown and subjected to sequential rounds of lysis. Community composition was assessed using quantitative PCR assays specifically targeting each virus. Viral titre was determined by Most Probable Number assays. All known lytic agents were outcompeted within four rounds by another, unknown, lytic agent or agents. This study provides the first data on inter-virus competition for any viruses of aquatic primary producers, allowing us to generate further hypotheses about the complex ecology of algal viruses, and the coexistence of multiple viruses parasitizing the same host. | M.Sc. | water, invest, ecolog | 6, 9, 15 |
| Burron, Garrick Robert | Slotta, Jim||Montemurro, David | Examining Active Learning Pedagogy and Praxis in In-service Teachers and Teacher Educators | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-03-01 | Active learning is recognized to be superior to teacher-centered educational praxis. However, the education of teachers in active learning is hampered by its broad definition and teachers' resistances to change. First, as exemplars, this thesis will present the active learning praxis of two high school teachers. This presentation is provided as an inductive thematic analysis of the teachers' interviews. Next, using a deductive analysis, the examination of governance documents from various sources is provided. This analysis seeks to determine if these documents support active learning praxis in schools. Finally, using an inductive thematic analysis of interviews, the thesis explores the instructional behaviors of four teacher educators at OISE. These analyses are afforded through the lenses of Chi's Ontological Commitments (1994), Engeström's Activity Theory (2014), Chi and Wylie's ICAP Framework (2014), and Bloom's Taxonomy (1956). Resistances to active learning praxis are examined and suggested changes to teacher education at OISE are explored. | M.A. | pedagogy, learning, governance | 4, 16 |
| Romanowska, Sylvia | Best, Michael W | Examining the Role of Failure and Success Experiences on Task Persistence and Neurocognition in Schizophrenia | Psychological Clinical Science | 2021-11-01 | The mechanisms driving neurocognitive impairment in schizophrenia, as well as the effect of failure and success experiences on neurocognition, remain unknown. Many psychological mechanisms of neurocognitive functioning have been proposed that warrant investigation. This cross-over study examined whether the experience of failure or success affects persistence and neurocognition and whether motivation, defeatist performance beliefs, and mood mediate this relationship. Twenty-one participants with schizophrenia and 22 healthy controls aged 18-60 completed success and failure inductions, psychological questionnaires, an anagram persistence task, and neurocognitive testing at two time-points. Individuals with schizophrenia had poorer persistence and processing speed, but this was not affected by prior failure or success. Individuals with schizophrenia made worse decisions after failure, while healthy controls made better decisions after failure. There were no significant mechanisms of persistence or neurocognition. This study demonstrates that the experience of failure differentially affects the decision-making capabilities of healthy controls and individuals with schizophrenia. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Kim, Tongwha | Behdinan, Kamran | Exploration and Analysis of Self-supervision in Semi-supervised Framework for Mixed-type Wafer Map Defect Recognition and Classification | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Wafer map defect detection algorithms are deployed to improve semiconductor manufacturing relative to production yield, detection accuracy, and time-cost. Due to the increasing complexity of wafer and integrated circuit designs, complex defects have higher probabilities. As a result, existing developments, which solely focused on single-type defects, and leveraged large-scale datasets, are not suitable for mixed-type defect detection. The objective of this thesis is to develop and apply a semi-supervised framework with self-supervised contrastive learning at small amounts of labeled data for mixed-type defect detection. The performance and scalability of the proposed method is evaluated and compared to supervised baseline methods. With label fractions of 1% and 10%, the proposed framework demonstrated high scalability for defect detection. The proposed method obtained validation and test exact match ratio scores of 0.7063 and 0.7071 for mixed-type defect classification based on pretraining and finetuning with 10% of the labeled data and 90% unlabeled data. | M.A.S. | learning, production | 4, 12 |
| Tanvir, Rabia | Chignell, Mark||Fels, Deborah | Exploring Alternative Methods of Visualizing Patient Data | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Patient data visualization can help health care providers gain an overview of their patient’s condition, and assist in decision-making on next steps on management and care. This thesis explores acceptance of, and reactions to five visualizations that can be used to summarize patient data, including a Text Summary, text and frequency-based Word Cloud, a Bar Graph, a Line Graph, and a newly developed Text Graph that combines text with time-based distribution. Results from a qualitative study with medical school students and health care providers show that users can interpret patient health information from all visualizations, and can imagine using these visualizations in their medical practice. Overall, the Text Summary is the most positively received visualization, and the Text Summary and Text Graph are the most useful in extracting patient health information. This thesis provides evidence to support the idea that qualitative patient-generated information can be displayed in ways other than clinical notes. | M.A.S. | health care | 3 |
| Korenvain, Clara | McCarthy, Lisa||MacKeigan, Linda | Exploring Deprescribing Opportunities for Community Pharmacists | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2019-06-01 | Background: Deprescribing, the process of stopping medications, can reduce the use of harmful or unnecessary medications, but is challenging for patients and prescribers to implement. We explored Ontario community pharmacists’ involvement with deprescribing and strategies for enhancing this involvement. Methods: We conducted qualitative telephone interviews with 17 Ontario community pharmacists. The Behavior Change Wheel informed the interviews and analysis. Four investigators coded three transcripts independently to develop a codebook. One investigator coded the remainder and generated themes using thematic analysis. Results: Pharmacists’ involvement in deprescribing was affected by: 1) their understanding of deprescribing, 2) their access to patient information, and 3) competing clinical and business/technical demands of their daily activities. Conclusions: Findings support recommendations for optimizing community pharmacists’ involvement in deprescribing by defining their deprescribing role with multi-stakeholder engagement, focusing on specific steps within deprescribing, and expanding pharmacists’ understanding of how to integrate deprescribing into their practices. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Jurga, Emil Howard | Parkinson, John||Gray-Owen, Scott | Exploring Genetic and Metabolic Factors of Neisseria gonorrhoeae using Genomic Datasets | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved a suite of factors that allow it to survive in the various niches of the human host, from the genital mucosa to the bloodstream. In this thesis, I use genomic datasets to investigate the genetic factors that allow N. gonorrhoeae to persist in different host niches. Whole genome sequences of N. gonorrhoeae isolates from Canada are used to identify genomic features associated with disseminated gonococcal infection, where I identify the porBa allele and other genes as important factors. Next, I use metatranscriptomic datasets of male and female genital tracts with gonorrhea to investigate the gene expression of the microbiota, N. gonorrhoeae and the host. Here, I identify differences in metabolic expression between N. gonorrhoeae and the microbiota of female subjects with bacterial vaginosis. These analyses contribute to a more complete understanding of the lifestyle of N. gonorrhoeae and its interactions with the host and the microbiota. | M.Sc. | female, invest | 5, 9 |
| Wang, Ruofang | Chambers, Craig | Exploring the Connections between Linguistic Inference and Linguistic Perspective Taking | Psychology | 2022-03-01 | Linguistic inference and linguistic perspective taking are two aspects of cognition that both involve the ability to identify and draw on information not explicitly provided in text or speech, in turn contributing to the successful comprehension of communicated information. There are abundant scientific literature investigating linguistic inference and linguistic perspective taking separately which often use an individual differences approach to assess the links between these abilities and general aspects of cognition. However, no study to date has directly explored the possible relationship (or lack thereof) between linguistic inference and linguistic perspective taking, which would provide important evidence about the basis of these abilities. The current thesis measured individual differences in linguistic inference and linguistic perspective taking simultaneously in an integrated reading paradigm. Results showed that linguistic inference and linguistic perspective taking, as measured in the current paradigm, were not related. Interpretations and theoretical implications are discussed. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Szabo, Nicole Elizabeth | Cutter, Asher D | Exploring the Power of Experimental Evolution to Identify Dobzhansky-Muller Incompatibility Loci using Forward-time Simulations | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | Fitness reducing epistatic interactions referred to as Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities (DMIs) are responsible for the inviability and infertility prevalent in hybrid populations. As “evolutionary dead-ends,” these hybrid failures encourage reproductive isolation between two incipient species. Studies on hybrid genomes are therefore vital to understand the processes that underlie speciation events. My project aimed to determine the power of simulations to correctly identify genetic loci involved in reproductive isolation. Using SLiM, I created and evolved simulated hybrid populations with genomes containing user-defined DMIs. Biologically relevant parameters, such as recombination rates, selection coefficients, dominance effects, generation timepoints, and incompatibility types, differed among my simulations, allowing me to characterize the parameter spaces that resulted in high-powered estimates of DMI localization. My conclusions may act as a guide for evolve and re-sequence wet-lab experiments that aim to map real-world DMIs in Caenorhabditis hybrid populations. | M.Sc. | species, species | 14, 15 |
| Shifrin, Alexandra | Goldstein, Abby L | Exploring the Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Coping Motives on Cannabis-related Consequences: A Daily Diary Study among Emerging Adults | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | Emerging adults (EAs; ages 18-25) have the highest rates of cannabis use and cannabis-related consequences relative to other age groups. There is substantial evidence pointing to emotion dysregulation and coping motives as important variables impacting cannabis-related consequences, however, current research is limited in examining their collective impact. The current study sought to explore trait-level facets of emotion dysregulation and state-level coping motives to determine their influence on cannabis-related consequences among EAs. Data were collected daily from 64 cannabis-using EAs who reported their cannabis use, motives, and consequences over 30 days. Emotion dysregulation was assessed at baseline. A mediation model was used to examine whether coping motives influence the relationship between emotion dysregulation and cannabis use. Hierarchical linear modelling tested whether emotion dysregulation facets moderated the within-person relationship between coping motives and cannabis problems. Findings highlight two significant facets of emotion dysregulation, Nonacceptance of Emotional Responses and Limited Access to Emotion Regulation Strategies, as contributing to coping-motivated cannabis use and subsequent cannabis-related consequences. These results help elucidate the underlying mechanisms that protect EAs from cannabis-related consequences and can be used to develop effective screening tools and interventions to help prevent problematic cannabis consumption. | M.A. | consum | 12 |
| Foley, Meredith Louise | Wittnich, Carin | Exploring the Role of Heavy Metal Pollutants on the Physiology of Commercially Relevant Fish from Atlantic Canada | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | The Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy have documented increases in heavy metal pollutants. Whether species from distinctive water column zones (epipelagic, mesopelagic, demersal) are differently accumulating heavy metals and experiencing negative impacts on their physiology was the focus of this work. Benthic and anadromous species were also examined for additional effects of residing in areas of higher pollution such as near sediment and rivers. Morphometrics were recorded and muscle, liver and kidney biopsies for heavy metal profiles were assessed. The highest heavy metal levels were in epipelagic and demersal species, accompanied by the greatest reductions in growth (weight for length) compared to historical values. Anadromous and benthic species overall had the highest levels of heavy metals, reductions in growth and presence of spine curvatures. Thus, fish are accumulating heavy metals at levels dependent on their location in the water column, associated with negative impacts on their growth and physiology. | M.H.Sc. | pollution, water, pollut, fish, species, pollut, species | 3, 6, 14, 15 |
| Yuan, Annie Yachen | Conway, Tenley | Exploring Urban Residents’ Knowledge and Participation in Green Infrastructure Initiatives in Philadelphia | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Green infrastructure (GI) is an emerging concept refers to trees and vegetation that provide ecosystem services to humans. Recently, GI has been adopted in urban planning and policy because it provides a nature-based solution for storm water management and many other socio-environmental benefits. Public understanding and engagement are essential for GI development, but few studies have examined residents’ knowledge and attitudes towards GI. This research surveyed residents in Philadelphia, PA, on their understanding of GI and participation in local GI programs. Results indicate residents’ knowledge of GI is limited, and most have minimal concerns about urban flooding, the main focus of Philadelphia’s GI programs. GI program participants are not only more familiar with the concept of GI, but also are more likely to install additional GI features in the future. The thesis ends with a discussion of implicating these findings in the context of GI expansion opportunities in residential landscapes. | M.A. | knowledge, water, stormwater management, green infrastructure, infrastructure, urban, green infrastructure, environmental, ecosystem, land, ecosystem | 4, 6, 11, 9, 13, 14, 15 |
| Zheng, Thomas | Hughes, Timothy R | Expression Level of KRAB Domains as a Confounding Variable in Measurement of Repressive Ability | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | KRAB domains are repressive effector domains commonly associated with C2H2 zinc finger transcription factors. These domains are found throughout all tetrapods and even lobe-finned fish and have been associated with the binding and repression of transposable elements. The goal of my master’s thesis was to characterize the repressive capabilities of this domain, however, upon closer analysis, I discovered a confounding variable in the form of the domain’s steady-state expression levels. I first designed both a panel of scores and a series of benchmarks to analyze poly-bin sequencing results from a flow-activated cell sorting based MPRA. I then discovered a major correlation between confounding expression levels and the presence and absence of flanking sequences on KRAB domains. Finally, I discuss an improved library construct that includes flanking sequences, a faster recruitment mechanism, and the ability to monitor the overall expression levels of the KRAB domains. | M.Sc. | fish | 14 |
| Pejana, Reizel | Prosser, Scott | Expression, Purification and Signaling Profile Exploration of the Mechanosensitive Apelin Receptor | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of human membrane proteins. Targeted by 1/3 of approved drugs, GPCRs regulate a diverse array of signaling cascades in response to extracellular ligands. Aside from external stimuli, mechanical stimulus also modulates GPCR signaling. One example is the apelin receptor (APJR), a mechanosensitive GPCR known to mediate pathways involved in cardiac disease. In this work, we induced mechanical forces into the cell membrane through fluidity variation to determine APJR activation effects. Specifically, we focused on signaling bias differences among APJR ligands as a consequence of adjuvants designed to modify membrane viscoelastic properties. An attempt was also made to express and purify APJR in a reconstituted system in the hopes of investigating its pharmacological response in-vitro. APJR, like other GPCRs, is differentially expressed in tissues with varying membrane composition and physical properties; therefore, gaining insight in these effects is valuable in understanding receptor pharmacology. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Molnarova, Radana | Rowe, Locke | Factors Influencing Immune Investment in Invertebrates | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | Immune traits are an important facet of an organism’s biology, as the threat of infection from pathogens is universal. We nonetheless observe a large degree of variation in measured immune traits, indicative of differences in immune investment between individuals. This thesis attempts to answer two questions around how individuals navigate immune investment. One, does mating environment impact immune investment in a species of water strider and two, is the sexual dimorphism observed in a commonly cited invertebrate immune metric related to the sexual size dimorphism commonly seen across this group? While a portion of chapter 1 could not be completed due to the pandemic, I do find evidence that water striders experience changes in mating environment in the wild. In chapter 2 I find that the expansion of an existing dataset on sex bias in melanization results in no significant sex bias in this immune metric as well no relationship between melanization and sexual size dimorphism, contradicting what may be expected by theory regarding sex biased immune allocation. | M.Sc. | water, invest, species, species | 6, 9, 14, 15 |
| Wang, Tianchen | Adve, Raviraj | Fair Licensed Spectrum Sharing between Two MNOs using Resource Optimization in Multi-cell Multi-user MIMO Networks | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Spectrum sharing has been proposed to both improve spectrum utilization efficiency in modern wireless communications and provide mobile network operators (MNOs) with required spectrum at times of increased traffic. In this thesis, we investigate the use of multi-user multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) techniques to enable spectrum sharing. Specifically, we present a fair spectrum sharing system between two MNOs in multi-cell multi-user MIMO networks. We impose fairness by ensuring that each MNO receives spectrum in proportion to the amount it contributes. We formulate a constrained optimization problem to determine resource allocation and user scheduling across two MNOs. Since the problem is non-convex, we develop an effective solution through fractional programming and block coordinate descent. In addition, we incorporate channel estimation into this spectrum sharing framework in a time division duplex (TDD) system. We propose a cluster based pilot allocation mechanism where the pilot sequences are assigned to user terminals (UTs) within each newly organized cluster, which is determined by a BS-centric clustering algorithm and a modified K-means clustering algorithm. Our numerical results illustrate that the proposed spectrum sharing scheme can achieve up to a 60% improvement in terms of the average user rate among the two operators while ensuring that neither MNO is exploited for participating in the sharing mechanism, within a diagonally overlapped cell deployment. This improvement is in relation to the baseline of each MNO using multi-user MIMO communications on its own. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Shore, Josh | Hunt, Anne||Reed, Nick | Feasibility of a Telerehabilitation Approach to Active Rehabilitation in Youth with Concussion | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Active rehabilitation involving supervised exercise, education, and support promotes recovery in youth with concussion but is typically delivered in-person, which limits accessibility due to geographic, financial, and logistical barriers. The purpose of this research was to develop and explore the feasibility of a remotely delivered Tele-Active Rehabilitation (Tele-AR) intervention. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore feasibility in a pre-post case series study (n=3 youth; n=3 parents) and qualitative exploration of participant experiences in the intervention. All feasibility indicators met or approached success criteria, there were no adverse events, and all youth reported improvements in post-concussion symptoms, occupational performance, and illness perception post-intervention. Qualitative findings indicate that participants were satisfied with the intervention and appreciated the convenience and comfort of engaging from home, which facilitated youth taking responsibility for their recovery. This research provides a foundation for larger studies to evaluate efficacy of the Tele-AR intervention among youth with concussion. | M.Sc. | illness, accessib | 3, 11 |
| Park, Chanho | Caniggia, Isabella | Ferroptosis: A Novel, Iron-mediated Contributor to Placental Cell Death | Physiology | 2021-06-01 | Iron is an essential micronutrient for cell survival and growth yet understanding of this metal in physiological and pathological pregnancies remains elusive. Importantly, iron - alongside lipid peroxidation - has been identified as a driver of ferroptosis, a newly identified mode of cell death. Hence, we hypothesized that iron imbalance increases susceptibility of ferroptotic cell death in preeclampsia (PE). In our investigation, PE trophoblast layers demonstrated increased iron content, increased lipid peroxide by-product malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and decreased antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) expression and activity. In vitro, JEG3 and cytotrophoblast-like H9 cells demonstrated similar alterations to iron homeostasis, GPx4 expression and activity, and lipid peroxidation when exposed to PE-like environments of hypoxia and iron overload. Notably, pharmacological agents deferoxamine and ferrostatin-1 reversed excess iron- and low oxygen-induced ferroptotic hallmarks. In conclusion, iron and oxygen-mediated ferroptosis may contribute to heightened rates of trophoblast cell death characteristic of preeclamptic pregnancies. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Aranha, Sarah | Sumner, Dr. Jennifer | Field Trips From Home: Exploring how Online Museum-based Learning can Help International Graduate Students Meet their Language Goals in the Time of COVID-19 | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-06-01 | Museums are known as exemplary sites of informal learning and more recently are understood to foster positive social outcomes for visitors, like reduced social isolation and improved wellbeing. As museums and university campuses are closed due to COVID-19 provincial lockdown measures, this thesis asks: how might online museum-based learning support international graduate students in their language learning goals, at a time of physical and social isolation? Using a grounded theory approach, I draw on existing literature on museum-based learning and social outcomes, and bring informal learning theories to bear on the online museum experience. The interviews and group discussions with eight participants revealed that online museum experiences supported formal language improvement, self-reflection and enjoyment, but fell short of supporting informal language practice. The research identifies that a critical pedagogical approach to the development of online museum programs could more robustly meet the needs of international students and language learners alike. | M.A. | wellbeing, learning | 3, 4 |
| Lam, Qian Yi Elia | Neel, Rebecca | Fixed Beliefs, Low Control, and Well-being: Can Believing Something Cannot Change Be Good? | Psychology | 2022-03-01 | Believing that attributes are fixed – “fixed beliefs” – is often associated with negative outcomes, but emerging evidence suggests that fixed beliefs can be beneficial. I suggest that for populations who have low control, fixed beliefs may be positively related to well-being through greater goal disengagement and lesser goal engagement. I investigated how fixed beliefs relate to control efforts and well-being in low-SES individuals (Study 1; n = 321) and older adults (Study 2; n = 418). Results suggest that fixed beliefs negatively relate to goal engagement, goal engagement positively relates with well-being, and fixed beliefs negatively impact well-being through decreased control efforts. In addition, goal disengagement positively relates with well-being for low-SES-individuals. Overall, the results suggest that even in low-control populations, fixed beliefs may negatively impact well-being and that control efforts are one mechanism through which this can occur. | M.A. | well-being, invest | 3, 9 |
| Psarianos, Pamela | Liu, Fei-Fei | FOXO1: A Novel Metabolic Target in the Reversal of Radiation Fibrosis | Medical Biophysics | 2019-11-01 | Radiation fibrosis (RF) is a long-term consequence of cancer radiotherapy with complex pathophysiology leading to tissue dysfunction and patient morbidity. Our laboratory has demonstrated that suppression of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is a predominant alteration in RF, and that adipose-derived stromal cell (ADSC) transplantation restores metabolism while reducing fibrosis severity. We hypothesized that epigenetic regulation of metabolism may be central to RF pathogenesis and treatment. Genome-wide methylation profiling of ADSC-treated fibrotic murine tissue revealed that hypermethylation of FOXO1 binding sites may be therapeutically favourable. Pharmacological inhibition of FOXO1 restored the expression of FAO genes, decreased fibrotic protein expression, and reduced murine skin fibrosis severity. Moreover, a convergence of the FOXO1 and prostaglandin E2 pathways was identified as a novel mechanism through which FOXO1 may regulate RF. This work will lead to a deeper understanding of RF pathogenesis while proceeding toward a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this condition. | M.Sc. | labor, land | 8, 15 |
| Mohamed Awad, Omar Alaaeldin Mohamed Amin | Moshovos, Andreas | FPRaker: Exploiting Fine-grain Sparsity to Accelerate Neural Network Training | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | sis presents FPRaker, a processing element for composing training accelerators. Training manipulates floating-point data and multiply-accumulate (MAC) operations constitute the bulk of its computations. FPRaker boosts performance and energy-efficiency by skipping ineffectual computations during training. FPRaker processes the operands’ significand of each MAC as a series of signed-powers-of-two, or terms. This exposes ineffectual work that can be skipped: encoded values have few terms and some can be discarded as they would fall outside the accumulator's precision. Over 9 studied networks, FPRaker is 1.5x faster and 1.4x more energy-efficient compared to a baseline accelerator with conventional TensorCore-like tiles under iso-compute-area constraints. We demonstrate that FPRaker delivers additional benefits when training incorporates pruning, quantization and methods that use a different accumulator precision per layer. Finally, we propose a memory compression technique for exponents of floating-point values that exploits the narrow value distribution during training using base-delta compression reducing off-chip memory bandwidth. | M.A.S. | learning, energy | 4, 7 |
| Hristovski, Blago | Lavoie, Philippe | Free-stream Turbulence Effects on Laminar Separation Bubbles at Low Reynolds Numbers | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-06-01 | This thesis investigates the behaviour of a laminar separation bubble (LSB) on a low Reynolds number airfoil, at various free-stream turbulence intensities. The experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel for Reynolds numbers 1.0 × 10^5 – 2.0 × 10^5, at angles of attack 4◦ – 15◦, over free-stream turbulence intensities 0.05% – 1.1%. Particle image velocimetry and oil film interferometry were used to measure skin friction, separation and reattachment points, displacement thickness, and flow transition. The experimental results indicate that increasing turbulence intensity reduces the overall LSB effect, by reducing its length and height. The length reduction is driven by the reattachment point moving upstream, due to an earlier transition to turbulence, and the separation point moving downstream, due to additional upstream mixing. The height reduction results in decreasing skin friction magnitudes within the LSB and is the result of a decrease in the wall-normal velocity fluctuations, indicating more 3-D turbulent structures. | M.A.S. | wind, invest, transit | 7, 9, 11 |
| Xu, Chenbo | Papangelakis, Vladimiros G. | Freeze Concentration to Regenerate Concentrated Draw Solution (CDS) and Recover Water from Industrial Effluents | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | This work focuses on industrial water recovery using freeze concentration (FC) as a stand-alone water recovery process (part 1), and investigates the possibility of an integrated forward osmosis-freeze concentration (FO-FC) process (part 2). In part 1, A 3-L bench-scale layer freeze crystallizer was designed, and 0.5-1.5 m NaCl and MgCl2 solutions were used to mimic effluents from the mining and extractive metallurgy industries. A maximum impurity reduction of 82 % and 68 % can be achieved from 0.5 m NaCl and MgCl2 solutions, respectively. Agitation at 50 rpm significantly improved ice purity even at a high concentration of 1.5 m MgCl2. In part 2, the results showed that the regeneration of the 2-m MgCl2 concentrated draw solution can be achieved by adjusting the jacket temperature. The multi-step operation further improved ice purity by 14.6 % without sacrificing the CDS regeneration objectives. | M.A.S. | water, energy, invest, regeneration | 6, 7, 9, 15 |
| Anderson, Kevin | Kvist, Sebastian||Manzano Marín, Alejandro | From Bathtubs to Bloodfeeders: An Evolutionary Study of the Aphaproteobacterial Gellertiella (formerly Ca. Reichenowia) | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-06-01 | Many leeches are blood feeders and host bacteria within specialized organs. One example is Placobdella which hosts the alpha-proteobacterial Candidatus Reichenowia. It is assumed that Reichenowia provisions Placobdella with B vitamins. Although Reichenowia consistently places within Rhizobiaceae, its free-living relative remains a mystery. By obtaining genome sequences of the endosymbiotic bacteria of six species of Placobdella, I address questions regarding the role of Reichenowia and its origin. B vitamin synthesis pathways remain largely intact across all taxa with many gaps likely representing a lack of knowledge concerning alternate synthesis routes. I find robust and consistent support for the nesting of the free-living Gellertiella hungarica within Reichenowia, necessitating the dissolution of Reichenowia. The topology of this clade suggests two independent origins of endosymbiosis from a G. hungarica-like ancestor. These findings clarify the ecology of the system and point towards a potentially novel model system for investigating the early stages of endosymbiosis. | M.Sc. | knowledge, invest, species, ecolog, species | 4, 9, 14, 15 |
| Roy, Logan | Dainty, Katie N||Isenberg, Sarina R | From Hospital to Home: Providers’ Experiences of Collaboration when Facilitating Care Transitions across Palliative Care Settings | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | Research shows that many patients with advanced illness prefer to receive care and die in their homes; therefore, transitions from acute care to community settings are common. However, while many studies have examined the patient and caregiver experience of this transition process, few studies have focused on the provider’s perspective. This qualitative study explored interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration among providers when transitioning patients from hospital to home in the context of palliative care. Four themes were elucidated that reflect providers’ experiences of collaboration within and across palliative care settings. Key barriers include a perceived lack of formalized leadership roles and having continuously changing inpatient providers involved during discharge planning, inconsistent communication during patient handovers, and insufficient system-level infrastructure to support information sharing across settings. The findings of this study reveal several opportunities at the organizational and broader health system levels to better assist providers in supporting these types of transitions. | M.Sc. | illness, labor, infrastructure, transit | 3, 8, 9, 11 |
| Muhammad, Saad | Welch, Kenneth C. | Fructose Metabolism in the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-11-01 | Ruby-throated hummingbirds drink nectar that is 50% fructose and 50% glucose, as monosaccharides and the disaccharide sucrose. Remarkably, hummingbirds can use either ingested glucose or fructose to fuel metabolically demanding hovering flight. Currently, the metabolic pathways that could support flight with fructose carbon remain unclear as traditional vertebrate models cannot use this sugar directly as a muscular fuel. I use metabolomics to identify possible metabolic pathways in the pectoralis muscle, heart, and liver that process fructose at relatively rapid rates. I hypothesize that the hummingbirds can use exogenous fructose directly in their muscles to power flight but also convert the fructose to other energy metabolites, including glucose, in their liver. I found support for both of these hypotheses. Surprisingly, I also found evidence suggesting that the heart plays an important role in fructose metabolism. | M.Sc. | arid, energy | 6, 7 |
| Clarke, Patrick | Christopoulos, Constantin | Full-scale Monitoring of Tall Reinforced Concrete Building, and Modelling of Slab-induced Inherent Damping | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Damping ratios in structures are the most challenging modal property to predict due to the perplexity of the contributing physical mechanisms. Consequently, the inability to quantify these sources has led to only approximate baseline inherent damping estimates, making the estimation of the damping ratio at larger amplitudes an even greater task. It was previously hypothesized that the main source of damping in structures resulting in amplitude-dependence was the stressing and subsequent microcracking in slabs. This thesis outlines the steps taken to monitor a tall structure, calibrate the structural model, and examine the experimental results to identify the reasons for the vastly different modal damping responses. Non-linear modelling proved that replicating the amplitude-dependent response could be accomplished and provided insight on why the slabs’ modal responses were dissimilar. Lastly, strain energies for the stressed slab regions were calculated and plotted as functions of height and displacement, ultimately substantiating slab-induced inherent damping. | M.A.S. | buildings | 9 |
| Chiu, Yan Ling Iris | Chang, Belinda S.W. | Functional Characterization and Molecular Evolutionary Analyses of Dim-Light Adaptations in Visual Pigments and Interactions with Arrestin | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11-01 | Rhodopsin and cone opsins are responsible for dim-light and colour vision, respectively, and mediate photon absorption, resulting in retinal chromophore isomerization and visual pigment activation. This triggers the visual transduction cascade, which is subsequently inhibited by the binding of arrestin. First, I investigated arrestin-rhodopsin complex formation relevant to adaptive mechanisms underlying phototransduction. Substitutions identified in comparative analyses of dim-light animals showed enhanced ability of arrestin-rhodopsin complexes to sequester retinal chromophore when assayed in vitro. The second study analyzed the selective pressures across the cone opsin gene RH2 of teleosts and identified a positively selected site with unusual amino acid substitutions in the deep-sea fish. These substitutions showed altered kinetics when assayed experimentally. Overall, my findings provide insight into the less-well studied aspects of dim-light adaptation and show the significance of investigating the visual system as an interdisciplinary study involving evolution, biochemistry and molecular biology. | M.Sc. | invest, fish, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Meng, Jin | Godt, Dorothea | Functional Characterization of Actin-interacting Protein 1 in the Drosophila Follicular Epithelium | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Actin filaments (F-actin) are essential for many cellular functions. Their dynamic remodeling allows various processes, including cell division, cell adhesion, cell polarization, and formation of stress fibres and cellular protrusions. One factor contributing to actin remodeling is Actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1), a cofactor for cofilin in F-actin depolymerization. I used the Drosophila follicular epithelium to investigate the function of AIP1 in regulating the actin cytoskeleton and associated structures. AIP1 depletion caused an increase in F-actin amounts in the apical cytocortex and ectopic globular F-actin aggregates. Additionally, it resulted in microvilli of altered length, extended basal stress fibres, and defects in the distribution of adherens junction components and the spectrin cytoskeleton. Moreover, AIP1 reduction led to nuclear enlargement and multi-nucleation in follicle cells, suggesting defects during cytokinesis. These findings suggest that AIP1-mediated actin turnover is critical for normal actin organization, which is important for cellular protrusions, cell adhesion, and cell division. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Stronks, Katryna | Rosenblum, Norman D | Functional Contributions of TGFB2 Signaling to Metanephric Progenitors and Stromal Cells | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2019-11-01 | Recent analyses using spatial and temporal targeted genetic deletions of Hh signaling components revealed lineage-specific requirements within the metanephric progenitor pool and their stromal derivatives. Stage-specific activation of Hedgehog signaling through a Ptch1-deficiency in metanephric progenitors leads to intrinsic ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction and hydronephrosis in mice. Ptch1-deficient metanephric progenitors give rise to ectopically located stromal cells which occlude the presumptive ureteropelvic junction and block proper urinary outflow. Preliminary evidence implicates transformation growth factor beta 2 (TGFB2) as a downstream effector of Hedgehog signaling. Here, we show that, while TGFB signaling is dispensable within the metanephric progenitors during normal kidney development, it acts downstream of Hh signaling to contribute to the pathogenesis of UPJ obstruction. A lack of TGFB signaling in a Ptch1-deficient background partially rescues the frequency and severity of hydronephrosis. Further, single-cell RNA sequencing investigates novel targets of Hedgehog-TGFB signaling in the stromal and nephrogenic lineages. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Crowe, Grace | Andrews, Robert C | GAC Caps as a Potential Treatment Barrier for Drinking Water Cyanotoxins | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Incorporation of GAC in media filtration is a useful means for improving treatment outcomes via adsorption and subsequent enhanced biological treatment. Although beneficial, complete GAC replacement often results in higher operational costs. A seven-month pilot study examined the benefits of replacing the top few centimeters of anthracite media with GAC “caps” to enhance control of a cyanotoxin as well as organics. Removal of the cyanotoxin cylindrospermopsin by GAC adsorption was assessed utilizing a surrogate dye. A GAC capped filter demonstrated higher reduction when compared to a control throughout the study period. However, increased operational time resulted in lower reduction. While installation of a GAC cap increased biomass density (ATP), it did not improve DOC or DBP FP removal. Chlorine demand was significantly reduced, representing a potential side-benefit. This study presents evidence that incorporation of GAC caps can provide a low-capacity barrier for cylindrospermopsin exposure over multiple months of continuous operation. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Sullivan, Alexander Joo-Hyun | Provart, Nicholas J | GAIA: An “eEcosystem” of Aggregated Information for Plant Biology | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-11-01 | Currently, there is a plethora of scientific data available online through many different tools, databases, repositories, and websites, making it difficult for researchers to find the information for their prospective investigation. When the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC) conducted a 2018 bioinformatics survey, they found that researchers have expressed a strong desire to have data centralized. Inspired by this request, the General Agricultural Intelligent Agent (GAIA) was created. Aggregating data for plant biology across many scientific resources, GAIA can create an executive summary that can either summarize a gene or gene product of interest or use Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine reading (MR) to answer an inputted question. Built with modular design philosophy, GAIA is created with simplicity in mind for its code, allowing new developers to easily access, modify, and create new components for its UI and functionality. GAIA is currently available at https://bar.utoronto.ca/gaia. | M.Sc. | agricultur, invest, ecosystem, ecosystem | 2, 9, 14, 15 |
| Abdel-Ghafar, Nadine | Todorova, Miglena | Gender Relations and the Politics of Addressing Gender-based Violence in Canada: Exploring the Role of Institutions, Interests, and Ideas | Social Justice Education | 2021-11-01 | This thesis explores the factors that constrain or facilitate the creation of effective policies for addressing gender-based violence in Canada. Specifically, it examines how government structures, international agreements, and conditions such as global pandemics, influence state responses to violence against women. The analysis combines 3-I framework – which is used in political science to analyze the role of institutions, ideologies, and interest in policy development – with feminist theories and critical discourse analysis. The findings reveal that Canada’s system of governance facilitates policies that (re)produce gendered power differentials, a dynamic which constrains effective policymaking for addressing gender-based violence at the federal, provincial, and institutional levels. The thesis supports post-liberal transnational feminist perspectives that call for community-based local approaches to gender-based violence as opposed to state-based approaches. Furthermore, the research design used in this study underscores the transformative potential of feminist political analysis to the fields of violence prevention and public health. | M.A. | public health, gender, women, feminis, violence against women, institut, governance, violence | 3, 5, 16 |
| Lim, Jungeun | Andritsos, Periklis | Gendered Voices in Japanese Popular Music: A Data-driven Analysis | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | In this thesis, I investigate the gender ideologies, conventions, and stereotypes represented in Japanese popular music lyrics by analyzing 17,614 commercially successful songs released in Japan from 1968 to 2020 utilizing natural language processing and machine learning. In the first part, the differences in word use between the lyrics sung and written by women and those sung and written by men are examined with classification models. The dynamics between singer gender and lyricist gender and their impact on the lyrics, the differences between the lyrics written and sung by the same artists (singer-songwriters) and those written and sung by different artists, and the historical changes are also analyzed. In the second part, I explore how male characters and female characters are portrayed in popular music lyrics differently through a computational extraction of feminine and masculine personal pronouns and the words syntactically associated with them. | M.I.S. | learning, gender, women, female, invest | 4, 5, 9 |
| Hnatovska, Solomiya | Wright, Stephen I | Genome Size and Repeat Abundance Variation in Amaranthus tuberculatus | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-03-01 | Genome size and repeat abundances have been shown to vary within species; however, our knowledge of the roles of population structure, selection and mutation in maintaining this variation is limited. In this study, I annotated the Transposable Elements (TEs), rRNA genes, simple repeats, and low complexity regions in the A. tuberculatus genome and estimated their abundances across 182 A. tuberculatus individuals. I used multiple regression analyses to test whether sex, longitude, latitude, ancestry, and local environment are important predictors of each repeat abundance and genome size. I found a lack of evidence for repeat abundance differentiation between agricultural and natural environments. Furthermore, longitudinal clines across genome size and many repeats were shown to be partially explained by population structure. Finally, I found latitudinal clines, with lower repeat abundances in northern individuals, even after controlling for population structure, suggesting this differentiation may be driven by selection or differential TE insertion rates. | M.Sc. | agricultur, knowledge, species, species | 2, 4, 14, 15 |
| Davies, Cameron A | McCann, Robert J | Global Minimizers of the Interaction Energy and the Behaviour of Nearby Solutions to the Aggregation Equation | Mathematics | 2021-11-01 | Over the past decade, the aggregation equation has become a popular area of research within mathematics. While much of this interest has been driven by the equation's scientific applications, the equation also raises significant mathematical questions. Notably, we associate an interaction energy to the equation, with the property that global and local minimizers of this energy correspond to steady states of the aggregation equation. In this thesis, we partially classify global energy minimizers, when working with the aggregation equation endowed with a specific class of `power-law' potentials. We then explain this partial classification, as well as its limitations. After this, we follow in the footsteps of a recent PhD thesis to query the dynamics of solutions to the aggregation equation and, in particular, the behaviour of solutions which begin `close to' a global minimizer of the interaction energy. In doing so, we outline a promising future avenue of research. | M.Sc. | energy | 7 |
| Behrouzi, Tina | Hatzinakos, Dimitrios DH | Graph Learning Perspective on EEG-based Human Identification | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | EEG-based user identification is an emerging field in biometric systems. EEG signals promise more secure recognition technology than other biometric traits because EEG waves are more robust to forgery and replication. Two of the main challenges of EEG biometric systems are the sensibility to a number of electrodes and instability to different human conditions during recording. We address these two problems by considering brain regions' connections and observing EEG signals from a graph perspective.In this thesis, we explore graph learning as a new approach for extracting brain features. First, graph convolutional neural network benchmarks and their power for EEG-based identification are studied. Second, we have developed a novel graph variational auto-encoder (GVAE) for deriving EEG embeddings. This generative model learns graphs' stochastic probabilities with a low computational cost. We illustrate that GVAE features discriminate the EEG signals of different subjects with high accuracy for both small and large graphs. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Xu, Yu Chen | Sheikholeslami, Ali | Hardware-accelerated Minimum Probability Flow Training for Boltzmann Machine Problems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11-01 | Minimum Probability Flow (MPF) learning is a method used to solve parameter estimations such as in machine learning. In this work, we focus on presenting a GPU implementation of the MPF Trainer for Boltzmann machine learning problems. Moreover, to evaluate its performance, we compare it to another GPU accelerated method based on maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), Digital Trainer, for different types of problems. Our experiments are run on NVIDIA TITAN V and show that our GPU implementation of MPF has achieved at least 20x speed-up compared to its CPU version for problems that at least have a network size of 1024 and a data set of 1024 training vectors. Furthermore, we demonstrate that 1. MPF Trainer performs nearly twice as better than Digital Trainer for maximizing the learning capacity of a fully-connected network and 2. in the inverse Ising model problems, Digital Trainer outperforms MPF Trainer by at least an order of magnitude in term of errors in pairwise correlations. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| King, Kourteney Marie | Sawchuk, Peter||Mirchandani , Kiran | Harm Reduction Ethics in Crisis (Work): The Manifestation of Spiritual Pain in the Everyday Practice of Street Outreach Work | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | From the accounts of street outreach workers in Toronto, Ontario, this critical qualitative study reveals the disjuncture between a street outreach worker’s harm-reduction ethics and their crisis work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven street outreach workers who self-identified as working from a harm reduction ethic. This study sought to situate the everyday experiences of street outreach workers who engage in crisis work within the often-invisible realm of organizational and environmental influences, such as program funding, restrictive health care policies and processes, and the criminalization of people who use drugs. Through the lens of spiritual pain and collective ethics, the findings explicate how workers come to accept, consent, and resist ethical tensions present in their practice of crisis work and create a discussion for the implications of spiritual pain on workplace sustainability. In doing so, the scholarship of workplace ethics, harm reduction, and street outreach work has been bridged. | M.A. | health care, worker, environmental | 3, 8, 13 |
| Mastikhina, Olga | Vasconcelos, Sara N | hCF-chip: A Model for Human Cardiac Fibrosis | Biomedical Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Cardiac fibrosis is a strong contributor to heart failure, but a lack of suitable human models limits our understanding of disease progression. We engineered a human cardiac-fibrosis-on-a-chip (hCF-chip) model that allows for real-time assessment of cardiomyocyte function and aims to provide an accessible platform for studying human cardiac fibrosis in vitro. The hCF-chip is a microfabricated device with co-cultured human cardiac fibroblasts and pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes that uses transforming growth factor-β1 as a trigger for fibrosis. The hCF-chip shows increased expression of BNP and reproduces key hallmarks of cardiac fibrosis including decreased force of contraction, increased excitation threshold, increased extracellular matrix deposition, increased tissue stiffness, and an transcriptomic profile consistent with human cardiac fibrosis. Treatment with the standard of care drugs losartan and carvedilol decreased BNP secretion, the anti-fibrotic drug pirfenidone decreased tissue stiffness and BNP secretion, and the senolytics dasatinib and quercetin showed improved tissue functional parameters. | M.A.S. | accessib | 11 |
| Gai, Yijun | Hatzopoulou, Marianne||Posen, I.Daniel | Health and Climate Impacts of Electric Vehicle Deployment – A Case Study of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area | Civil Engineering | 2019-11-01 | The transportation sector is a big source of greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions. Though studies generally agree that introducing electric vehicles (with no exhaust emissions) brings environmental benefits, an accurate assessment requires detailed analysis of emissions from electricity generation, vehicle travel patterns, and air pollutants transport. By operationalizing the concept of marginal emission factors and simulating charging patterns using person-level travel activity data, this thesis first developed a framework to evaluate the emission reduction potential of EV deployment in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Then, to assess the health and economic impacts, an integrated model was built by combining a high-resolution chemical transportation model with an emission inventory that included traffic and electricity generation details. According to the results, EV deployment in the GTHA can achieve substantial health and climate benefits, and there is a need for policies to promote EV uptake and manage rising electricity demand. | M.A.S. | pollution, emission, greenhouse, climate, greenhouse gas, environmental, emissions, climate impacts, pollut, pollut | 3, 7, 13, 14, 15 |
| McCarroll, Kyle | Chandra, Sanjeev | Heat Exchangers for Waste Heat Recovery | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | To reduce energy consumption and water heating requirements, the Ontario Building Code mandates every new residential building must install a drain water heat recovery unit to recover energy from drain water. A two-stage waste heat recovery unit is designed and tested with conformance to the Ontario Building Code. A novel leak detection system was implemented by measuring the electrical resistance of a coating. Thermal spray coating processes are used to create surfaces with enhanced performance. Flame spray and wire-arc spray produced two and three samples respectively. Each sample is tested to find the best heat transfer occurred with 0.125” diameter pillars, staggered, spaced 0.188” with enhanced surface area of 45.8% while increasing the convective heat transfer coefficient by 26.1% - 64.4% depending on the Reynolds number between 281 and 2745. The coatings are recommended to be utilized in a flat plate design with reduced complexity, size, and cost. | M.A.S. | water, energy, consum, waste | 6, 7, 12 |
| Rahemipour, Radmehr | Bhat, Mamatha||Zheng, Gang | Hepatocellular Carcinoma Targeted Therapy by Lipoprotein-like Nanoparticle | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Late-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has no cure and currently, targeted therapy provides the most hope. This study investigated the suitability of porphyHDL nanoparticle carrying anti-Spalt-like transcription factor 4 (SALL4) siRNA. PorphyHDL is coated with apolipoprotein A-1 mimetic peptide, a ligand for scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-BI, SCARB1). We showed that SCARB1 and SALL4 gene expression are 1.3 fold higher in HCC tissue than adjacent tissue. SR-BI protein did not show a significant difference but SALL4 protein was overexpressed. In the liver, porphyHDL accumulated mostly in HCC cells and macrophages, followed by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, and finally hepatic stellate cells. A fatty context in the liver - relevant in Western countries - increased SR-BI expression in adjacent tissue, but it increased porphyHDL specificity for HCC tissue versus adjacent tissue. In conclusion, this study suggests that porphyHDL loaded with anti-SALL4 siRNA can be useful as a targeted therapy for HCC. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Mackay, Alexander James | Eleftheriades, George V | High Dispersion Planar Antennas for Frequency Beam Scanning | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Leaky-wave antennas scan their main beam through space as frequency is modulated and are useful for many applications. Planar, loaded transmission-line antennas are a type of leaky-wave antenna that can be easily fabricated with commercial PCB facilities. In this work the scanning sensitivity, or relation between scan angle and frequency, is investigated for planar loaded transmission line leaky-wave antennas. Methods are developed to realize unit cells with a desired scan dispersion, which can be used to design antennas that scan through large areas of space within a small bandwidth. Examples are designed and fabricated in the Ka-band and tested to validate the methods used. One design has a measured scan sensitivity of 10.5 degrees-per-percent-bandwidth, the highest of any known work of this type. Another design exhibits a smaller beamwidth and larger gain, illustrating some trade-offs inherent to antennas with enhanced scan sensitivity. | M.A.S. | invest, trade | 9, 10 |
| Khan, Umema Shahid | Kortschot, Mark T | High Stiffness Glass Flake Reinforced Composites Produced using Inverted Stereolithography | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | High aspect ratio glass flakes were introduced as the composite reinforcement in inverted stereolithography (ISLA). Due to flow-induced fiber alignment transverse to the intended loading direction, past attempts to produce high modulus composites by reinforcing the matrix with short fibers failed. Flake reinforced composites, however, reinforce the composite in all directions in the plane. Flake reinforced composites were successfully produced with good planar alignment and exhibited increasing elastic moduli and toughness with increasing flake volume fraction. Despite these promising results, viscosity limited the range of flake loading severely. The tradeoff between flake aspect ratio and the reinforcement efficiency was investigated by grinding flakes. Higher volume fractions of ground flakes were incorporated into the matrix.In summary, the results presented in this work show that adding flakes to the resin in ISLA may create a new path for the production of high performing, stiff composites using 3D printing. | M.A.S. | invest, trade, production | 9, 10, 12 |
| Adams, Carolyn | Moore, Daniel R | Higher Intensity Exercise Increases Protein Turnover and Daily Protein Requirements of Male Endurance Athletes During Recovery | Exercise Sciences | 2021-06-01 | Purpose: Examine the effect of exercise intensity of prolonged running exercise on whole-body protein metabolism and protein requirements during recovery. Methods: Seven male endurance athletes completed two randomized exercise trials (20-km run) at LOW (~55% V ̇O2peak), or HIGH (~72% V ̇O2peak), intensity. Participants consumed 0.6g·kg-1 CHO pre-exercise. During the 8 h post-exercise, participants consumed 8.6g·kg-1·d-1 CHO and hourly meals providing 0.93g ·kg-1·d-1 protein, enriched with indicator AA [13C] phenylalanine. Breath and urine samples were collected to determine whole-body phenylalanine flux (PheRa), oxidation (PheOx), protein synthesis (PS), breakdown (PB) and net balance (NB). Results: The rate of CHO oxidation during exercise was 60% greater in HIGH vs LOW (P | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Greenberg, Michael | Guttman, David S | Host Specificity of Pseudomonas syringae in Common Bean Plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Pseudomonas syringae is a phytopathogenic bacterial species with a wide host-range, encompassing numerous plants of agricultural importance. Here, I make use of machine learning and host-range testing to analyze the host specificity of P. syringae in common bean plants in order to understand the evolution of bean isolation. The first method that I used was to analyze gene content using random forest machine learning. The model identified type 3 secretion as an important predictor for determining if a P. syringae is able to grow on bean plants. AvrB is interesting since it elicits an immune response in soybean and common bean varieties, but this immune response can be prevented when HopF2 is present. I also designed a new method of bean infection with the goal of using it in order to screen the P. syringae species complex on bean plants, taking advantage of the seedborne nature of bean pathogens. | M.Sc. | agricultur, learning, species, forest, species | 2, 4, 14, 15 |
| Shama, Sara | O'Connor, Deborah L||Unger, Sharon | Human Milk-based Protein Concentrate Supports Growth of Weanling Rats | Nutritional Sciences | 2019-11-01 | This study explores the feasibility of using donor human milk to produce a protein concentrate and evaluates whether its use can support normal growth in weanling rats. A human milk-based protein (HMP) concentrate was produced from defatted milk, followed by membrane filtration and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing. Thirty rats were randomized and fed AIN-93G diets containing casein, the HMP concentrate, or a bovine whey protein isolate for four weeks. No significant differences in body weight, feed consumption, fat mass, or plasma amino acid profiles were observed between rats fed the HMP concentrate and those fed the control diet. Full cecum weights were higher in rats fed the HMP concentrate (mean difference, 5.6; 95%CI, 4.5-6.7 g; p | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Ewaschuk, Nicholas | Steeves, Craig | Hybrid Nanometal Morphing Structures | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The demand for increasing the efficiency of aircraft has led to the pursuit of improved and novel structures. Hybrid structures with morphing capabilities aim to address this through the use of materials with high specific strength, improved manufacturing techniques, and the ability to change shape during flight. A quadrotor propeller was chosen as a proof of concept design for a morphing hybrid structure. This thesis investigates the implementation of morphing via mechanical actuation into various propeller designs, weighing the benefits and tradeoffs for each. A NACA 2412 airfoil was optimized for two separate flight conditions, and various designs were conceptualized for implementation. A design was selected for a finite element analysis to determine the viability of morphing within the structure. | M.A.S. | invest, trade | 9, 10 |
| McKiel, Steven Michael | Poon, Joyce K.S. | Hybrid Perovskite-on-silicon Integrated Electro-optic Modulators | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Optical modulators are a key component in data center transceivers that are used for achieving electrical-to-optical signal conversion. Current silicon photonics modulators offer non-linear modulation responses, are difficult to fabricate, or have poor device lifetimes. This thesis attempts to incorporate solution-processable halide perovskites that exhibit the linear electro-optic effect onto silicon photonics chips for the purpose of creating efficient, high-speed, stable, and mass-manufacturable optical modulators. We present design architectures that are compatible with these materials, and set forth a post-processing fabrication procedure for realizing one specific design: the slot waveguide modulator. These devices are characterized in terms of their loss, low-speed and high-speed electro-optic performance, and stability. Discussion and ideas for future directions are also explored, and a benchmarking study using a commercially available electro-optic material is also presented. To our knowledge, this is the first integration of solution-processable halide perovskites onto a foundry fabricated active silicon photonics platform. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Ly, Amy | Moriarty, Tara | Identification of Candidate Lyme Disease Vascular Adhesins Supporting Tissue-specific Endothelial Cell Interactions | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-11-01 | Hematogenous dissemination is a crucial step in infectious disease progression, causes most mortality due to bacterial infection, and is central to the spread of tick-borne Lyme disease pathogen Borreliella burgdorferi. A key step in dissemination is bacterial adhesion to endothelial cells lining blood vessels despite the shear stress generated by blood flow. B. burgdorferi strains that express different subsets of 30 known and predicted B. burgdorferi adhesins exhibit differences in tissue tropism in mice and humans. B. burgdorferi adhesins responsible for adhering to endothelia of various tissue beds remain largely uncharacterized. Like many other pathogens, B. burgdorferi targets fibronectin, a molecule that is part of the plasma and the extracellular matrix of endothelial cells. I investigated whether known B. burgdorferi fibronectin-binding adhesins could support interactions with different endothelial cell types under the fluid shear stress conditions of the vasculature. Using a flow chamber system and particle tracking, I investigated whether fibronectin-binding adhesins RevA, RevB, and BB0347 expressed in adhesion-attenuated B. burgdorferi promoted interactions with human umbilical vein, bladder, joint, and brain ECs. This approach identified potential tissue-specific fibronectin-binding vascular adhesins. Additional studies are needed to confirm whether these candidates act as vascular adhesins in vivo. This study has identified novel tissue-specific candidate vascular adhesins and will be important for understanding how and why the Lyme disease pathogen disseminates to different tissues. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Savic, Ranko | Finelli, Antonio | Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to the use of Renal Tumor Biopsy (RTB) in the Management of Small Renal Masses (SRMs) in Ontario and Potential Implementation Strategies to Promote its Widespread Adoption | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Background: Renal tumor biopsy (RTB) has been shown to be a useful diagnostic tool, however, it remains underutilized in Canada. No previous study has explored the barriers/facilitators of RTB using interviews. Methods: Phase one comprised qualitative telephone interviews with Ontario Urologists to determine barriers/facilitators to the use of RTB in practice. Phase two entailed a modified Delphi process with a panel of experts to determine the most critical barriers/facilitators to address for ongoing work. Results: Four barriers/facilitators were determined to be the most appropriate to address for ongoing work to promote the adoption of RTB in Ontario and included: 1) need for disseminating current Canadian Urological Association guidelines; 2) need for new Canadian guidelines for RTB; 3) Radiologists’ RTB technical skill; 4) Colleagues promoting RTB. Conclusion: This study provides Ontario healthcare with a tool that identified the most appropriate barriers/facilitators, along with interventions, to promote the adoption of RTB. | M.Sc. | healthcare, knowledge | 3, 4 |
| Bhuiya, Aunima Rahman | Kastner, Monika | Identifying Candidate Quality Indicators of Knowledge Translation Practice Tools that Support the Practice of Sustainability: A Scoping Review | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-06-01 | Knowledge translation (KT) and implementation science (IS) aim to bridge the research gap between what we know (research evidence) and what we do (practice and policy) in health. KT practice tools (KT-PTs) provide methods guidance across a wide range of KT domains such as dissemination, implementation, sustainability, scalability, and IKT. There is limited evidence-based guidance to determine which KT-PTs are the most relevant for their needs and help assess the overall quality of KT-PTs. As a first step, a scoping review was conducted to identify candidate quality indicators of KT-PTs, focusing on the sustainability domain of KT. The scoping review was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. The review identified and characterized 35 KT-PTs. 17 candidate quality indicators were identified across four categories. Findings of this scoping review will guide next steps and future studies to develop and evaluate a quality assessment tool for KT-PTs. | M.Sc. | knowledge, institut | 4, 16 |
| Craig, Joshua Eun-Song | Stinchcombe, John | Identifying Divergent Selection in Structured Populations of Daucus carota | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-03-01 | Determining causes of trait divergence between populations is a historically difficult task, as both selection and drift can instigate significant evolutionary change. Qst-Fst has been the most popular method for distinguishing between selection and drift but has numerous limitations making it unideal for most experimental designs. Recently, a new method analogous to Qst-Fst has been developed called Qpc. Qpc seeks to remedy certain limitations of Qst-Fst and provide a more accessible framework for testing trait divergence. In this paper, we apply Qpc to a comparatively small set of Daucus carota populations to test its applicability and efficacy, as well as identify drivers of evolution in D. carota. We affirm Qpc’s ability to identify selection by identifying adaptively divergent traits in D. carota and provide comparisons of Qpc to previous methodology. | M.Sc. | accessib | 11 |
| Lazic, Milan | Woodruff, Earl | Identifying Emotions Associated with the Mental States of Understanding | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | There is a lack of clarity regarding the fundamental nature of academic emotions as the relationship between academic emotions and understanding has not been investigated at the micro level. This study investigated the emotion profiles of cognitive disequilibrium, intrigue, engagement, achievement, contentment, and understanding to gain clarity regarding how academic emotions shape the process of working towards an understanding at the micro level. The participants were 189 MTurk workers (Mage = 35.35, SD=8.6). Participants associated emotions with these six states using the Mental States of Understanding and Emotions Questionnaire (MSE). Distinct emotion profiles were associated with each state and there were varying degrees of similarity between them. The results suggest that academic emotions proximally and distally shape understanding at the micro level in a comprehensive and cohesive manner. Future studies should elucidate the transitions between the six states as learners work towards an understanding in real time. | M.A. | worker, invest, transit | 8, 9, 11 |
| Cazorla-Bak, Melina Paulette | Hare, Gregory M. T.||Mazer, C. David | Impact of Anemia and SGLT-2 Inhibition on Renal Microvascular Oxygen Tension: Evidence for Renal Hypoxia Sensing | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Sodium glucose linked transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been demonstrated to improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus; by mechanisms unknown. Probability analyses have estimated that an increase in erythropoiesis may contribute to these positive outcomes. We have utilized translational animal models to investigate the impact of anemia, hyperoxia, and SGLT2 inhibitors in control and diabetic rats, to assess the impact of these treatments on renal microvascular PO2. We have demonstrated that anemia and hyperoxia alter the renal microvascular PO2 proportionally to arterial blood oxygen content. By contrast, rats with diabetes treated with the SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin showed decreased renal microvascular PO2 in the renal outer medullary region, increased renal erythropoietin RNA levels, and possible evidence of enhanced erythropoiesis. This suggests that mild renal tissue hypoxia is responsible for increasing hematocrit with SGLT2 inhibition, providing insight into the potential mechanism by which SGLT2 inhibition improves cardiovascular outcomes. | M.Sc. | invest, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Holowaty, Maksym Nicholas Huta | Moore, Daniel R | Impact of Leucine on the Intracellular Spatial Regulation of mTORC1 in Human Skeletal Muscle | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-11-01 | The present study used immunofluorescence methods to investigate the effect of dietary leucine on the postprandial intracellular regulation of mTORC1 trafficking and a readout of its activity in human skeletal muscle. In a crossover trial, eight recreationally active males ingested 2g of leucine or dileucine and had thigh muscle biopsies collected at rest, 30, 60 and 180 min following feeding. p-RPS6Ser240/244 was assessed across the total muscle fibre and in subcellular peripheral regions. Leucine, but not dileucine, ingestion promoted mTORC1 translocation to the cell periphery and enhanced p-RPS6Ser240/244 in peripheral (but not central) regions at 30 and 60 min. Additionally, p-RPS6Ser240/244 at 60 min was positively correlated with previously determined rates of MyoPS following leucine ingestion. The ability of leucine to activate mTORC1 in peripheral regions suggests an enhanced rate of MyoPS, as this is the intracellular space thought to be enriched in translation initiation factors, capillaries, and nutrient sensors. | M.Sc. | nutrition, trafficking, invest, trafficking | 2, 5, 16, 9 |
| Shakeri, Ahmad | Cadarette, Suzanne M | Impact of Policy Changes on Utilization of Community Medication Review Services in Ontario among People Living with Diabetes | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Since 2007, the Ontario government has funded pharmacy medication review services (MedsCheck Annual [MCA]) for residents taking 3+ chronic medications. In 2010, MedsCheck was broadened to include patients with diabetes (MCD). In 2016, a policy change added several components to Medscheck services, including diabetes-specific training for pharmacists and diabetes-specific education/goal-setting with patients. The objective of this thesis was to examine the impact of the 2010 and 2016 policy changes on the monthly rate of MedsCheck service delivery among adults living with diabetes. Using interrupted time-series analysis, our study demonstrated that the 2010 policy change slightly increased delivery of MedsCheck services, whereas the 2016 policy change resulted in a dramatic decline in the use of MedsCheck services; with evidence of possible displacement from MCD to MCA. Future research is needed to better understand the impact of the policy changes on access and effectiveness of MedsCheck services, and barriers/facilitators of MedsCheck implementation. | M.Sc. | reconciliation | 10 |
| Aujla, Tanroop | Seed, Mike||Morrison, Janna L | Impact of Resveratrol, a Uterine Artery Vasodilator, on Placental Oxygen Transport and Fetal Circulatory Physiology: Comparison with Maternal Hyperoxygenation | Physiology | 2020-11-01 | Increases in fetal oxygen delivery may be achieved by increasing uterine artery (UtA) blood flow with resveratrol (RSV) or by widening the transplacental partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) gradient with maternal hyperoxygenation (MH). Thus, we investigated the impact of chronic RSV on placental oxygen transport and fetal circulatory physiology in a sheep model of normal human pregnancy. We then compared the impact of RSV with an acute episode of MH. RSV resulted in significantly higher UtA blood flow than MH therapy. Despite this increase, there was no change in fetal oxygenation or hemodynamics compared to controls. MH resulted in increased fetal oxygenation compared to baseline and RSV fetuses. MH therapy also increased fetal pulmonary blood flow and reduced flow through the foramen ovale. Thus, our data suggests that in the setting of normal placental perfusion, MH has a greater impact on fetal oxygen delivery than increases in UtA blood flow. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Shafaque, Hisan Waleed | Bazylak, Aimy | Improving the Performance of Membrane Electrode Assembly CO2 Electrolyzers | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Detrimental ohmic and mass transport overvoltages experienced by the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) CO2 electrolyzer pose critical barriers to the transition from lab scale to large scale operation. The operating temperature was found to be a critical parameter for improving the performance as the power density was reduced by up to 35 % when increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 60 °C. At low current densities, increasing temperature also led to a 7 fold reduction in ohmic resistance. At higher current densities, overvoltages were dominated by distinct mass transport limitations at the gas diffusion electrodes. Additionally, a high current density of 755 mA/cm2 was reached by fully humidifying the reactant CO2. The power density was reduced by up to 30 % as a result of a 4-fold decrease in ohmic losses. The findings of this thesis provide valuable insights for achieving higher current densities at low cell voltages for CO2 electrolyzers. | M.A.S. | transit, carbon dioxide, co2 | 11, 13 |
| Oliva, Laura Elisabeth | Abrahamyan, Lusine||Horlick, Eric | Incidence of New-onset Atrial Fibrillation following Transcatheter Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale in Ontario | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2021-11-01 | Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been associated with an increased risk of cryptogenic stroke. Transcatheter closure (TC) is a commonly recommended intervention for PFO for selected patients. Some recent evidence, however, has implicated TC with increasing the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) post-closure. This thesis represents a comprehensive evaluation of the risk of AF following PFO closure. First, a systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized current evidence in the literature for new-onset AF in PFO patients following TC. Then, a random forest classification algorithm identified which patients underwent a PFO versus an atrial septal defect (ASD) closure in Ontario administrative database records. Lastly, identified PFO patients were evaluated for incidence of new-onset AF post-closure, which was relatively low. Diabetes and being over age 60 were predictors of post-closure AF in this population. Improvements in consistency of AF monitoring are needed to gauge the true risk of AF following TC. | M.Sc. | learning, forest | 4, 15 |
| Blanchard-Séguin, Camille | Farmer, Diane | Inclusion et Langue Française : Stratégies Linguistiques des Membres du Personnel Responsables des Groupes LGBTQ+ | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-06-01 | Cette étude explore les stratégies linguistiques utilisées par le personnel enseignant responsable des groupes LGBTQ+ dans des écoles de langue française en Ontario en demandant : « Quelles stratégies linguistiques le personnel enseignant responsable des groupes LGBTQ+ utilise-t-il en fonction de son rôle d’appui à la communauté LGBTQ+ dans l’école ? » et « Quelles sont les possibilités et les contraintes à l’utilisation de stratégies linguistiques inclusives de la communauté LGBTQ+ dans le contexte discursif des écoles de langue française de l’Ontario? ». Les données sont recueillies à l’aide d’une analyse de documents et de six entretiens semi-structurés avec des membres du personnel enseignant responsable de groupes LGBTQ+ dans des écoles de langue française en Ontario. L’étude révèle deux catégories de stratégies linguistiques, soit discursives et grammaticales, qui sont analysées selon cadres de la littératie queer de miller (2015) et des moments sécuritaires, positifs et queering de Goldstein et al. (2007). | M.A. | queer, lgbtq, minorit | 5, 10 |
| Munghen, Doug | Behdinan, Kamran | Incorporation of Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors in Additive Manufactured Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene for Strain Monitoring during Fatigue Loading | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This study investigates the characteristics of Fiber Braggs Grating (FBG) sensors with respect to their feasibility for use in additive manufactured materials under fatigue loading. This was done through tensile fatigue testing of both standard Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) specimens and ABS specimens containing FBG sensors. These sensors were incorporated into the material using two different techniques: inserting and embedding. Comparing fatigue test results between the specimen types showed that incorporating the FBGs into the material affected fatigue life differently depending on the load level, while also increasing the variation in fatigue life between specimens. The strain measurements of the embedded FBGs were seen to more closely resemble results from finite element simulations than were the measurements of the inserted FBGs, thus proving embedding to be the superior technique. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Goldberg , Rachel | Gong, Siew-Ging||Lévesque, Céline M | Inhibitory Effects of Streptococcus salivarius LAB813 on Cariogenic Microbial Biofilms | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Preliminary results suggest a strain of Streptococcus salivarius, LAB813, inhibits the growth of Streptococcus mutans (MS), a major cariogenic bacterial species. Our purpose was to quantify the inhibitory effects of LAB813 against MS in single and fungal-bacterial biofilms. MS and MS-Candida albicans biofilms were cultivated with glucose or sucrose for 6h or 24h and challenged with LAB813 at low or high cell concentration for 24h. LAB813 was highly effective at killing (>95%) 6h and 24h MS biofilms but not as effective at high cell concentration. In fungal-bacterial biofilms, the killing effect of LAB813 was only observed on mature biofilms. Bacterial extracts of LAB813 were shown to disrupt S. mutans biofilms and allow permeabilization of MS and Micrococcus luteus. LAB813 therefore possesses strong antimicrobial activity, possibly through induction of pore formation in target bacteria. Further work is needed to maximize LAB813 effectiveness against more complex oral polymicrobial biofilms. | M.Sc. | species, species | 14, 15 |
| Guo, Jing | Carter, Michael W | Innovation in Low Back Pain Care in Ontario – ISAEC Program Evaluation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-06-01 | This research investigated low back pain (LBP) management in the primary care setting and in the Inter-professional Spine Assessment and Education Clinics (ISAEC). We conducted a descriptive analysis to characterize the patient populations in the two settings. Further, we evaluated the impact of the ISAEC program on patients’ LBP progression using a pre- and post- analysis. Our analysis showed that on average, patients significantly improved on disability index, pain levels, quality of life, and psychological factors. Lastly, we investigated the medical services referrals, medication prescription and utilization patterns for patients in the two settings. Our analysis suggested high frequency of referrals to surgical consultations and diagnostic imaging by primary care physicians. Our analysis also showed that ISAEC patients decreased usage of pharmaceutical treatment 6 months after enrolling into the ISAEC program, while patients in the primary care setting continued to receive medications for the treatment and management of LBP. | M.A.S. | disabilit, invest | 3, 9 |
| Ngo, Hazel Leaming | Jenkins, Jennifer | Instructional Components and their Combinations for Teaching Empathy to Mental Health Practitioners and Trainees: Pairwise and Network Meta-analyses | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-03-01 | The current study investigated the most effective instructional components (didactic, rehearsal, reflection, observation, feedback, mindfulness), instructional component combinations, and program characteristics for teaching empathy to mental health practitioners. Thirty-seven studies were included (N = 1591). Data were pooled using random-effects pairwise and network meta-analyses. Overall, empathy interventions demonstrated a medium to large effect (d = .76, 95% CI = .57, .95). Pairwise analyses showed that didactic (d = .87 vs. d = .43, p = .03) and rehearsal components (d = .88 vs. d = .50, p = .05) were more effective, on average, than those that did not use these respective approaches. None of the program characteristics significantly impacted intervention effectiveness. Network analyses revealed didactic, rehearsal, and observation components were included among the most effective intervention combinations compared to other intervention combinations. | M.A. | mental health, mindfulness, invest | 3, 9 |
| Anderson, Manion James | Sarhangian, Vahid||Bodur, Merve | Integer and Stochastic Programming Approaches to Scheduling Nursing Staff at Long-term Care Homes | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | We study nurse scheduling problems for long-term care homes motivated by a collaboration with the City of Toronto Long Term Care Homes Services (LTCH) division. The current scheduling process at the LTCH division is time-consuming and the absenteeism rates are high among part-time nurses. First, we formalize a complex set of seniority requirements, incorporate nurse preferences into the scheduling process, and propose a hierarchical optimization procedure to generate schedules which maximize demand fulfillment and the preferences of the nurses. We develop a spreadsheet-based scheduling tool to automate the generation of schedules and discuss the results and challenges of an implementation at a large care home in Toronto. Second, we propose a stochastic version of the model which explicitly accounts for the uncertainty introduced by absenteeism. We investigate solution methods for the proposed model and find that the resulting schedules can lead to a considerable reduction in the absenteeism rate. | M.A.S. | labor, invest, consum | 8, 9, 12 |
| Barboza Zattar Paganin, Lucas | Sarhangian, Vahid | Integrated Modelling of Statistical Process Control and Maintenance | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Quality of products has been a major concern in various industries due to increasing competition. Maintenance of machines and production processes is a key factor in ensuring high quality of the products. In addition, control charts have long been utilized to monitor variation in the production process. In this thesis, we propose a Semi-Markov Decision Process (SMDP) model to integrate Statistical Process Control (SPC) and maintenance operations. The objective is to determine jointly optimal maintenance and process control policies that minimize the total long-run average costs comprised of maintenance and monitoring costs. We propose a policy iteration algorithm to find the optimal parameters. Finally, we illustrate the results and benefits of integrated SPC and maintenance using a numerical case study. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Jat, Harpreet Kaur | Licht, Christoph | Intracellular Complement: Activation and Expression in Human Skeletal Muscle Myotubes Under Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Stress | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-03-01 | The complement system was known to be mainly liver-derived and being effective in the serum, however, a concept of intracellular complement has emerged, where local production of complement has nonconical roles in various cell types. We have discovered a novel production of complement C3 in skeletal muscle myotubes, and we hypothesized that it can be stimulated under pro-inflammatory cytokines stress. This study utilizes human myotubes differentiated in serum-free conditions to study skeletal muscle C3. Our results show that pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 6, and interleukin 1 beta increase both the expression and activation of C3 in myotubes. Moreover, pro-inflammatory cytokine stress induces intracellular C3 deposition which can activate membrane attack complex. In addition, the proteolytic activity of Cathepsin L might be important for intracellular C3 activation in myotubes. This study will help us further elucidate the new phenomenon of intracellularly functional complement in the context of muscle inflammation. | M.Sc. | production | 12 |
| Hadian Haghighi, Kimia | Roshan Fekr, Atena||Fernie, Geoff | Introducing a New Performance Metric to Quantify the Risk of Exposure to Infection Using Electronic Monitoring Systems | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) are infections that were not present or incubating at the time of patient admission and are contracted during the process of care. These infections contribute to significant morbidity and mortality each year. Hand Hygiene (HH) is one of the most effective ways to prevent HAIs. The measures used to calculate and report HH performance are not able to fully benefit from the high-resolution data collected by electronic monitoring systems. This work leverages the advancement of intelligent systems to bridge the gap between HH reports and the risk of acquiring infections for patients. This thesis introduces a metric for estimating the risk of exposure to infections for patients in healthcare settings using the existing electronic monitoring systems. The proposed metric can be used to measure the risk of infection for healthcare workers who are at a high risk of infection. | M.A.S. | healthcare, hygien, worker | 3, 6, 8 |
| Ma, Shengyu | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Inventory Management using Reinforcement Learning | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | As a significant part of a supply chain, inventory management can involve predicting purchases from customers and controlling order fulfillment. In this thesis, we proposed a Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) algorithm, combined with a local search optimization algorithm for search space reduction and a time series prediction model based on encoder-decoder structure and Bayesian optimization for demand forecasting to tackle an inventory allocation problem from Nestlé Canada, which is a sequential decision problem where we need to minimize the total monthly shortage of supply penalty charged by different companies by suggesting an optimized allocation plan every day with limited inventory on hand and unknown future orders. MCTS is a heuristic search algorithm that has been proved to be powerful in various decision processes, for example board games. In this thesis we introduced a variant of MCTS and showed that MCTS and reinforcement learning can also be effective in inventory management problems. | M.A.S. | learning, supply chain | 4, 12 |
| Ramlakhan, Jessica Usha | Gagliardi, Anna R. | Investigating a Question Prompt List to Support Patient-Centred Care for Women with Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-06-01 | Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) lead to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Clinicians, and consequently women, are unaware of this link. Question prompt lists (QPL) may improve patient-centred care (PCC) by supporting discussions about HDP and CVD risk.Methods: This thesis included a scoping review to identify the characteristics of effective QPLs; and qualitative interviews to understand how a QPL might support PCC for women with HDP. Results: The scoping review included 53 studies. QPLs were most commonly 1 page long and had 38 questions. Interviews included 22 women with HDP. All women said a QPL would improve PCC, by raising awareness about HDP and CVD risk, helping them avoid clinician dismissal, and helping them prepare for consultations. Conclusions: This thesis contributes to a greater understanding of QPLs, and PCC for women with HDP, which may ultimately lead to improved PCC and equality in the healthcare system. | M.Sc. | healthcare, women, invest, equalit | 3, 5, 9, 10 |
| Alushaj, Denada | Ito, Rutsuko||Lee, Andy CH | Investigating a Role of the Lateral Entorhinal Cortex in Temporal Duration Memory: Contextual Discrimination of Temporal Sequences | Psychology | 2021-06-01 | The lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) is proposed to be a site of origin of a timing signal that is transmitted to the hippocampus for the generation of episodic time. However, the LEC’s role in temporal duration memory remains elusive. The present study investigated effects of LEC inactivation on retrieval and acquisition of temporal duration memory. Rats were trained on a novel temporal duration task to discriminate event sequences comprising cues of differing durations. Rats learned to press a lever for food reward upon hearing one auditory sequence and another lever for reward for a second sequence. Pharmacogenetic inactivation of the LEC post-acquisition left memory expression intact on tests of recognition memory. In a subsequent experiment, inactivation of the LEC prior to daily training revealed behavioural differences in early acquisition that diminished with time. These data implicate the LEC in early encoding, but likely not retrieval, of temporal duration memories. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Musgrave, Brennen Philip Alured | Gilbert, Penney M | Investigating Denervation Atrophy Through Prolonged Culture of Engineered Skeletal Muscle Tissues: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Modern advancements in 3D skeletal muscle tissue engineering have provided an opportunity to develop a cell-based denervation culture model. The opening approach to establish denervation atrophy in vitro was through the prolonged culture of human immortalized 3D engineered skeletal muscle tissues. Myotube diameter, sarcomere organization, and calcium handling properties were assessed across a wide range of experimental endpoints to establish a purely myogenic tissue healthspan. A pattern of increasing muscle maturation for the first two weeks, then a slow decrease due to deterioration was observed. While evidence of denervation atrophy was detected, evidence of biomechanical instability was also implicated. Additionally, tissue variability and failure hindered results and prevented well drawn conclusions. Fibroblast co-cultures were constructed to improve tissue consistency, but experiments were unsuccessful. Thus, while this model holds promise, tissue variability and failure need to be reduced before further development and validation can be achieved. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Kim, William Sang-Hyuk | MacIntosh, Bradley J | Investigating dynamic cerebral blood flow response in a randomized controlled trial | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be well-suited to evaluate treatment response in psychiatric clinical trials. This thesis reports on a proof-of-concept, double-blind, in-scanner, midazolam-controlled trial, in which 25 adults with refractory bipolar depression were randomized to receive either: 1) inhaled nitrous oxide plus intravenous saline, or 2) intravenous midazolam plus inhaled medical air. Pseudo-continuous ASL MRI monitored changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) concurrently with treatment interventions. Relative to midazolam, nitrous oxide led to increases in CBF across frontal regions, including the anterior cingulate and ventral prefrontal cortices, and decreases in arterial transit time (ATT) across frontal and parietal regions. Furthermore, baseline CBF within frontal regions-of-interest was associated with greater improvements in depressive symptoms following nitrous oxide treatment. In conclusion, this thesis supports the use of ASL in the evaluation of drug efficacy for individuals suffering from bipolar depression. | M.Sc. | invest, transit | 9, 11 |
| Kwan, Alexander Yew Jin | Lefebvre, Julie | Investigating Molecular Signatures of GABAergic Neuron Populations in the Developing Cerebellum | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11-01 | The cerebellar GABAergic lineage is comprised of a diverse population of neurons that arise from a common Ptf1-a progenitor. They are generated in a precise spatiotemporal schedule with the help of environmental cues. However, it is unclear what molecular signatures distinguish GABAergic populations during development. The aims of my thesis were to analyze gene expression profiles of developing GABAergic cells from cerebellar single-cell RNA sequencing data, and to identify and validate new markers for interneuron subpopulations. Through dimensionality reduction and pseudotemporal ordering methods, I identified known and novel transcriptional GABAergic lineage markers. To validate my single-cell profiling findings, I developed a script to create oligonucleotide probes for single molecule in situ hybridization (smFISH). I characterized Igfbp5 expression in murine cerebellar tissue and revealed that Igfbp5 is expressed in Golgi cells during embryonic development and downregulated at maturity. My findings provide insight into our understanding of cerebellar neuron diversity. | M.Sc. | invest, environmental, fish | 9, 13, 14 |
| Wong, Siena | Bender, Timothy P. | Investigating New Directions for Boron Subphthalocyanines: Formation of Intentional Organic Alloys and π-extension to Boron Subanthracocyanines | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-03-01 | Boron subphthalocyanines (BsubPcs) have become materials of interest in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to their strong absorption in the visible spectrum and their ease of synthetic tuning. Synthetic modification at the axial boron-linked group and peripheral isoindoline sites have been well studied. Two under-explored methods of modification include alloy formation through careful mixing of compatible BsubPcs and π-expansion of the BsubPc framework to form the fused triple-benzene ring variant, the boron subanthracocyanine (BsubAc). While there is some literature on boron subnaphthalocyanine (BsubNc) alloys and BsubPc mixtures, the work in this thesis expands on the understanding of BsubPc alloying. Peripherally- and axially-varied mixtures of BsubPcs were shown to be co-crystallizable into a singular lattice. The axially-varied mixtures were tested in OPV devices where the mixture layer behaved as an alloyed material of unique properties. One potential pathway to BsubAc synthesis was identified and tested, exhausting all available reaction parameters. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Deng, Yufeng | Touchie, Marianne | Investigating Occupants’ Hold Behaviours on Smart Thermostats using Data Mining and Machine Learning | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis investigated three aspects of hold behaviour on smart thermostat. First, the behavioural patterns of occupants’ settings were discovered by using association rule mining. The results suggest that it is very common for users to continuously use holds to adjust indoor temperature rather than using pre-set schedules of setpoint temperatures. Second, logistic regression and clustering analysis were adopted to determine the potential environmental and context factors that drive occupants to create a hold. It was found that the indoor or outdoor temperature are the most common and important potential driving factors. Last, the energy impact of hold behaviours is investigated by using predictive models. The results shows that the runtime increase due to holds is possibly linearly related to the Setpoint Temperature Demand Change, a metric that considers both temperature change and length of a hold. | M.A.S. | learning, energy, invest, environmental | 4, 7, 9, 13 |
| Wilkinson, Sydney Ann | McMeans, Bailey | Investigating Pathways of Energy Transfer in Freshwater Food Webs | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2020-06-01 | In complex ecological systems it is difficult to classify all interacting species, especially when the number of interacting organisms can be high, and species can respond differently to the same environment. Biochemical biotracers are useful tools to tease apart trends in food web structure through changing seasons. I used a novel biotracer and determined the presence of two highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) isomers in freshwater food webs of two temperate lakes. For the first time, my study demonstrated HBI trophic transfer from lower producers up to higher consumers. I then broadened these results by determining how fatty acid biotracers representative of three different energetic pathways change seasonally in top trophic position fish. Using and combining biotracer tools is important since lake ecosystems are facing multiple interacting stressors (e.g. eutrophication, climate change). The biotracers applied in my thesis helped provide a better understanding of the processes that shape food web structure. | M.Sc. | water, energy, invest, consum, climate, fish, species, ecosystem, ecolog, species, ecosystem | 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Mahmud, Faiza Azreen | Hamani, Clement||Popovic, Milos R | Investigating the Behavioural and Antiapoptotic Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation in a Model of Moderate-to-severe Traumatic Brain Injury | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a neurological event where an external mechanical force to the brain can lead to devastating effects on physical, cognitive, and/or behavioural function in humans. Currently, no therapeutic approach is substantially efficient in treating prolonged secondary injury from TBI. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure used tomanage debilitating symptoms in motor disorders. While DBS is demonstrated to modulate targeted brain circuitry, its underlying mode of action is yet to be determined. This thesis hypothesizes that high-frequency acute DBS delivered to the anterior thalamic nucleus (ANT) will lead to recovery of memory deficits and reduce anxiety-type behaviour in a well-established TBI rodent model, through a decrease in apoptosis. Salient findings suggest: (i) Acute stimulation of the ANT improved spatial memory in rats with moderate-to-severe TBI, compared to rats receiving no DBS; however, (ii) anti-apoptotic effects after ANT-DBS, as assessed via caspase-3 measurements, were inconclusive. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Saber, Israa Abdelfattah | Santerre, Paul JP | Investigating the Biodegradability of Polyurethane/Gelatin Electrospun Scaffolds for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Polycarbonate-urethanes have been used for tissue engineering and biomedical engineering applications, but an understanding of their degradation and interactions with biopolymers such gelatin remains and area where more knowledge is still needed. In this thesis, a linear polycarbonate polyurethane (PCNU) was blended with the gelatin (PCNU molecular weight ~145,000 g/mol polystyrene equivalent, gelatin bloom strength 225) and electrospun into aligned nanofibrous scaffolds. The scaffolds were subjected to accelerated enzymatic degradation and assessed for degradation rate, molecular weight changes in the PCNU, hydrogen bonding between the PCNU and gelatin, and changes to the crystalline structure of the PCNU. This work showed very unique interactions between the PCNU and gelatin, which were not anticipated and provided for differentiated degradation profiles relative to the native PCNU. The findings suggest a different degradation mechanism for PCNU when blended with gelatin, as compared to PCNU. The degradation products of the scaffolds were tested for cytotoxicity by treating cultured human endothelial cells to the collected supernatants and assessing for viability and proliferation of the cells. The degradation products did not show an adverse effect on the cells. | M.A.S. | knowledge, invest | 4, 9 |
| Zakat-Roshandel, Mahtab | Gu, Frank | Investigating the Colorimetric Response of Surfactant Capped Gold Nanoparticles | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11-01 | Gold nanoparticles are popular colorimetric agents. The colour of a gold nanoparticle solution is dependent on the nanoparticle size, shape, etc. The colorimetric response of gold nanoparticles stems from their aggregation in different conditions and exposure to analyte(s) they have been programmed to react to. This work uses surfactants/polymers as nanoparticle capping agents for two distinctly different types of nanoparticles. Each surfactant/polymer might be used as a capping agent for one or both type of nanoparticles under investigation. The nanoparticles display a number of different colours, colour intensities, and timed responses to particular testing media. The behaviour of each differently capped nanoparticle sample is investigated separately, two-surfactant systems are explored in terms of enhanced stability, and a few nanoparticle mixtures are examined for the development of a wearable time sensing device. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Syed, Bilal Hussain | Kushki, Azadeh | Investigating the Contributions of Physiological Arousal and Emotion Regulation to Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Up to 84% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience clinically significant anxiety, negatively impacting their academic achievement, employment outcomes, and health. Despite its significance, few evidence-based interventions exist for anxiety in ASD. A key challenge is that underlying factors remain largely unknown. Two mechanisms suggested to underlie anxiety in ASD are difficulties with emotion regulation (ER) and atypical physiological arousal.I investigate physiological arousal, indexing overall arousal and parasympathetic nervous system activity, during resting state and emotionally-arousing tasks in a sample of children with ASD as well as a typically developing (TD) sample. I then explore associations between arousal and ER in these samples. Finally, I test potential relational models explaining associations between arousal, ER, and anxiety. Results display differences in arousal within the ASD sample, associations between arousal and ER, as well as initial support for the proposed models explaining anxiety in ASD. | M.A.S. | employment, invest | 8, 9 |
| Nguyen, Jenny | Kushki, Azadeh | Investigating the Determinants of Social Communication Differences in Neurodevelopmental Disorders | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Social communication differences can negatively impact long-term outcomes for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is evidence to suggest that demographic factors, IQ, sensory processing, attention, language, and repetitive, restrictive behaviours contribute to social communication. However, the determinants of social communication are studied independently of each other, and there is little consideration for the interplay between them. To address this literature gap, we used structural equation modelling techniques to understand the differential contribution of these factors to social communication in a combined sample of individuals with ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as typically developing individuals. We found that a combination of factors, rather than one singular factor, contributed to social communication differences. Ultimately, by understanding the factors that contribute to social communication, we hope to be able to target specific skills or behaviours and to create personalized supports for individuals with ASD. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Zhou, Yuxiao | Liu, Xinyu | Investigating the Effects of Cyclic Stretching on Lung Cancer Cells using an Automated Microfluidic System | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Despite extensive past lung cancer research, there still lacks an understanding of the relationship between the disease and its environmental factors, notably the cyclic mechanical stress induced by breathing. Here, a cell stretching platform, consisting of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based cell culture device and a vacuum pump-based actuation system controlled and automated by an Arduino microcontroller was proposed to induce physiologically relevant levels of stretching stimuli on PC-9 human lung cancer cells. This system is inexpensive and easy to use, and ahs a novel membrane design that allows the platform to be miniaturized and operated in cell culture incubators. Results show cyclic stretching altered PC-9 cell morphology and reduced cell viability. Stretched cells also exhibited lower expressions of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin as well as higher expressions of mesenchymal markers and EMT transcription factors such as ZEB1/2 and Twist1/2. Stretching also led to increased cell motility due to the deterioration of vinculin. | M.A.S. | invest, environmental | 9, 13 |
| Vizely, Katrina Helen | Radisic, Milica | Investigating the Impact of a Peptide Modified Hydrogel on Dermal Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Chronic wounds and excessive scarring represent large problems globally. Clinical efforts to facilitate effective wound healing and closure require a moist environment where coordinated process can occur. As a therapeutic for chronic wounds, Q-Peptide has been chemically conjugated to a chitosan-collagen hydrogel to maintain a stable wet healing environment, with demonstrated accelerated keratinocyte migration and immune modulation. Despite the observed functional efficacy of this peptide biomaterial in animal models, the direct effect on adult dermal fibroblasts and epithelial cells have not been investigated. This study has provided important insight into the direct impact of Q-Peptide on fibroblasts and keratinocytes, the main cells responsible for healthy wound healing. Using a deconstructed in vitro model to investigate these cell populations individually, we observed an anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory response that is temporally regulated alongside an appropriate early ECM deposition. | M.A.S. | invest, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Hadj-Moussa, Firdous | Andrysek, Jan | Investigating the Impact of Running-specific Prostheses Use for Children and Youth with Lower Limb Absence | Biomedical Engineering | 2020-11-01 | For children and youth with lower limb absence, the functionality of their prostheses plays an important role in sport participation. The limited functionality of daily-use prostheses (DUPs) necessitates the use of specialized devices such as running-specific prostheses (RSPs); however, much remains unknown regarding their use in paediatric populations. The thesis objective is to investigate the impact of RSP use for children and youth. First, a systematic literature review about running biomechanics using RSPs was conducted which explored the compensatory strategies used by amputees. Second, a study protocol for the evaluation of paediatric RSP running biomechanics is proposed and the intrasession reliability of the start-stop task was assessed in typically developing children. Third, a qualitative analysis through semi-structured interviews was conducted to understand children’s experiences using RSPs. In conclusion, RSPs have positively contributed to children’s participation in sports; however, design improvements can still be made to better suit children’s needs. | M.H.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Mazilescu, Laura Ioana | Robinson, Lisa A||Selzner, Markus | Investigating the Impact of Temperature and Oxygen on Preservation Injury after Ex vivo Kidney Perfusion | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Kidney transplantation improves the lives of patients with end-stage kidney disease, and extends their life expectancy. Ex vivo machine perfusion has been extensively explored in past years for the storage and assessment of expanded criteria kidney grafts and donation after cardiac death grafts. Both normothermic and hypothermic machine perfusion techniques have benefits and shortcomings. In a porcine model, we found that grafts preserved with continuous and end-ischemic normothermic ex vivo machine perfusion (NEVKP) show better graft function demonstrated by lower peak serum creatinine and higher creatinine clearance than grafts preserved with hypothermic machine perfusion with and without oxygen. Moreover, we demonstrated that subnormothermic and normothermic machine perfusion result in comparable graft function after transplantation, even if metabolic function is reduced during subnormothermic perfusion. In a pilot clinical study, we evaluated graft and patient survival after end-ischemic NEVKP and could demonstrate the safety and feasibility of NEVKP for human deceased donor transplantation. | M.Sc. | invest, regeneration | 9, 15 |
| Sundby, Adam | Claycomb, Julie | Investigating the Interplay between Germ Granules and sRNA Pathways in C. elegans | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Germ granules are phase-separated, membrane-less organelles present only in the germlines of animals. The C. elegans germline contains four distinct germ granules (P granules, Z granule, Mutator foci, and SIMR foci) that contain numerous sRNA pathway components and have been implicated in the proper functions of many sRNA pathways, which consist of AGOs and sRNAs (miRNAs, piRNA, and endo-siRNAs). In this thesis I will address the relationship between germ granules and sRNA pathways in C. elegans by examining the overlap of five of the eight AGOs that localize to germ granules in the young adult stage with P and Z granules, and how AGO localization and germ granules change in ago mutants. Finally, I will also briefly discuss the establishment of a system to identify new germ granules proteins through BioID. | M.Sc. | invest, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Mahmood, Sehrish | Siminovitch, Katherine | Investigating the Mechanistic Basis of T-cell Functional Regulation Mediated by PTPN2-WAVE2 interaction | Medical Science | 2019-11-01 | PTPN2 is implicated in risk for various autoimmune diseases; however, the mechanistic interactions involved in PTPN2-mediated T-cell regulation remain elusive. The Siminovitch lab has identified actin regulatory protein WAVE2 as a PTPN2 interacting partner from T-cells. To assess the mechanism whereby this interaction influences T-cell function, we investigated the possibility that PTPN2-WAVE2 binding enables PTPN2 to shuttle nucleocytoplasmically to modulate regulators of T-cell responses. Here, we show that WAVE2 and PTPN2 translocate to the nucleus after IL-4 treatment, together with increased WAVE2 binding to PTPN2 C-terminus, thereby giving PTPN2 access to its nuclear substrates. PTPN2 nuclear translocation is impaired in WAVE2-deficient T-cells and pSTATs levels are significantly altered in WAVE2-deficient and overexpressing T-cells compared to wild-type after γc cytokine treatment. These findings show that WAVE2 may regulate PTPN2 nuclear translocation, consequently, regulating PTPN2-mediated dephosphorylation of nuclear pSTATs. Together, these results reveal a significant role for PTPN2-WAVE2 interaction in T-cell regulation. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ko, Alice Li-Ju | Andrulis, Irene L||Wunder, Jay S | Investigating the Potential of Isolating and Expanding Lymphocytes from Adult Sarcoma | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-03-01 | Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal neoplasms, which many are associated with a high risk of metastasis and poor prognosis. Conventional chemotherapy and targeted therapies have varying effects across individuals and tumour subtypes. They frequently provide limited clinical benefit; hence, more effective treatments are urgently needed. Recent advances in immunotherapy – such as checkpoint inhibition or adoptive cell therapy (ACT) – show potential in increasing efficacy by providing a more personalized treatment. Through optimizing an expansion protocol for tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from primary sarcoma samples, TILs were isolated and cultured from 55 of 92 patients. The isolated TILs varied in CD4+ and CD8+ Tcell compositions and retain their ability to release IFNγ upon stimulation. Overall, I have identified TILs in a subset of sarcomas; furthermore, by expanding and characterizing these TIL populations I have developed a means by which this can potentially be applied towards ACT in he future. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Lorenz, Bradi Rai | Mainwaring, Lynda | Investigating the Relationships between Menstrual Cycle, Progesterone, and Concussion in Female Athletes | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-03-01 | Sport related concussion is a traumatic brain injury induced by biomechanical forces. Progesterone, a female sex hormone, is thought to be neuroprotective and may have implications in concussion. The current study examined how changes in hormone levels may affect menstrual functioning and outcomes after concussion in university athletes. The influence of progesterone was examined in relation to variation in the menstrual cycle and the severity of symptoms post-concussion. Specifically, our findings suggest that there may be changes in menstrual cycle patterns and neuroendocrine disturbances occurring after concussion in female athletes. Additionally, progesterone may have a neuroprotective effect as its increased concentration is associated with decreases in symptom severity acutely after concussion. Findings from this study are informative for future research aiming to explore the influence of female sex hormones in the field of concussion and brain injury. | M.Sc. | female, invest, urban | 5, 9, 11 |
| Luong, William | Fehlings, Michael G | Investigating the Response of Neural Precursor Cells to Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition causing lifelong disability for over one million North Americans. While human neural precursor cell transplantation (hNPC) has shown promise in early stages of the injury, the glial scar chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) remains a barrier to neuroregeneration in the chronic stages. Here, we aim to investigate if CSPG inhibits neuroregenerative mechanisms of hNPCs by using RNA-sequencing to explore the transcriptome of hNPCs exposed to CSPG in vitro. Our results show that hNPC global transcriptional activity is repressed and that hNPCs upregulate key genes, LINGO4 and NRTN. Gene ontology analysis reveals that upregulated genes are associated with inhibiting neurogenesis, reducing neuronal differentiation and cell migration while downregulated genes are associated with the immune response. Ultimately, we uncover key genes that could be targeted to overcome the CSPG-mediated inhibition and used to bioengineer improved hNPC therapies for chronic SCI. | M.Sc. | disabilit, invest, regeneration | 3, 9, 15 |
| Han, Jong Jin | Luk, Cynthia T | Investigating the Role of Adipocyte YAP in Glucose Homeostasis and Adipose Tissue Fibrosis | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Adipose tissue is a dynamic metabolic organ that is essential for the regulation of whole-body glucose homeostasis. Adipose tissue hypertrophy with obesity is positively associated with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance underlying type 2 diabetes. Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) is a transcription cofactor important in the Hippo signaling pathway. However, the role of YAP in adipose tissue and glucose homeostasis is unknown. We found that YAP protein levels increase in adipose tissue with weight gain and insulin resistance. On a high-fat diet (HFD), adipocyte-specific YAP knockout mice show improved glucose tolerance compared to controls. Additionally, loss of adipocyte YAP protects against obesity-induced adipose tissue fibrosis. Together, these data indicate that YAP increases in adipose tissue with weight gain and disruption of YAP in adipocytes improves glucose tolerance and decreases the development of fibrosis; suggesting that adipocyte YAP plays an important role in modulating glucose homeostasis under metabolic stress conditions. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Geng, Betty | Goring, Daphne | Investigating the Role of BRASSIKIN1 (BKN1) in the Compatible Pollen-stigma Interactions in Arabidopsis Species | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | The basal compatible pollen response pathway in the stigma is initiated upon recognition of compatible pollen. A previous attempt to identify candidate genes in this signal transduction pathway led to the discovery of two tandemly-linked genes that encode pseudokinases, BRASSIKIN1 (BKN1) and BKN2. Interestingly, Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 is predicted to encode a truncated BKN1, but A. thaliana Hh-0 and Arabidopsis lyrata BKN1 genes encode full length proteins. The A. thaliana bkn2 mutant in the Col-0 accession showed a mild pollen hydration defect when wild-type pollen was placed on the mutant stigmas, and the bkn1-bkn2 double mutant did not show additional defects. To further understand the role of BKN1 in the compatible pollen pathway, BKN1 cDNAs from A. lyrata and A. thaliana Hh-0 were used to complement the bkn1-3 bkn2-5 mutant. Additionally, BKN1 deletions were generated in the A. thaliana Hh-0 accession with the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Results show that BKN1 complementation restored the minor pollen hydration defects when wild-type pollen was placed on stigmas from the complementation lines, and no significant fertility defect was seen in A. thaliana Hh-0 bkn1 mutants, both results suggesting the functional redundancy between BKN1 and BKN2. | M.Sc. | invest, species, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Talukder, Parama Madhura | Tepass, Ulrich | Investigating the Role of Crumbs in Tissue Growth Regulation of Drosophila Imaginal Wing Discs | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Crumbs (Crb) is an apical determinant which also causes neoplastic overgrowth when overexpressed in imaginal disc epithelia. My work shows that both the conserved binding sites within the Crb cytoplasmic tail, the FDB and PDB, contribute to the Crb-induced neoplastic phenotype. Downstream of Crb overexpression, the JAK/STAT proliferative pathway, and excessive division in general are required for mediating not only the excess tissue growth but also the loss of epithelial integrity, a key feature of the neoplastic phenotype. Finally, my work uncovered a novel role of Crb overexpression levels in eliciting distinct JNK signaling responses. Moderate Crb overexpression levels caused JNK-dependent overproliferation as was anticipated based on previous findings. In contrast, high levels of Crb overexpression had JNK-dependent pro-apoptotic activity. These findings reveal Crb as a unique tumour oncogene among polarity factors, and open avenues for further investigations into Crb ability to direct downstream proliferative or apoptotic responses. | M.Sc. | invest, conserv, conserv | 9, 14, 15 |
| To, Lydia Chi-Man | Salmena, Leonardo | Investigating the Role of Inositol Polyphosphate 4-Phosphatase Type II (INPP4B) in Pancreatic Cancer | Pharmacology | 2019-11-01 | Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, with 5-year survival rates of less than 5%. Survival analyses of pancreatic cancer patient databases revealed that high expression of Inositol Polyphosphate 4-Phosphatase Type II (INPP4B) was associated with poor survival. Thus, we hypothesized that INPP4B promotes pancreatic cancer aggressiveness. Herein, the functional role of INPP4B on pancreatic cancer cell biology was explored in vitro. Analyses of independent patient databases revealed that INPP4B is frequently upregulated in pancreatic tumours compared to normal cells. Exogenous INPP4B expression in vitro enhanced proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, clonogenic potential, migration, invasion, and resistance to gemcitabine, a standard of care agent in pancreatic cancer therapy. Conversely, INPP4B knockdown attenuated these phenotypes. The underlying perturbations in signalling mechanisms associated with INPP4B remain unclear, however these findings support a tumour promoting function for INPP4B in pancreatic cancer, with implications for the development of novel therapy targeting INPP4B. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Anwar, Zobia | Rhee, Ho-sung HSR | Investigating the Role of Onecut1 in Establishment of Cell- type-specific Enhancers during Mouse Motor Neuron Differentiation | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Spinal motor neuron identity is established by three programming transcription factors (TFs): Ngn2, Isl1 and Lhx3. Isl1 and Lhx3 TFs bind to enhancers in nascent motor neurons regulating expression of many effector genes. In maturing motor neurons, Lhx3 downregulation results in relocation of Isl1 to Onecut1 TF bound enhancers. I characterized the role of Onecut1 in spinal motor neuron differentiation using CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate a Onecut1 mutant mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line, followed by in-vitro differentiation of these ES cells into spinal motor neurons. Analysis for global gene expression changes revealed attenuated expression of a subset of motor neuron genes. Whereas, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) showed global redistribution of Isl1 binding and changes in enhancer activity in absence of Onecut1. Together, my analyses revealed association of Onecut1 with expression of a subset of neuronal genes via protein-protein interaction with Isl1 at motor neuron enhancers. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Sathaseevan, Anson | Derry, W. Brent | Investigating the role of the RNA-binding protein CFIM-1 in the germline of Caenorhabditis elegans | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11-01 | The gene cfim-1 encodes a subunit of the heterotetrameric CFIm complex, which is part of the broader array of core cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) factors responsible for maturation of pre-mRNAs. In this work, I uncover a novel function for cfim-1 in the germline of Caenorhabditis elegans. Ablation of cfim-1 results in a temperature-sensitive reduction in fecundity with associated morphological changes to the organization of germ cell nuclei. Further analyses imply that the CFIm complex might inhibit recruitment of other factors required for CPA events at 3′ UTRs in a site-selective manner, suggesting a novel regulatory mechanism. In concert, these results highlight how fine-tuning of regulating cleavage and polyadenylation events is crucial in post-embryonic development. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Patel, Ayushi | Wyatt, Haley | Investigating the Temporal Dynamics of SMX Assembly and Disassembly throughout the Cell Cycle | Biochemistry | 2022-03-01 | Genome instability is a hallmark of cancer. The accurate removal of replication and recombination intermediates is essential for maintaining genome stability. Structure-selective endonucleases, such as the SMX complex, are required to resolve such structures. SMX is composed of three structure-selective endonucleases called SLX1-SLX4, MUS81-EME1, and XPF-ERCC1. Human SLX4 provides the scaffold for assembling these proteins into a tri- nuclease complex. SMX is formed predominately in prometaphase, however, it is still unclear how this complex disassembles in humans. The goal of my thesis was to determine when and how the SMX complex disassembles in human cells. My work showed that the assembly of SMX peaks in early mitosis and then declines in late mitosis. This suggests that the SMX complex does not have an “on” and “off” switch for assembly and disassembly. Future experiments are required to understand the molecular mechanism that triggers SMX disassembly. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Pan, Chuxi | Moraes, Trevor | Investigation of a Potential Slam-dependent Secreted Protein in Vibrio harveyi | Biochemistry | 2019-11-01 | Vibrio harveyi is a Gram-negative bacterium predominantly existing in marine environments. It has a wide host range infecting various marine animals. A Slam-containing gene cluster was identified in V. harveyi. Slam and Slam substrates are bacterial proteins usually associated with bacterial virulence. My project was to determine the Slam-dependency, structure and ligand of a V. harveyi Slam substrate named PUF1. In this study, I successfully reconstituted Slam- dependent secretion of PUF1 in E.coli cells. Using X-ray crystallography, I determined the structure of PUF1, illustrating it has a comparable tertiary structure to those of previously identified Slam substrates consisting of a b-handle domain and a b-barrel domain. The structure of PUF1 and spectroscopic analysis disclosed the role of PUF1 as hemophore. Interestingly, unlike previously identified Slam substrates that are surface lipoproteins, PUF1 is not attached to the cell surface. Rather, PUF1 is a secreted protein reporting a new type of Slam substrate. | M.Sc. | invest, marine, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Lao, Victor | Saltzman, Arneet L | Investigation of Chromodomain Proteins, CEC-3 and CEC-6, in Maintenance of Germline Immortality | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Germline immortality describes the ability of the germ cell lineage to be continuously passed down and, in C. elegans, is protected by proper regulation of histone modifications and small RNA pathways. Loss of two C. elegans chromodomain containing proteins that are able to recognize histone H3 Lysine(K) 9 (H3K9) and H3K27 methylation in vitro, CEC-3 and CEC-6, results in transgenerational progressive sterility. To understand how CEC-3 and CEC-6 protect germline immortality, I used several established phenotypic and transgenic reporter assays for gene silencing. I found roles of CEC-3 and CEC-6 in silencing of repetitive transgenes. I also identified roles in regulating nuclear RNA interference and the duration of inheritance of a germline directed RNA interference response. Together, my results suggest a role for chromodomain proteins in the small RNA and chromatin silencing pathways that protect germline immortality. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Saleem, Afifa | Carlen, Peter L. | Investigation of Human Cerebral Organoids as an Enhanced Platform for Developmental Epilepsy Modelling | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Approximately 1% of the world population suffers from epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by repeated seizures. In vitro models that capture the complexity of the human neuronal system in its early development do not exist. Cerebral organoids, derived from human iPSC lines and human embryonic stem cells, carry the potential to model developmental neurological disorders beyond the capacity of current in vitro models. To date, a detailed electrophysiological analysis of developmental epileptic phenotypes in cerebral organoids has not been performed. Here, cerebral organoids are employed to functionally characterize neonatal seizures in cerebral organoids using traditional electrophysiological methods and engineering analysis methods to reveal features of interest in an induced and genetic model of epilepsy – neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and WWOX-related epileptic encephalopathy, respectively. This work forms the basis of establishing benchmark features for the investigation of specific mechanisms and development of targeted therapies for developmental epileptic encephalopathies in cerebral organoids. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| McClarty, Davis | Amon, Cristina | Investigation of the Relationship between Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Hemodynamics and Arterial Wall | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAAs) are an unphysiological expansion of the arterial wall, leading to aortic dissection and rupture. Timing of surgical intervention is predominantly based on maximal diameter; however, this criterion is known to be unreliable and does not incorporate the multitude of factors that lead to complications. This work investigates the role hemodynamics play in the pathophysiology of ATAAs and investigates potential hemodynamic metrics to evaluate complication risk. In this context, a protocol was developed to create computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of ATAA hemodynamics. Following the development of this protocol, the relationship between hemodynamic indices and arterial wall biomechanical properties was studied in a cohort of five patients. The findings from this study suggest that hemodynamically induced shear forces are associated with the degradation of arterial wall viscoelastic hysteresis and delamination strength. These findings warrant further investigation of the use of hemodynamic metrics to identify ATAA complication risk. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Mailhot, Genevieve | Gray-Owen, Scott D | Kinetics of Neutrophil Recruitment and their NF-κB Response to Neisseria gonorrhoeae Uterine Infection | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-06-01 | Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo) is the bacterial pathogen responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. Aside from the cervicitis typical of gonococcal infection in women, untreated infections may ascend into the upper genital tract, leading to a devastating inflammatory response that can result in pelvic inflammatory disease. In this thesis, I reveal the first leukocyte responders to Ngo uterine infection using a transgenic mouse model that expresses green fluorescence protein (GFP) when the immediate-early transcription factor NF- κB is activated. Using flow cytometry, my results demonstrate recruitment of neutrophils into the infected uterus, where only a subset of these neutrophils displays activated NF-κB, and most of which are not associated with gonococci, suggesting that these populations may represent different neutrophil phenotypes. These findings make it enticing to consider that the responding neutrophils are of a phenotype incapable of clearing infection, and may help explain persistent colonization observed in untreated individuals. | M.Sc. | women, female | 5 |
| Tsuji, Wakana | Scardamalia , Marlene | Knowledge Building with Low Proficiency English Language Learners: Facilitating Metalinguistic Awareness and Scientific Understanding in Parallel | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-03-01 | Two studies were conducted to explore theoretical, pedagogical, and technological issues for advancing language/literacy and scientific understanding in parallel in knowledge building communities. Findings from the initial analysis of student change over 5-years indicated a possible cumulative gap between lexically, orthographically, and conceptually high and low achieving students. A pilot study was conducted subsequently with two Japanese children (grade 4 and 7), both having limited English language proficiency. The goal was to explore the possibility of deepening language and subject knowledge through pedagogical and technological supports. The two children wrote in English in Knowledge Forum®, technology designed to support Knowledge Building, with support from translator and specially designed dictionary. Results revealed student use of translators as a “theory-testing tool,” enabling them to experiment with Japanese and English versions of their ideas and texts. The study informed design possibilities for future work to advance linguistic and subject matter understanding in parallel. | M.A. | knowledge | 4 |
| Yue, Wendal Victor | Grabinsky , Murray | Laboratory Evaluation of Cemented Paste Backfill Shear Strength Development Up to 600 kPa | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Cemented Paste Backfill (CPB) is increasingly favoured as a backfill method in underground mining. The mechanical behaviour of CPB is critical for a rational mix design. This study focused on shear strength development of CPB using a laboratory vane apparatus, complemented by other assessments of CPB’s properties including set times, and changes in Electrical Conductivity. The effects of vane insertion and shearing rate were studied. A comparison was made between the laboratory vane shear strength (LVSS) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). A constant relationship between LVSS and UCS was found to depend on mix design, but they did not follow the assumption of undrained clay behaviour. The experimental results suggest that the laboratory vane test can be used reliably on relatively soft materials, thereby giving a shear strength index for CPB. However, more work is required to determine how this measured vane shear strength is best used for backfill design. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Peng, Maureen | Childs, Ruth A | Laws in Action Within Schools (LAWS): A Program Evaluation | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-06-01 | Access to postsecondary education is seen as a problem that has largely been solved in Canada, yet when one delves deeper, it is clear that many groups are still under-represented. This thesis undertakes a secondary data analysis to evaluate one access program, Law in Action within Schools (LAWS). The program runs both curricular and extracurricular programming to engage and encourage at-risk students in secondary schools in the Toronto District School Board. The program continues to provide gains in grades and access. LAWS students have greater access to universities and colleges post-graduation at 75% on average, compared to non-LAWS students who access at a rate of less than 50%. Further exploration of the individual characteristics of participating schools would be of benefit, allowing the program to continually recalibrate enrolment practices to accommodate changing demographics to ensure that it remains an access program for students who otherwise would not access postsecondary education. | M.A. | secondary education | 4 |
| Grover, Abhinav | Kelly, Jonathan S | Learning to Detect Slip Using Barometric Tactile Sensors | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-09-01 | The ability to perceive object slip through tactile feedback allows humans to accomplish complex manipulation tasks. For robots, however, detecting key events such as slip from tactile information is a challenge. This work explores a learning-based method to detect slip using barometric tactile sensors that have many desirable properties; they are durable, highly reliable, and built from inexpensive components. We collect a novel dataset specifically targeted for robustness, and train a TCN to detect slip. The trained detector achieves an accuracy of greater than 91% on test data while displaying robustness to the speed and direction of the slip motion. When tested on two robot manipulation tasks involving a variety of common objects, our detector demonstrates generalization to previously unseen objects. This is the first time that barometric tactile-sensing technology, combined with data-driven learning, has been used for a manipulation task like slip detection. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Liang, Nan | Burgner-Kahrs, Jessica JBK | Learning-based Methods for Concentric Tube Continuum Robots Modeling and Shape Estimation | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis addresses the modeling and sensing of concentric tube continuum robots from a data-driven perspective. Firstly, the shape-to-joint inverse kinematics problem for concentric tube continuum robots is investigated, by both data-driven and numerical-analysis approaches for the first time. Particularly for the learning-based method, a neural network is proposed to approximate the mapping from robot shape represented by up to 20 discrete points to its joint parameters, with errors of 2.22° and 1.45 mm obtained. This method is an enabler for future shape control algorithms. Secondly, we propose a learning-based method for estimating the robot shape from multi-view images. Using a convolutional neural network and end-to-end learning, this method enables a direct mapping from images of the robot taken from multi-views to robot shape or tip position, with sub-millimetre accuracy achieved in simulation. This allows for a calibration-free, markerless, and minimum image-processing 3d shape reconstruction of concentric tube continuum robots. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Fahim Hashemi, Rana Sadat | Chau, Tom | Leveraging Unsupervised Learning Methods to Improve Imagined Speech EEG-BCIs | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | A BCI is a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device with the goal of providing communication for individuals with motor impairments. However, a considerable percentage of subjects cannot modulate their brain rhythms to communicate using BCI. From a machine learning standpoint, the instability of brain signals poses a critical challenge, which is the validity of the training data labels. Furthermore, the data generated in one’s mind cannot be directly evaluated. One potential solution is the inclusion of unsupervised methods in the learning processes of a BCI. This research proposes two methods based on unsupervised learning to relabel suspicious data, and to capture within class variations of data. These methods were tested in the development of imagined speech EEG-BCIs for 12 participants and significantly improved the classification performance for 7 of them. Future works are encouraged to use these methods to individualize the design of BCI protocols. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Ackroyd, Amanda Jayne | Batey, Robery A | Liesegang Ring Formation from Periodic Precipitation of Molecules and Nanoparticles | Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | Reaction-diffusion is a universal process that results in hierarchically organized structures, such as Liesegang rings. This process offers a strategy to develop materials with ordered morphologies. The generation of periodic precipitate patterns resulting from the synergy of transport and reactions of chemical components is limited to multicomponent systems of species on the same size scale, such as molecules or nanoparticles. Here, upon the evaporation of an aqueous suspension, chiral cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and L-(+)-tartaric acid (TA) resulted in periodically ordered rings of alternating CNCs and TA widths. The CNCs self-assembled with cholesteric order and showed characteristic circular dichroism properties, and TA packed in radially aligned bundles. The alternating bands propagated with a finite, constant velocity, and their widths could be controlled by film composition and ambient relative humidity. A kinetic model reproduced the experimental results. These results will have implications on the design strategies of optically active, highly ordered materials. | M.Sc. | species, species | 14, 15 |
| Xu, Lu | MacLean, Heather L.||Posen, I. Daniel | Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Conventional and Alternative Heavy-duty Trucks: Literature Review and Harmonization | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Globally, heavy-duty trucks (HDTs) contribute an increasing share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Switching to alternative HDTs has the potential to mitigate HDT GHG emissions. Studies have evaluated the decarbonization potential of alternative HDTs through life cycle assessments (LCAs). However, these studies used varying study design parameters and assumptions and obtained inconsistent results, making it challenging to generalize findings. In this thesis, I conducted a literature review to examine the results and assumptions in 28 HDT LCAs and identify inconsistencies and best practices for future studies; moreover, I conducted HDT LCA harmonization to evaluate GHG impacts for alternative HDTs and identify sources of variations in HDT GHG emissions reported in the LCAs. An HDT LCA data inventory and a harmonization framework were developed, further, recommendations for future HDT LCAs and policies for HDT decarbonization were provided. The results are expected to facilitate the evaluation and reduction of HDT GHG emissions. | M.A.S. | emission, greenhouse, decarboniz, greenhouse gas, emissions | 7, 12, 13 |
| Tejeiro Lara, Camilo Andres | Genov, Roman | Low-power Edge-combining Ring-oscillator-based RF Transmitters for Flexible-electrode Neural Microimplants | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-06-01 | The vision of distributed microimplants for neuromodulation at the spatial scale of a single neuron calls for closed-loop wireless transmitters (TX) with ultra-small area and power. Gold-standard LC-oscillators are power-efficient but their dimensions scale down poorly at sub-GHz frequencies preferable for low tissue attenuation. Ring-oscillators (ROs) are compact but are too power-hungry for microimplant power budgets. This thesis proposes the use of frequency-multiplying edge-combining (EC) techniques for synthesizing a high-frequency RF TX carrier from a slower and lower-power RO core. It presents two alternative methods of voltage-mode and current-mode EC by exploiting inherent properties of ROs with minimal or no circuit overhead. The two techniques are validated in the design of two ISM-915MHz direct modulation transmitters fabricated in a 65nm CMOS process. Both designs achieve sub-50x50μm dimensions and sub-100μW power consumption at 20Mbps output data rate while meeting the sub-50nS wakeup requirement for event-based wireless communication in neural microimplants. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Kazmierski, Michal | Haibe-Kains, Benjamin | Machine Learning for Prognostic Modeling in Head and Neck Cancer using Multimodal Data | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | There has been significant interest recently in exploiting routinely collected clinical and medical imaging data to discover new prognostic markers in multiple cancer types. In this work, we explore the use of multi-modal machine learning (ML) for outcome prediction in head and neck cancer (HNC).We first develop a ML approach for survival prediction from multi-modal data in the presence of competing risks, based on an extension of the multi-task logistic regression framework. We then describe the results of a ML challenge to develop a prognostic model for overall survival using electronic medical records and pre-treatment imaging. Finally, we present a novel graph-based method to incorporate imaging characteristics of metastatic lymph nodes and their connectivity patterns in a prognostic ML model using Gated Graph Convolutional Networks. Our results show the potential of ML in combination with large, multi-modal datasets as a tool to guide personalized cancer care. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Ting, Ta Jiun | Sanner, Scott||Abdulhai, Baher | Machine Learning Models for Traffic Flow Prediction | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Many methods of traffic prediction have been proposed over the years, from the time series models over 40 years ago to the latest deep learning models today, which prompts the need for an in-depth comparison and the critical question of whether deep learning offers significant improvements over the traditional methods. This thesis addresses this situation by systematically evaluating the different methods. We first procure a diverse set of traffic data from simulation software and real-world sensors. We then compare the different methods and perform further analysis on the latest deep learning models. Finally, we also consider the task of predicting long-term traffic up to a week in advance. Overall, we demonstrate that deep learning models are effective in short-term prediction. However, the classical random forest regression provides the best performance in both short-term and long-term prediction, which suggests that there is still room for improvement for deep learning methods. | M.A.S. | learning, forest | 4, 15 |
| Fayyaz, Hamna | Krull, Ulrich J | Magnetic Particles for Sample Preparation in Microfluidic Paper-based Analytical Devices | Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | This work investigates the of using iron oxide particles in a paper substrate to develop a sample preparation method for a microfluidic paper-based analytical device. The compatibility of three particles (2800 nm, 400 nm and 30 nm diameter) in Whatman Grade 1 paper was evaluated based on their colloidal stability and magnetic susceptibility. The particles were conjugated to horseradish peroxidase to produce a colourimetric signal for tracking in paper. Particle batch variation was evaluated through quality assurance testing to determine the impact on the selected bioconjugation scheme. Results indicated that less colloidally stable particles, due to their larger size or particle-particle interactions, adsorbed to paper, thereby preventing their magnetic field manipulation. The smaller nanoparticles had improved stability, but lower magnetic susceptibility, which reduced their magnetic manipulation. Lastly, the challenges in working with paper were discussed with regards to data collection and analysis (i.e. smartphone versus desktop scanner). | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Estafanos, Stephanie | Gillen, Jenna B | Maintaining the Carbohydrate-energy Deficit Following High-intensity Interval Exercise Improves Next-day Glycemic Control in Women | Exercise Sciences | 2021-06-01 | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of carbohydrate-energy replacement after a single session of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on glycemic control in women. In a randomized order, seven recreationally active women completed 3 trials in the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle: 1) No exercise (CTL); 2) HIIT + post-exercise carbohydrate restriction (EX-LC); 3) HIIT + post-exercise carbohydrate replenishment (EX-HC). The following day, postprandial glucose responses and 24 h indices of glycemic control were measured in response to standardized meals using continuous glucose monitoring. We demonstrated lower next-day postprandial glycemia following breakfast (p | M.Sc. | women, energy, invest | 5, 7, 9 |
| Bravo, Alejandra Paz | Vieta, Marcelo||Sawchuk, Peter | Making the Road: Community Benefits Organizing in Canada as a Radical Adult Learning Practice | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2021-11-01 | Canadian organizing efforts aiming to democratize the economy are the focus of this study, specifically if and how emancipatory learning is occurring in Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) campaigns and coalitions. It further aims to delineate CBA organizing as a community power-building strategy in the interests of workers and communities. Turning to dialectical frameworks, Cultural-Historical-Activity-Theory (CHAT) enables consideration of organizing as radical adult learning in a Freirian tradition, while critical place inquiry provides a methodological approach that is concerned with the socio-materiality of human practices as shaped by and in place. History and memory methods centre the voice, agency and perspective of the persistently marginalized communities impacted by CBA organizing. Drawing on secondary sources, coupled with my own experience embedded in this movement activity, I provide case studies of five neighbourhood-based CBA campaigns in two Canadian cities: Toronto and Ottawa. The cases show these campaigns build on previous local leadership and community capacity development, while concurrently equipping constituencies for collective deliberation and action. CHAT further enables an activity analysis of CBA organizing environments that suggests an expansive view of place is foundational for community power-building. It further identifies that collective memory, stories and narrative – coupled with an ethical orientation to movement building – hold promise as practices that could enable and amplify the emancipatory potential of organizing. Finally, Indigenous ontologies and axiology are proposed as a potentially profound source of guidance to Canadian organizing efforts challenging oppressive systems and structures while building collective community agency and power from the ground up. | M.A. | learning, labour, worker, indigenous, marginalized, cities, democra, indigenous | 4, 8, 10, 16, 11 |
| Nagpal, Meghan Shyama | Cafazzo, Joseph A | Managing Type 2 Diabetes During a Pandemic: An Investigation of Reddit Data | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disease that can be managed through lifestyle. However, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted management of T2D. Our objective is to examine the impact of the pandemic on the health behaviours and attitudes of people living with T2D by examining Reddit forums. Support Vector Machines classifed a post as COVID-related and Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling gathered topics of discussion. VADER Sentiment Analysis gauged attitudes. Amongst COVID-specific posts, topics of discussion were Coping with Poor Mental Health, Accessing Doctor Medications and Controlling Blood Sugar, Changing Food Habits during Pandemic, Impact of Stress of Blood Glucose Levels, Changing Status of Employment Insurance, and Risk of COVID Complications. Posts classified as COVID-related were associated with lower sentiment. Discussions pertaining to receiving support, stress and glycemic control, and mental health were associated with lower sentiment. Discussions pertaining to food habits were associated with higher sentiment. | M.Sc. | mental health, employment, invest | 3, 8, 9 |
| Ng, Kristie | Greenblatt, Jack | Mapping of the Novel mRNA Acetylation, ac4C, in the HEK293 Transcriptome | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Internal mRNA modifications have been implicated in regulation of RNA function. Advancements in RNA-sequencing technologies have enabled transcriptome-wide mapping of mRNA modifications, expanding our understanding of their influence on mRNA. N4- acetylcytidine (ac4C) was initially discovered in tRNA and rRNA and, more recently, described in mRNA, alongside NAT10 as the acetyltransferase responsible for ac4C deposition across RNA species. As multiple RNA modification sequencing methods arose, contradictory results regarding the presence of ac4C in eukaryotic mRNA were published. I demonstrated ac4C presence in mRNA through dot blot analyses after validating an ac4C antibody. I carried out ac4C-CLIP-seq by using UV light to crosslink the ac4C antibody to mRNAs, found that NAT10 crosslinks next to ac4C sites, and so provided a high-resolution transcriptome-wide map of ac4C. Additionally, I strengthened understanding of the roles of ac4C sites in mRNA by demonstrating differential expression of transcripts containing ac4C in the presence and absence of NAT10. | M.Sc. | species, species | 14, 15 |
| Hamdonah, Zeana | MacNeill, Margaret | Masjid Ball: The Influence of Mosque-based Physical Activity Programs on the Physical Cultural Practices of Young Muslim Women | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-03-01 | The values mediating exclusionary practices in Western sporting environments posit religiosity and physical activity as opposite principles, forcing many Muslim women to choose between faith or play (Knez et al., 2012). Religious institutions like mosques are essential structures that link Muslims to their communities, making them valuable when designing lifestyle interventions (Banerjee et al., 2017). The study used a space-based racial analysis to explore how six young Muslim women experienced mosque-based women’s-only sports programs, the relationships that form in such settings, and the physical cultures being practiced. The results demonstrate the significance of studying faith as a racializing identity within sport science, and gendered Islamophobia’s role in influencing Muslim women’s sporting participation. The findings also highlight how sporting exclusion is mediated through agentic processes of creating and negotiating safe sporting spaces by transforming faith spaces, and the relationships Muslim women develop with themselves, and their communities through faith-focused physical activity. | M.Sc. | gender, women, institut | 5, 16 |
| Abrego Del Castillo, Kayla Yanelle | Lye, Stephen J||Dennis, Cindy-Lee | Maternal BMI, Breastfeeding and Perinatal Factors that Influence Early Childhood Growth Trajectories | Physiology | 2020-11-01 | Obesity among children is a global concern. Fetal programming and early life nutrition have been implicated in both childhood and adult obesity. Perinatal interventions aimed at reducing the risk of child obesity may be important for prevention. It was hypothesized that anthropometric and genetic analysis can identify a priority population that would benefit from an exclusive breastfeeding intervention. To test this hypothesis, a scoping review was conducted, and ALSPAC cohort data was analyzed. The scoping review results show early life risk factors were multi-factorial, they were also socially patterned and accumulative. These data suggest children with overweight and obese mothers, who were low income and from an ethnic minority group were at higher risk for obesity and could be targeted for preventive intervention. The results from the ALSPAC study show maternal BMI and the genetic risk score are the strongest independent predictors of obesity at 17 years of age. | M.Sc. | low income, nutrition, minorit, income | 1, 2, 10 |
| Cao, Federico | Stinchcombe, Adam | Mathematical Modelling of Rodent Circadian Rhythms Involving Photic and Non-photic Inputs | Mathematics | 2021-11-01 | We develop models that describe the effects of photic and food input on the mouse and rodent respectively. In the former, we construct a similar model to the Kronauer model. We fit the parameters to mouse phase response curve data. We deduce model parameter ranges using sensitivity analysis and parameter distributions. Applications of the model indicate the relation between parameter choice and aspects of rhythm generation/control. In the latter, we employ a population of Kuramoto oscillators to describe food anticipatory activity (FAA). The model captures the main features of FAA, such as multiple meals and meals of different periodicities. We explore the model by conducting a continuum approximation of the oscillators using the Ott-Antonsen ansatz. Finally, we suggest some interesting experiments that reveal important properties about the characteristics of FAA. The models developed provide insight and testable predictions to further our understanding of various circadian processes. | M.Sc. | cities | 11 |
| Campbell, Aidan Vern | Inzlicht, Michael | Meaningfulness of Effort: Scale Construction and Validation | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | Effort is often viewed as costly but recently our understanding of effort has shifted to allow for its rewarding aspects. The current studies seek to explore effort as a source of meaning in peoples’ lives. Using established methodologies, I developed and tested a scale measuring the meaningfulness of effort across five samples. This scale captures people that obtain meaning purely from their own efforts. Through a combination of comparing structural equation models and regression models, the Meaningfulness of Effort Scale was shown to be distinct from measures such as trait industriousness and conscientiousness. Results indicate that people high in meaningfulness of effort enjoy benefits in both their general and work life, such as psychological well-being and workplace satisfaction. They also achieve higher status jobs and report higher levels of income. Further, people higher in this trait find effortful tasks to be more meaningful and they perform better on cognitive tasks. | M.A. | well-being, income | 3, 10 |
| Quant, Maria Isabel | Wania, Frank | Measuring Gradients in Gaseous Elemental Mercury Using a Passive Air Sampler | Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | Mercury (Hg) monitoring is necessary to constrain the global Hg cycle and to develop policies for reducing Hg emissions. Passive air samplers (PAS) are an accessible method for monitoring gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). I tested the suitability of PAS for recording GEM gradients at widely varying scales. Vertical gradients on the scale of centimeters to tens of meters measured over soil and within a forest allowed for the observation of GEM uptake in growing vegetation, the determination of the air-surface exchange direction, and the estimation of evaporative fluxes from contaminated soil. When PAS were deployed above a field with known soil contamination, slightly different spatial contamination patterns suggest horizontal GEM advection. on a continental scale, the PAS were also used to map annually averaged GEM levels across South and Central America. Accounting for the effect of wind speed on the PAS sampling rate is necessary to distinguish small concentration differences. | M.Sc. | contamination, wind, emission, accessib, emissions, forest, soil | 6, 7, 11, 13, 15 |
| Benny Gerard, Nichelle | Dolovich, Lisa | Measuring Multimorbidity, Classifying Potentially Inappropriate Medications and Investigating Polypharmacy in Recipients of Medication Reviews and Pharmacy Dispensing Services Conducted by Ontario Community Pharmacists | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2021-11-01 | Factors including aging and health related behaviours lead to multimorbidity, polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs). Medication reviews conducted by community pharmacists can improve medication management. Patient data were extracted from three community pharmacies in Ontario. Multimorbidity scores and number of PIMs were determined. Construct validity was assessed via linear regressions with age and sex. Consistency among multimorbidity measures was assessed via Pearson correlation coefficients. The mean multimorbidity scores determined by disease counts, Charlson Index, Chronic Disease Score, Medication Based Disease Burden Index, and Rx-Risk measures were 4.9 (SD 2.3), 4.4 (SD 2.0), 7.1 (SD 3.6), 0.1 (SD 0.2), and 0.4 (SD 1.7) respectively. Most analyses supported construct validity and consistency among measures. Patients were taking a mean of 1.9 (SD 1.5) and 2.0 (SD 1.4) PIMs determined by the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Beers criteria and STOPP criteria respectively. The analyses can lead to the improved management of multimorbidity. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Yung, Justin Hou Ming | Giacca, Adria | Mechanisms of Lipotoxicity by Palmitate in ß-cells | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Obesity chronically elevates circulating saturated free fatty acids which can mediate ß-cell dysfunction. The roles of ß-cell insulin signaling and ß-cell nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-1 receptor in this process remains unclear. First, upregulation of insulin signaling with bisperoxovanadate in islets partially prevented palmitate-induced reduction in insulin secretion and AKT activation in vitro, revealing a role of ß-cell insulin resistance in palmitate-induced ß-cell dysfunction. Next, we generated ß-cell specific NOD1-null mouse (ßKO) to investigate role of NOD1 in palmitate-induced ß-cell dysfunction. Disposition index (DI) was reduced in ethylpalmitate-infused control mice, while DI of ethylpalmitate-infused ßKO was comparable to DI of vehicle-infused mice. Islets isolated from JNK1-null mice were protected from NOD1-induced ß-cell dysfunction in vitro. These data reveal a role of NOD1-JNK1 axis in palmitate-induced ß-cell dysfunction. These findings reveal ß-cell insulin resistance and innate immunity receptors as novel mechanisms that could be targeted for manipulation in preserving ß–cell function. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Zaig, Shenhab | Montandon, Gaspard | Mechanisms Underlying Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression and Analgesia In Larval Zebrafish | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Opioids are strong pain relievers that also present the severe side effect of respiratory depression which can be lethal with overdose. Opioids mechanisms of inhibition are not well known but may act through closing calcium channels. However, the role of these channels in opioid-induced respiratory depression and analgesia is unclear. To determine the mechanisms underlying respiratory depression and analgesia by opioid drugs, we developed novel pharmacological assays in larval zebrafish. Zebrafish are amenable models for pharmacological approaches due to their fast reproduction, large number of offspring, and high genetic homology to humans. Using inhibitors and activators targeting N- and L-type calcium channels, we determined the roles of these channels in respiratory depression by the opioid fentanyl. We found that activating these channels reversed opioid-induced respiratory depression. Therefore, N- and L-type channels play a critical role in respiratory inhibition by opioids. | M.Sc. | production, fish | 12, 14 |
| Hasan, Kamran | Enright Jerger, Natalie | Memory Dependence Prediction for Energy Constrained Devices | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Historically, energy constrained devices (ECDs) have favored simple in-order pipelines over out-of-order (OoO) ones due to lower energy consumption. While prior research has focused on optimizing in-order compute architectures, not a lot of work exists on adapting OoO pipelines for ECDs. This thesis aims to help enable speculative execution and OoO processing to increase performance on such devices. Memory dependence prediction (MDP) is one such mechanism used for achieving these goals. This thesis leverages prior work and applies machine learning to uncover new MDP designs. A novel perceptron MDP is first developed that almost matches the performance of Store Sets, a state of the art MDP. The insights gained during the process lead to a much simpler one bit counter (OBC) technique suitable for use on low powered devices. The OBC MDP design matches the performance of Store Sets while saving 95% area and 96% energy. | M.A.S. | learning, energy, consum | 4, 7, 12 |
| Woodbury, Merron | Schlichting, Meg | Memory for Category Learning Experiences that Deviate From Established Knowledge | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | The formation and maintenance of conceptual knowledge allows people to organize their experiences and make predictions in novel situations. However, the ways in which people represent concepts internally is unclear. Inspired by a computational model, we asked whether specific category learning experiences are encoded in memory with more precision depending on how much they deviate from existing knowledge. Adults (N = 120) completed a category learning task followed by memory tests on events from learning. The results suggest memory is consistently precise for individual event elements but somewhat better for the associative links between higher deviation items and accompanying episodic details. In this thesis, I discuss possible explanations for these results, as well as avenues for future investigation. Broadly, these findings work towards validating a prominent computational model of category learning and in doing so, answering larger questions about how people build conceptual knowledge. | M.A. | knowledge, learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Bourget, Clara | Morshead, Cindi | Metformin Alters the Neuroinflammatory Response of Mcroglia following Neonatal Stroke | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Neonatal stroke is a devastating disorder with long-term consequences for children and caregivers. Microglia and astrocytes mediate the neuroinflammatory response after injury which can exacerbate damage. Metformin is an antidiabetic drug which has been shown to improve functional impairments and promote neural repair after neonatal brain injury. Herein, we investigated metformin's potential role in regulating the neuroinflammatory response after neonatal stroke. Stroke-injured mice showed brain region-specific microglia and astrocyte activation and metformin treatment after stroke was sufficient to reduce microglia activation, without affecting the astrocyte response. Given the correlation with reduced microglia activation and improved functional outcomes, we established a microglia ablation model using Plexxikon 5622. This resulted in significant microglia depletion without effects on astrocytes or motor behaviour. This study is the first to characterize the spatiotemporal aspects of the neuroinflammatory response after neonatal stroke and metformin treatment and establish a model of microglia ablation in neonatal mice. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Cherian, Ashlyn Grace | Andrews, Robert C. | Microplastic Removal from Drinking Water Using Point-of-Use Devices | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The occurrence of microplastics in drinking water systems has drawn increasing attention due to their ubiquity and unresolved implications regarding human health. Despite achieving high reduction efficiencies (70 to >90%) at conventional drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), some microplastics remain (WHO, 2019). Since human consumption represents a small portion of total household water use, point‐of‐use (POU) water treatment devices may provide additional removal of microplastics (MPs) prior to consumption. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of commonly used pour-through POU devices, including those which utilize combinations of granular activated carbon (GAC), ion exchange (IX), and microfiltration (MF), with respect to MP removal. Treated drinking water was spiked with MPs typically reported in the literature (PET and PVC fragments, along with nylon fibers) at a concentration of 40±2.3 particles/L and representing a range of particle sizes (10-400 µm). Samples were collected from each POU device following 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% of the manufacturer’s rated treatment capacity and subsequently analyzed to determine removal efficiency. The three POU devices examined effectively removed MP particles >10 µm, with mean removal efficiencies ranging from 71% to 100% upon attaining 125% of rated treatment capacity. Across two of the POU devices, removal was observed to improve over time which was hypothesized to be associated with a reduction in pore space. This study provides useful insight regarding the selection and operation of POU devices for consumers that seek this approach to reduce potential MP consumption. | M.A.S. | water, water filtration, consum | 6, 12 |
| Jaggi, Parth | Sanner, Scott||Abdulhai, Baher | Microscopic Model-based Reinforcement Learning Approaches for Traffic Signal Control and Coordination | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Many recent advances in traffic signal control have been proposed using reinforcement learning, most of which undertake the model-free approach. Model-free methods of learning the value function under a specified dynamics, can often fail to differentiate the value updates from the underlying dynamics, making these methods require substantial experiential data to achieve generalization. In contrast, approaches that optimize agent actions w.r.t. a learned dynamics model inherently avoid this tight coupling of dynamics and value, allowing for much faster adaptation as traffic demand profiles change. For this work on single intersection control, we specifically adopt this latter model-based approach that learns microscopic traffic dynamics models and then applies tree-search techniques to optimize control actions. We include performance and generalization evaluation alongside analysis of these methods, and demonstrate that our approach generalizes to a diverse set of traffic demands whereas the model-free approach performs suboptimally in conditions unseen during training. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Bourtoule, Lucas Benoit Jacques | Papernot, Nicolas | Model Extraction in the Context of Audio Classifiers | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Model extraction is the process of reverse-engineering the parameters of a machine learning model exposed through a query interface. Prior work on this class of attacks focuses on the vision domain for the most part. We demonstrate that subtle, yet crucial, distinctions between learning from audio and vision preclude us from directly applying existing model extraction attacks to audio. A key example is that the discriminative features learned by raw audio models appear to be more task-dependent. To extract audio models we thus need to carefully query the victim model to expose these task-specific or difficult-to-learn representations. To this end, we propose a simple task-dependent extraction approach using generative models to synthesize a diverse pool of candidate queries. Our experimentation shows this approach makes it possible to extract a victim model trained on LibriSpeech using a surrogate dataset, Voxceleb with a test accuracy of 76.51% given a budget of 3M queries. L'extraction de modèles correspond au processus visant à reconstruire par rétro-ingénierie les paramètres d'un modèle d'apprentissage automatique accessible via une interface de requête. Les travaux antérieurs menés sur cette classe d'attaques se sont concentrés pour la plupart sur le domaine de la vision. Nous démontrons l'existence de différences subtiles mais cruciales entre les domaines de l'audio et de la vision qui empêchent l'application des techniques existantes dans le cadre de l'audio. Un exemple marquant nous est donné par le fait que les caractéristiques discriminantes apprises par les modèles travaillant sur des données audio brutes semblent plus dépendantes de la tâche à résoudre qu'en vision. L'extraction de modèles d'audio nécessite ainsi l'utilisation de requêtes bien choisies qui exposent les représentations apprises. Dans ce but, nous proposons une approche d'extraction simple et dépendante de la tâche à résoudre qui utilise des modèles génératifs afin de synthétiser un ensemble divers de signaux candidats pour les requêtes. Nos expériences montrent que notre approche permet d'extraire un modèle cible entraîné sur LibriSpeech à l'aide d'un jeu de données de substitution, Voxceleb, avec une précision de 76,51 % et un budget de 3 millions de requêtes. | M.A.S. | learning, accessib | 4, 11 |
| Purivatra, Tarriq | Bilton, Amy AB | Modelling and Experimental Validation of a Sponge Filter in a Column System | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Oil spills can damage the marine environment, local populations, and impact tourism. By adding an in-situ filtration step to the existing skimming process, it is possible to improve the oil spill response times dramatically. This thesis examines surface engineered sponges implemented in a flow through column configuration as a potential filtration technology for this application. A lab scale column system is developed to investigate the impact of temperature, flow rate, and emulsion concentration on the oil adsorption. The results of the experiments are used to develop a computational fluid dynamics model. Results show that the column system can achieve a maximum adsorption of 0.0022 kg/g and adsorption rate of 1.1 g/(kg-s) when run at a flow rate of 300 ml/min. The computational fluid dynamics model shows that the technology can be scaled for skimming vessel operation, increasing utilization by 75% over current practice when implemented in a continuous processing mode. | M.A.S. | invest, marine | 9, 14 |
| D'Souza, Abigail Jennifer | Bonin, Robert P | Modulation of Spinal Dorsal Horn Long-term Potentiation by Non-ionotropic NMDA Receptor Activity | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Pathological pain is characterized by enhanced synaptic strength within nociceptive pathways of the spinal dorsal horn that arises in the absence of any obvious trigger. Unfortunately, current treatment options often fail to provide adequate and lasting pain relief as they do not address the underlying mechanisms of persistent pain. The enhancement of synaptic transmission between nociceptive afferents and dorsal horn neurons (long-term potentiation; LTP) is associated with sensitization. This project aims to investigate the role of non-ionotropic NMDA receptor (NI-NMDAR) signalling in the plasticity of nociceptive neurons and to induce synaptic depotentiation through a combination of electrophysiological recordings and pharmacological interventions. These data indicate that NI-NMDAR activity could reverse dorsal horn LTP with 7CK, a NMDA receptor glycine site antagonist and was dependent on downstream protein phosphatase-1 activity. Overall, this project will provide essential new insights into the mechanisms by which synaptic depotentiation can be exploited to erase pathological pain. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Decterov, Alexandra | Cordes, Sabine | Molecular Analyses of the Mouse Anorexia Mutation | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2019-11-01 | The mouse anorexia (anx) mutant displays food restriction leading to emaciation and may represent an animal model of anorexia nervosa. To date, the causative anorexia gene(s) remain to be identified. Our lab’s previous analyses found early deficits in glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses in the cerebella of anx/anx mice at postnatal day 10 (P10). Gene expression analyses of P10 anx/anx cerebella identified two genes within the anx critical interval with notable expression differences: Pla2g4d was ~7-fold downregulated, while Pla2g4e was ~10-fold upregulated. These phospholipases are involved in the synthesis of arachidonic acid, a key endocannabinoid precursor. Endocannabinoids have widespread roles in synaptic plasticity and in the reward mechanisms of feeding and activity and may influence risk of developing Anorexia Nervosa. We anticipate that further research into the roles of these phospholipases will contribute to better understanding of the endocannabinoid system and its roles in anorexia nervosa. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| Panchuk, Jenny Rose | Seferos, Dwight S | Molecular Doping of Conjugated Polymers | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Described in this thesis are positive and negative molecular doping of conjugated polymers. These projects present various strategies to increase free charge carriers within a polymer-dopant system and investigate their structure-property relationships.Chapter one is a broad introduction of doping of organic semiconductors. This chapter defines what doping of organic semiconductors is and provides common examples of doping of conjugated polymers and organic semiconductors. Chapter two presents the first two strategies to increase electrical conductivity of polythiophene analogues. First, the heteroatom of poly(3-alkylchalcogenophenes) is changed from S to Se, to Te which impacts the doping efficiency. Secondly, the dopant counter anion size also impacts the doping efficiency. Morphology is discussed to explain theses trends. Chapter three investigates the negative-doping of poly(benzotriazole). This chapter explores the attempts and challenges of n-doping of negative-type homopolymers which includes using different types of dopants as well as synthetic routes to novel fluorinated of poly(benzotriazole)s. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Hossain, Lamia Fairuz | Pomès, Régis | Molecular Dynamics Study of the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Elastin-like Peptides | Biochemistry | 2021-11-01 | Elastin is a disordered protein that imparts elasticity to vertebrate tissues, and its mechanical properties include elastic recoil, resilience, and stress relaxation. Elastin is formed from tropoelastin monomers, which are composed of cross-linking and hydrophobic domains. Studies using elastin-like peptides (ELPs) have shown that the hydrophobic effect and peptide’s conformational disorder maintain the equilibrium structural ensemble of ELPs, suggesting that these properties also govern protein elasticity. To investigate the effects of sequence changes on structural and mechanical properties, we use all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of different ELP3 variants. Compared to WT ELP3, stiffer peptides arise from glycine to serine mutations in the hydrophobic domains and KA-rich cross-linking domains with a longer poly-alanine region. Stress relaxation studies further show differential changes in structural properties over time depending on the extension at which peptides are held. Ultimately, this knowledge will help in the rational design of biomaterials for use in tissue engineering. | M.Sc. | knowledge, invest, resilien, resilience, resilience | 4, 9, 11, 13, 15 |
| Duan, Xu | Behdinan, Kamran | Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Coaxial Drone Propellers | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | With the growing popularity of autonomous drones for commercial uses, there is a need to optimize the performance of propellers to increase the flight time and carry capacity. Coaxial propellers are of particular interest as they can generate greater lift with only a small increase in weight and space. The challenge with optimizing coaxial propellers lie in the varying downwash effects generated when modifying propeller designs though an optimization process. A Multidisciplinary Design Optimization framework with 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element software was implemented to resolve the difficulties of analyzing coaxial propellers. This work will attempt to maximize the figure of merit of a coaxial propeller by modifying both its geometry and other environmental factors. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization framework, a case study was applied to an aircraft wingbox. Experimental testing was performed to validate the optimized designs and show significant performance increases. | M.A.S. | environmental | 13 |
| Tisi, Michael Anthony | Qian, Li||Lo, Hoi-Kwong | Multiplexing Quantum and Classical Channels for a Commercial Quantum Key Distribution System | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Wavelength-division multiplexing of quantum and classical channels is a necessary requirement for the integration of commercial quantum key distribution (QKD) systems with existing fibre infrastructure since it drastically reduces the cost of implementation. However, due to the high power of the classical signals in relation to the quantum signal, multiplexing poses a significant technical challenge for QKD systems: the production of optical noise. This thesis will present the first experimental realization of QKD performed using a commercial system with multiplexed quantum and classical communication channels. Using the ID3200 Clavis3 commercial QKD system, key generation was performed under a variety of conditions to generate system-level data which was used to construct and verify mathematical models of the key generation process. Once verified, the models were optimized via exhaustive search to obtain optimal system parameter values such that a maximal secret key rate was achieved for each set of experimental conditions. | M.A.S. | infrastructure, production | 9, 12 |
| Gupta, Kshitij | Amon, Cristina||Trescases, Olivier | Multi-scale Design of a Lithium Ion Battery Pack for Electric Vehicles | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2019-11-01 | Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the most affordable and convenient energy storage solution to power electric vehicles (EV). However, further advances are still needed to improve their performance, lifespan, and safety, which requires better control of their tightly coupled electrical and thermal responses. This thesis project designed, simulated, built, and tested a lithium-ion battery module with a focus on battery thermal management. The core component of this design is a state-of-the-art heat-exchanger made of a network of low-cost extruded microchannel tubes for parallel liquid-cooling of pouch cells, a lightweight aluminum structure that accounts for only 10\% of the total module’s weight and also provides structural support for the cells. The parallel cooling approach yields a superior cooling performance because it minimizes temperature gradients across the pack. This thesis also demonstrates the scalability of this modular battery design by building a functional battery pack that will be deployed in a concept EV. | M.A.S. | affordab, energy, affordab | 1, 10, 7 |
| Wang, Juyoung | Bodur, Merve||Cevik, Mucahit | Multistage Stochastic Programming Combined with Deep Learning-based Time series Forecasting: New Methodologies and Applications | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | We study topics related to both multistage stochastic programming (MSP) and deep learning-based time series forecasts. In terms of MSP, we study the cases where the stochastic process associated with MSP models is either stagewise independent or dependent. In terms of stagewise independent stochastic process, we propose a novel MSP framework for the fractionated intensity modulated radiation therapy problem. We solve a sample average approximation of the problem via stochastic dual dynamic programming. In terms of stagewise dependent stochastic processes, we study the impact time series forecasting methodologies, autoregressive moving average-based models, and DeepAR, on deterministic and two-stage MSP policies. We propose a novel interpretable neural network architecture for probabilistic time series forecasting. Our model computes contributions of features for both mean and standard deviation forecasts. Unlike the existing models which only identify the positive importance score of features, our model identifies both positive and negative contributions. | M.A.S. | healthcare, learning | 3, 4 |
| Calarco, Navona | Voineskos, Aristotle N | Multivariate Associations between White Matter and the Cognitions in Schizophrenia | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | Deficits in “the cognitions” are important contributors to functional outcomes in schizophrenia. An unanswered question of considerable import is if neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits arise from overlapping or distinct white matter impairments. By applying dimensional multivariate statistical analyses to the Social Processes Initiative in the Neurobiology of the Schizophrenia(s) (SPINS) dataset, the present thesis establishes that white matter circuitry is related to both neurocognition and social cognition. In particular, the uncinate fasciculus and the rostral body of the corpus callosum may assume a “privileged role” subserving both. Further, we found that participant-wise estimates of white matter microstructure, weighted by cognitive performance, do not reveal novel biotypes, but are largely consistent with participants’ categorical diagnosis, and predictive of functional outcome. In tandem, our results underscore the promise of white matter and cognitive assessment to identify biomarkers of functioning, with potential prognostic and therapeutic relevance. | M.Sc. | privileged | 10 |
| Whyte, Elizabeth | Thomas, Scott||Marzolini, Susan | Muscle Oxygenation of the Paretic and Nonparetic Legs Measured During Arterial Occlusion and Exercise in Chronic Stroke | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-11-01 | Oxygen delivery and demand are reduced in the paretic leg post-stroke, reflecting decreases of vascular function and reductions of muscle quantity and quality. It is unknown how muscle oxygenation is altered post-stroke and how it relates to functional ambulation. Skeletal muscle O2 saturation (SMO2) of the paretic and nonparetic legs of eleven post-stroke individuals were monitored with two near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) devices during rest, arterial occlusion, submaximal exercise and six-minute walk test (6MWT). Oxygen consumption (p=0.03) and microvascular responsiveness (p=0.04) were reduced in the paretic compared to the nonparetic leg. The exercise deoxygenation slope in the paretic leg was significantly steeper than the non-paretic leg (p=0.047) indicating a greater oxygen mismatch at the onset of exercise. Average 6MWT SMO2 of each leg was not significantly correlated with 6MWT distance. These impairments in the paretic leg may require strategies like prolonged warmups, resistance, or single leg training to improve muscle oxygenation. | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Tran, Lana Tasha | Brower, Matthew | Museums and Human-nature Relationships in Japan: A Case Study Analysis of Echigo-Tsumari Art Field | Museum Studies | 2019-11-01 | Echigo-Tsumari Art Field (ETAF) presents an expanded type of museum overlooked in the museological literature. Embarking from ETAF’s own assertions—that “all of satoyama is an art museum” and that “human beings are part of nature”—I conduct an autoethnography and content analysis on materials gathered during participation in the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. I demonstrate how ETAF enacts and interprets heritage in mediating between state and grassroots interests. ETAF’s practice of regionalism—its adoption of the satoyama concept of encultured nature, mapping and thematization—results in both normative and strategically diversified representations of collective identity. ETAF’s narrative draws from a selective history to depict historically marginalized agricultural lifeways, becoming an expressive metaphor for ongoing regional regeneration. When placed within salient socio-historical contexts, these findings illustrate how ETAF both departs from and leverages traditional top-down museological approaches towards social cohesion, pointing to the mediating potential of cultural institutions in declining communities. | M.M.St. | agricultur, marginalized, regeneration, institut | 2, 10, 15, 16 |
| Li, Lisa | Shalaby, Amer | Navigating the Transit Network: Understanding Riders’ Information Seeking Behaviour using Trip Planning Data | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Relevant and timely provision of transit information advises travellers of the route options available to them, allows riders to plan the timing of their trips, and helps mitigate the impact of unexpected disruptions. This study uses data from Transit, a multimodal trip planner smartphone application, to analyse usage patterns in Calgary over the span of six months. From the cluster analysis, it was found that the most common searches made in Transit were for shorter distanced trips. Additionally, panel data models are estimated to investigate the relationship between search frequency and transit service characteristics, temporal factors, built environment, weather and sociodemographic attributes. The model results reveal that people seek out transit information the most during times of uncertainty, as poor reliability and service disruptions were shown to increase itinerary searches. These findings can help agencies determine the best way to deliver information to people and gain insights into travel behaviour. | M.A.S. | invest, transit, weather | 9, 11, 13 |
| Perkic, Goran | Tremblay, Luc | Neck Muscle Vibration and Visual Background Information Influence Separate Processes of Goal-Directed Aiming Movements | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-11-01 | When performing reaching movements towards a target, humans utilize sensory stimuli arising from the body and the environment. Manipulating proprioceptive cues (e.g., neck muscle vibration; Roll et al., 1991) and manipulating visual background cues (e.g., dots on the aiming board; Coello Magne, 2000) have both been independently shown to influence endpoint position during target aiming. The current study investigated the separate and combined contributions of neck proprioception and visual background cues on the control and performance of upper-limb pointing movements. Overall, posterior neck muscle vibration yielded closer movement endpoints and lower height during limb trajectories, while background information also yielded closer movement endpoints but with less mediolateral deviation during limb trajectories. Significant interactions between Vibration and Background were not found during limb trajectory analyses which may suggest that neck proprioception and visual background information are independently used across the separate phases of online control (Elliott et al., 2010). | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ahmadipour, Mohammadali | Waddell, Tom||Karoubi, Golnaz | Negative Pressure and its Role in Lung Re-epithelialization | Biomedical Engineering | 2020-11-01 | For end-stage lung disease, lung transplantation remains the only treatment. Transplantation, however, is limited due to the lack of organs. While the generation of new lungs via the recellularization of biological scaffolds is an alternative, proper repopulation of the lung remains a challenge. In an attempt to enhance the re-epithelialization of the decellularized lung airways, the inclusion of negative pressure during cell seeding and bioreactor culture phase was investigated. We designed a negative pressure cell seeding method and a physiological wet negative pressure ventilation device that allowed for control over ventilation parameters such as tidal volume and accommodation of physiological respiratory rates. We also designed a biomimetic lung bioreactor system that accommodates vascular perfusion, physiological ventilation and in vivo spatial orientation. These new technologies and methodologies resulted in significantly higher cell surface coverage and number in the decellularized lung scaffolds than the traditional approaches. | M.A.S. | invest, regeneration | 9, 15 |
| Barker, Ryan Matthew | Buchsbaum, Bradley R | Neural Correlates of Content-general Reactivation and Vividness: A Meta-analysis | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | Recollection reflects retrieval of qualitative episodic details. This is accompanied by a subjective level of vividness and neural reinstatement, whereby the brain state at encoding is reactivated upon retrieval. Vividness and reinstatement are positively associated, suggesting judgments of vividness may be a subjective correlate of objective neural reactivation. St-Laurent, Abdi, and Buchsbaum (2015) investigated neural networks supporting vividness and reactivation and reported a substantial overlap between regions. The current study extended this work by performing a meta-analysis on neural correlates of vividness and reinstatement from five studies (100 participants total). Results largely converge with what was reported by St-Laurent and colleagues, but reliable relationships were now found within the hippocampus. Regions underlying reinstatement contributed to retrieval of memory details, whereas vividness was associated with regions related to subjective judgments. The current analysis elucidates the networks underlying both reactivation and vividness in recollection to understand their commonalities and differences. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Prince , Priyanka | Dimitrijevic, Andrew | Neural Correlates of Visual Stimulus Encoding and Verbal Working Memory Differ between Cochlear Implant users and Normal-hearing Controls | Physiology | 2022-03-01 | A common concern for individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss fitted with cochlear implants (CIs) is difficulty following conversations in noisy environments. Recent work has suggested that these difficulties are related to individual differences in verbal working memory and the degree of cross-modal reorganization of auditory areas for visual processing. However, the neural basis for these relationships is not fully understood. Here, we investigated neural correlates of visual-verbal working memory and sensory plasticity in 14 CI users and age-matched normal-hearing (NH) controls using high-density electroencephalogram (EEG). Participants completed a modified Sternberg visual working memory task where results suggested that CI users had comparable behavioral working memory performance compared to NH. However, CI users had more pronounced neural activity during visual stimulus encoding, including stronger visual-evoked activity in auditory and visual cortices, larger modulations of neural oscillations, and increased frontotemporal connectivity. In contrast, during memory retention of the characters, CI users had descriptively weaker neural oscillations and significantly lower frontal-temporal connectivity. We interpret the differences in neural correlates of visual stimulus processing in CI users through the lens of cross-modal and intra-modal plasticity. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Brandt, Oliver | Olive, Andrea | News Media Framing of Climate Change in Canada: A Provincial Analysis of 2015-2018 | Geography | 2021-11-01 | This thesis analyzes the framing of climate change in the most circulated news titles from six different Canadian provinces. While previous scholarship on Canadian news framing of climate change has focused on nationally circulated news media, this provincial analysis shows there are significant differences in the framing of climate change between different provinces and nationally circulated media. Some of these differences follow regional patterns, particularly in terms of a West-East divide in the use of business and industry voice, article balance, and environment as an issue theme. The use of risk and benefit frames was particularly unique in Alberta’s Calgary Herald, wherein regional economic interests were emphasized more so than in any other news title looked at. News articles were also qualitatively analyzed to reveal important differences in narrative construction between articles with identical frame use. This highlights the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative methods in this research area. | M.A. | climate | 13 |
| Chung, Luke | Sled, John JGS | Non-invasive Measurement of Intravascular Temperature in the Mouse Brain | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | Brain temperature is an important physiological parameter that both reflects and modulates brain activity. Regulation of brain temperature is found in healthy conditions and perturbed in certain diseased conditions. Presently, the available methods for measuring in vivo temperature are invasive and impractical for use in small animals. Here, we present a methodology to measure common carotid artery and brain temperature in anesthetized mice by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the temperature-sensitive agent TmDOTMA. Agreement between left and right carotid artery temperature measurements demonstrated self-consistency of this method. A temperature gradient in the brain, increasing from superficial to core regions, was also observed. Additionally, comparison of core brain and arterial temperature showed that the anesthetized mouse brain is warmed by incoming arterial blood. This work provided important insight into the bioheat exchange in mice which can inform our understanding of brain temperature regulation in health. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| Arabian, Marie-Eugenie Kamie | Shu, Li H | Novel Idea-generation Approaches Applied to Wind-turbine Blade Repurposing | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Many engineering problems still require novel solutions, e.g., the repurposing of retired wind-turbine blades. This work investigates novel idea-generation methods that aim to increase the viability of reuse ideas for the currently un-recyclable wind-turbine blade. The first half of this work stems from increasing evidence which suggests that recall of episodic memories enhances idea generation, however its application to engineering problems has been limited. Results show that strategies increasing access to episodic memory may improve flexible and elaborate idea generation for common objects and feasibility of reuses for wind-turbine blades. A follow-up study addressed the large scale of the blades and its impact on viable reuse ideas. The Alternate Uses Task (AUT) was used as a warm-up exercise versus its typical use as a creativity measure. This practical design application for the AUT resulted in a simple and easy to implement intervention that produced more correctly scaled reuses for the wind-turbine blade. | M.A.S. | wind, labor, invest, recycl, reuse | 7, 8, 9, 12 |
| Ho, Haonan Howard | Sullivan, Pierre E | Numerical Investigation On Flow Past A Backward Facing Step And Initial Study Of Synthetic Jets | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The flow past a backward-facing step and the interaction of a synthetic jet with a duct cross-flow were investigated numerically using an incompressible RANS solver. The numerical result was able to predict the correct flow structure and velocity field for the backward-facing step. The synthetic jet actuator had a cylindrical cavity and the diaphragm movement was modelled physically accurate. The synthetic jet simulated was first validated with experimental data in quiescent flow, the jet velocity profile at peak phases were modelled correctly and net positive momentum was observed in the external region, while the actuator remained net-zero mass flux. The synthetic jet was then integrated into a duct to create a cross-flow, three different blowing ratios were simulated by adjusting the diaphragm vibration amplitude. The simulations allowed the formation of the synthetic jet to be analysed in a low Reynolds number cross-flow and demonstrated that URANS can be used to simulate synthetic-jet in both quiescent and cross-flow. | M.A.S. | invest, net-zero | 9, 13 |
| Abdully, Mohammad | Kortschot, Mark||Bussmann, Markus | Numerical Modelling and Testing of Recovery Boiler Deposits to Investigate Fracture by Sootblower Jet Impingement | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Steam is used to remove deposits that build up on the heat exchanger tubes in a boiler. Fouling causes a reduction in boiler efficiency, and costly sootblower steam is used to remove deposits. A fundamental study of deposit break-up and crack propagation at boiler temperatures was carried out to improve sootblower efficiency. To analyze fracture of deposits, the material properties of a deposit, mainly the fracture toughness KC, needs to be measured. Moreover, the work of fracture, WF, is used to compare the energy required to fracture brittle deposits versus ductile deposits. Finally, the deposits were modelled in FEA to investigate the effects of surface pits on amplifying the maximum principal stresses created by a jet. A small notch was introduced in the model to investigate crack growth through the deposit under jet impingement using the failure criterion K > KC.The fracture toughness of a deposit declined as the temperature of the testing furnace increased due to the decrease in peak load. The deposit samples tested experienced a brittle to ductile transition at 450°C. Ductile deposits (740 J/m2) required four times more energy to fracture compared to a brittle deposit (185 J/m2). The increased WF resulted from the ductile deposits deforming under force, requiring more energy to fracture. The numerical model indicates that a pit significantly amplifies the maximum stresses leading to small microcracks forming upon jet impingement. The fracture model of a microcrack shows that brittle deposits will fail when the stress intensity factor at the crack tip, K is greater than the critical stress intensity factor KC. | M.A.S. | energy, invest, transit | 7, 9, 11 |
| Shi, Jiajing Gillian | Ryan, Dan | Office Hours: A UX investigation on How Might We Improve the Remote Office Hours Experience in Higher Education through Design Thinking | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | Instructors and students in higher education experienced abrupt pedagogical changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the breadth of new digital products available, instructors and students still experience communication challenges and dissatisfaction during remote learning. This thesis used design-thinking to prototype a digital tool that facilitates remote office hours as an extension of communication between students and instructors outside of the virtual classroom. By following design thinking, the study illustrated the insights synthesized from faculty and students’ user experience during office hours to help the reader to emphasize the challenges, needs, and goals stemming from remote learning. Meanwhile, the thesis aimed to elucidate the best practices for facilitating remote office hours to help faculty and students cultivate meaningful conversations and build a more collaborative work environment in the digital age. | M.I.S. | learning, labor, invest | 4, 8, 9 |
| Guet-McCreight, Delphine | Cesare Schotzko, T. Nikki | On Delphine LaLaurie: The Mythologizing of a Murderer | Drama | 2021-11-01 | Until the spring of 1834, the name of LaLaurie was known only by a select few.A week after a fire decimated Delphine LaLaurie’s New Orleans mansion, the Vicksburg Daily Whig reported that multiple enslaved people had been discovered in the house. Subsequent articles stressed that the victims had not been fed properly or that LaLaurie had used her husband’s surgical tools on the enslaved people. Despite a dearth of concrete historical proof, the LaLaurie tale’s most chilling details endure as facts, finding new life with every retelling, perpetuating an ingrained normalization of racist, classist, and misogynistic infrastructures within the performance of historical horror. Thomas (2018), Wiltenburg (2004), and Fiddler (2019) have published sensationalist storytelling methods and hauntology studies that corroborate the frequent use of this approach. The damages of ghost stories hail not from historical events but from the very way the story is told. | M.A. | infrastructure | 9 |
| Zhou, Yining | Gruninger, Michael | Ontology Evolution as Ontology Reuse | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Throughout the ontology lifecycle, different versions of an ontology are created, and the need for version management has been widely recognized. Although a number of definitions for ontology versioning have been proposed, several questions remain. How are different versions of an ontology related to each other? In what sense are they all versions of the same ontology? In this thesis we present an alternative characterization of ontology evolution as a form of ontology reuse. We propose a formal definition of ontology version with respect to the specification of the intended models of an ontology. We prove that this is equivalent to the formal definition of a reusable ontology. Based on this equivalence, we propose version operators and show how ontology evolution can be formalized through its application. Finally, in a case study of the Semantic Sensor Network Ontology, we leverage different techniques to assist in analyzing the feasibility of the application of the version operator. | M.A.S. | reuse | 12 |
| Willes, John | Waslander, Steven | Open-World Few Shot Recognition | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | As autonomous decision-making agents move from narrow operating environments to unstructured worlds, learning systems must move from a closed-world formulation to an open-world and few-shot setting in which agents continuously learn new classes from small amounts of information. This stands in stark contrast to modern machine learning systems that are typically designed with a known set of classes and a large number of examples for each class. In this work, we extend feature-space em- bedding few-shot learning algorithms to open-world settings. We combine Bayesian non-parametric class priors with a novel network pre-training scheme to yield a highly flexible framework which we refer to as few-shot learning for open-world recognition (FLOWR). We benchmark our framework on open-world extensions of the common MiniImageNet and TieredImageNet few-shot learning datasets. Our results show, when compared to prior methods, strong classification accuracy performance and up to a 12% improvement in H-measure (a measure of novel class detection) from our non-parametric open-world few-shot learning scheme. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Pogacar, Frances Anne | Chan, Timothy C. Y. | Operations Research Applications in Ontario's Healthcare System during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The COVID-19 pandemic challenged former norms in hospital operations and motivated innovative strategies for allocating healthcare resources. We present three strategies for mitigating stress on Ontario’s healthcare system. First, we consider inter-hospital patient transfers to address capacity concerns and uneven distribution of COVID-19 caseloads among hospitals. We formulate a queueing control problem and propose an approximate solution approach. With a case study of 21 hospitals we show that patient transfers significantly reduce the number of patient-days above occupancy thresholds, while distributing the COVID caseload. Second, we formulate an integer program to facilitate staff redeployment, and summarize some major challenges in redeployment efforts. Finally, we propose a virtual assessment centre for LTC residents. With data from seven hospitals we estimate staffing and diagnostic imaging resource requirements, and find that 1) aggregating call volume across multiple hospitals greatly reduces staffing requirements; 2) existing outpatient facilities could likely meet the diagnostic imaging requirements. | M.A.S. | healthcare | 3 |
| Lau, Jenny | Furlan, Andrea D | Opioid Disposal Practices of Patients with Life-limiting Cancers in an Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic: A Cross-sectional Study | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Introduction: Proper prescription opioid disposal is essential to prevent poisonings and deaths. This study examined the opioid disposal practices of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic (OPCC) patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved a retrospective chart review of new, adult patients who were seen in the OPCC (September 2018 – August 2019) and completed a survey about opioid use. Results: 58/111 (52.3%) of study participants did not routinely dispose of their opioids. Cannabis and neuropathic medication use (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2 – 7.2) were positively associated with routine disposal of opioids. Patients were less likely to routinely dispose of their opioid if they responded “Yes” to “Have you had to increase the amount of opioids you take over the past six months?” (OR 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16 - 0.88). Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of people with life-limiting illnesses who do not routinely dispose of their opioids. | M.Sc. | illness | 3 |
| Chung, Seung-Hun | Abdelrahman, Tarek S | Optimization of Compiler-generated OpenCL CNN Kernels and Runtime for FPGAs | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This work explores the viability of end-to-end convolutional neural network inference using OpenCL HLS kernels generated from TVM on Intel FPGAs. We explore layer-pipelined execution for small networks and time-multiplexed kernels for larger CNNs. Naively generated kernels do not produce efficient hardware. We propose a set of optimizations to increase parallelism, resource utilization, and more efficiently use memory bandwidth. They include loop unrolling, tiling, fusion, invariant code motion, cached writes, CL channels, autorun kernels, concurrent execution, and parameterized kernels. These optimizations improve performance up to a factor of 1150x over the naive baseline implementation generated by TVM. Compared to Keras/Tensorflow on a 56-core Xeon 8280, we observe performance improvements up to 4.57x and 1.4x over LeNet and MobileNet but has a slowdown at 0.43x for ResNet-18/34. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Yang, Weichang | Mills, James K. | Optimization of Pin Fin Heat Sinks for High Power Density Electronics Using Genetic Algorithm Coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamic Modelling | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The development of high-power electronic devices in various energy systems has recently gained attention for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. However, the increase in power density has also introduced several design challenges especially in thermal management. This thesis attempts to optimize a liquid cooled pin fin heat sink with localized heat sources representing an EV power driver using genetic algorithm (GA). Both pin geometry and pin locations are optimized to reduce thermal resistance and pressure drop of the coolant. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is used in the genetic algorithm to evaluate the performance of each potential design during optimization. A set of optimizations with different geometric parameters has been carried out and compared. The results demonstrate that GA coupled with CFD may be a powerful tool for designing an effective and reliable heat sink for high power density applications. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| He, Yuehuan | Kwon, Roy | Optimization-based Tail Risk Hedging | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis presents a mixed risk-return optimization framework for selecting long put option positions to hedge the tail risk of investments. We formulate tractable optimization models by utilizing hypothetical portfolios that roll put options on a constant basis. Variance and sample Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR) are used as risk measures. Firstly, the tail risk hedging for a single asset such as the S 500 ETF is considered. Our proposed models are tested against the out-of-sample historical S 500 index values as well as the values of the index paired with long put options of varying strike prices. The optimized hedged portfolios could provide sufficient protection in market downturns while not losing significant returns in a longer investment horizon without explicitly predicting future market behavior. This is achieved by dynamically adjusting the positions of put options with different protection levels according to the market trends. Allocations to different put options are analyzed under various market trends and investor risk aversion levels. Then our framework is extended to multiple underlying assets and put options associated with them by constructing a hypothetical portfolio consisting of a combination of each put option and the associated underlying asset. The optimized strategies overcome traditional drawbacks associated with protective put strategies, as well as outperform the strategies of investing directly in the underlying assets and holding constant long positions in put options. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Lipworth, Hayley | Melamed, Nir | Optimizing Gestational Weight Gain in Twin Pregnancies | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | INTRODUCTION: Data on the optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) in twin pregnancies and the implications of inadequate GWG on pregnancy complications in this population are limited.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implications of inadequate GWG in twin pregnancies, identify the optimal range of GWG, and develop and implement a new care pathway aimed at optimizing GWG in this population. METHODS: We conducted the following separate (but strongly related) projects to address the objectives described above: (1) A systematic review and meta-analysis; (2) A retrospective cohort study; (3) A national survey among Canadian maternal-fetal-medicine specialists; (4) A new care pathway aimed at optimizing GWG in twins. RESULTS: (1) The meta-analysis revealed that over half (56.8%) of women with twins experience GWG outside of recommendations. Low-GWG was associated with preterm birth, while high-GWG was associated with preeclampsia. (2) Our retrospective study confirmed the findings of the meta-analysis in our local population. In addition, we identified new, outcome-based optimal GWG range in twins, which had better correlation with outcomes compared with current guidelines. (3) Through the survey we identified considerable inconsistencies and potential barriers for optimal GWG in twins; (4) We designed and implemented a new care pathway to optimize GWG in our Twins Clinic at Sunnybrook. CONCLUSIONS: GWG is an important and modifiable risk factor for preterm birth and other pregnancy complications in twin gestations, making its optimization an important goal of antenatal care in this population. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Heirani, Niloofarsadat | Azhari, Fae | Optimizing the Fabrication of Cementitious Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring | Civil Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Cementitious sensors function based on the principle of piezoresistivity, which is defined as the dependence of electrical resistivity on applied strain. These sensors incorporate conductive materials within a cementitious matrix. Fiber dispersion quality, mix design, and fabrication methods significantly impact the sensitivity, repeatability, and stability of the sensors. In this study, cementitious sensors were fabricated using coal-tar pitch-based carbon fibers as the conductive phase and the Taguchi method of optimization was utilized to find the most effective mix design and fabrication procedures. Four-probe electrical resistivity measurement under compressive mechanical loading determined the efficiency of each fabrication setting. The fiber dispersion quality was evaluated via several image processing techniques. Optimization results indicated that sensor samples containing 15% volume fraction of carbon fiber, general use Portland cement and silica fume, and mixed with centrifugal mixer produce the best results with better repeatability. | M.A.S. | land | 15 |
| Giuliano, Ariana Elizabeth | Gilboa, Asaf||Moscovitch, Morris | Oscillatory Mechanisms of Schematic Processing | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | Schematic processing requires activating and sustaining a schema template, which is later used to flexibly interact with incoming information. This is accomplished by schema reinstatement (activation) and instantiation (interaction). Previous work has neglected direct analysis of these processes, resulting in a lack of definitive neural mechanisms that distinguish them from other forms of prior knowledge. We hypothesize that these processes are modelled in the brain as the interaction between the vmPFC and posterior neocortical areas. We indexed schematic processing behaviourally and neurally and compared it with categorical processing. Under EEG recording, 10 vmPFC patients and 13 controls were instructed to determine stimuli belongingness to a given schema or category. Pre-stimulus low-frequency coherence desynchronization between the vmPFC and posterior neocortex, followed by post-stimulus power decreases in the vmPFC correlated with better performance for schema trials. Our results suggest that these patterns of oscillatory activity may serve as mechanisms for schematic processing. | M.A. | knowledge | 4 |
| Simmons, Gabriele | Childs, Ruth||Vieta, Marvelo | Our Needs Will Not Diminish: Perspectives of Ontario Non-profit Organizations on Experiential Learning Partnerships with Post-secondary Institutions | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | This study investigates the perspectives of staff within non-profit organizations that host post-secondary students in experiential learning (EL) placements. Post-secondary institutions within Ontario and across North America have experienced increasing pressure to ensure that students have opportunities to learn by doing through experiential learning placements. Community-based non-profit organizations host many of these placements. Interviews with ten Canadian non-profit staff members who supervise placement students revealed both tensions and possibilities inherent in campus-community EL partnerships. The findings make clear that non-profit organizations vary in their needs and available resources and these affect their interactions with post-secondary institutions. The study has important implications, for those at the provincial and administrative levels as they develop expectations and policies around campus-community engagements, and for the staff and faculty within universities and colleges who send students to non-profit organizations. | M.A. | learning, invest, institut | 4, 9, 16 |
| Mendell, Alexander Yves | Siegel, Jeffrey A | Particulate Matter Concentrations in Social Housing | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Residents of social housing are often exposed to higher concentrations of harmful indoor pollutants such as particulate matter (PM). This research is comprised of two parts: a study investigating variation in indoor PM concentrations measured in 91 social housing apartments in Toronto followed by an evaluation of particle filtration as means of exposure reduction. PM concentrations varied greatly within and between apartments and were two times higher than in single family homes measured using comparable methods. Smoking and other indoor sources are likely responsible for these concentration differences which may contribute to health disparities. Using simulated concentrations derived from the social housing field measurements, we found that particle filtration could greatly reduce indoor PM concentrations. Automation using fixed and adaptive thresholds can lower system runtime, thereby reducing noise and energy usage and making particle filter systems a more viable and sustainable approach to improving the health of social housing residents. | M.A.S. | energy, invest, housing, pollut, pollut | 7, 9, 11, 14, 15 |
| Wei, Xue | Munteanu, Cosmin | Partners in Life and Online Search: An Investigation on Older Couples’ Collaborative Information Behaviour | Information Studies | 2022-06-01 | Online search is not always a solitary activity. While past research has investigated collaborative information seeking (“CIS”) among certain demographics, how older couples search online together has not been explored. To address this research gap, a qualitative research study is conducted using semi-structured interviews. Research data is analyzed using thematic analysis.Our analysis suggests that older couples engage in CIS for daily tasks, interests, and to fulfill curiosity. Our findings also suggest that older couples’ CIS is primarily a relationship maintenance behaviour. The trust, care and knowledge developed for each other during their lifelong relationship are essential to understand their communication, decision-making, and various strategies employed during their collaboration. Older couples’ relationship also appears to affect their technology adoption, as couples tend to share the same views about technology despite their individual differences. A few design considerations are recommended for systems aimed to facilitate older couples’ collaborative information seeking. | M.I.S. | knowledge, labor, invest | 4, 8, 9 |
| Papanagiotou, Emmanuel | Zee, Robert E | Passive Attitude Control and Stabilization for Microsatellites | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Based on the breakthroughs of Microspace missions, NewSpace ventures capitalize on radical innovation to usher in a new era where spacecraft form part of the infrastructure for global service provision in Telecommunications and Earth Observation. Confronted with a congested space domain, spacecraft developers are advised to comply with design-by-disposal practices. This thesis expands on observations of CanX-7 on-orbit behaviour, a 3U satellite developed by SFL and equipped with an innovative drag sail mechanism. A passive stabilization solution is suggested and tested to further improve upon the lessons learned from the mission’s success. Furthermore, this thesis investigates the design, testing, and validation of a passive control solution for attitude death-mode avoidance leading to power outage. The solution involves the sizing and testing of a permanent magnet to be placed on board of satellites whose mission requirements do not allow for solar panel mounting on all faces of a cubic bus geometry. | M.A.S. | solar, infrastructure, capital, invest | 7, 9 |
| Khosla, Anisha | Moscovitch, Morris||Ryan, Jennifer D | Path Integration Using Eye and Hand Movements | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | Although there is neurological evidence suggesting that the entorhinal cortex performs similar computations on whole-body and eye movements in space, behavioural evidence of the same is lacking in the current literature. Humans can track current position relative to the starting point of a journey using only self-motion cues through the process of path integration. We tested if path integration, a process dependent on the entorhinal cortex, uses movements other than whole-body movements to update self-position. We used novel eye-tracking and tablet tasks in which participants followed a sequence of locations guided by visual or auditory cues. Consistent with results from other real-space studies, we found that participants used different strategies to update position in space depending on task demands. Retracing behavior seen with hand and eye movements suggests that retracing precedes computation of the homing vector during real-space path integration, but future studies are necessary to investigate this further. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Tonogai, James | Dempster, Laura||Chvartszaid, David | Patient and Clinician Perspectives on Content for a Decision Aid for Implant Dentistry | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Implant-based therapies are a reliable treatment for the replacement of missing teeth based on decades of research and clinical use. Treatment planning is a complex process, and patients would benefit from information designed to facilitate their decision-making; however, no evidence-based decision aids exist in this field. This project aims to investigate patient and clinician perspectives on the relative importance of items to include in a decision aid for implant dentistry using an online two-round modified Delphi survey of patients, prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons across Ontario, Canada. Results report clinicians and patients identify multiple variables as important to include in a decision aid; however, significant differences exist between groups on the relative importance of items. This study suggests that development of a decision aid to meet the needs of all participant groups may be challenging, and involve further collaboration in order to address the collective needs of patients and clinicians. | M.Sc. | labor, invest | 8, 9 |
| Sue-A-Quan, Rachel Ting Gee | Zimmermann, Camilla | Patients' Experiences and Perceptions of the Symptom Screening with Targeted Early Palliative Care (STEP) Process | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Symptom screening with Targeted Early Palliative care (STEP) is a novel intervention offering early palliative care to symptomatic patients with advanced cancer. A qualitative descriptive approach was taken to explore patients’ experiences and perceptions of the STEP process and to identify factors considered when deciding to accept or decline a palliative care clinic (PCC) referral. Fifteen patients completed interviews. Participants stated they believed symptom screening helped healthcare providers, but emphasized the additional importance of discussing their symptom scores. Some participants felt shocked/discouraged, and others comforted/supported at being offered a PCC referral; benefits of receiving a referral were noted. Common factors considered when deciding to accept or decline a referral were: perceived symptom burden, perceived need for additional support, and readiness to contemplate a terminal prognosis. This information is important to guide future implementations of STEP and to ensure that timely palliative care is provided to those in greatest need. | M.Sc. | healthcare | 3 |
| Czajkowski, Katy | Choo, Chun Wei | Patients’ Information use in an Online Health Community | Information Studies | 2021-11-01 | Patients gravitate toward Online Health Communities when their healthcare professionals areunable to meet their needs. I conduct a discourse analysis using grounded theory to explore the information uses in a Facebook group with over 36,600 COVID-19 patients, survivors, and family members. To understand these information uses, I describe a Facebook Group as an information context, present the four types of contributors in the context, and unpack how the context influences information behaviours. I codify the posts into four themes, explain the information framing of these themes, and collect the respective conversations from the comments. To supplement my analysis, I engage with two moderators and integrate their insights into my analysis. There are few mechanisms for patients, as primary information sources, to relay their insights to medical professionals. My research explores how patients are capturing and sharing the unique knowledge they have about their conditions and the medical system. | M.I.S. | healthcare, knowledge | 3, 4 |
| Kubant, Alla | Zimmermann, Camilla | Perceptions of Curability in Outpatients with Advanced Cancer | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Objectives. (1) To identify patient characteristics associated with the perception cancer is incurable. (2) To examine whether this perception is associated with (i) patients’ goals of care (GOC) and (ii) perceptions that their family and physician are aware of their future care wishes. Methods. Medical oncology outpatients with advanced cancer completed a GOC questionnaire. Results. Previous discussion of cancer curability was associated with the perception cancer was incurable when controlling for patient age, income, and ECOG (OR=4.35, 95%CI=1.18-17.11, p=0.03). Most patients perceiving cancer was incurable reported GOC wishes of living longer (56%) over curing their cancer (7%). A total of 77% believed their family was aware of their future care wishes, but only 13% believed their physician was aware. Conclusion. Discussion of cancer curability with patients may improve their understanding of prognosis and enable GOC decision-making. Physician-patient discussions about advance care planning appear to be lacking and should be encouraged. | M.Sc. | income | 10 |
| Shah, Astha Atul | Quiñonez, Carlos | Perceptions of Professionalism in Dental Students | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | This thesis explored Canadian dental students’ perceptions of professionalism and the factors associated with these perceptions. Information was collected from undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto (N = 430) using an online survey. Evaluation of professionalism was based on three outcomes: attitudes toward professionalism, moral inclusion and perceived professional roles, which were derived from the American Dental Education Association values of professionalism in dental education and existing measures in the literature. These outcomes were assessed using Likert and visual analog scale questions. Associations with environmental, institutional and student-related factors were investigated using non-parametric tests, chi-square tests and regression analysis. The survey yielded a response rate of 51.4% (n = 221). Results indicate that overall, this sample of dental students had positive perceptions of professionalism, which were negatively impacted when students viewed their future patients as consumers. These findings have implications for professionalism education in dentistry. | M.Sc. | invest, consum, environmental, institut | 9, 12, 13, 16 |
| Mortadha, Jafar Ala | Filleter, Tobin||Sinclair, Anthony | Performance Stability of Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | The signal amplitude stability of non-destructive testing systems based on electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) and guided ultrasonic waves is investigated. The study is focused on three factors: sensor lift-off, specimen thickness, and dynamic permeability. The objectives are to determine a minimum lift-off to achieve adequate stability and signal-to-noise ratio, and evaluate the effect of variable specimen thickness on the propagation of the ultrasonic dispersive SH1 mode. The analysis is performed through finite element simulations, which are validated experimentally. It was found that a magnetostriction-based transmitter is less sensitive to lift-off than a Lorentz force transmitter. Specimen thickness variations in a direction perpendicular to ultrasonic wave propagation can focus or divert SH1 wave energy such that the resulting signal fluctuations are large enough to interfere with defect detection. Both magnetostriction-based and Lorentz-based EMAT inspection systems were found to be unaffected by random variations of dynamic permeability. | M.A.S. | energy, invest | 7, 9 |
| Baker, Mobafa Samleon | McCready, Lance | Perspectives on the use of Afrocentric Approaches in Non-school settings within Toronto on the Education, Employment and Black Identity of African Canadian Men | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-06-01 | This study looks at the experiences of African Canadian young men in a three (3) year Afrocentric program that was run in a non-school setting. It utilizes an intrinsic case study approach, where the researcher conducted interviews with former program participants to see the impact that the program had on their academic achievement, employment opportunities and Black identity. The results of the study support the view that the use of African centred programming within a non-school program can positively impact how Black young men achieve educational success. The study also offers some support for the use of Afrocentric approaches, specifically the use of the Nguzo Saba principles and Black mentors to highlight and establish Black identity, promote academic achievement and employment/entrepreneurial endeavours among African Canadian youth. | M.A. | employment, entrepreneur | 8 |
| Agarwal, Payal | Bhatia, Sacha | Physician Attitudes towards use of Digital Health Apps for Chronic Disease Self-management in Clinical Practice | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | Background: Despite evidence of effectiveness, few primary care providers (PCPs) are recommending digital health apps to support chronic disease management as part of routine practice. Methods: This study explores factors that influence PCP behaviours in recommending digital apps to patients. Study design included interviews with a deductive analysis, grounded in the Theoretical Domains Framework. PCPs were recruited from across Ontario. Results: Interviews from 15 participants resulted in four key themes. While participant’s wanted to use health apps with patients, a lack of knowledge, including knowledge of evidence, the quality of the current evidence and awareness of specific apps limited prescribing. Recommended interventions to increase use including curated lists, integration with the EMR, and peers supports. Conclusions: Our results suggest knowledge gaps are a key barrier to recommending apps, however this could be addressed using targeted interventions. Future work should explore patient attitudes towards the prescribing and use of apps. | M.H.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Yang, Eric | Sullivan, Pierre E | PIV Study of Control by Synthetic Jets to Delay Flow Separation over an Airfoil | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The effects of flow control by a synthetic-jet actuator with a high-aspect ratio slot on the low-speed flow around a NACA 0025 airfoil was investigated using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Analysis was performed on phase-averaged PIV data of flow over the entire airfoil surface to visualize the role of jet structures in the delay of flow separation. When exciting the shear-layer instabilities of the flow, jet structures persisted near the boundary layer to 90% of the chord length while maintaining flow attachment. PIV experiments performed in a wind tunnel showed the creation and evolution of structures in the near-field of the synthetic jet. The structures induced by the synthetic jet advect as roller vortices for∼20 jet widths before instabilities cause transition to three-dimensional structures. Separation delay was achieved for control introduced behind the separation point. To improve the accuracy and resolution of PIV, the open-source program OpenPIV was modified. | M.A.S. | wind, invest, transit | 7, 9, 11 |
| Jarvis, Sarah Elizabeth | Malik, Vasanti | Plant-based Dietary Patterns: Cardiometabolic Risk and Nutritional Adequacy | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-11-01 | Extensive research on the optimal diet for several health outcomes emphasizes a large, if not entire, proportion of plant foods. Less is understood regarding the effects of a progressive adherence to plant-based dietary patterns and which dietary elements are most protective. While a well-planned plant-based diet can be nutritionally adequate, it is unknown whether Canadians who follow such diets are at a greater risk of nutritional deficiencies. To address these gaps, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohorts that demonstrated a plant-based diet had a protective association with cardiometabolic health which was strengthened when higher quality plant foods were emphasized. We additionally assessed nutritional adequacy among Canadians who follow plant-based dietary patterns and found risk for nutritional inadequacy was similar or lower for most key nutrients compared to omnivores. These findings support recommendations for plant-based diets as appropriate high quality diets in Canada. | M.Sc. | nutrition, vegetarian | 2, 13 |
| Magliocco, Ariana | Cannon, Martin | Pleading with Our Paesan: An Urgent Call to Re-structure Italian-Canadian Allegiance to White Supremacy | Social Justice Education | 2021-11-01 | This thesis calls on White Italian-Canadians to recognize and re-structure their allegiance to White supremacy. It will draw from Critical Anti-Racist Theory (Dei Lordan 2013; Omi Winant 2002), Italian-Canadian Studies (Alba, 1985; Dickie, 1996; Guglielmo Salerno, 2003) and Critical Whiteness Studies (Morrison, 1992; Dyer, 1997; Frankenbergs, 1993). I will interrogate Italian-Canadian Whiteness and demonstrate the ways in which it has been mediated by varied socio-historical conditions across space and time. By documenting the work of grassroots organization Italian-Canadians for Black Lives (IC4BL), I will demonstrate how White Italian-Canadians are responding to calls for allyship/solidarity against White supremacy in Vaughan, Ontario. I develop these analyses in order to explore the opportunities and challenges presented in anti-racism activism organized around an Italian-Canadian cultural affiliation. I hope that this research can be utilized towards more meaningful relationships of solidarity, which take our responsibilities as citizens, (im)migrants and settlers seriously. | M.A. | settler, anti-racism, racism, citizen, anti-racist | 4, 10 |
| Suleiman, Motasem Ahmed Harb | Sigal, Israel Michael | Poisson-Boltzmann Equation Analysis in One Dimension | Mathematics | 2021-11-01 | We provide a short overview of the derivation of the Poisson-Boltzmann Equation (PBE) and investigate the existence of solutions for the PBE in one dimension, where the domain is R. We statethe existence and uniqueness theorems for second order linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equation. Utilizing these theorems, we prove the existence of unique solutions to the linear and nonlinear PBE given one sided boundary condition. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Beynaghi, Ali | El-Diraby, Tamer T||Robinson, John J | Policy Mixes for Accelerating Zero-emission Vehicle Transition: Experiences in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Many jurisdictions have adopted different policies to accelerate Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) transition. This study identifies, categorizes, and analyzes, through document analysis and expert interviews, various policies influencing the light-duty ZEV transition in the three-leading provinces in Canada, i.e., Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario. To this end, two analytical frameworks are employed. The first one is used to categorize identified policies into four main categories, namely demand-side, infrastructure, supply-side, and institutional. The second analytical framework is applied to emphasize the ZEV transition from the creative destruction approach to discussing how provincial policies might influence socio-technical elements around the incumbent regime and the emergent niche. Findings show that the three provinces have collectively employed similar policy mixes. However, closer inspection of their specific policy instruments, policy strength, policy continuity, ambitions to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles, and transition to electric mobility along with their socio-political conditions show differences across the provinces. | M.A.S. | emission, infrastructure, transit, institut | 7, 9, 11, 16 |
| Varghese Chacko, Vimal | Anderson, Jason H | Power, Performance and Area Consequences of Multi-context Support in Coarse-grained Reconfigurable Arrays | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays (CGRAs) are programmable logic devices comprising a two-dimensional array of large, often ALU-like, logic blocks, and datapath-style (multi-bit) programmable interconnect. A feature frequently associated with CGRAs is dynamic reconfigurability, wherein the CGRA supports multiple contexts. The multiple contexts form a set of configuration bitstreams that are loaded into the CGRA simultaneously and cycled through according to a schedule. Multi-context allows the CGRA hardware to be time-multiplexed: the logic blocks and interconnect can perform different functions according to the context selected in each clock cycle. In this thesis, we consider how multi-context may be implemented at the circuit level, and evaluate four circuit implementations from the power, performance, and area (PPA) perspectives. The PPA overhead of the multi-context feature in CGRAs vs. a single-context device is also quantified. We also explore context-switching using a State Transition Controller (STC), which can switch contexts without a fully predefined pattern. | M.A.S. | transit | 11 |
| Mouraviev, Andrei | Martel, Anne L | Prediction of Local Control in Brain Metastases following Stereotactic Radiosurgery Treatment | Medical Biophysics | 2019-11-01 | Radiomics shows promise for predicting local failure (LF) in brain metastases (BM) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). This investigation sought to determine if radiomic features provide complementary information to routinely available clinical variables. We trained a Random Forest (RF) classifier for LF prediction on a dataset of 408 BMs from 87 patients in a cross-fold validation manner, to observe the change in predictive power from including radiomic features alongside clinical features. The addition of any one of the top nine radiomic features to the set of clinical variables resulted in a significant (p | M.Sc. | invest, forest | 9, 15 |
| Abdelmasih, Monica | Kayssi, Ahmed||Forbes , Thomas L | Prehabilitation Prior to Surgery: A Scoping Review and Pilot Quality Improvement Project | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Frailty and lack of physical fitness are risk factors for poor perioperative outcomes in vascular surgery patients and other surgical populations. Prehabilitation is a multimodal approach to improving patient fitness prior to surgery to promote better coping with the stressors of surgery. We conducted a scoping review to explore the current scope of literature regarding the effect of prehabilitation in surgical populations and to identify gaps in knowledge. We then conducted a pilot quality improvement project to improve the rate of referrals and attendance for prehabilitation prior to vascular surgery. Our review showed that there is a high degree of heterogeneity in the literature related to the effect of prehabilitation on perioperative outcomes and that future work is needed to identify the composition of an optimal prehabilitation program. Although less than our target value, the rate of referrals increased by over 30% from baseline and prehabilitation was well-received by patients. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Miljanovski, Melissa Andrea | Rodin, Gary | Preliminary Evaluation of the Double Awareness Scale in Patients with Advanced Cancer Receiving Outpatient Palliative Care | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Individuals with advanced cancer are tasked with engaging in life while simultaneously planning for the end of life. The capacity to sustain this duality, termed “double awareness,” may reflect optimal psychological adaptation to advanced cancer, though limited research on this phenomenon exists. The aim of the present study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of a new measure of double awareness, the Double Awareness Scale (DAS), in 70 palliative care outpatients attending at a comprehensive cancer center in Canada. Exploratory factor analysis identified that the DAS captures the two factors central to the concept of double awareness (i.e., Life Engagement, Death Contemplation) and perhaps a third construct of Legacy Remembrance. The factors of Life Engagement and Death Contemplation met the criteria for internal consistency and construct validity, which is promising. A validated DAS may assist health care providers in monitoring patient’s ability to live meaningfully while managing advanced cancer. | M.Sc. | health care | 3 |
| Tewari, Arundhati | Andrews, Robert | Preparation of Microplastics for Use in Environmental Research | Civil Engineering | 2022-03-01 | Microplastics <20 µm are being increasingly reported in treated drinking water as well as in surface waters. As such, ongoing microplastic-related research in various fields is beginning to focus on smaller particle sizes as these appear to be most important from a human health perspective. However, no standardized methods for preparing microplastics of this size have been reported in the literature. This study proposes a cryomilling-based method for preparation of aqueous stock suspensions. Polymers of 22 different types were obtained from the Centre for Marine Debris Research, Hawai’i Pacific University and subjected to cryomilling. This process produced polymers ranging from 2-125 µm of which 98% were classified as fragments with 2% as fibers. Size distributions for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), which are frequently reported in environmental samples, were determined using microscopy. Approximately 80% of the particles resulting from cryomilling were <20 μm long in the major dimension. A stock suspension prepared using PET was employed to illustrate and assess recovery for previously reported sampling equipment involving in-line filtration. Recoveries exceeding 80% were observed for individual 5 µm size increments between 2 and 45 µm, with an overall recovery of 86.8%. Results of these trials suggest that stock suspensions of microplastics are heterogeneous and cannot be treated in a similar manner to chemical solutions. In conclusion, this study represents a forward step towards harmonization of environmental microplastic research methods and improve comparability of future studies. | M.A.S. | water, environmental, marine | 6, 13, 14 |
| Cheung, Tung Chun | Winnik, Mitchell A | Preparation of Polyferrocenylsilane-b-Poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) Rod-like Micelles for Biomedical Applications | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Polyferrocenylsilane (PFS) diblock copolymers can form rod-like micelles by undergoing crystallization driven self-assembly (CDSA), enabled by the crystallization of the PFS core. For future studies in biomedical applications would require control over various physical aspects such as micelle length, morphology, and corona height. The formation of different micelles through CDSA is highly sensitive to initial conditions such as solvent concentration, aging temperature, unimer concentration, and polymer purity. In this pursuit, I investigated the synthesis and CDSA of polyferrocenylsilane-b-poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) in different initial self-assembly conditions. I found that self-assembly with PFS30-b-POEGMA65 in 2-proponal with a 20 mg/mL unimer solution aged at room temperature performed the best compared to the alternatives explored. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Boros-Rausch, Adam | Lye, Stephen||Shynlova, Oksana | Preventing Infection-induced Myometrial Inflammation by a Broad-spectrum Chemokine Inhibitor | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Prophylactic administration of a Broad-Spectrum Chemokine Inhibitor (BSCI) led to the suppression of uterine activity, a complete blockade of preterm birth (PTB) induced by Group B Streptococcus in a nonhuman primate, and inhibition of uterine cytokine/chemokine secretion and bacterial endotoxin (LPS)-induced PTB in pregnant mice. This thesis aims to determine the mechanism(s) of the BSCI (FX125L) action on uterine smooth muscle (myometrium). I hypothesize that a BSCI prevents infection-induced contraction of uterine myocytes by inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and contraction-associated proteins (CAPs). Myometrial biopsies were collected from women at term (not in labour) undergoing elective caesarean section and primary myocytes were isolated. I have shown that the BSCI inhibited: 1) LPS-induced activation of transcription factor NF-kB in myocytes, 2) which caused decrease in chemokine secretion, CAP expression and myocyte collagen gel contraction. I suggest that the BSCI could represent a novel class of therapeutics for PTB prevention in women. | M.Sc. | women, labour | 5, 8 |
| Sheikholeslami, Mahdi | Valaee, Shahrokh | Probabilistic Methods for Crowd-sourced Indoor Localization | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Despite its shortcomings, fingerprinting \textit{Received Signal Strength} (RSS) localization is still one of the most widely used methodologies for indoor localization. One of its shortcomings is due to its limited accuracy (around 3 meters). Based on empirical data, it is known that its limited accuracy is because of the data quality. This empirical data is however not justified by the currenct model of the RSS data. In this thesis a model is proposed for RSS signals which is in a better agreement with observations from the real data. By means of this model a lower bound is provided for localization error which explains the fact that this localization method can not attain sub-meter accuracies in practise. Aside from its limited localization accuracy, fingerprinting RSS localization has some practical challenges as well. A main challenge of RSS localization is its dependence on a high quality radio map. This makes RSS localization a labour intensive task as it requires technicians to collect RSS data on a regular basis to update the fingerprint database. In this thesis algorithms are proposed to reduce the sensitivity of localization algorithms to noisy data in radio map, making the use of crowd provided RSS, which are usually of less quality, feasible. | M.A.S. | learning, labour | 4, 8 |
| Liu, Victoria | Gilboa, Asaf||McIntosh, Randy | Probing the Neural Oscillatory Patterns Associated with Incidental Learning: A MEG Study | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | Cortical learning is a hippocampal-independent neocortex-dependent memory consolidation process. Cortical learning could be promoted by prior knowledge. Research found hippocampal-amnesia patients, including HM, are able to acquire new semantic knowledge if it relates to prior knowledge. This study examined the underlying neural processes that are associated with cortical learning of semantic knowledge with an incidental learning paradigm and MEG. We found cortical regions in visual association areas, multi-modal areas and paralimbic areas associated with incidental learning. We also found increased alpha and gamma power in cortical regions at the end of learning, and last but not least, we found cortical regions activation power at the end of learning positively correlated with learning accuracy. This study indexed the cortical regions and neural oscillatory processes that are associated with cortical learning and provide ground for future studies to probe deeper into the neural mechanisms that support cortical learning. At the same time, our study provides new perspectives on the theories of semantic representation. | M.A. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Dar, Mishal Asim | Ashcroft, Rachelle | Qualitative Study Examining the Role of Stigma in the Help-seeking Behaviours of South Asian Youth Accessing Psychotherapy in Ontario | Social Work | 2021-11-01 | South Asian (SA) youth face many mental health challenges yet access psychotherapy less often than other ethnic groups and this may be, in part, due to stigma. The aim of this qualitative descriptive study (N=10) was to understand SA youth’s experiences with stigma when accessing psychotherapy using semi-structured interviews. This level of understanding is sought to learn how the barrier of stigma was overcome. The Cultural Help-seeking Model served as a theoretical framework informing the author’s understanding of the role of stigma within the help-seeking process of SA youth. Six major themes were identified in the data: 1) influence of SA culture; 2) others as barriers to accessing psychotherapy; 3) others as facilitators to accessing psychotherapy; 4) personal attitudes; 5) context of mental health care; and 6) strategies for reducing stigma. The results of this study are used to propose recommendations for social work researchers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers. | M.S.W. | mental health, health care | 3 |
| Lu, Zhuole | Singh, Chandra Veer | Quantifying the Effect of Metal-substrate Interaction on Catalytic Properties by Combining Machine Learning and First-principles Calculations | Materials Science and Engineering | 2021-03-01 | Heterogeneous catalysis is the central pillar of chemical industry, but they are mostly developed via “trial-and-error” approach, which is labour consuming. The central challenge lies in the difficulty of quantifying the catalyst’s metal-substrate interaction and its effect on catalytic properties. This thesis leverages machine learning to capture the structure-property relationship of these catalysts, thereby accurately screening candidate catalysts order-of-magnitude faster than experimental approach. We examine three types of metal alloys: high-entropy alloys, single-atom alloys and 2D material-supported single-atom catalysts, whose development is hindered by the vast chemical design space. This thesis successfully developed models which are trained on relevant density functional theory calculations and demonstrate chemical accuracy for predicting the adsorption energy of key intermediates. This work has high practical impact as it offers a platform from which optimal catalyst material combinations can be rapidly pinpointed and subsequently synthesized via currently available methods, such as incipient wetness impregnation and dealloying. | M.A.S. | learning, energy, labour, consum | 4, 7, 8, 12 |
| Tambasco, Domenica | Doria, Andrea S | Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Differentiating Pediatric Neuroblastic Tumours | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | The main objectives of this thesis work were to answer the following questions:1. Are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features able to accurately distinguish malignant from benign neuroblastic tumours? 2. Are quantitative Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI)-MRI features able to accurately differentiate malignant from benign neuroblastic tumours? The thesis is presented as two manuscripts resulting from the two primary research studies: 1. Diagnostic Accuracy of MRI for Pediatric Neuroblastic Tumour Differentiation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2. Quantitative MRI Features Characterizing Pediatric Neuroblastic Tumours at Diagnosis. The results of both studies confirm that Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC), a quantitative feature derived from DWI measuring the motion of free water molecules, has high accuracy for differentiating between malignant and benign pediatric neuroblastic tumours. Therefore, use of this quantitative feature as a non-invasive tool could contribute to the diagnostic armamentarium and help guide management decisions of this highly heterogenous solid tumour in children. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Mauro, Julia | Cesare-Schotzko, Nikki | Queering Ava Lure; My Burlesque Journey Into TikTok | Drama | 2021-11-01 | This project is a culmination of research looking into theories of gender performance related to trends precipitated by pop-cultural figures and interviews with community-level performers in combination with my own exploration as a burlesque performer pivoting onto new social media platforms after the rise of COVID-19. In it, I explore if and how performers use autobiographical information to form their personas and how class pageantry and exaggerated femininity factor into the queer femme persona. In addition, I discuss how a persona is performed in digital spaces as opposed to in a live venue and what issues of believability and accessibility arise, focusing on fidelity of persona and on how concepts of queerness and non-conservative femininity face issues of censorship on social media. This project aims to question and compare the success of the queer femme persona in either live or online venues. This project consists of a reel of selected Tiktok videos from my collected works over the course of completing this project. These videos display themes of self-celebration, transformation, feminized labour, and mental health, as well as depictions of a mundanity / glamour dichotomy. | M.A. | mental health, gender, queer, labour, accessib, conserv, conserv | 3, 5, 8, 11, 14, 15 |
| DuPlessis, Danielle Caroline | Biddiss, Elaine||Scratch, Shannon | R2Play and Stakeholder Needs: Fostering User-driven Technology to Support Return-to-play Decision-making | Rehabilitation Science | 2021-11-01 | Background: Following concussion, return-to-play protocols rely on a battery of single-domain assessments to assess recovery. Yet, single-domain assessments may fail to detect symptoms elicited by the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional multi-domain demands when an athlete returns to sport.Objective: To bridge this gap by developing the R2Play system, which facilitates the implementation of a multi-domain return-to-play assessment for young athletes. Method: To address this aim, I have: (1) conducted a scoping review of multi-domain assessments; (2) conducted needs-assessment interviews with stakeholders; (3) collaborated with our research team to build a testable prototype; and (4) carried out proof-of-concept testing for R2Play. Results: The current thesis details the development and initial testing of the R2Play system, providing proof-of-concept and outlining next steps based on user feedback. Conclusions: This thesis contributes a prototype of the R2Play system, and highlights the potential of technology in clinical assessment and the benefits of user-centered design. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| White, Gabrielle Marie | Todorova, Miglena | Race and Contemporary (Post)feminism: Expanding Theory and Feminist Practice in Gender-based Violence Media Activism | Sociology and Equity Studies in Education | 2021-06-01 | This study focuses on recent public calls for a sex strike made by actress and activist Alyssa Milano and other contemporary resistance strategies by public female figures like Me Too founder Tarana Burke and executive producer of Surviving R. Kelly dream hampton. This study explores how race, class and access to the public sphere shape contemporary counter violence in the United States and Global North. This study uses a variety of published, publicly-accessible documents including interviews, social media posts and articles to qualitatively analyze the racial and class politics of contemporary counter violence strategies. Employing a conceptual framework grounded in intersectional feminist theory and existing literature regarding gendered and sexual violence, this study conveys the limitations of contemporary (post)feminist and white celebrity pop cultural counter violence media activism. This study contextualizes the politics of violence beyond a gender-only lens to expand feminist theory and practice within contemporary counter violence activism. | M.A. | gender, female, feminis, accessib, violence | 5, 11, 16 |
| Tinline-Goodfellow, Cassidy Thomas | Moore, Daniel R | Recapitulating Nutritionally Regulated Human Muscle Protein Metabolism In vitro using Humanized Cell Media | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2021-06-01 | Most in vitro models used to study the effects of nutrients on skeletal muscle protein metabolism use supraphysiological concentrations of nutrients and amino acids, making translation of their findings to humans difficult. Therefore, there is a need to develop an in vitro model that uses physiological nutrient concentrations. This study used a humanized fasted and fed media, modeled after human plasma fasted and fed amino acid concentrations, to study in vitro protein metabolism and anabolic signalling following nutrient withdrawal and refeeding compared to typical supraphysiological withdrawal and refeeding. In all outcomes measured, there was a similar knockdown of protein synthesis and anabolic signalling in both models. Further, refeeding generally resulted in similar phosphorylation responses in the proteins measured despite protein synthesis differing between the two models. These findings suggest that a humanized media may be a useful tool to study skeletal muscle physiology in vitro. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Li, Xiying | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Reinforcement Learning Approach for Solving the Optimal Stopping Problem | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The optimal stopping problem is concerned with finding an optimal policy to stop a stochastic process to maximize the expected return. This problem is critical in stochastic control and can be found in many different fields, such as operations research and finance. In this thesis, we model the optimal stopping problem as a Markov decision process and propose to solve it via a model-free value-based reinforcement learning approach, named delta-V. We consider two types of optimal stopping problems: the standard optimal stopping and the regenerative optimal stopping, which differ in their transition dynamics once the stopping action is executed. Then, we incorporate the unique structural properties of the optimal stopping problem into our algorithm design. We test our proposed approach in three cases and compare with three existing reinforcement learning algorithms. The results show that our delta-V method is able to outperform benchmark algorithms in all three cases. | M.A.S. | learning, transit | 4, 11 |
| Rudman, Dillon Frank | Packer, Jeffrey A||Tousignant, Kyle | Reliability of RHS X-connections in Branch Axial Compression | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Revisions were recently proposed, by Wei and Packer (2021), to how RHS sidewall instability is handled in AISC 360. This topic is updated with very recent research, and proposed revisions. An expanded database containing both experimental and numerical tests of RHS-to-RHS chord sidewall failure tests is amassed. An analysis of this data reinforces the recommendations by Wei and Packer (2021). A review is given of methods for determining the structural reliability of steel members and connections. A reliability study is performed on the Wei and Packer (2021) recommendations, using various closed-form reliability methods and Monte Carlo simulation, to determine resistance factors for use with the recommended nominal-strength design equations. The influence of live-to-dead load ratio, as well as material and geometric properties, on the structural reliability of full-width RHS-to-RHS X-connections under branch axial compression is studied. Test specimens are designed for an investigation of RHS-to-RHS X-connections under branch axial tension. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Ganji, Niloofar | Pierro, Agostino AP | Remote Ischemic Conditioning during Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Mechanism of Action | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease in premature infants, characterized by inflammation, ischemia, and derangements in microcirculation in the intestine. NEC has adverse morbidity and high mortality and is in need of a novel treatment. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a therapeutic strategy that protects distant organs from ischemic damage. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and mechanism of action of RIC in experimental NEC. NEC was induced in mouse pups between postnatal day (P) 5 and 9. RIC was administered via 4 intermittent cycles of occlusion of hindlimb blood flow (5 minutes) followed by reperfusion (5 minutes). RIC mitigated intestinal injury and inflammation and prolonged survival. The mechanism of action of RIC involves (i) hydrogen sulfide- and nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation and improvement of intestinal microcirculation, and (ii) modulation of intestinal angiogenesis. Our findings indicate that RIC counteracts the intestinal damage of NEC by improving intestinal microcirculation and microvasculature. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Coles, Brandon | Wright, Graham | Remote Monitoring RF Safety of MRI Guided Cardiac Interventions at 1.5T | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | Image guided cardiac interventions can benefit by implementing MRI for procedural guidance due to the availability of real-time soft tissue contrast. However, these procedures are not performed under MRI guidance due to the potential for dangerous heating near the interventional devices while imaging. A quick method to remotely monitor patient safety throughout a procedure would help ensure patient safety without greatly increasing procedure times. The proposed method uses the changes to the impedance of a single MRI transit coil due to the addition of an interventional device into the region being imaged as a measure of current induced on the interventional device. After an initial temperature calibration for a static device configuration, changes to the transmit coil impedance difference due to new device configurations is used to scale the initial temperature calibration to predict safety at the new device configuration. | M.Sc. | transit | 11 |
| Dabiri, Keivan | Sheikholeslami, Ali | Replica Exchange MCMC Engine for Combinatorial Optimization Problems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-06-01 | A replica exchange Markov Chain Monte Carlo engine is proposed and implemented with automatic temperature adjustment for solving combinatorial optimization problems. The automatic temperature adjustment ensures that the process is optimized at every stage. This approach is performed by dynamically adjusting temperatures of all replicas, in addition to the capability of automatically inserting new replicas or removing any existing ones to improve the resource efficiency and execution time. The proposed replica exchange algorithm is integrated with parallel evaluation of energy increment and update scheme to increase the time to solution. The replica exchange algorithm alone, is able to achieve a 4-5x speedup in time to solution, over a simulated annealing based optimizer, in addition to eliminating the need for an annealing schedule. The engine is developed in hardware with a capacity of running up to 64 replicas in pipeline, each running a 1024 fully-connected network in parallel. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Thaysen, Clara | Rochman, Chelsea M | Research Gaps in the Study of Microplastics: Method Development for Raman Automation, and Examining Relationships between Ecological Traits and Anthropogenic Particle Ingestion in a Deep-sea Food Web | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-06-01 | Microplastics and other anthropogenic microparticles are an emerging class of contaminants in marine ecosystems. I explore two research gaps within the field of microparticle pollution: one related to improving efficiency and accuracy of microparticle quantification, and another related to the fate of microparticles in food webs. First, I validated the use of a non-polymeric adhesive to improve automated spectroscopy methods, as well as tested subsampling strategies to improve quantification efficiency. Second, I characterized the amount and diversity of microparticles ingested by species from a deep-sea food web of Monterey Bay, California. I assessed differences in particle ingestion in the context of ecological traits including habitat, diet, feeding strategy, and body size. I determined that species who occupied the lower-mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones were associated with a less diverse assemblage of particle morphologies compared to epipelagic and upper-mesopelagic species suggesting that where an animal lives in the water column influences exposure. | M.Sc. | pollution, water, anthropogenic, marine, pollut, species, animal, ecosystem, ecolog, pollut, species, animal, ecosystem | 3, 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Mao, Yunhao | Jacobsen, Hans-Arno | Reversing CRDTs Through Compensating Operations | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) are popular choices for implementing eventual consistency in distributed systems that prioritize high availability. However, reversibility is largely unexplored in CRDTs, despite its potential use in microservices, collaborative editing software and distributed databases. In this thesis, reversing CRDTs is defined as compensating for the effect of reversed updates. Reversible operations are extensions to existing CRDTs' interfaces that reverse previous updates. Two different approaches and algorithms to achieve reversibility are discussed and developed. A distributed key-value database called rKVCRDT is implemented for proof-of-concept with the support of reversible CRDTs (rCRDTs). The performance characteristics of rCRDTs are evaluated using rKVCRDT. The evaluations show that although adding reversibility does have an impact, the overall performance is still dependent on multiple factors and varies among different CRDTs. Finally, two optimization methods for rCRDTs are proposed to improve the performance. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Biba, Thomas | Duncan, Katherine | Rhythmic Sampling Supports Episodic Memory Formation | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | Theta oscillations (3-9 Hz) in the hippocampus have been posited to mitigate the trade-offs between encoding and retrieval by segregating them in time (i.e. at opposite phases). However, there is limited behavioral evidence that humans cognitively cycle in and out of encoding and retrieval states at this rhythm. Here, I adapted the behavioral oscillation paradigm to investigate if episodic memory formation is rhythmic. In the present experiment (n=79) I found that associative retrieval performance oscillated at the theta frequency (5-6 Hz) with respect to a cue-image delay during the time of encoding. This same rhythmicity was not found for an attention task performed during the time of encoding, suggesting rhythmicity in memory formation was found over and above rhythmicity in perceptual processing. These data provide the first evidence demonstrating that human memory formation oscillates at a similar frequency as neural oscillations in the hippocampus known to underlie memory formation. | M.A. | invest, trade | 9, 10 |
| Liu, Wentao | Lee, Chi-Guhn||Lawryshyn, Yuri | Risk-aware Financial Portfolio Management with Distributional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | In this research, we will explore a risk-aware distributional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) based reinforcement learning algorithm to tackle the classic financial portfolio management problem. The objective of our research is to discover a general approach for real-world financial portfolio management that incorporates continuous state and action space, controllable portfolio diversification and investment risk-awareness. The state-of-art distributional reinforcement learning algorithm is employed in our research along with the DDPG algorithm. We chose the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as the feature extractor and studied the effect of explicitly introducing the correlation matrix to the feature extraction process. We managed to control the diversification level of the portfolio by applying temperature control over Softmax and produced a risk-averse reinforcement learning agent through a utility-based risk control practice. Extensive experimental results show that our approach leads to a diversified and risk-averse investment strategy that outperforms an equal-weighted strategy consistently and demonstrates great generalizability. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Ren, Jiaqi | Seed, Mike||Morrison, Janna L. | Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ (PPARγ), Pulmonary Blood Flow and Oxygen Delivery in the Regulation of Surfactant Maturation in the Fetal Lung | Physiology | 2020-11-01 | At birth, the fetal lung must be mature enough for the fetus to survive the transition to an air-breathing environment. This requires reduction of surface tension at the air-liquid interface to prevent alveolar collapse, achieved by production of surfactant. One factor regulating surfactant production is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). This thesis examines the effect of intrafetal rosiglitazone (RGZ; a PPARγ agonist) and leptin administration on surfactant maturation in sheep. In addition, the effect of maternal late gestation undernutrition (LGUN) on surfactant maturation, pulmonary blood flow (PBF) and oxygen delivery (DO2) is investigated. Our findings suggest that there is no effect of RGZ or LGUN on PPARγ signaling or surfactant maturation, whereas leptin infusion increases PPARγ and decreases surfactant protein (SFTP)-B expression in the fetal lung. An additional novel finding is the negative correlation between PBF and DO2 with SFTP-B mRNA expression in late gestation. | M.Sc. | nutrition, invest, transit, production | 2, 9, 11, 12 |
| Kivlichan, David Mungo | Lawryshyn, Yuri A | Rule-based Adversarial Learning: Disguising and Recognizing Maliciousness in Opcodes | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Adversarial learning has previously demonstrated effectiveness as a tool for improving performance in deep learning models trained on limited data. In this work, we apply adversarial learning to the constrained, discrete domain of opcode-based deep malware detection. We do this by developing a deep learning model for detecting maliciousness in sequences of opcodes, and using this model in order to alter sequences of code from the dataset in minimal ways to create example sequences which are misclassified by the original model. We augment our original training dataset with these adversarial examples, thereby improving the classification accuracy on unseen sequences of opcodes. Using adversarial examples to supplement our training data, we demonstrate statistically significant increases in performance (> 0.5% increase in both accuracy and F1-score). Additionally, we present a preliminary investigation into the transferability of our adversarial examples between different model architectures. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Bubola, Justin | Dickson, Brendan||Leong, Iona | Salivary Gland Neoplasms: Application of RNA-sequencing and Surrogate Immunohistochemical Markers to Refine Classification | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Salivary gland tumours are diagnostically challenging neoplasms. Molecular analysis is increasingly being employed in tumour diagnosis and classification. The prevalence of gene fusions in salivary gland neoplasms was investigated using a commercially available RNA-sequencing fusion panel. In a cohort of salivary gland tumours enriched for subtypes known to harbour fusion events, 71% of tumours demonstrated gene fusions by RNA-sequencing, which is comparable to techniques such as FISH and RT-PCR. These gene fusions can aid in the diagnosis and classification of salivary gland neoplasms. Immunohistochemical markers on tissue microarrays were evaluated as more practical surrogates for gene fusion detection. The sensitivity and specificity of MYB immunohistochemistry for adenoid cystic carcinoma was 48.4% and 93.6%, respectively. Additionally, the sensitivity of Pan-Trk immunohistochemistry for secretory carcinoma was 58.8%, while the specificity was 89.5%. Although surrogate immunohistochemical markers may be specific for some salivary gland tumours, they are limited by a lack of sensitivity. | M.Sc. | invest, fish, land | 9, 14, 15 |
| Wadhawan, Kiran | Krkosek, Martin | Salmon Lice (Lepeoptheirus salmonis) Increase Age-at-maturity in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) by Decreasing Growth: An Estimate of Parasite Effects on Host Growth | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2019-06-01 | The decline in wild Atlantic salmon stocks throughout the North Atlantic has been linked to the complex interactions between these fish in all life stages of their life and numerous anthropogenic activities. One noteworthy interaction is between salmon lice and Atlantic salmon, as some of the declines have been linked back to increases in parasite abundance. However, it is unclear how salmon lice can impact changes in the life-history traits of Atlantic salmon. Here, I use data from a long-term field study to show that salmon lice decrease the growth rate of wild fish, causing them to mature at an older age and size. I also build a size-structured population model and use it to quantify the difference in growth rate between a group of fish treated and untreated for salmon lice. My findings are consistent with predictions of life-history theory, that hosts can alter life-history traits in response to parasitism. Considering the indirect effects of parasitism on critical life-history traits will give better insight into the resilience of wild populations and help improve management strategies. | M.Sc. | resilien, anthropogenic, resilience, conserv, fish, conserv, resilience | 11, 13, 15, 14 |
| Pillai, Varshinie Brandy Irene | Buck, Leslie T | Scavenging Reactive Oxygen Species Mimics the Anoxic Response in Goldfish Pyramidal Neurons | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-06-01 | The common goldfish is one of the few species able to avoid cellular damage during month-long periods in anoxic environments. By suppressing action potentials in excitatory glutamatergic neurons, the goldfish brain decreases its overall energy expenditure. Reductions in O2 availability results in a decrease in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which has been proposed to function as part of signal transduction pathway. Therefore, I propose that low [ROS] contributes to the anoxic response. Using live-tissue fluorescence microscopy and whole-cell patch-clamping, I measured anoxic changes in [ROS] and electrophysiological parameters of cortical pyramidal goldfish neurons in response to ROS modulators. I found that the general scavenger N-acetyl cysteine and mitochondrial-specific scavenger MitoTEMPO were sufficient to depolarize the membrane, increase whole-cell conductance and decrease firing frequency similar to the anoxic response, while addition of hydrogen peroxide reversed it. Together, this implies that ROS plays a signaling role in anoxia. | M.Sc. | energy, fish, species, species | 7, 14, 15 |
| Hosseini, Seyederfan | Khisti, Ashish | Secure Aggregation in Federated Learning using Multiparty Homomorphic Encryption | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | We develop a method based on multiparty homomorphic encryption (MPHE) that enables the central node to compute the aggregate, while receiving only encrypted version of each individual gradients. We extend classical MPHE methods so that the decryption of the aggregate vector can be successful when only a subset of client nodes is available. This is accomplished by introducing a secret-sharing step during the setup phase. We develop conditions on the parameters of the MPHE scheme that guarantee correctness of decryption and (computational) security. We explain how our method can be extended to accommodate client nodes that do not participate during the setup phase. We also propose a compression scheme for gradient vectors at each client node that can be readily combined with our MPHE scheme and perform the associated convergence analysis. We discuss the advantages of our proposed scheme with other approaches based on secure multi-party computation. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Sun, Hao Kun | Zou, Yu||Azimi, Gisele | Selective Laser Melting of a High-strength Steel and Joining of Aluminum and Copper | Materials Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing technique that employs a high energy density laser beam to fuse metallic powders for producing three-dimensional parts. The first part of this thesis focuses on employing recycled maraging steel powder in the SLM process. The steel samples produced with recycled powder exhibits nearly identical microstructure and mechanical properties to those produced using virgin powders. The second part of this thesis demonstrates that the SLM technique can be used to join dissimilar printed materials (pure Al and Cu, respectively) with 316L stainless steel. Pure Al and Cu powders join the steel through dissolution and melting. This thesis provides a preliminary study towards using recycled metal powders in the SLM processing and paves the way for joining dissimilar materials using the SLM. | M.A.S. | energy, recycl | 7, 12 |
| Wu, Duxuan | Helmy, Amr | Selectively Filled HC-PCF Microfluidic Raman Sensor and Its Biomedical Applications | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2019-09-01 | In this thesis, selectively filled HC-PCF microfluidic chip was developed to be a low-cost Raman sensor with high sensitivities for biomedical applications. During the development, a new selective filling technique and a corresponding model were proposed to solve the signal decrease problem, caused by the liquid sample flowing into the air cladding of the HC-PCF. Two biomedical applications are utilized to validate the performance of the developed HC-PCF chips. The HC1060 chips working with 632.8 nm laser were applied to measure the glucose concentrations in the range of 0-10 mg/mL in prepared tear-like solutions. Results show that the developed HC1060 chips achieved two orders higher Raman sensitivity and a better quality of obtained spectra than the conventional TCT. The HC800 chips, working with 785.0 nm laser, were applied to measure the CO2 concentrations (400, 600, 800, 1000 ppm) in the medical air, showing potential on quantitative analysis of gas. | M.A.S. | co2 | 13 |
| Zhang, Haowei | Barfoot, Tim||Kelly, Jonathan | Self-supervised Semantic Learning of LiDAR Point Clouds for Large-scale Scene Understanding | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Semantic segmentation is a challenging task in the robotic vision community to classify various objects in a scene. While recent works employ supervised learning approaches using hand-annotated examples, these training samples are often costly to obtain. In this thesis, we present a self-supervised semantic learning method for large-scale scene understanding. Our offline method retrieves point cloud annotations by combining a mapping and localization solution with ray-tracing algorithms. Through multi-session navigation experiences in the same environment, our method labels points into four semantic classes: ground, non-movable, long-term movable, and short-term movable. These semantic labels allow us to train a semantic segmentation network without any hand annotations, which can then be used online. For qualitative and quantitative analysis, we demonstrate our method on a simulation dataset. We also provide a qualitative evaluation of a real-world dataset. Furthermore, by semantically filtering out movable points, results show that our method improves existing localization performance. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Phan, Lee | Pang, Elizabeth||Gordon, Karen | Semantic Processing in Children with ASD: Differences in underlying Neural Processing in Children with High Language vs. Low Language Capabilities | Medical Science | 2021-06-01 | The primary objective was to investigate semantic neural processing in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as impairments in this domain have been shown in this patient population. Typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD with varying language ability did an auditory semantic categorization task. Only children with ASD with low language ability had semantic neural processing deficits, indexed by a late onset and smaller N400 component compared to TD children when the N400 component was evoked, although it was not evoked to all auditory stimuli. There were negligible neural processing differences between children with high language ability and TD children. In children with ASD, the smaller N400 component predicts lower language ability and the smaller N400 component is predicted by deficits in cortical auditory processing indexed by a smaller P1 component. Thus, language deficits in children with ASD are predicted by semantic and cortical auditory processing deficits. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Van Houten, Justin Davis | Krull, Ulrich||Prosser, Scott | Sensitive Nanobiosensor using Upconverting Nanoparticles for the Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have many optical characteristics that make them moresuitable for bioanalytical applications when compared with traditional fluorophores and quantum dots including, emission by anti-Stokes, colloidal stability, and long lived luminescence lifetimes. In this thesis, a proof-of-design concept for UCNP-based detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is presented. Here, ROS sensing is achieved using a thioketal linker (Tkl), attached both to the surface of UCNPs, and to black hole quencher-3001 (BHQ-3001, the 3001 variety utilized to quench the 655 nm emission peak) molecules. Cleavage of Tkl occurs in the presence of ROS generated species. These species are generated in situ using hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme and are assembled for the development of a turn-on biosensor using UCNPs and Tkl linker conjugated to amine-BHQ-3001. | M.Sc. | emission, species, species | 7, 14, 15 |
| Burns, James | Greenblatt, Jack||Zhang, Zhaolei | Sequence and Structure Specificities of RNA-binding C2H2 Zinc Finger Proteins through In vivo Crosslinking and Computational Analysis | Molecular Genetics | 2022-03-01 | Cys2His2 Zinc Finger Proteins (C2H2ZFPs) comprise the largest yet least characterized class of human proteins and play important roles in transcriptional regulation through their ability to bind DNA via modular zinc-stabilized domains. Recent evidence of widespread RNA binding functionality has prompted a systematic capture of C2H2ZFP-RNA interactions in vivo by our lab to establish a novel RNA interactome map for human C2H2ZFPs. Through compilation and analysis of in vivo iCLIP-seq and RNA structure data, I have characterized the sequence and structural RNA-binding specificities for a comprehensive C2H2ZFP cohort. My analyses reveal C2H2ZFPs exhibit sequence specificity and preference for local nucleotide accessibility in otherwise structured RNA targets. Additionally, structural prediction of C2H2ZFP-bound RNAs identified widespread and compatible binding to short RNA hairpin structures. This investigation into C2H2ZP-RNA interactions demonstrates that RNA sequence and structure influence target specificity, providing valuable insight into the co and post-transcriptional regulatory functions of the C2H2ZFP family. | M.Sc. | invest, cities, accessib | 9, 11 |
| Campbell, Erin | Stermac, Lana | Sexual Violence and Mental Health: The Role of Attitudes, Beliefs and Disclosure | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | This paper analyzes how rape myths, sexual attitudes and disclosure behaviours influence symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD in survivors of sexual violence on campus.To address the research questions, data were analyzed from a large study of 934 undergraduate women at universities in Ontario. Results from spearman’s correlations showed a significant but weak relationship between rape myth acceptance and anxiety, and Communion sexual attitudes and depression. All types of disclosure were associated with increased symptoms of the mental health outcomes measured. Regression analyses yield only a significant result with health disclosure, rape myth acceptance and Birth Control sexual attitudes predicting changes in anxiety scores. Mediation analyses found formal disclosure to partially mediate victimization and anxiety, depression and PTSD. Disclosure to health services partially mediated the relationship between victimization and PTSD. This study emphasizes the need for greater institutional efforts to educate students on the resources available to them, and the need for more research on student’s experiences with disclosure. | M.A. | mental health, women, institut, violence | 3, 5, 16 |
| Moothathamby, Nivatha | Volpe, Richard | 'Sharing My Truth": An Arts-informed, Secondary Analysis on the Psycho-social and Educational Experiences of Youth and Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-06-01 | Among the multitude of literature unravelling the biomedical paradigm of chronic illnesses in youth and young adults, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding this population’s personal narratives, specifically through the use of visual storytelling. Storytelling is an unparalleled method for creating a bridge between different life phases. Specifically, young individuals with chronic conditions need platforms to share the truths of living with a life-altering condition. The purpose of this arts-informed secondary analysis is to explore and understand the psycho-social and educational experiences of youth and young people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), using verbal narratives and self-created storybooks. Participants shared experiences of increased levels of negative mental health, limited social relationships, increased levels of CF stigma, adequate support from elementary and high school educators, and negative barriers in post-secondary educational settings. This new knowledge can lead to the development of interventions to assist this population in navigating through these systems. | M.A. | well-being, mental health, illness, knowledge, secondary education | 3, 4 |
| MacIvor, Daniel | Cesare Schotzko, Nikki | Showing Off: Relocating Performance, Reclaiming Shame | Drama | 2021-11-01 | By tracking my year of struggle and discovery as a theatre practitioner in the world of theatre scholars, this autoethnographic thesis investigates how my own theory of performance has come to be, and how early childhood trauma has fueled my practice. As a 58-year-old theatre practitioner, I have taken intellectual refuge in the Academy, which has emotional doors - the first and most significant being into a space of shame. Scholarship initiated this journey, beginning with Fred Moten and Stefano Harney's The Undercommons (2013), then finding its way into performance theology with Claire Maria Chambers Performance Apophatics (2017), and then finally queer theory with Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts (2015) and the work of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. The thesis itself is a kind of performance that weaves through knowing into feeling by investigating my own work, my queerness, my journey through faith, and finally, my shame: its roots and its affect. | M.A. | queer, invest | 5, 9 |
| Douglas, Danielle | Lam, Ernest WN | Sialography in Conjunction with Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Imaging the Salivary Glands: Optimizing an Imaging Protocol | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | The objective of this study is to optimize cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) acquisition parameters for CBCT sialography using newer CBCT technology utilizing smaller and more localized fields-of-view to reduce patient dose while producing higher diagnostic quality images. We calculated effective dose (E), signal difference-to-noise ratio (SDNR), and figure-of-merit (FOM) values for the Morita Veraview X800 system for a range of kVp and mA combinations, and 2 field-of-view (FOV) sizes for submandibular and parotid gland imaging. We recommend 85 kVp and 6 mA with an 8 cm x 5 cm FOV for submandibular imaging and 70 kVp and 6 mA with an 8 cm x 8 cm FOV for parotid imaging. These parameters result in 44% and 33% reductions in E for submandibular and parotid sialography, respectively, and increases of 54% and 94% in SDNR for submandibular and parotid sialography, respectively, compared to current protocols. | M.Sc. | land | 15 |
| Bertens, Koen | Sargent, Edward | Simulation-assisted Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cell Band Alignment using Two-step Ionic Doping | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have tunable optoelectronic properties, enabling CQD solar cells to absorb solar radiation inaccessible to many existing liquid-processed semiconductors. I explore herein routes to increasing stability and performance in CQD solar cells through modifications of the active layer, aided by simulation and implemented experimentally. I find that the results of these simulations provide an avenue to improving device performance experimentally. Based on these results, I implement a fluoride ionic doping procedure which allows for greater control of doping characteristic of solar cells by inducing greater p-type characteristic. Based on this procedure, the improvements in VOC, FF, and PCE that I predicted via simulation are observed experimentally, with fluoride-doped devices showing a maximum performance of 12.7% AM1.5 PCE. This work showcases the potential of device simulations to assist in further device performance improvements and provides recommendations for a path to commercialization of CQD solar cells. | M.A.S. | solar, accessib | 7, 11 |
| Kalantar, Na'im | Segal, Dvira | Simulations of Heat Current through Molecules | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | To understand and control energy transport at the scale of molecules, we study simple models of heat transport through hydrocarbons. We represent the system as 1-D harmonic chains and use Langevin baths to introduce the effect of the environment. Our first result is related to numeric computation of heat currents: We show that calculating the heat current between two atoms at the center of the chain reduces error relative to measuring heat current at the interface of the molecule and the heat baths. Our second result is a description of a new design of a thermal diode, using different thermal gradients at each end of the molecule instead of a single temperature. Unlike previously reported thermal rectifiers, our design operates in the limit of harmonic interparticle interactions. | M.Sc. | energy | 7 |
| Khan, Md Arif Istiaque | Andrews, Robert C||Andrews, Susan A | Size Characterization of Biofiltration-related N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) Precursors | Civil Engineering | 2021-06-01 | Previous studies have reported variable removals or even contributions of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) precursors during biofiltration. To better understand the source of these biofiltration-related NDMA precursors, it is imperative to quantify their state (i.e., dissolved or particulate). This study characterized biofiltration-related NDMA precursors according to their size as well as quantified their removal by examining them in backwash remnant water. Biofiltration-related particulate precursors were the primary contributor (43-64%) to the total NDMA precursor level in the influent, while dissolved precursors were the dominant size fraction (56-83%) in the effluent. Although near-complete removal (80-91%) of particulate precursors was observed during filter ripening, dissolved precursors were removed to a lesser extent (22-31%), indicating their greater potential for a breakthrough. In the event of a breakthrough of dissolved NDMA precursors, turbidity may not be an effective parameter to evaluate backwash performance. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Williams, Kenneth Javier | Nunes de Vasconcelos, Sara S | Skipping a Beat: Development and Characterization of a 3D in vitro Model of Human Cardiac Arrhythmia | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2019-11-01 | Introduction: Cardiac arrhythmias impact ≥350,000 Canadians result in ≥40,000 deaths annually. High-fat diets promote heart failure and arrhythmias. Studying arrhythmias in living patients and animals has practical ethical constraints. Furthermore, 2D in vitro models do not recapitulate the human heart environment. A 3D in vitro model would address these limitations. Aim: Develop characterize a robust 3D acquired arrhythmia model. Methods: Three-dimensional microtissues consisted of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. Arrhythmia was induced by high fatty acid supplemented media. Electrophysiology, contractile force, beating frequency, pharmacological electrical cardioversion, and differential gene expression were assessed. Results: Arrhythmias developed within 5 days; more complex electrophysiological phenotypes were observed towards day 5. Arrhythmogenesis significantly reduced contractile force and elevated beating frequency and pathogenic gene expression was evident. Pharmacological and electrical interventions effectively cardioverted arrhythmic tissues. Conclusion: This robust 3D in vitro arrhythmia model can serve as a fundamental investigative tool for understanding arrhythmias developing novel therapies. | M.Sc. | invest, animal, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Wu, Rebecca | Lim, Andrew SP | Sleep Fragmentation, Astroglial Activation, and Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and other dementias are a growing public health concern. Emerging evidence suggests that sleep disruption may contribute to the risk of dementia. In model organisms, sleep disruption can lead to astrocyte activation and impaired cognition. However, whether this is true in older humans is uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that sleep fragmentation is associated with astrocyte activation and downstream cognitive impairment. We used published human single nucleus RNA-seq data to identify marker genes for human activated astrocytes, and quantified the expression of these genes from bulk RNA-seq of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue from 1080 older adults. We related this to antemortem sleep fragmentation measured by actigraphy and to cognitive function. Greater sleep fragmentation was associated with greater expression of activated astrocyte marker genes, which was in turn associated with worse cognition. This is compatible with the hypothesis that astrocyte activation may link sleep fragmentation to cognitive impairment. | M.Sc. | public health | 3 |
| Simpson, Stephanie Amanda | Levine, Brian | Sleep-dependent Consolidation Enhances Naturalistic Episodic Memory Recall | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | Compared to wakefulness, sleep can enhance episodic memory through consolidation. Yet, sleep may not boost all aspects of memory given that it has been shown to favour memory for spatiotemporal over item details. Previous work has tested memory for lab-based stimuli in one experimental session, making it unclear whether these findings generalize to memory for real-life events over a longer period of time. To address this question, we assessed participants’ memory after they experienced the same staged event with online recognition memory tests across four timepoints. Participants made true/ false judgments about the items and sequences they encountered during the event, allowing us to dissociate between these two memory measures. These data suggest that sleep, relative to wakefulness, confers a widespread – but short-lived –mnemonic advantage since both elements of episodic memory were equally retained. This investigation yields insights into the mnemonic benefit of sleep-dependent consolidation for our real-world experiences. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Martos Armenteros, Virginia | Goebs, Katja||Wegner, Mary Ann Pauls | Solar Transformative Processes in Hatshepsut´s Coronation Scenes in the Red Chapel | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2021-11-01 | Queen Hatshepsut stands out among the minority of women who have held the role of king of Egypt thanks to the unique methods that Hatshepsut used in order to obtain this position. Among these procedures, her complex iconographic programs should be highlighted. As such, the Red Chapel in the Temple of Karnak proves to be an invaluable source as its complex iconographic program presents key moments of her rule – the most intriguing being her coronation ceremony. However, there is reason to believe that these scenes also contain an underlying symbolic and cosmological meaning. In the following study, I aim to bring these themes to light by analyzing the iconographic elements of these scenes and the diverse texts that accompany them, focusing on the order and various iconographic details of Hatshepsut´s crowns, and the visual effect they would have had on the ancient viewer. | M.A. | women, solar, minorit | 5, 7, 10 |
| Zhang, Shang | Roorda, Matthew | Strategic Planning of an Inter-connected Crowd Logistics Network | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | There is a growing market for crowd-shipping, which hires people to transport packages on their regular commutes, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This thesis considers a hybrid crowd-shipping operation that hires crowd-shippers and regular drivers in a physical internet environment. The spatial distribution of potential crowd-shippers is analyzed by leveraging a behaviour model and data that combines 2016 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) data and census data. An inter-connected crowd logistics network is designed to serve business-to-consumer (B2C) logistics demand through solving a parcel locker location routing problem (PLLRP) that optimizes the placement of parcel lockers and the movements of parcels. Finally, the service levels of the proposed network are estimated. The numerical results reveal that an inter-connected crowd logistics network can provide more stable and cost-effective services when the demand level is higher. The hiring of regular drivers is necessary to service some regions with low crowd-shipper supply. | M.A.S. | internet, consum | 9, 12 |
| Kim, Sungyoon | Ganss, Bernhard BG||Carneiro, Karina KC | Structural Characterization and Amelotin-mediated Mineralization of Enamel Lesions in Molar-incisor Hypomineralization | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Background: Molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is developmental dental defect characterized by demarcated opacities, commonly affecting first permanent molars and permanent incisors. Amelotin (AMTN) is an enamel-specific protein expressed during maturation stage of amelogenesis with mineral-inducing properties that makes it excellent candidate to treat MIH lesions.Objectives: To characterize ultrastructure of MIH-affected enamel; to explore the potential of AMTN in combination with hydroxyapatite (HA) particles for mineralization of MIH-affected enamel defects Methods: MIH teeth were collected and processed for light and scanning electron microscopy. MIH-affected regions were treated with AMTN in combination with HA followed by immersion in simulated body fluid. Results: MIH-affected enamel showed thinner rods and larger interrod spaces. AMTN-treated groups demonstrated increased net mineral gain along the rods with stronger resistance to brushing than the control groups. Conclusions: MIH-affected teeth showed porous microstructure, making them more prone to caries and enamel breakdown. AMTN demonstrated promising mineralizing properties translating to potential clinical treatment for enamel preservation in hypomineralization defects. | M.Sc. | cities | 11 |
| Jovanovic, Gregory Alexander | Zee, Robert E | Structural Design, Analysis, and Validation of Next Generation Small Satellite Platforms | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The rapid development of small satellite technologies and the lowering cost of launch services have spurred the next generation of satellites allowing more organizations access to space. The Space Flight Laboratory is positioned on the frontier of the New Space market with their advanced and versatile microsatellite platforms. Specifically, the flight proven DEFIANT platform and the new SPARTAN platform will push the envelope of small satellites in low Earth orbit. This thesis will explore the development of the structural subsystem for the new SPARTAN platform and the NorSat-4 spacecraft using a modified DEFIANT platform. The entire process to create a robust spacecraft structure is presented starting with the design and layout of the structural components. The structure is then assessed through a series of finite element analyses to verify the structural requirements. Lastly, the verification of the physical spacecraft structure is performed through a series of vibration tests. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Cawte, Taylr Matthew | Bazylak, Aimy | Structure and Transport Property Characterization of Gas Diffusion Layer Materials using Machine Learning Methods | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03-01 | For the first time, machine learning methods are applied to the gas diffusion layer (GDL) to characterize structural and transport properties. In the first investigation, a benchmark study of seven machine learning methods used to predict the permeability and diffusivity of GDLs in two phase flow conditions was provided. The best performing models could predict single- and two-phase permeability and diffusivity with R2 > 0.95. In the second investigation, numerically generated image data was used to train three CNNs which predicted the porosity of X-ray images from commercial GDL materials (MAE | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Méndez Campos, José Eloy | Nitz, Mark | Structure-guided Substrate Design for Carbohydrate Esterase Family 4 (CE4) de-N-acetylase Enzymes Implicated in Microbial Pathogenesis | Chemistry | 2019-06-01 | Carbohydrate esterases are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl esters or acetamides on various glycosides. Carbohydrate Esterase family 4 (CE4) contains numerous enzymes involved in microbial pathogenesis. These carbohydrate esterases use a divalent metal to catalyze the deacetylation of the saccharide substrates. | M.Sc. | arid | 6 |
| Nain, Ransher | batey, robert | Studies on the Effect of Lewis Acids on Fmoc Deprotection in Solution and Solid-phase | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | New conditions for Fmoc-deprotection in peptide and organic synthesis using solution andsolid-phase conditions have been developed. Classical conditions for Fmoc-deprotections require 20% piperidine as a base, with dimethylformamide as a solvent. While these conditions have enjoyed widespread utility, they are not appropriate for all cases and have practical disadvantages. For example, DMF is known to degrade leaving traces in the deprotected product, requiring additional purification alongside its high boiling-point and teratogenic properties. Piperidine, although efficient leads to side product formation. When used in organic solvents such as dichloromethane, piperidine is also not ideal since an amine salt precipitates after a brief standing. Herein, we report that diethylamine, an inexpensive alternative to piperidine, in CH2Cl2 can be used for removal of a Fmoc-protecting group from the N-termini of amino-acids and peptides in the presence of Lewis-acids. Studies on the optimization of the reaction-conditions/ advantages/limitations using various Lewis-acids will be presented. | M.Sc. | methane | 13 |
| Ge, Zhenlu | Taylor, Mark MST | Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2,4,5-oxadiazaboroles, A Novel Class of Heterocyclic Boron Complex | Chemistry | 2021-09-01 | 1,2,4,5-Oxadiazaboroles with tetravalent boron centre have been found to exhibit valuable anti- tumor, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. However, the investigations of such compound has been limited due a lack of general synthetic methods. The traditional approach of this compound is through condensation between pre-synthesized oxime derivatives and boron species. The lack of versatile techniques to directly assemble the 1,2,4,5-oxadiazaborole complexes hinders the development of such complexes in various fields of chemistry. In this research project, a novel three-component condensation of N-hydroxylamines, nitriles and diphenyl borinic anhydrides is investigated. This methodology is shown to be amenable to various substrates and has been successfully used to synthesize 14 examples of 1,2,4,5-oxadiazaborole complexes in moderate to high yields. Limitations of this methodology are also discussed. The structures of two 1,2,4,5- oxadiazaboroles are studied in detail using X-ray crystallography and computational modeling. | M.Sc. | invest, species, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Selvanathan, Janannii | Chung, Frances | Targeting Sleep Disturbance and Sleep Apnea in Patients with Chronic Pain | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) may be effective in improving sleep among patients with chronic pain, however, it is largely inaccessible due to high costs, few qualified therapists, and time-consuming nature. We report that brief self-help CBT-I with low-intensity telephone support is feasible and acceptable for patients with chronic pain and sleep disturbance. Some patients may also be prescribed with opioids for pain management, although opioid therapy is associated with a greater prevalence of sleep apnea. Given the higher risk of opioid-associated sleep apnea, it is critical that accessible screening models are created to identify those at risk. We found that a screening model comprising a validated questionnaire and pulse oximetry can accurately screen for moderate-to-severe sleep apnea among patients using opioids for chronic pain. Both studies suggest that low-intensity CBT-I and simple screening models can effectively target sleep disturbance and sleep apnea, respectively, in the chronic pain population. | M.Sc. | urban, accessib, consum | 11, 12 |
| Hill, Diane | Tuck, Eve||Brant, Jennifer | Teach Me About Your Garden: Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty in Tkaronto | Social Justice Education | 2021-11-01 | This project aims to understand the relationship that urban Indigenous young people have with food sovereignty concepts and practices in Tkaronto. Indigenous sovereignty has been discussed at length amongst Indigenous scholars, activists, and thinkers for years. This thesis attends to Indigenous feminist discourses of sovereignty as they relate to experiences of urban Indigenous food growers in asserting self-determination. Engaging the framework of relational reciprocity presented in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, and qualitative interviews with Indigenous food growers across the city, this project seeks to build upon the tradition of Indigenous resistance and support future theorizations towards Indigenous sovereignty. | M.A. | food sovereignty, feminis, indigenous, urban, indigenous, self-determination, sovereignty | 2, 5, 10, 16, 11 |
| Hodgson-Bautista, Jasmine | Flessa, Joseph | Teacher Experiences of the International Day of Pink in Ontario K-12 Schools | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | Although the International Day of Pink, an LGBTQ2+ awareness day meant to celebrate gender and sexual diversity, has been taking place in Ontario schools since 2007, there is little published research on this event. Utilizing interviews with 10 teachers who have organized or actively participated in the Day at school, this study provides a first look into teacher experiences of Day of Pink in Ontario K-12 public schools. The experiences explored in this study indicate that while there is little regulated training and varying levels of board and administrative support for Day of Pink, teachers worked hard to make the Day meaningful and empowering for LGBTQ2+ students. These findings point out a need to better support teachers with Day of Pink resources, training, and enhanced administrative support to ensure that they have explicit institutional guidance and shared responsibility in working toward a safer, more affirming school climate for LGBTQ2+ youth. | M.A. | gender, queer, lgbtq, climate, institut | 5, 13, 16 |
| Billows, Jo | Tuck, Eve | Territory Acknowledgment, Unacknowledgement, and Misacknowledgement: A Haunting | Social Justice Education | 2021-11-01 | This thesis analyzes conversations on the practice of territory acknowledgements, particularly as they are practiced in academic spaces, arts spaces and by organizations and institutions. Themes that are drawn from these conversations and attended to include: territory acknowledgements as distinctly not “traditional protocol”, territory acknowledgements and the politics of recognition (what is their purpose?), the labour of territory acknowledgements (who is doing them, and who are they for?) and the exhausting repetition of territory acknowledgements (how often?). Territory acknowledgement (as well as unacknowledgement and misacknowledgement) is then removed from the framework of reconciliation and theorized instead as haunting. The author posits, if reconciliation is dead, is territory acknowledgement a haunting? Finally, visiting practices are introduced as alternative ways to make relationships to place not based on possession or ownership. This final chapter considers the positionality of being a visitor, an ethics of care for visiting, and offers examples of visiting practices. | M.A. | knowledge, place-based education, labour, indigenous, reconciliation, institut, indigenous | 4, 8, 10, 16 |
| Liu, Ruojun | Tarasuk, Valerie | The Association Between Age and Household Food Insecurity in Canada | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-03-01 | While there have been several studies documenting the lower risk of food insecurity among seniors, little is known about how food insecurity relates to age among Canadians under 65. This thesis aimed to i) determine how food insecurity varies by age group; and ii) characterize the association between sociodemographic characteristics and food insecurity among adolescents. Using data from the 2017-18 Canadian Community Health Survey, logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Adolescents and middle-aged adults had higher odds of food insecurity than 55- to 64-year-olds, whereas seniors had lower odds. Income, homeownership and living arrangement were differently associated with food insecurity. Among adolescents, lower household income, renting, social assistance receipt, Black and Indigenous identity, single parenthood and more children were associated with moderate-severe food insecurity. Given the negative health implications of food insecurity, the elevated risk among adolescents indicates the need for policies that better protect them. | M.Sc. | food insecurity, indigenous, income, indigenous | 2, 10, 16 |
| Hassen, Yasmine | Magnusson, Jamie-Lynn | The Attempted Lynching of Black Geographies: A Black Feminist Retheorization of Gentrification as a Tool of Neoliberal Plantation Logics | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | My project explored the ways in which gentrification can be retheorized as a neoliberal and neocolonial tool created by the Euro-American expansionist project of global anti-Blackness in an attempt to destroy and lynch the community sovereignty of Black geographies. Specifically, I use discourse analysis of Black geographies, the role of the police and carceral system in the tkaronto context, and the role of Toronto Community Housing Corporation and EGLINTONconnects LRT construction on the gentrification. My lived experiences as a community organizer doing anti-poverty work in tkaronto informs how I reflect on the slow violence of gentrification as displacement directly impacts the wellbeing of residents through the routinized surveillance and ongoing slow state violence that causes chronic urban trauma. Through the relevant literature explored, this study presents three conclusions as a path forward: The Geographies of Resistance Intervention, Abolition and Apocalypse, and Black Radical Social and Solidarity Economies | M.A. | poverty, wellbeing, feminis, urban, housing, sovereignty, violence | 1, 3, 5, 11, 16 |
| Capani, Angela M. | Chen, Becky | The Componential Model of Reading: A Comprehensive Examination of Word Reading in Syrian Refugee Children | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-03-01 | Using the componential model of reading (CMR) as a theoretical framework (Aaron et al., 2008), this study provided a broad examination of the English word reading ability in Syrian refugee children. The direct and indirect contributions of cognitive, ecological, and psychological domains to word reading ability were examined. Participants included 133 Syrian refugee children (M age = 9.39) who had recently been resettled in Canada. All participants were native speakers of Arabic and had received between 2 and 30 months of English instruction (M = 18.24, SD = 6.08). Results from structural equation modeling revealed that all three domains contributed significantly to word reading. The cognitive domain impacted word reading directly, while both the ecological and psychological domains contributed to word reading indirectly via mediation of the cognitive domain. These findings validate and extend the CMR as a model for understanding the English literacy development of recently resettled refugee children. | M.A. | wellbeing, refugee, ecolog | 3, 10, 15 |
| Tam, Alan Ka Ho | Sander, Beate | The Cost-effectiveness of Early Physical Medicine Rehabilitation (PM) Consultation for Trauma Patients in a Level 1 Trauma Centre in Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | BACKGROUND: Physical Medicine Rehabilitation (PM) consultation at Level 1 trauma centres improves clinical outcomes in major trauma patients. Cost-effectiveness evaluation of this intervention is lacking, but important for healthcare payers. PURPOSE: Assess incremental cost for providing PM consultation, per quality adjusted life year (QALY), from single public health payer perspective. METHODS: Probabilistic Markov model incorporating clinical trial data, administrative data and published literature to estimate incremental cost and effect over a life-time horizon. RESULTS: For major trauma sustained at age 18, incremental cost of providing PM consultation was $5,297. Incremental effect was 0.18 QALY. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $29,428/QALY. Incremental effect increases with increased age, decreasing the ICER to $16,150/QALY for trauma sustained at age 75. CONCLUSIONS: PM consultation is associated with increased cost and increased QALY. Across all age groups, the ICER falls below a $50,000/QALY threshold, indicating PM consultation is likely a cost-effective intervention. | M.Sc. | public health, healthcare | 3 |
| Sasidharan, Piryanka | Kerman, Kagan||Zhang, Xiao-an | The Development of Small Manganese(III) Porphyrins as Blood Pool Agents for Magnetic Resonance Angiography and the Analyses of their Binding to Human Serum Albumin | Chemistry | 2019-06-01 | Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) allows for the visualization of the vascular system and the diagnosis of various pathologies. A contrast agent (CA) is often used to enhance tissue contrast. Currently, gadolinium-based CAs (GBCAs) are most widely used but due to the emerging issues related to Gd-toxicity and suboptimal r1 at high field, there is an increasing need to replace GBCAs. To overcome these limitations, we have developed water-soluble Manganese(III) porphyrins (MnPs) as alternatives to conventional GBCAs. In this thesis, the design, synthesis and characterization of MnTriCPP, a small MnP is reported to show high relaxivity (21.0 mM-1s-1 at 31.6 MHz and 14.8 mM-1s-1 at 3T) upon non-covalent interaction with Human Serum Albumin (HSA). Furthermore, to understand the mechanism of HSA binding, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) was chosen to study the binding properties of MnTriCPP in comparison with previously synthesized MnPs, and all exhibit detectable entropy driven affinity to HSA. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Petrenko, Dan | Cesare Schotzko, T. Nikki | The Drama of Democracy: Theatricality, Histrionics, and the Attention Economy in US Presidential Elections (2008-2020) | Drama | 2021-11-01 | This work considers the two most-recent American presidential administrations – that of former President Barack Obama (2008-2016) and former President Donald Trump (2016-2020) – in order to investigate how the theatricality that permeates the American electoral system has undercut both theoretical discourses of democracy as well as its intended practical application. The election of Barack Obama (particularly in 2007/8) is demonstrative of the dangers posed by new modes of theatricality proliferated by the digitalization and virtualization of the campaign trail. Donald Trump’s campaigns applied theatrics that can be traced to the inter-war period, while also conforming to the digital age of performance. The analysis is accompanied by an atlas of dramatizations, with each individual piece confronting a political moment that has destabilized the democratic narrative from within the repertoire of four US elections. In resurrecting these cases, this thesis warns of the electorate’s inability to separate theatre from policy. | M.A. | invest, democra | 9, 16 |
| Ozdemir, Gokce | Fehlings, Michael G | The Effect of Cell to Cell Communication on Differentiation and Integration of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Neural Progenitor Cells | Medical Science | 2021-06-01 | Spinal cord injuries (SCI) have devastating impacts due to paralysis and lack of spontaneous repair. It has been shown in a rat model of cervical SCI that forelimb function can be improved by transplanting neural progenitor cells (NPC) obtained from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). However, molecular mechanisms behind NPC-mediated recovery remain unclear. To overcome this knowledge gap, we have engineered hiPSC-NPCS with inducible tetanus toxin light chain expression to prevent cellular communication via blocking neurotransmitter and/or growth factor release. The resulting NPC line retained progenitor cell properties and the NPCs were able to differentiate to functional neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. TeTxLC expression didn’t have a significant effect on NPC differentiation, reduced neuronal soma size and neurite length, and was successful in abolishing synaptic function in vitro. A preliminary proof-of-concept study showed that the inducible expression was successful in vivo as well as in vitro, highlighting the potential for this cell line to be used to study the effect of cellular communication between transplanted NPCs on NPC-mediated functional recovery after spinal cord injury. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Ally, Muhamad Zaakir | Persaud, Nav | The Effect of Food Access Interventions on Diabetes Outcomes: a Realist Review | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | People without secure access to food are more likely to have diabetes and diabetes is more prevalent among those with food insecurity. Studies of food access interventions aimed to improve diabetes outcomes have reported mixed results. We conducted a realist review to learn how different types of food access interventions operate in their given contexts to produce the observed diabetes outcomes. We developed candidate theories using information about the contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes of food access interventions collected from systematic reviews and tested and refined these theories with evidence from our systematic search of Ovid Medline, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL. We found that both, interventions that provided food vouchers, and those that provided nutritionally appropriate food and diabetes education, reported reductions in participants’ hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, a common measure of blood sugar levels. The provision of medically tailored meals did not change HbA1c levels. | M.Sc. | nutrition, food insecurity | 2 |
| Reyad, Matthew-Mina | Boyd, Shelley R | The Effect of Prolonged Nitrate Administration on Ocular Disease Phenotypes in a Transgenic Rat Model of Chronic Hypertension | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2019-11-01 | Nitrate-based vasodilators (NBVs), a source of nitric oxide, are used to treat multiple cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. However, epidemiological studies suggest that chronic nitrate intake (from NBVs/dietary nitrates) is a risk factor for retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Additionally, we previously demonstrated that combining NBVs with oxidative stress increased outer retinal atrophy in a rat model of dry AMD. We therefore hypothesized that prolonged administration of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN), a NBV, may reduce hypertension, but aggravate ocular disease phenotypes in the (mREN2)27 transgenic rat model of chronic hypertension. Using in vivo ophthalmic imaging and systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements, we established the (mREN2)27 model to mimic features of retinovascular disease in patients. In summary, following a five-week treatment period, ISDN did not reduce SBP compared to hypertensive (mREN2)27 rodents but exacerbated ocular disease phenotypes in male (mREN2)27 rats. Investigations into the role of nitrates and inflammation are ongoing. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Mellerup, Miranda Rachel | Wheeler, Anne L | The Effect of Remyelination on Behavioural Recovery following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice | Physiology | 2019-11-01 | Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious public health concern, representing 80-90% of all TBI cases. While symptoms are often transient, 10-15% of patients with mild TBI experience persistent symptoms. We investigated the role that white matter damage and repair may play in the etiology of symptom generation and recovery. Results indicate that mice with mild TBI experience working memory impairment at 3 days post-impact but recover to sham levels by 6 weeks post-impact. The optic tract, corticospinal tract, and anterior commissure were white matter regions found to be particularly vulnerable to damage following mild TBI. Results also indicate that preventing the formation of new myelin after mild TBI may prolong working memory impairment, suggesting that myelin repair may be necessary for functional recovery. | M.Sc. | public health, invest | 3, 9 |
| Mehta, Shobha | Blumberger, Daniel M. | The Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Suicidality in Patients with Treatment Resistant Depression | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | Objective: To investigate the effect of 10Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on suicidality in patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD).Methods: Data from a three-site randomized clinical trial comparing 10Hz and iTBS rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with TRD was analyzed. The effect of 10Hz rTMS and iTBS on suicidality was compared as measured by the suicide item of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item (HDRS-17). Results: Suicidality remitted in 71 (43.7%) of participants randomized to 10Hz stimulation and 91 (49.1%) of participants randomized to iTBS. The difference between the proportions in the two groups (X2 = 0.674, df = 1, p = 0.4117) was not significant. Conclusions: Both 10Hz and iTBS rTMS were effective in reducing suicidality in TRD. Further investigation into the effect of rTMS on suicidality is warranted. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Liu, Hongyan | Cherney, David DC | The Effect of SGLT2 Inhibition on Biomarkers of Diabetic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | \Diabetes mellitus affects over 463 million adults globally and substantially increases the risk of developing complications such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Until recently, there has been a notable lack of treatment options for patients with diabetes that also effectively protect against progression of kidney disease and CVD, thus highlighting the need for novel therapeutic options in this field. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been found to have unique cardiovascular and kidney protective effects in patients with diabetes. However, the mechanisms responsible for these benefits are incompletely understood, and even less so in patients with CKD where the effects of these drugs may be attenuated due to reduced kidney function. The focus of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms behind the cardiovascular and kidney protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors through biomarker analysis. We conducted a post hoc exploratory analysis of the VERTIS RENAL trial which involved participants with type 2 diabetes and stage 3 CKD. Participants were randomized to ertugliflozin (5 or 15 mg/day) or placebo, and measurements were taken at baseline, 26- and 52-weeks post-randomization. Ertugliflozin treatment was associated with markers of hemoconcentration including increased hematocrit and aldosterone, and decreased NT-proBNP. These changes were observed without a concurrent elevation in erythropoietin, suggesting that the increased hematocrit was primarily due to hemoconcentration rather than increased erythropoiesis. Additionally, we found that ertugliflozin was associated with a sustained lowering of the kidney tubular injury marker, KIM-1, regardless of baseline kidney function. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the cardiovascular and kidney protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors are intact in patients with reduced kidney function. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ragunathana, Sharmigaa | Geva, Esther | The Effect of the Positon of Consonantal Elements in Words on Second Language Spelling Among Grade Two English Language Learners with Different Home Backgrounds | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-06-01 | This study investigated the role of development, phoneme position and first language (L1) typology on second language (L2) spelling in grade two English Language Learners (ELLs) coming from two typologically different home languages: alphabetic (Portuguese and Spanish, N=83) and logographic (Chinese, N=81). The participants completed real and pseudoword spelling, word reading and various cognitive tasks. Common to both groups was the observation that (1) consonantal elements in the onset position were spelled more accurately than in the coda position; and (2) singletons were spelled most accurately but they struggled with consonant clusters and digraphs. Furthermore, L1 typology, dual-route model of spelling and home literacy practices jointly explained how the logographic group made more errors on consonantal elements absent in their L1 when spelling pseudowords, but spelled real words more accurately compared to the alphabetic group. Educational and clinical implications of assessing ELLs’ spelling skills in early grades are discussed. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Thaya, Laxshaginee | Guzzo, Christina | The Effect of Virion-Incorporated Host Proteins on the Expression and Conformation of the HIV-1 Envelope Protein | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-11-01 | The envelope (Env) glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the sole target for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. However, due to the extensive glycosylation and the metastable nature of Env, targeting the viral Env glycoprotein is very challenging. Recently, several host proteins have been described to be incorporated on the viral surface and to alter the course of HIV-1 infection, suggesting virion-incorporated host proteins could be a potential target for therapeutics and vaccine development. This thesis examined the impact of a panel of virion-incorporated host proteins on the infectivity of HIV-1. Our results showed that the incorporation of host proteins, CD162 and α4β7, significantly decreased the infectivity of HIV- 1. Furthermore, we found that virion-incorporated host proteins can alter the conformation of Env and affect the amount of Env incorporated onto the surface of viral particles. Taken together, our work shows that selected virion-incorporated host proteins can have an impact on the infectivity of HIV-1 and defining the effects of host proteins on the viral Env glycoprotein could be useful for designing new antiviral strategies. | M.Sc. | vaccine | 3 |
| Asgariroozbehani, Roshanak | Hahn, Margaret | The Effects of Acute Olanzapine Exposure on Central Leptin Mediated Regulation of Energy Homeostasis and Food Intake | Medical Science | 2022-03-01 | Second-generation antipsychotic (SGAs) use is associated with severe metabolic side-effects which may be due to disrupted actions of leptin in the brain. We investigated the ability of olanzapine, a widely used SGA, to impair hypothalamic-leptin-mediated regulation of energy homeostasis and food intake. Healthy, male, Sprague Dawley rats received an acute intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of leptin or vehicle along with an acute peripheral injection of olanzapine or vehicle at the beginning of 12-h light and dark cycles. Changes in metabolic parameters were recorded using indirect calorimetry cages over 24 hours. Glucose tolerance was assessed using IPGTTs. Treatment with leptin and olanzapine, alone or in combination, reduced respiratory exchange ratio (RER) in light and dark cycles. ICV-leptin reduced dark-cycle food intake regardless of olanzapine treatment. Furthermore, treatment with olanzapine resulted in disturbed glucose tolerance. Olanzapine-induced dysglycemia appeared to be independent of hypothalamic leptin action, and ICV-leptin did not alleviate olanzapine-induced glucose intolerance. | M.Sc. | energy, invest | 7, 9 |
| Dlugosz, Lukasz | Burnham, Willets M | The Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), Alone and in Combination, in Animal Models of Epilepsy and the Comorbidities of Epilepsy | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | People with epilepsy often suffer not only from seizures but also from psychiatric comorbidities that accompany the seizures. Recently, cannabidiol (CBD) and combinations of CBD with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been proposed for the treatment of epilepsy and the epileptic comorbidities. In the present study, CBD, THC, and combinations of CBD and THC, were evaluated in the mouse maximal electroshock (MES) seizure test, the forced swim test (FST) of antidepressant activity, and the MK-801 model of psychosis. It was found that: 1) CBD and THC were both effective in the MES model, and they were more effective in combination; 2) CBD and THC were ineffective in the FST model, alone or in combination; and 3) CBD and THC were less effective in the MK-801 model but had significant effects in combination. CBD and CBD+THC might be useful in the treatment of epilepsy and possibly psychosis, but not in the treatment of depression. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| Faidi, Rania | Reid, Aylin Y | The Effects of Early-life Inflammation on Seizure Development and Memory in Neurofibromatosis Type 1 | Medical Science | 2021-06-01 | Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a neurocutaneous disorder, can cause various neurological manifestations including learning impairments and epilepsy. Experimental early-life immune activation can promote later-life seizure susceptibility and neurocognitive impairments and can lead to spontaneous seizures in certain neurodevelopmental disorders, but the effect in NF1 is not known. We hypothesized early-life immune activation by systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would further exacerbate the increased seizure susceptibility and cognitive impairments previously described in Nf1+/- mice. We found that systemic LPS induced a comparable acute cytokine response in post-natal day 10 Nf1+/- and WT mice. In adulthood, spontaneous seizures were only found in LPS-challenged Nf1+/- mice, while early-life LPS had similar effects on seizure susceptibility in both genotypes and did not affect spatial learning and memory. Our findings suggest second-hit environmental events, such as early-life immune activation, may be required for epileptogenesis in the Nf1+/- mouse and may be a risk-factor for NF1-associated epilepsy | M.Sc. | learning, arid, environmental | 4, 6, 13 |
| Naghi, Andrada | Matthews, Stephen G | The Effects of Viral Mimics on P-glycoprotein Function in the Developing Blood-brain Barrier | Physiology | 2019-11-01 | The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is formed by brain endothelial cells (BECs) which are supported by astrocytes. BEC expression of the drug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) acts to protect the brain from xenobiotics. Astrocytes increase P-gp function in BECs in fetuses and neonates. Astrocytes are also an immune regulator in the brain, releasing cytokines after infection. Cytokines inhibit P-gp function in BECs. We investigated the effects of viral infection in developing astrocytes and BECs in the context of P-gp activity. Results indicate that although there is a modest inflammatory response within neonatal astrocytes initiated by viral mimics, this is insufficient to decrease P-gp activity within BECs. These findings suggest there is some resistance to the acute effects of viral infection at the level of P-gp function, in the developing brain. Future research will investigate whether this resistance to viral mimics persists within an in vivo system. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Cassim, M Nashat | Dempster, Laura | The Experience and Perceptions of Dental Students in Treating Adults with Developmental Disabilities | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | This study investigated the experience and perception of dental students with regards to treating Adults with Developmental Disabilities (AWDDs). Three groups were interviewed: experts, students who had no clinical training to treat AWDDs, and students who had completed their clinical training to treat AWDDs through a rotation at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) dental clinic. Motivations for working with AWDDs were described including health advocacy and social responsibility. The informal curriculum impacted the formation of student expectations. The rotation was described as a transformative learning experience. Alignment between students and experts suggested that the clinical training is adequate. The misalignment provided insight into areas for improvement. Additionally, a survey was sent out to the ten dental schools in Canada to quantify the number of clinical and didactic hours students receive in this subject matter. The survey showed a wide range of time dedicated to this subject matter across Canadian dental schools. | M.Sc. | disabilit, learning, invest | 3, 4, 9 |
| Abdulle, Ayan | Titchkosky, Tanya||Walcott, Rinaldo | The Formula of Race and Racism: White Supremacy +Anti-blackness + Non-white, Non-black = less ( | Social Justice Education | 2019-11-01 | This thesis argues that white supremacy and anti-Blackness are always deployed together. White supremacy and anti-Blackness is the foundational structure that allows for race and racism to operate and racism is a superstructure that is built on the foundational structure of white supremacy and anti-Blackness. A formula for race and racism is forwarded: white supremacy + anti-Blackness = non-white, non-black groups as less ( | M.A. | racism | 4 |
| Chen, Wen | Ness, Rob W | The Genetic Basis of Natural Variation in Algal Neutral Lipid Accumulation | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11-01 | Neutral lipids are known to be involved in an algal adaptation to cold, light, and nutrient stress, but the extent of intraspecific variation and the mechanisms maintaining the variation in this economically important trait are unclear. I predict algal strains from different latitudes will vary in neutral lipid accumulation because many of the stressor associate with climate. Inducing neutral lipid accumulation using nitrogen (N) starvation in 26 natural isolates of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii revealed genetic variation but no latitudinal pattern in neutral lipid accumulation. A further experiment demonstrated latitudinal variation in neutral lipid accumulation induced by cold shock and light deprivation. By analyzing molecular evolution of 473 lipid-candidate genes, I inferred stronger purifying selection and higher rates of positive selection driving genetic divergence in the lipid-associated genes. From this, I suggest the possibility that neutral lipid accumulation is an adaptive trait in C. reinhardtii under positive selection. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Mak, Jordan James | Wheeler, Anne L | The Impact of Cognitive and Physical Enrichment on Contextual Fear Memory Retention the Contribution of Oligodendrogenesis and Myelination | Physiology | 2021-06-01 | Memories are encoded in patterns of neural activity deemed “engrams” and are recalled when this network is reactivated. Physical and cognitive enrichment have been shown to increase neurogenesis and myelinogenesis which can alter the stability of the engram. We housed mice in both physical enrichment and a combination of physical plus cognitive enrichment and found that both caused forgetting of a contextual fear memory if housing occurred after conditioning, but improved memory recall if done beforehand. However, combining physical and cognitive enrichment caused a greater change in freezing behaviour relative to physical enrichment alone, only when housing was done after conditioning. Mice in which oligodendrogenesis was halted exhibited a trend of freezing less than mice with functioning oligodendrocytes regardless of enrichment, though this was not considered statistically significant. These results are consistent with the theory that enrichment exerts its effect on memory retention by altering engram stabilization during memory consolidation. | M.Sc. | housing | 11 |
| Brown, Alana Mary Celina | Einstein, Gillian||Grady, Cheryl | The Impact of Estrogen Deprivation on Associative Memory and Functional Brain Activation During Encoding in Spontaneous and Surgically-Induced Menopause | Psychology | 2019-11-01 | There is little understanding of the influence of 17β-estradiol (E2) depletion on associative memory following bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) prior to spontaneous/natural menopause (SM). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), recognition performance and brain activity during face-name pair encoding were assessed in women who underwent BSO who were taking E2-based hormone therapy (BSO+E2), those taking no hormone therapy (BSO), age-matched premenopausal control (AMC), and SM women. Results demonstrated no group differences in recognition accuracy. Partial least squares analysis revealed differences in brain-behaviour correlations between the BSO and SM groups: with higher accuracy, the SM group showed increased activation of regions commonly thought to subserve memory. Alternatively, with higher accuracy, the BSO group exhibited decreased activation of these regions. Further, activation in regions of interest in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes was positively correlated with estrogen levels. These findings extend our understanding of the impact of E2 deprivation on the brain. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Bertucci, Virginia Julia | Bressmann, Tim||Stevens, Kyle | The Impact of Fan-type Rapid Palatal Expanders on Speech in Patients with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate | Dentistry | 2021-11-01 | Fan-type rapid palatal expanders (RPEs) can affect tongue movement and speech because of their position and size. The present study investigated the effects on the speech of 25 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Speech questionnaires (patients and parents) and standardized speech recordings (patients) were analyzed prospectively for psychosocial burden, vowel space, fricative articulation, and oral-nasal balance before insertion, after insertion, during expansion, during retention, after removal, and at 3-months follow-up after removal. RPE insertion resulted in an increase in dysfunction and distress, no change for the vowel /a/, an increase in the first formant for the vowel /i/ with a decrease in the second formant for the vowels /i/ and /u/, a decrease in the spectral means for the fricatives /s/, /ʃ/, and /z/, as well as no change in nasalance. All measures returned to baseline levels before removal. Speech was adversely, albeit transiently, affected by an RPE. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Chan, Vivien | Fehlings, Michael G | The Impact of Frailty on Outcomes after Spine Surgery | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Background: It remains unclear how best to treat elderly patients with spinal pathologies. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to investigate the impact of frailty on outcomes after spine surgery. Methods: A systematic review on frailty and spine surgery was done. A study investigating the impact of frailty on morbidity in patients treated for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis was performed. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was used for this study. The primary outcome was major complications. Results: Thirty-two studies were included in the systematic review. Regardless of how frailty was measured, frailty was associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. There were 15 648 patients in the study on patients treated for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Frailty was significantly associated with increased risk of morbidity. Conclusion: There is strong evidence that frailty is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality after spine surgery. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Szeto, Vivian Ying | Feng, Zhong-Ping | The Impact of Maternal High Fat Diet and Caffeine Exposure on Maternal and Offspring Health | Physiology | 2019-06-01 | Maternal malnutrition and resulting metabolic state is detrimental to offspring survival and increases offspring disease risk. Despite prevalence of maternal obesity and caffeine use during pregnancy, the effects on fetal outcomes are unclear. In this study, mice were fed with 60% high fat diet and/or 0.3g/L caffeine in water for 5 weeks prior to mating and through gestation and lactation. Caffeine effectively reduced high-fat diet induced weight gain however resulted in detrimental effects on offspring survival. Neurodevelopment and anxiety-like behaviours were altered in offspring born from obese dams using caffeine and this was correlated with reduction in maternal-pup interaction. These results highlight the differential effects of maternal caffeine on offspring health which are nutritional status dependent and may be mediated by changes in maternal care. | M.Sc. | nutrition, malnutrition, water | 2, 6 |
| Lawrence, Alena | Scott, Katreena | The Impact of Ongoing Coparenting Conflict on Female Domestic Violence Survivors and their Parenting of Very Young Children | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-06-01 | There are inconsistent results from studies on how maternal parenting is affected by experiencing domestic violence (DV) and most research does not consider ongoing DV or even ongoing conflict. In a sample of 42 mothers of children aged 2 months to 77 months, mostly DV survivors, the relationship between previous week conflict in the coparenting relationship and maternal parenting capacity was assessed, as well as whether maternal trauma symptoms mediated this relationship. Analyses found an indirect, but not direct, relationship between ongoing conflict and self-reported maternal parenting capacity, specifically parenting related stress and parenting self-efficacy, through maternal trauma symptoms. The results suggest ongoing conflict may be important to consider in research examining the maternal parenting of DV survivors and that the focus on improving mothers’ mental health and parenting may be misplaced if there is still ongoing conflict. | M.A. | mental health, female, violence | 3, 5, 16 |
| Tan, Victoria Xue Li | Siddiqi, Arjumand AS | The Impacts of the Great Recession on Systolic Blood Pressure in the United States: A Population Health Perspective | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11-01 | Despite the importance of socioeconomic status for health, there are inconsistent conclusions over the health impacts of the Great Recession. One potential reason is that smaller, more pervasive, individual-level changes in health could have occurred and pushed populations towards poorer distributions of health overall, but no studies have used a distributional approach. Thus, this dissertation asks: Can distributional perspectives provide additional insights into the health impacts of the Great Recession? In conducting three studies, I find: i) heterogeneity among the methods used in the literature, but none appropriate for distributional outcomes; ii) a decomposition analysis of distributional outcomes provides more insights than that of mean outcomes; and iii) that while mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) improved for most American adults, a distributional approach reveals that SBP may have worsened overall for some. This work applies a distributional perspective to provide more comprehensive insights into the health impacts of recessions. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic | 1 |
| Clarke, Scott William | Childs, Ruth | The Institutionalization of New Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Positions and Practices in Ontario Student Affairs and Services | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-03-01 | This study investigated the emergence of new equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) positions developed in student affairs and services divisions at universities in Ontario, Canada. Most Canadian universities now espouse the values of EDI, though identifying and addressing persistent systemic barriers experienced by undergraduate students from equity-deserving groups has received limited attention. Based on semi-structured interviews with seven student affairs and services staff and directors from three universities, the multiple case study analysis reveals the institutional conditions and factors contributing to staff and student agency that facilitated the development of new EDI-focused positions and practices. The results of this study highlight the importance of understanding and responding to changes in the institutional environment as a critical factor in motivating change to systemic inequities within Canadian universities. | M.A. | equity, invest, equit, institut | 4, 9, 10, 16 |
| Xu, ZhenHuan | Nambara, Eiji | The Investigation of ABA Transport in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-11-01 | Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that plays a major role in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Increases in ABA levels have been reported in conditions such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature. Although the movement of ABA within plants has been documented, its migration pattern is still debatable. Recent application of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) on plants using radioactive tracers has provided a potential new method of studying ABA migration within plants. In order to study the localization pattern of 3’-18F-ABA in planta, I performed histochemical analyses of β-glucuronidase (GUS) expression in GUS reporter lines, and report that the radioactive tracer, 3’-F-ABA, has similar bioactivity to ABA. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) -based phytochemical analyses of 3’-F-ABA- or ABA-treated Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus plants also showed a bi-directional distribution towards the reproductive organs and to the roots, suggesting a phloem mediated transport of ABA under non-stressed conditions. | M.Sc. | drought, emission, invest | 6, 7, 9 |
| Manion, Mary Carolyn | Haines, John | The Liturgical Significance of the Old Hispanic Ad Pacem | Medieval Studies | 2021-11-01 | One of the most unique features of the Old Hispanic Liturgy is the set of chant propersrelated to the sign of peace during Mass, designated as the prayers Ad Pacem. The texts of these prayers reflect some of the most important goals which Isidore of Seville and other Iberian clergy tried to implement through the councils which were held throughout Spain in the wake of the Visigothic conversion from Arianism. The most notable theme in this vein is the rejection of scandal caused by practices that gave a false impression of heresy. The significance of this moment also extends to the position of the sign of peace in the Old Hispanic liturgy, which illuminates some of the competing influences on the Iberian Peninsula from Rome, Africa, and the Byzantine Empire, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of how multiple rites evolved in the West during late antiquity. | M.A. | peace, peace | 4, 16 |
| Iqbal, Salwa | Hanssen, Jens | The Matriarch, the Marxist, and the Radical: The Suffragettes of 20th Century Egypt | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2021-11-01 | Egyptian history is rich with the stories of various feminists, the different movements they led and joined, and their numerous objectives and outcomes. This paper focuses on the feminist activity of three women, Huda Sha’rawi, Inji Afflatun, and Doria Shafik, and their efforts to achieve political rights for women. It explores how these different women employed the tool of defensive feminism in their activism, and why tools like this are a necessity for female activists in neopatriarchal states. | M.A. | women, female, feminis | 5 |
| Oldemburgo de Mello, Victoria | Inzlicht, Michael | The Psychological Consequences of Social Media Uses | Psychology | 2021-11-01 | The psychological consequences of social media use have been controversial amongresearchers, partly due to the field’s reliance on global measures and cross-sectional methods. To address that, we ran two studies. In study 1, we develop a scale to measure the different functions of social media use. We ran a factor analysis and ended up with five factors for social media use. The scale was related to personality in predictable ways. In study 2, we used experience sampling to analyze the psychological consequences of Twitter use over time. We found that Twitter use was negatively related to well-being and that most of the variance was within-subjects. With the scale developed in study 1, we found that passive Twitter use was related to decreases in well-being, but active Twitter use was not. Increases in affective polarization were predicted by Twitter use, but the results were not robust. | M.A. | well-being | 3 |
| Wang, RuoDing | Lanctôt, Krista L | The Relationship between Homocysteine, Oxidative Stress, and Cognition in Mild Vascular Cognitive Impairment | Pharmacology | 2021-11-01 | Homocysteine (Hcy) generates reactive oxygen species and has been associated with cardiovascular disease and impaired cognition. While the relationship between Hcy and cognition has been studied in other disorders, it has not been well characterized in mild vascular cognitive impairment (mVCI), the prodromal stage of vascular dementia. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between elevated Hcy, oxidative stress markers, and cognition in this at-risk population. 30 mVCI patients were assessed for cognition, plasma Hcy, and plasma oxidative stress markers. No intergroup difference was observed in executive function or verbal memory. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST), an oxidative stress product modulator, had elevated log transformed activity in the high Hcy group (mean(SD) =-0.11(0.15)) compared to the normal Hcy 0.15(0.24) group (F(1,12)=6.15, p=0.029, partial ƞ2=0.339. While there were non-significant results for primary and secondary hypotheses, findings suggest that elevated Hcy may be related to compensatory increased GST activity in mVCI. | M.Sc. | invest, species, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Taverner, Keith Thomas | Prosser, Robert Scott | The Role of Allosteric Scaffolds and Protein Dynamics in Enzyme Function – Lessons Learned by NMR | Chemistry | 2020-06-01 | Most proteins undergo significant cooperative processes over timescales spanning microseconds to many milliseconds. These dynamic processes allow the protein to span the entire reaction coordinate and accomplish its function. Thus, protein function is generally not achieved by a single conformer but rather through a functional ensemble of conformers. Here, we focus on a homodimeric enzyme, fluoroacetate dehalogenase (FAcD) which cleaves the CF bond - one of the strongest covalent bonds in nature - generating fluoride, water, and glycolate from fluoroacetate. The enzyme functions through half-of-sites reactivity where only one protomer is catalytically active. The empty protomer releases ~30 bound water molecules during the catalytic step, thereby entropically favouring the forward reaction. This thesis focuses on using NMR, crystallography and computational studies to study protein dynamics. Specifically, evaluating substrate and product-based regulation, asymmetry in a homodimeric enzyme, disruptions to the allosteric network, and inhibited dynamics due to induced stiffness. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Li Feng, Gilberto | Mitchell, Jane||Grynpas, Marc | The Role of Arrestin-3 in Bone Catabolic Response to Hyperparathyroidism | Pharmacology | 2021-06-01 | Primary hyperparathyroidism is characterized by elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and hypercalcemia, causing bone loss and fragility. PTH activates the PTH receptor (PTH1R), which primarily couples to Gαs, stimulating downstream effectors. Previously, we have seen trabecular anabolic effects of hyperparathyroidism in mice overexpressing Gαs. We hypothesized that increased Gαs protein levels in osteoblasts outcompete β-arrestins binding to PTH1R, leading to reduced signal termination and increased bone formation. In this study, we tested whether β-arrestin2 deletion results in an anabolic response to hyperparathyroidism. While wild-type male mice exhibited a bone catabolic response, female mice were resistant. Contrarily, β-arrestin2 knockout male mice maintained bone whereas female mice exhibited an anabolic response. These results support our hypothesis that arrestin-mediated PTH1R downregulation contributes to bone loss associated with hyperparathyroidism. This offers new insight into the mechanism of bone loss in primary hyperparathyroidism that could be a path for drug therapy. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Mahiny-Shahmohammady, Donya | Billia, Filio | The Role of Cdk1 in the Regulation of Cardiomyocyte Proliferation in the Early Postnatal and Adult Period | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | Adult mammalian cardiomyocytes (CM) are postmitotic cells that lose their proliferate capacity shortly after birth. This is problematic specially when the heart is subjected to an insult resulting in CM loss. Thus, understanding factors that regulate CM proliferation needed for repair is of great clinical importance. There is differential expression of Cdk1 gene, a cell cycle regulator that initiates cytokinesis throughout the early post-natal period. We hypothesized that the loss of Cdk1 would result in perturbation in cell cycle progression. The loss of Cdk1 in the murine heart, results in prolonged CM proliferation with concomitant alterations in the expression of cell cycle activators and inhibitors as determined by mRNA profiling and Western blot analysis. These results provide novel data on the molecular mechanisms that govern the switch of CM from a proliferative to quiescent state. | M.Sc. | regeneration | 15 |
| Luu, Albert Zhenqian | Verma, Subodh | The Role of Endothelial-specific Autophagy-related Protein 7 in Doxorubicin-induced Cardiotoxicity | Pharmacology | 2020-03-01 | Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective, broad-spectrum antineoplastic agent with serious cardiotoxic side effects. Recent evidence has linked the dysregulation and destruction of the endothelium in the development of DOX-induced heart disease. Autophagy is an important pro-survival mechanism to recycle and remove damaged cellular constituents. Autophagy-related protein 7 (ATG7) catalyzes autophagosome formation, a critical step in autophagy. In this study, we used endothelial cell-specific Atg7 knockout (EC-Atg7-/-) mice to characterize the role of endothelial cell-specific autophagy in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. DOX-treated EC-Atg7-/- mice showed reduced survival and a greater decline in cardiac function compared to wild-type controls. Histological assessments revealed increased cardiac fibrosis in DOX-treated EC-Atg7-/- mice. DOX-treated EC-Atg7-/- mice had elevated serum levels of creatine kinase-myocardial band, a biomarker for cardiac damage. Thus, endothelial cell-specific autophagy represented a protective pathway against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. | M.Sc. | recycl | 12 |
| Luu, Vincent Zhenkun | Verma, Subodh | The Role of Endothelial-Specific Intraflagellar Transport Protein 88 in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity | Pharmacology | 2020-03-01 | Doxorubicin (DOX) has been associated with cardiotoxicity resulting in heart failure. Previous studies focused on cardiomyocytes as therapeutic targets. However, there has been a shift of focus toward endothelial cells (ECs) due to its importance in cardioprotective processes. Recently, a role for EC primary cilia as central structures that govern EC function through downstream signaling upon blood flow stimulation was identified. Intraflagellar transport protein 88 (IFT88) is critical for ciliary formation. In our study, mice with EC-specific loss of IFT88 expression (EC-IFT88-/-) were utilized to investigate the role of EC primary cilia in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. We observed greater DOX-induced mortality and reduced cardiac function in EC-IFT88-/- mice compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. Furthermore, weakened statistical power may have contributed to unobservable significant differences in CM vacuolization and cardiac fibrosis of DOX-treated EC-IFT88-/- and WT littermates. Thus, EC primary cilia may be involved with processes that are protective of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Mistry, Shona | Cunningham, Todd | The Role of Family Factors in Substance Use Treatment for Youth With Without Learning Disabilities: A Case Study | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | Youth substance use is a pervasive phenomenon. Research suggests family-based treatments provide healthy mechanisms to combat problems experienced by youth due to substance abuse. The relationship between learning disabilities (LDs) and substance use treatment is not well understood. This study investigated differences in externalizing behavior and family functioning between youth with and without LDs in a residential treatment centre, and if differences were explained by family functioning. Multi-level modelling analyses revealed no significant difference between youth with an unclear diagnosis (β = 11.60, p > .05), a LD diagnosis (β =. 23, p > .05), or ADHD, (β = -6.92, p > .05) on externalizing behavior from pre-treatment to two years post-treatment. Family functioning predicted differences in externalizing behavior individually (β = 14.82, p | M.A. | disabilit, substance abuse, learning, invest | 3, 4, 9 |
| Tran, Andy Xuan | Belsham, Denise D | The Role of Inflammatory Cytokines in the Palmitate-mediated Dysregulation of NPY in Hypothalamic Neurons | Physiology | 2020-11-01 | A contributing factor to the development of obesity is the consumption of saturated fats. Saturated fatty acids such as palmitate dysregulate energy homeostasis by inducing neuroinflammation and orexigenic Npy mRNA in the hypothalamus. Inflammatory analysis identified cytokines that may mediate the induction of Npy mRNA by palmitate: NAMPT/visfatin, MIF, IL-17F and IL-6. With the exception of NAMPT/visfatin, treatment of the NPY/AgRP-expressing mHypoE-46 cell line with the aforementioned cytokines nor conditioned media from palmitate-treated cells were able to directly induce Npy mRNA suggesting a minimal role for cytokines. The monounsaturated fatty acid oleate successfully blunted palmitate-mediate increases in Npy and inflammation in mHypoE-46 cells through mechanisms involving PKA but not SIRT1. This study demonstrates that inflammation and Npy are distinct processes that are induced in a specific population of NPY/AgRP neurons and suggest that differential mechanisms mediate the dysregulatory effects of palmitate in a population-specific manner. | M.Sc. | energy, consum | 7, 12 |
| Ling, Sharon | Yeung, Rae | The Role of Mitochondrial DNA in the Pathogenesis of Kawasaki Disease | Immunology | 2019-11-01 | Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a multisystem vasculitis in which systemic inflammation progresses to localized damage of the coronary arteries. As inflammation persists, tissue damage and cell death results in the liberation of intracellular contents, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), into circulation where they may detected by the inflammasome, an innate immune complex that produces the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β. It has been reported that IL-1β expression is elevated in the acute phase of KD. Here, we demonstrate that DNA, from mitochondrial or non-mitochondrial origin, has the ability to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and trigger IL-1β production in a TLR9-dependent manner. Furthermore, elevated levels of circulating DNA (cirDNA) were found to be associated with inflammation in the LCWE murine model of KD. These findings enhance our understanding of mechanisms involved in the recognition of cirDNA and suggest that cirDNA may serve as a potential biomarker of disease activity in KD. | M.Sc. | production | 12 |
| Ghayour, Amir Hossein | Acosta, Edgar | The Role of Napthenic Acids and Asphaltenes on the Phase Behavior of Bitumen-water Systems | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2019-11-01 | In this thesis, the behavior of naphthenic acids and asphaltenes in bitumen-water systems is explored. The bifunctional model was developed to characterize polar oils in surfactant-oil-water systems. This model incorporated the HLD equation and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm to determine the interfacial adsorption of surface-active compounds. For the first time, the amphiphilic behavior of naphthenic acids was characterized by an EACN and a Cc, simultaneously. Furthermore, it was concluded that in the presence of a surfactant, asphaltene molecules are rejected from the interface of the bicontinuous phase due to their large size, and thus have little effect on the curvature of the system. Consequently, the bifunctional model predicted the phase behavior of bitumen-water systems from naphthenic acids’ surfactant-like and oil-like behavior at different pH values. This resulted in the prediction of the phase inversion point, at which the properties of the system reach minimum interfacial tensions and emulsion stability. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Mirmoeini, Seyed Kaveh | Borschel, Gregory GB||Gordon, Tessa TG | The Role of Schwann Cells in Corneal Maintenance and Healing | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Corneal nerves play a crucial role in maintaining corneal health, including regulating the activity of stem cells in the limbus, the transitional zone between the cornea and sclera. The loss of these limbal stem cells (LSCs) leads to neurotrophic keratopathy (NK), with corneal ulceration, scarring, and ultimately, blindness. Having identified nerve-ensheathing Schwann cells (SCs) in the limbus, we hypothesized that SCs play a crucial role in corneal epithelial maintenance and healing via paracrine interaction with LSCs. We demonstrated that i) many SCs in the limbus are located in close spatial vicinity to LSCs and ii) the limbal SCs are important for corneal wound healing. These findings suggest that paracrine SC-LSC interactions may be responsible for the limbal nerve-mediated activation of LSCs during epithelial wound healing after injury. | M.A.S. | transit | 11 |
| Page, Damian | Cunningham, Todd||Rhonda, Martinussen | The Role of Teacher Mental Health Literacy in Identifying Emerging Mental Health Disorders in Students | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11-01 | The present study explored the relationship between teaching experience, mental health literacy and the ability of teachers to accurately rate the severity of behaviors presented through a vignette measure. Canadian certified primary grade teachers (N = 101) completed a survey with a novel vignette measure and a mental health literacy scale. Participants rated the severity of the behaviors depicted in the vignettes and their accuracy was calculated based on how closely their ratings matched the intended severity of symptoms depicted. A hierarchical regression model established that teaching experience alone was not significantly predictive of behavioral rating accuracy, but the inclusion of mental health literacy yielded a significant model. A binomial logistics regression indicated that neither the gender nor pathology depicted in the vignettes significantly influenced rating accuracy. These results substantiate the importance of teacher mental health literacy training in supporting the identification of emerging mental health disorders in students. | M.A. | mental health, gender | 3, 5 |
| Tajdaran, Kiana | Borschel, Gregory||Gordon, Tessa | The Roles of TrkA and p75NTR NGF Receptors in Corneal Wound Healing | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The cornea, i.e., one of the most densely innervated structures in the body, is the window through which we see the world. The loss of corneal innervation through injury, diabetes, tumors, infections and even improper contact lens use leads to neurotrophic keratopathy (NK). NK is a degenerative corneal disease characterized by corneal epithelial breakdown, scarring, and permanent vision loss. The only non-invasive treatment option for NK is recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF); however, the short half-life of exogenous neurotrophin-based therapies limits their efficacy. Accordingly, small molecule ligands have been developed for neurotrophin receptors with more favorable pharmacokinetics and stability, showing promising results for the treatment of several neurodegenerative conditions in recent years. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanism of NK and the role of the NGF receptors Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase A (TrkA) and p75NTR (neurotrophin receptor) in corneal healing. | M.A.S. | wind, invest | 7, 9 |
| Lau, Jocelyn | Josselyn, Sheena | The Temporal Integration of Memory | Physiology | 2019-06-01 | Episodic memory is defined by the temporal ordering of events, yet, how events occurring close together in time become integrated remains unclear. Evidence from previous studies indicate that increased excitability biases neuronal allocation to a memory trace and that following a learning event, the excitability of allocated neurons remains enhanced for 6 hours. This period of increased excitability provides a window during which additional experiences can become co- allocated to same population. This population overlap has previously been demonstrated to underlie memory integration between two fearful events (Rashid et al., 2016). Here, we demonstrate that an unrelated stimulus can also become integrated into a recently formed fearful memory if animals are exposed to the stimulus within the 6-hour window, effectively forming a false memory where animals display fear to a previously neutral stimulus. These effects were then reversed using optogenetics, suggesting that integration is critically dependent on neuronal excitability. | M.Sc. | learning, wind, animal, animal | 4, 7, 14, 15 |
| Chi, Leon | Goldenberg, Neil NG | The Therapeutic Potential of HMGB1 Inhibition in the Development of Systemic Sclerosis-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension | Physiology | 2021-11-01 | High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), a danger-associated molecular pattern, is gaining recognition as a mediator of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Unfortunately, current studies fail to address therapeutic interventions for pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-PAH), which is a devastating subset of PAH. Our understanding of this entity is hampered by the lack of a readily available, high-fidelity animal model. Herein, we sought to assess the Tight Skin mouse (Tsk), which possesses many features of SSc, as a model of SSc-PAH, and to test the effect of HMGB1 inhibition upon the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in this model.Our data provide the first description of the hypoxic Tsk model of SSc-PAH. Mechanistically, our results indicate a key role for HMGB1, released in response to cellular damage, in the pathogenesis of PH in this model, potentially acting upon the pulmonary artery adventitial fibroblast. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| King, William Maxwell | Zee, Robert | Thermal Control of a Novel Microsatellite Bus with Deployable Components | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-06-01 | With the emerging need for ever more capable microsatellites, the development of a novel microsatellite bus with deployable components was undertaken by Space Flight Laboratory. This platform, called DEFIANT, will provide a strong foundation for the next generation of microsatellites that will enable satellite constellations. As this is a new novel platform, there is a need for the development of a thermal control subsystem for the DEFIANT platform. This work presents an overview of heat transfer principles and orbital mechanics as is relevant for developing thermal control subsystems. The primary methods of thermal control for small spacecraft are introduced. A lumped mass network model is constructed and the impact of deployable structures predicted using a transient orbital analysis. A finite element model for the DEFIANT microsatellite platform is developed, the development philosophy is discussed, and the thermal control design is analyzed under simulation. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| Gallant, Brady | Guenther, Axel | Three-dimensional Assembly and Characterization of Protein-based Tubular Constructs for Tissue Engineering | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-06-01 | In this thesis I present a strategy for rolling highly aligned collagen sheets into tubular constructs which have applications as implantable bile duct grafts or in organ-on-a-chip systems. Aligned collagen sheets were extruded through a microfluidic device following a previously described protocol, and vertically stacked to achieve suitable mechanical properties for rolling. A rolling process was developed, characterized, and optimized for rolling tubular structures with a 700 μm inner diameter and 50 μm wall thickness, mimicking the dimensions of rat bile ducts. Rolled tubes were mechanically characterized for suture retention strength and burst pressure. The mechanism of failure in these tests was also investigated, providing insights for methods to further increase mechanical properties. Cholangiocyte precursors and cholangiocyte cysts were loaded into tubes in a custom-made tube hosting device and appeared to attach, spread, and remain viable up to 9 days in culture. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Nie, Shuang | Lehn, Peter W | Three-phase Wireless Power Transfer for Electric Vehicle Charging with Improved Receiver Misalignment Tolerance | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-06-01 | Charging of electric vehicles through inductive wireless power transfer (WPT) provides an attractive alternative to traditional wired charging. However, existing WPT systems display high degradation in efficiency and throughput power when transmitter and receiver become misaligned. A three-phase WPT system with magnetically decoupled transmitter windings is proposed to address this degradation. By optimal selection of the transmitter phase current distribution, a region of maximal flux density can be centred at the receiver location, achieving nearly constant efficiency and throughput power for receiver misalignment up to ±20cm. Excitation of the three-phase transmitter coil is provided by a conventional three-phase inverter, halving the number of semiconductors and gate drivers used with previous technologies. Experimental results demonstrate 92.97% coil efficiency and 88.45% system efficiency at perfect alignment at 3.3kW power transfer. Performance is shown to hardly degrade with misalignments up to 20cm, where coil efficiency remains at 90.52% and system efficiency at 86.66%. | M.A.S. | wind | 7 |
| Zhang, Zhongyuan | Xu, Wei WX | Tightly Integrated Multiomics-based Deep Tensor Survival Model for Time-to-event Prediction | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2021-11-01 | Multi-omics cancer profiles provide essential signals for predicting cancer survival. It is challenging to reveal the complex patterns from integrating multiple types of genomic data and extract valuable information strongly associated with patients’ survival outcomes. We proposed an innovative algorithm for cancer survival prediction to integrate tensor factorization of multi-omics cancer data and deep learning-based survival analysis, named Deep Tensor Survival (DTS). We built a three-dimension (3D) tensor to integrate multi-genomics data and factorized it into 2D matrices of latent factors, which were fed into a neural net to extract hidden features for survival prediction through a Log-hazard survival model. We applied the algorithm to the breast cancer data, colon and rectal cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program. We evaluated the goodness-of-fit using the concordance index (C-index) and Integrated Brier Score (IBS) and showed new algorithm outperforms conventional methods. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| D'Hollander, Curtis Joseph | Maguire, Jonathon | Timing of Introduction to Solid Food, Growth and Nutrition Risk in Later Childhood | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-11-01 | It is recommended in Canada to introduce solid food at 6 months of age in keeping with the recommendations from the World Health Organization. The European Society for Paediatric Nutrition recommends solid food be introduced between 4 and 6 months of age. Few studies have differentiated between this period. In this thesis I aimed to evaluate the relationship between the timing of introduction to infant cereal as the first solid food between 4 and 6 months and growth and nutrition risk. Through a longitudinal study of healthy children participating in the TARGet Kids! cohort, introduction to infant cereal at 4 months, compared to 6 months, was associated with higher body mass index z-score and higher odds of obesity through 10 years of age, worse eating behaviour between 18 months and 5 years and minimal differences in height. These findings support guidelines for introducing solid food around 6 months of age. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2 |
| Khanna, Siya Sunita | O'Connor, Deborah L||Kim, Young-In | Total Folate and Synthetic Folic Acid Content in the Food Supply and Its Influence on Absorption Across the Colon | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-06-01 | To reduce the risk of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies in Canada, folic acid fortification of foods is mandated, and women planning a pregnancy are advised to consume a folic acid-containing supplement. This research aims to determine the amount of folic acid in fortified foods and understand the impact of folic acid on folate absorption in the colon. In study one, analysis of fortified foods by microbial analysis and mass spectroscopy showed 65% higher folate values than in the Canadian Nutrient File. In study two, an on-going randomized clinical trial, we seek to investigate the influence of folic acid on folate absorption in the colon. Data herein verify the feasibility of the protocol and that the feeding and supplement intervention produced two distinct groups in terms of blood folate status. This work will facilitate an improved understanding of available sources of folate to inform future folate supplementation and fortification recommendations. | M.Sc. | women, invest, consum | 5, 9, 12 |
| Raman, Preeti | Hewitt, Jim | Towards Humanizing Online Discourse - Exploring Linguistic and Emotional Tones in Online Learning | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-11-01 | Online learning has seen tremendous growth over the last few years, but there is limited research in understanding the role of tones in an online learning environment. The goal of this thesis is to explore the presence of both emotional and linguistic tones in threaded discourse to understand their role in online conversations. This study presents evidence of the presence of emotions in online discussions using a sequential mixed-methods design by analyzing text using machine learning techniques based on the theory of psycholinguistics to predict both linguistic and emotional tones in discourse. It further explores participants’ experiences and insights using semi-structured interviews with learners and instructors. The analysis uncovered significant differences in tone across different courses, users and notes. This research is a first step to acknowledge, identify and understand tones in text written by the user; thereby humanizing text discourse online. | M.A. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Abbas, Farhana Zameena | Wheeler, Aaron | Towards Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis using Digital Microfluidics | Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | The objective of this project is to lay the foundation to develop a clinically relevant, risk-free process for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis from cervical mucus samples using digital microfluidics isolation of single cell for -Omics (DISCO).Starting from a cervical swab obtained from pregnant women, fetal cells trapped in cervical mucus were enriched and isolated. Antibodies best suited to identify fetal and maternal cells were found. Maternal cells were removed using density gradient centrifugal separation and immunomagnetic depletion targeting specific cell types to increase the proportion of fetal cells to one in five in the final enriched sample. Fixative methods were optimized to increase the number of fetal cells recovered. DISCO was used to isolate the fetal cells from the enriched sample, followed by whole genome amplification of the isolated cell. Initial results from Short Tandem Repeats analysis show a partial fetal signature in the final enriched sample. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Sreenivasan, Ram Ananth | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Transfer Reinforcement Learning Across Tasks with Dynamics Mismatch | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Reinforcement Learning has recently emerged as a viable solution for various sequential decision-making problems. However, standard Reinforcement learning agents require a large number of samples to learn effectively and transfer learning is a mechanism aimed at alleviating this issue. When transferring knowledge from already mastered source tasks to a new target task, the similarity between the source and target task can play a crucial role in determining the usefulness of transfer. This thesis showcases the utility of one such measure of task similarity, based on the upper bound of the differences in optimal state-action values, as a gatekeeper for selective transfer in the transfer learning setting where the previously solved tasks and current task differ with respect to the transition dynamics. Numerical results, including a novel application of transfer learning for epidemic spread control, demonstrate the benefits of preventing negative transfer while accelerating learning otherwise. | M.A.S. | knowledge, learning, transit | 4, 11 |
| Castro Mendez, Lucas | Wong, Shun | Transrectal Ultrasound-guided Brachytherapy in Early Cervical Cancers – Utopia or an Upcoming Reality? | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Rationale: Transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) allows for great soft tissue discrimination in the pelvis. This study investigates the role of TRUS in cervical cancer brachytherapy. Methods: FIGO IB cervical cancer patients treated with MR-guided intracavitary brachytherapy boost were enrolled in this study. TRUS images acquired in axial axis were used to define the High-risk Clinical Target Volume (CTVHR) and pelvic organs at risk (OARs) with and without the applicator in place and compared to contours performed in MR images. Results: CTVHR contours were smaller and thinner in TRUS images. No statistical difference was seen in CTVHR height or width. CTVHR and OARs inter-rater contouring agreement were similar between contours in MR and TRUS when applicators were not in situ. Significant image deterioration was noticed in TRUS images once the applicators were inserted. Conclusions: TRUS images allow for consistent CTVHR and OAR contours whenever brachytherapy applicators are not in place. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Qi, Zhenzhou | Prosser, Robert RS | Tryptophan Mutagenesis Studies of the Adenosine A2A Receptor-Toward Next Generation Biosynthetic Labeling of Fluorotryptophan Analogs in Eukaryotic Cell Cultures and Optimizing Dopamine D2 Receptor expression with ExpiCHO system | Chemistry | 2021-11-01 | G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) comprise the largest and most diverse protein superfamily in the mammalian genome.1 Crystallographic and cryo-EM-derived structures provide high resolution structures but lack information regarding activation intermediates and dynamics. Here, we incorporate 5F-tryptophan biosynthetically and employ 19F NMR to investigate the conformational ensembles and functional motions of adenosine A2A receptor(A2AR), a prototypical class A GPCR. The second part of this thesis involves the optimization of expression (in ExpiCHO cells) of the D2R receptor, which represents another class A GPCR for 19F-NMR analysis. Both the A2A expression and D2R expression methodologies were developed with a focus on both cysteine mutagenesis and biosynthetic labeling. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Lapinsky, Stephanie Claire | Vigod, Simone N | Twin Pregnancy and Severe Maternal Mental Illness: A Canadian Population-based Cohort Study | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-03-01 | Objective: To quantity the short- and long-term risks of severe maternal mental illness arising after a twin vs. singleton birth. Methods: This propensity-score weighted population-based retrospective cohort study comprised primiparous Canadian women aged 15-50 years. We compared 15,024 twin livebirths to 796,804 singletons livebirths, from 2003-2019. The primary composite outcome was a psychiatric emergency department visit, hospitalization, self-harm or suicide event – both in the first year postpartum, and from 1 year postpartum up to 17 years post-delivery. Results: In the first year postpartum, after weighting, the rate of composite outcome events was 10.5 vs. 8.7 per 1000 person-years among twin and singleton births respectively (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.47). Starting from 1 year postpartum, the corresponding rates were 5.9 vs. 6.1 per 1000 person-years (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.89-1.04). Conclusions: Women with a twin birth may experience more severe adverse mental health within 1-year postpartum, but not in the long-term. | M.Sc. | mental health, illness, women | 3, 5 |
| Wang, Guan | Bull, Shelley B||Espin-Garcia, Osvaldo | Two-phase Design for Regional Genetic Sequencing using Polygenic Risk Scores | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-03-01 | Due to the high cost of DNA sequencing for large-scale data, I propose a two-phase design using polygenic risk scores (PRS) to inform selection of individuals in phase 1, followed by regional sequencing in a selected subsample in phase 2. Residual dependent sampling (RDS) design is implemented by regressing the phenotype of interest on the PRS and selecting individuals with extreme residuals as the phase 2 subsample. Efficient analysis can be carried out under semi-parametric modelling by the EM algorithm. A fine-mapping application in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of triglyceride levels in 4, 504 individuals from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort of 1966 shows the proposed method can reduce sequencing costs in post-GWAS analyses while maintaining statistical performance. Simulation studies show that the proposed RDS design gives more precise estimation than simple random sampling, with adequate type one error control, while performing more similarly to the complete sample. | M.Sc. | land | 15 |
| Tan, Joel Mei Jou | Brumell, John H | Type 1 Interferon Limits Phagocyte Antimicrobial Function by Modulating Lysosomal Cholesterol | Medical Science | 2019-06-01 | Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen that is responsible for causing listeriosis in humans and animals. These infections can lead to severe disease such as meningitis and encephalitis, with a high mortality rate especially in the elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Prior studies have revealed that these bacteria can induce a type 1 interferon response that is deleterious to the host during systemic infection, while also affecting the intracellular life cycle of L. monocytogenes. However, the impact of type 1 interferon on innate cellular defenses to bacterial infections remain unclear. Here, we show that type 1 interferon can negatively impact the antimicrobial activity of macrophages. Type 1 interferon was found to cause cholesterol accumulation in lysosomes that alters their fusion with phagosomes, and also their ability to fuse with the plasma membrane in response to membrane damage. These findings help to explain how L. monocytogenes exploits type 1 interferon responses during infection. | M.Sc. | animal, animal | 14, 15 |
| Waqar, Minal | Kuuire, Vincent Z. | Type 2 Diabetes in South Asians – Exploring Risk Factors and Utilization of Healthcare in Canada | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic condition affecting millions of people worldwide. South Asians (individuals originating from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) represent a high-risk ethnicity for developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and experience a high prevalence of the disease, even in migrant populations. The objectives of this thesis were twofold: (1) to synthesize the latest literature on (i) risk factors that predispose South Asians to be at high-risk for T2D; (ii) utilization of diabetes-related healthcare services in Canada; and (2) investigate perceptions and experiences of South Asians living with T2D in Ontario, and their utilization of diabetes related services within the provincial healthcare system. The first objective was completed through a scoping review, while the second objective was achieved through 20 in-depth interviews. Findings from these interviews are discussed and broader policy options are recommended. | M.A. | healthcare, invest | 3, 9 |
| Tapia, Joshua Manuel | Christopoulos, Constantin | Ultimate Response of Viscoelastic-plastic Damping Systems for Tall Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | The viscoelastic coupling damper (VCD) was developed to provide supplemental distributed damping to all modes of vibration and provide a multi-hazard design solution for tall buildings. The VCD system consists of viscoelastic damper panels that are bolted to steel beams, cast in the concrete structure. In seismic regions, ductile shear links are incorporated in the VCD system. During large earthquakes, the VCD exhibits a viscoelastic-plastic response as the steel links yield, limiting the forces imposed on the structure. Full-scale specimens were designed and tested to validate the ultimate response of the VCD links fabricated with conventional North American grades of steel. Numerous design details were also investigated to maximize the deformation capacity of the steel links. The experimental program showed that the VCD links are able to achieve more than the required inelastic link rotation while developing values of overstrength that are similar to those achieved by typical shear links. | M.A.S. | buildings, invest | 9 |
| Kiezun, Kevin | Goertz, David E | Ultrasound-stimulated Microbubble Induced Fluid Transport in Poroviscohyperelastic Media | Medical Biophysics | 2022-03-01 | Ultrasound stimulated microbubbles have been shown to be capable of inducing deformations of biologically relevant boundaries through both volumetric oscillations and primary radiation forces. In this thesis, it is proposed that microbubble indentation upon saturated poroviscohyperelastic media, resulting from primary radiation forces, plays a role in the transport of fluids into such media. This mechanism is investigated via finite element analysis, where a single load-unload cycle, of a 5μm microbubble to a peak depth of 1μm, is found to cause pore pressure elevation and effective fluid flow velocities of up to 2.7mm/s within the medium. Importantly, fluid exchange between the overlying fluid layer and the poroviscohyperelastic medium occurs in a manner that extends multiple microbubble-contact radii away from the indentation site. These findings offer insight into an unexplored microbubble-mediated fluid transport mechanism, suggesting that the indentation aspect of the microbubble-tissue interaction may play a role in enhancing therapeutic agent delivery. | M.Sc. | invest, cities | 9, 11 |
| Rahman, Shatil | Waslander, Steven SLW | Uncertainty-constrained Trajectory Optimization in Belief Space for Vision-based Robots | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Planning in belief space provides a unified approach to tightly couple the perception, planning and control modules, leading to trajectories that are aware of the detrimental effects of environments with varying information content. However, existing methods handle uncertainties as costs that require manual tuning for varying environments and hardware without explicit guarantees of localization quality. Furthermore, many extrinsic sensors, such as cameras are viewpoint limited, leading to discontinuous belief dynamics that cause belief space trajectory optimization methods to fail. We therefore propose a novel trajectory optimization formulation that incorporates inequality constraints on uncertainty and a novel Augmented Lagrangian based stochastic differential dynamic programming method in belief space. Furthermore, we develop a probabilistic visibility model that accounts for discontinuities due to feature visibility limits. The resulting algorithm thus has the ability to incorporate viewpoint limitations and select non-myopic active perception control actions that are informed by localization uncertainty along the trajectory. | M.A.S. | inequality, equalit | 10 |
| Khan, Rubaina Rowshan | Brett, Clare | Uncovering Differences in the Learning Cultures of the Engineering and Education Departments | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2019-11-01 | This thesis examines the influence of a discipline on the learning culture exhibited and perpetuated within the engineering and education department through open-ended interviews with 10 graduate-level faculty, in a major Canadian public university. The research uncovers how students perceive of what is valued as knowledge and the processes that their discipline encourages them to use in the pursuit of new knowledge through a grounded theory approach using ten professors’ perceptions on how learning occurs within their disciplines. The research question motivating this study is: What differences can be understood between learning cultures in engineering and education departments? Findings highlight that ways of thinking, critical learning, dealing with uncertainty and training of graduate students are informed by disciplinary expectations. The differences in the ways individuals learn and reason based on their academic identities will lead to a better understanding of one another and provide insight into ways to collaborate effectively. | M.A. | knowledge, learning, labor | 4, 8 |
| Ahadzadeh, Negin | Meyer, David DJ | Understanding Equity in Intermittent Water Supplies: A Distributed Pressure-dependent Demand Model | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Intermittent Water Supplies (IWSs), providing water for less than 24 hours a day, are associated with demanding management, extra costs, low water quality, and inequity. In this study, a new distributed pressure-dependent demand model is developed to measure volumetric equity using two metrics: volumetric equity and the Gini coefficient. The model consists of a reservoir and a pipe with a slot along the crown of the pipe acting as an unrestricted orifice. A residential pipe and an equivalent pipe, representing a network regardless of its structural details, were analyzed under different steady, pressure deficient scenarios to explore the opportunities to improve equity. The results suggest that overdesigning IWSs with larger pipes and feeding the system from multiple points near high-density settlements improve equity. Accordingly, hilly areas should be supplied with higher pressure and pipes near the reservoir should be prioritized for leakage inspection and reduction. | M.A.S. | equity, water, equit, gini | 4, 6, 10 |
| Kloostra, Bradley | Saxe, Shoshanna | Understanding Material Stocks in Roads at the City and Multinational Scale | Civil Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Improving resource efficiency is critical to reduce the environmental impacts of constructing and maintaining the built environment. Construction materials represent a growing share of global greenhouse gas emissions, but limited knowledge concerning the quantity and distribution of materials making up infrastructure is an obstacle to designing robust policies and tracking progress towards greater resource efficiency. This thesis investigates material stocks in roads at the city and multinational scale through case studies of the road networks of Toronto and six high-income countries. Modelling material stocks at the city scale using simplified archetypes is shown to introduce significant uncertainty that is not well addressed in existing studies. Multinational road stocks are estimated using a method that better captures the inherent variability in pavement design. Considerable differences in the material intensities of different countries’ road networks are observed, suggestive of opportunities to build roads with lower environmental impact. | M.A.S. | knowledge, emission, greenhouse, infrastructure, invest, income, industrial ecology, greenhouse gas, environmental, emissions, ecolog | 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 |
| Dimitrov, Nikol | Fortin, Marie-Josée | Understanding the Effects of Fox Movement on the Spread of Sarcoptic Mange in Urban Settings – An Individual-based Modelling Approach | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-03-01 | The threat of disease spread to humans is greater in urban settings where contact between wildlife and human populations occurs frequently. Movement of host species plays a key role in maintaining transmission of direct-contact disease. Understanding how wildlife hosts move in fragmented urban landscapes is therefore imperative for disease control efforts. In cities, disease spread can be affected by the ability of a host to move through urban features, or by behavioural changes that are pathogen induced. Using the urban-adapted red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and its associated disease sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) in the city of Toronto, I ask: How does movement of foxes according to landcover type affect the spread of mange? And how does variable movement of susceptible and infected foxes influence mange transmission? These questions are addressed using an individual-based modeling approach, where two movement behaviours of foxes in a city are compared: random and least-cost path. To assess the effects of movement ability according to disease status (here, susceptible-biased, and infected-biased movement), I compare a range of movement probabilities. For each scenario, the number of effective contacts and the effective reproduction number (Re) are estimated. Findings suggest that mange spread may be accelerated when movement is based on landcover types and when there is equal movement ability of susceptible and infected foxes. This study emphasizes the importance of including realistic movement behaviours when modelling the dynamics of mange and disease spread in urbanized landscapes. | M.Sc. | cities, urban, production, species, ecolog, species, land, wildlife | 11, 12, 14, 15 |
| Singh, Sanewal | Kuuire, Vincent | Understanding the Evolving Landscape of Traditional Medicine in Ghana | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Irrespective of the dominance of western medicine (WM) in health delivery systems across the world, millions of people in several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Ghana continue to rely on traditional medicine (TM) for treating illness. Understanding the use of TM in Ghana is a complex topic due to the various intertwining factors such as cost, availability, access, socioeconomic status, and sociocultural factors which influence the use of TM. Herein, the objective of this thesis were twofold: (1) to further the understanding of factors that drive the use of TM among elderly individuals in Ghana, and (2) to investigate whether a shift in prevalence of TM use exists. Using Rosenstock’s Health Belief Model as a theoretical framework, and seventeen in-depth interviews, this thesis examined the perceptions and motivations surrounding the use of TM among elderly residents located in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicate that the use of TM is still pervasive despite the increasing availability of WM. The findings suggest that factors including availability of TM as a sociocultural commodity, health perceptions and health seeking behaviours, and other modifying factors are all influential factors driving the continued use of TM. Contrary to previous literature, the dependency on TM as the sole form of medication may no longer be prominent, rather an increase in WM use may be inevitable. | M.A. | socioeconomic, health care, healthcare, illness, invest, income, land | 1, 3, 9, 10, 15 |
| Zhang, George Qihang | Khisti, Ashish | Universal Rate-Distortion-Perception Representations for Lossy Compression and Applications using Generative Models | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | In the context of lossy compression, Blau \ Michaeli \cite{blau2019rethinking} adopt a mathematical notion of perceptual quality and define the information rate-distortion-perception (RDP) function. We consider the notion of universal representations in which one fixes an encoder and varies the decoder to achieve a collection of distortion-perception constraints. We prove that the corresponding information-theoretic universal RDP function is operationally achievable in an approximate sense. Under MSE distortion, we show that the entire distortion-perception tradeoff for Gaussian sources is achieved by a single encoder asymptotically. We then characterize the achievable distortion-perception region for a fixed representation for arbitrary distributions. This motivates the study of practical constructions that are approximately universal, alleviating the need to design an encoder for each objective. We provide experiments on MNIST/SVHN suggesting that for image compression, the operational tradeoffs achieved by fixed-encoder machine learning models are comparable to their variable encoder counterparts. | M.A.S. | learning, trade | 4, 10 |
| Duan, Tinglin | Plataniotis, Konstantinos N.||Lawryshyn, Yuri A. | Unsupervised Multivariate Time Series Anomaly Detection via Transformer-based models and Time Series Encoding | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06-01 | This thesis has investigated the anomaly detection problem on multivariate time series. In particular, we have studied two different directions: the point-based approach and the range-based approach. For the point-based approach, one novel Transformer-based model: Transformer Conditional Variational Autoencoder (T-CVAE) has been designed and compared with state-of-the-art multivariate time series anomaly detection baselines. Through exhaustive experiments on three open-source datasets, our model T-CVAE has outperformed all baseline models in terms of the F1 score. On the other hand, for the range-based approach, we have developed and implemented two time series encoding techniques: Outer product Matrix (OM) and Gramian Angular Field Matrix (GAFM). We have compared the two methods with the existing Gram Matrix approach in the literature. Based on empirical experiment results, we have found that GAFM time series encoding performs best among the three in terms of the F1 measurement. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Coffman, Dena Merilyn | Abizaid, Christian | Urban Livelihoods and Flood Vulnerability in a State-Sponsored Resettlement Project in Iquitos, Peru | Geography | 2021-11-01 | In the Amazon floodplain, the annual flood cycle is an expected part of life; however, anthropogenic climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of floods. Further, poor urban residents in the Global South are often disproportionately exposed to floods. Resettlement is increasingly considered a potential climate adaptation policy for high-risk areas, but many past resettlements have failed to improve residents’ wellbeing. In Iquitos, Peru, the Peruvian government has set out to relocate 16,000 residents from Bajo Belén, a low-income neighborhood on the Amazon floodplain. Four hundred households have already relocated to a small settlement 15 km outside Iquitos. This research investigates how relocation changed residents’ livelihoods and vulnerability to floods, using household surveys and interviews conducted during fieldwork in 2019. Findings indicate that residents in Bajo Belén did not always perceive floods as risky, and that relocation has left residents isolated from services and opportunities. | M.A. | low-income, vulnerability, wellbeing, invest, income, urban, climate, environmental, anthropogenic | 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 13 |
| Ciftci-Kavaklioglu, Beyza | Yeh, E. Ann | Use of Machine Learning Classifiers based on Visual Metrics in Children with Acquired Demyelinating Syndromes | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory degenerative disease and the visual pathway is a key target in the search for a reliable and easily obtainable diagnostic biomarker that can aid the diagnosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of machine learning (ML) based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) features to identify children with MS and other ADS. In this cross-sectional study a total of 512 eyes from 69 (neyes = 138) healthy controls and 187 (neyes = 374) children with ADS were included. Random forest classifier with recursive feature elimination identified MS with 80% accuracy. A set of eight retinal features were identified as the most important in this classification. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that ML classifiers can be used to diagnose MS in children based on structural OCT measures alone with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. | M.Sc. | learning, invest, forest | 4, 9, 15 |
| Lam, Emily Man-Shuen | Biddiss, Elaine||Scratch, Shannon | Using Accelerometers to Score a Multi-domain Return-to-play Assessment for Youth Post-concussion | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Clinical guidelines recommend using multi-domain assessments to determine when youth may return-to-play after a concussion. However, multi-domain assessments are rarely used as they are difficult for clinicians to administer and score. This thesis describes the ideation, development, and evaluation of a system to identify movements-of-interest during a return-to-play assessment for youth (R2Play) with the aim of reducing clinician cognitive load. The system uses a low-cost accelerometer, a threshold-based algorithm, and two classifiers to automatically log initiation times, movement errors, and hesitations. To facilitate development, data was collected from 15 adults performing tasks simulating these movements. The developed algorithms achieved an ICC of 0.892±0.064 for initiation time, and F1 scores of 0.621±0.148 and 0.422±0.224 for hesitations and movement errors. Preliminary validation was performed on youth athletes (n=3) during R2Play. The system developed in this research is a step toward consistent scoring and lowering clinician cognitive load in multi-domain assessments. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Lemire, Danielle | Lehnherr, Igor | Using Ice and Sediment Cores to Quantify Climate-warming Induced Inputs of Legacy Mercury to Lake Hazen, Nunavut | Geography | 2021-11-01 | Mercury (Hg) is a globally dispersed contaminant that can bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food-webs. This research uses a unique combination of measurements in an ice core and a sediment core collected within the same watershed (Lake Hazen, Nunavut) to determine how the relative importance of Hg inputs from atmospheric, glacier and terrestrial sources has changed over the last century. Hg accumulation in Lake Hazen sediment began increasing dramatically in the mid- 1990s, exhibiting a decoupling from atmospheric sources (as estimated from the ice core record), due to the increased importance of remobilized terrestrial Hg inputs to Lake Hazen. Increasing glacier melt and permafrost thaw slumping have increased the delivery of catchment Hg, via glacial rivers, into Lake Hazen. These results show that climate change is likely to slow the recovery of glacierized Arctic watersheds from Hg contamination, countering the anticipated benefit from recent international efforts to reduce anthropogenic Hg emissions. | M.Sc. | water, contamination, emission, climate, anthropogenic, emissions | 6, 7, 13 |
| Ketabi, Sara | Carter, Michael | Using Machine Learning Algorithms for Clinical Decision Support for Breast Cancer Screening at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Clinical decision-making has been a major challenge for healthcare providers in recent years. We apply a number of machine learning algorithms to two clinical breast imaging problems at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. In Phase 1, we predict missed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams during 2017-2019 and 2020. We indicate that the 2020 model’s performance is highly dependent on the features related to exam essentiality, and the best f1-score increases from 53% in the 2017-2019 model to 76% in the 2020 model due to the growth in the no-show rate mitigating the target class imbalance. In Phase 2, we predict whether high-risk breast cancer patients require to undergo a biopsy after a series of follow-up MRI exams to detect the source of an abnormality and show that the important features for this problem include radiologist measure and patient age. We deal with target class imbalance using data balancing and hyper-parameter tuning. | M.A.S. | healthcare, learning | 3, 4 |
| Yu, Johnson | Stefanovic, Bojana | Using Micro-ultrasound to Investigate the Effectiveness of Short-term Rehabilitation following Focal Ischemic Stroke | Medical Biophysics | 2021-11-01 | Ischemic stroke leaves 40% of survivors with moderate to severe impairment. Understanding how rehabilitation affects brain structure and function will be critical in its effective application to individual patients and in its combination with promising new interventions. In this work we investigated the impact of two weeks of skilled reaching rehabilitation on motor function, cerebrovascular tortuosity, cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity on a rodent model. Micro-ultrasound, intracerebral array electrophysiology and Montoya staircase testing were used to characterize changes in the brain and motor function following stroke. Perilesional vessels were significantly more tortuous than vessels in the contralesional cortex with a further abolishment of hypercapnia-elicited homogenization of microbubble velocities in perilesional arterioles. Rehabilitation significantly improved skilled reaching and elevated neuronal power ratios. This current project highlights functional motor recovery and neuronal plasticity in the subacute stage following stroke in the absence of cerebrovascular changes using a dual imaging modality setup. | M.Sc. | invest, cities | 9, 11 |
| Elliott, Laura | Maguire, Jonathon L | Vegetarian Diet, Growth, and Nutrition in Early Childhood | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-11-01 | Background: Few studies have evaluated the relationship between vegetarian diet and childhood growth or nutritional status. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study of children aged 6 months to 8 years. Linear mixed effects and generalized estimating equation models were used to determine the association between vegetarian diet and BMI z-score, height-for-age z-score, serum ferritin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and serum lipids. Possible effect modification by age and cow’s milk consumption was examined. Results: There was no evidence of an association between vegetarian diet and mean BMI z-score, height-for-age z-score, serum ferritin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or serum lipids. Vegetarian diet was associated with higher odds of underweight (OR 1.87, 95%CI: 1.19-2.96; p=0.007). Higher cow’s milk consumption was associated with higher serum lipids among children with vegetarian diet. Conclusion: Children with and without vegetarian diet had similar growth and biochemical measures; however, vegetarian diet was associated with higher odds of underweight. | M.Sc. | nutrition, consum, vegetarian | 2, 12, 13 |
| Burt, Brian | Ringuette, Maurice||Brown, Theordore | VEPH1 Interaction with ERBB2/HER2 and Inhibition of EGF-induced SHC Activation | Cell and Systems Biology | 2019-06-01 | VEPH1 is a PH and armadillo domain containing protein that is emerging as a protein scaffold involved in multiple signalling pathways. Work done prior to this thesis identified ERBB2 as a candidate interacting partner of VEPH1, suggestive of an effect on EGF signaling. The adaptor protein SHC links ERBB2 to multiple downstream signalling pathways. This thesis investigated whether VEPH1 interacts with ERBB2 to alter EGF-induced SHC activation and downstream signaling pathways. VEPH1 was found to interact with the kinase domain of ERBB2 through its PH domain and inhibited EGF-induced activation of SHC and downstream effectors (ERK and AKT activation), but in a cell line and serum-dependent manner. Evidence that VEPH1 interacts with SHC was also obtained, with ectopic expression of ERBB2 lessening the VEPH1 inhibition of SHC activation. These studies indicate that VEPH1 likely impacts multiple aspects of the ERBB signalling pathway. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Jindani, Amsal | Damaren, Christopher J. | Vibration and Attitude Control of Square Solar Sails using Tip Vane Null Motion | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | This thesis covers the development and simulation based implementation of a control law used to concurrently control the vibration and attitude of a square solar sail using dual gimballed corner-attached reflective vane actuators. An introduction to the topic is presented along with the prerequisite mathematical foundation needed to follow the thesis. Following that, a flexible structural dynamics model of the solar sail is developed using a Rayleigh-Ritz expansion to model the coupled rotational and elastic dynamics of the system. Next, a control law is developed using Lyapunov control design to concurrently damp structural vibrations as well as reorient the sail to a desired attitude. Subsequently, a control allocation process is presented to tackle the underconstrained nature of the tip vane actuators such that desired control forces can be realized as closely as possible. Finally, simulation results using the control law with the structural dynamics model are presented to demonstrate the improvement in vibration damping using the augmented PD control law developed as opposed to a simple PD control law. | M.A.S. | solar | 7 |
| Mackin, Andrew | Hanssen, Jens | Violence, Sectarianism, and Decolonization: Re-Framing the Syrian Revolution | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations | 2022-03-01 | This paper examines the colonial legacy, from the late Ottoman period through the French Mandate and into the post-independence era, of Syria in an attempt to re-frame the Syrian Revolution of 2011 onward as an attempt at further decolonization. By engaging with the works of Frantz Fanon, this paper puts contemporary Syrian writers, most notably Yassin al-Haj Saleh, in conversation with ideas of decolonization. Viewed in this framework, the Syrian Revolution can be understood as part of a colonial lineage, and seeking to address social and political ills -particularly sectarianism - exacerbated and manipulated by the French colonial administration and the post/neo-colonial regime of the Assad family. | M.A. | decolonization, violence | 10, 16 |
| Sattarzadeh, Sam | Plataniotis, Konstantinos N. | Visual Post-hoc Explanation of Convolutional Neural Networks Via Attribution-based Perturbation | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Visual explanation algorithms are a subset of post-hoc solutions in Explainable AI that aim to open the black-box of cumbersome models utilized for image recognition tasks. These algorithms aim to determine the features in each given input data that contribute the most to the model's prediction. Producing high-resolution and class-discriminative visual explanations that accurately represent the evidence leading the model to make its predictions is a common challenge in prior visual explanation solutions. This thesis proposes a novel CNN-specific visual explanation algorithm that circumvents these limitations by extracting and aggregating semantic and spatial information from various layers of CNN. The performance, complexity, and compatibility of our proposed algorithm are analyzed through thorough comparisons with state-of-the-art methods in large-scale experiments on natural scene object recognition and visual anomaly inspection applications. Furthermore, this thesis introduces a small-scale benchmark for validating the performance of visual explanation methods on a pattern classification task. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Yang, Yuhong | Chignell, Mark | Visualizing Insider USB File Exfiltration Anomalies: A Financial Services Case Study | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Data exfiltration by insiders (or people masquerading as insiders) is a major threat for organizations that store and use highly confidential data. Standard cybersecurity methods using firewalls and perimeter strengthening measures fail against insiders, and machine learning methods for anomaly detection generate large numbers of false alarms. I worked with domain experts in a large Canadian financial services company and developed new security visualization technology through a Participatory Design (PD) approach. The resulting File Activity Real-Time Investigation Dashboard Application (FARIDA) is usable for a range of stakeholders, allowing experts to quickly review large amounts of data and enabling non-technical investigators to participate in early stages of the anomaly detection process. This research is a first step towards more general use of visualization tools to monitor sensitive data, and demonstrates how human factors approaches can beneficially supplement the development of AI methods in cybersecurity, using data exfiltration as an example. | M.A.S. | learning, arid, invest | 4, 6, 9 |
| Han, Jia Qi | Abbatt , Jonathan||Chan, Arthur | VOCs in Toronto During the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown and Potential Anthropogenic Isoprene and Monoterpenes | Chemistry | 2021-06-01 | Volatile organic compounds can have either anthropogenic or biogenic sources. With the compositional shift of anthropogenic emissions towards volatile consumer products, it is becoming increasingly important to better understand the sources of VOCs in urban settings. In this work, the trends of VOCs in Toronto and various other Canadian locations are explored. Outdoor ambient VOC data were collected from the months of March to June in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Traffic-related data were analyzed to determine if there were changes in mixing ratios brought about by the change lockdown. Evidence for potential anthropogenic sources of isoprene and monoterpenes in Toronto is also explored. It was found that the lockdown brought about lower than normal mixing ratios of benzene and toluene. As well, from analysis of National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) data, there is evidence to show that there are non-biogenic sources of monoterpenes in Toronto. | M.Sc. | pollution, emission, urban, consum, environmental, anthropogenic, emissions, pollut, pollut | 3, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
| Wang, Yueqi | Helmy, Amr | Wavelength Conversion Based on Third-order Nonlinearity in AlGaAs-on-AlOx Waveguides | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-11-01 | To our best knowledge, it is the first time that the AlGaAs-on-AlOx waveguides are proposed to demonstrate wavelength conversion based on third-order nonlinear effects. Waveguides with different structures, including nanowire waveguides and coupled waveguides, are investigated theoretically. The optical properties of waveguides with different structures are obtained from the simulation results in Lumerical. The dispersion engineering in different waveguides by tuning their structure parameters is discussed: all the optical properties rely on the dimension of the single core, while there are more structure parameters available for dispersion engineering in the coupled waveguides. The pulses' propagation and evolution in waveguides are governed by coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations (NLSEs), which include self-phase modulation (SPM), cross-phase modulation (XPM), four-wave mixing (FWM), two-photon absorption (TPA), free-carrier absorption (FCA), free-carrier dispersion (FCD), dispersion, and linear loss. The NLSEs are numerically solved with developed MATLAB code, the conversion efficiency and the bandwidth are calculated based on this. The waveguides are designed and investigated based on the calculated wavelength conversion efficiency and bandwidth. For femtosecond pulse pumping, the conversion efficiency reaches 0 dB with -10 dB conversion bandwidth of 414 nm. | M.A.S. | knowledge, invest | 4, 9 |
| Nadler, Michelle Beth | Ivers, Noah M. | What are the Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening in Ontario Women 40-49? | Medical Science | 2021-11-01 | Background: Guidelines recommend primary care providers individualize screening mammography decisions with women aged 40-49.Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study and a qualitative interview study guided by the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Analysis: Hierarchical multivariable logistic regression to assess associations with screening and the intracluster correlation co-efficient quantified inter-provider screening variability. Interviews were coded deductively using TDF domains. Results: Approximately 4.3% of women received routine screening with 20.9% of the variation due to between-provider differences. Routine screening was associated with periodic health examinations, pap smears, and fee-for-service care models. Qualitatively, risk assessment was impacted by knowledge and skills and referral for mammography was impacted by emotion, social influences, knowledge regarding screening harms, and beliefs about consequences. Perceived lack of guideline clarity influenced behaviours. Discussion/Conclusion: Perceived lack of guideline clarity and a tendency to over-estimate the benefit:harm ratio explains observed practice variation. These may be effective targets for future knowledge translation strategies. | M.Sc. | knowledge, women | 4, 5 |
| Gene, Mathew | Fittipaldi, Nahuel V | Whole-genome Sequencing Approach to Characterize the Population Structure of Bacillus cereus at a Human Milk Bank | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06-01 | Stringent milk handling protocols including pasteurization are used at human milk banks serving critically-ill, preterm neonates. However, up to 30% of donated human milk is lost to contamination with the potentially neonatal pathogen Bacillus cereus, whose spores can resist pasteurization. Here, we used genomics to evaluate the population structure of a collection of B. cereus organisms recovered from pre- and post-pasteurized human milk donated to a human milk bank, from patients seeking care at that facility and from the hospital environment. Pangenome analysis revealed an unexpectedly high level of genetic diversity within the milk bank/hospital strain population. Phylogenetic analyses using core-genome polymorphisms did not permit identification of sources of human milk contamination by B. cereus. Genome-wide association studies revealed that variants of genes involved in sporulation are overrepresented among organisms recovered from post-pasteurized milk. The results may be used to improve milk banking protocols and research around the world. | M.Sc. | contamination | 6 |
| Tanner, Joy Allison | Schotzko-Cesare, Nikki | Who's Zooming Who | Drama | 2021-11-01 | This thesis examines playwright Deb Margolin’s (2007) play O Yes I Will (I will remember the spirit and texture of this conversation) and her radical feminist approach of care in contrast to the chance-based operations utilized by surrealists John Cage, Andre Breton and Joseph Cornell. Ten disparate individuals perform selected dialogue through their experiential engagement with Margolin’s play via the application Zoom. Zoom's meta format is compared to surrealist interventions against a dearth of physical human interaction across the SARS-CoV-2's global backdrop of disenfranchisement. Margolin’s work reconsiders chance-based operations, reformulating this methodology into change-based practice, demonstrating how theatrical engagement with a one-woman show through this divergent group of people encourages healing and compassion. | M.A. | feminis | 5 |
| Montoya, Marco Zaballas | Perovic, Doug D | Wired Glass Failures: Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Wired Glass | Materials Science and Engineering | 2021-11-01 | Despite the accidents involving wired glass, there has been no investigation on the fundamental mechanical and failure properties of this material. In this thesis, the modulus of rupture (MOR) value for wired glass was determined via four-point bend testing according to ASTM C158. The fracture surfaces of bend test samples were used to determine how the wires affected crack initiation and propagation. The final MOR value was then compared to finite element analysis (FEA) simulations of the four-point bend test to corroborate experimental results with simulation data. The MOR value for wired glass was determined to be 37 MPa ± 8 MPa, compared to FEA data which reported values of 20-50 MPa. Comparisons with reported MOR values of soda lime glass and observations of the fracture surfaces indicated that the wire mesh had no effect on the mechanical strength of the material nor on its behaviour during fracture. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Korman, Anna | Buckner, Elizabeth||Wheelahan, Leesa | Work Integrated Learning and Career Management Competencies in International Students | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2021-11-01 | There is evidence that international students in Canada struggle to succeed in the Canadian labor market post-graduation. Pre-graduation work experience has been identified as the single most important factor determining post-graduation career outcomes for international students. This study seeks to understand what factors influence the accumulation of pre-graduation work experience for international students, how career management competencies are developed, and if the development of career management competencies influences perceived employability. This study is based on 20 interviews with international students at a single research-intensive university in Ontario, Canada. This study finds that knowledge of the nuances of how to work as an international student in Canada, program support, and peer networks are highly influential in the accumulation of pre-graduation work experience. For students who participated in pre-graduation work experience, their participation directly impacted their decision making about remaining in Canada after graduation and perceived ability to succeed in the Canadian labor market. | M.A. | knowledge, learning, labor | 4, 8 |
| Gravelsins, Laura | Einstein, Gillian | Working Memory in Oral Contraceptive Users: Does Time of Pill Ingestion and the Catechol-o-methyltransferase Val158Met Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Influence Working Memory? | Psychology | 2019-06-01 | The main estrogen produced by the ovaries, 17-beta estradiol (E2), interacts with different DA availabilities due to the COMT Val158Met polymorphism to modulate WM. Whether the commonly used synthetic estrogen, ethinyl estradiol (EE), does the same is unknown. To addressed this question, we investigated WM in OC users. Additionally, we examined if the pharmacokinetics of EE affect WM by testing OC users at a peak EE state 1-2 hours after pill ingestion, and at a low EE state just before pill ingestion. Naturally cycling controls were tested at low and high E2 menstrual cycle phases. Our preliminary results indicate time since pill ingestion does not affect WM performance, but COMT genotype may differentially affect WM in NC and OC women. These data suggest that despite the pharmacokinetics of EE in OC users and the variability of DA breakdown, women on OCs have stable WM throughout the day. | M.A. | women, invest | 5, 9 |
| Sayewich, Jonathan Scott | Kanelis, Voula | Structures of SUR2 NBD1 / Drug Complexes Determined with NMR Spectroscopy and Data Driven Docking | Chemistry | 2021-06 | ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are formed by four inward-rectifying K+ channels and four regulatory sulfonylurea receptors (SURs). ATP binding and hydrolysis at the SUR nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) regulates opening of the KATP channel pore. The SUR NBDs are also the sites of binding for KATP channel opener (KCO) drugs, which are diverse in structure and can be broadly categorized into several classes of molecules, including benzothiadiazines (diazoxide), cyanoguanidines (pinacidil and P1075), benzopyrans (cromakalim and Y26763), and nicotinamides (nicorandil). Through NMR binding studies, the identification of specific NBD1 residues involved in binding various KCO drugs were identified. The NMR titration data were used to calculate models of NBD1/drug complexes using the data-driven docking program HADDOCK. Knowledge of the bound complex structure will be used for rational design of more effective drugs that will be used to treat diseases associated with impaired KATP channel function, including hyperinsulinism and heart disease. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Yu, Linhan | Lee, Patrick C. | Lightweight Foam Structures for Aerospace Application using High-performance Polymer PPSU | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06 | Foaming of high-performance material polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) was investigated using supercritical CO2 or n-butane as the physical blowing agent. The expansion ratio, which ranges from 1.10–16 was obtained under different conditions. Using n-butane is favorable in achieving a high expansion ratio due to its higher solubility and lower diffusivity comparing to CO2. Temperature is the most important parameter determining the expansion ratio. In batch foaming, the gas saturation time is less sensitive to the expansion ratio. Optimum saturation pressure is essential as the final expansion ratio is very sensitive to the saturation pressure. Similar to saturation pressure, an optimum pressure drop rate is also needed to induce enough thermal instability but not too much to cause cell coalescence and higher open-cell content. Another important parameter is cell growth time right after pressure drop. Due to the low diffusivity of n-butane, the cells grow much slower but larger comparing to CO2 as PBA. | M.A.S. | invest, co2 | 9, 13 |
| Kosmopoulos, Andrew John | Verma, Subodh | A Randomized Investigation of Icosapent Ethyl in Outpatients with COVID-19: Results from the VASCEPA-COVID-19 CardioLink-9 Trial | Pharmacology | 2021-06 | Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had immense global implications on morbidity and mortality. At present, the development of therapeutic agents to combat COVID-19-related insults are considerably restrained. Safe and effective treatment options are urgently needed to reduce disease proliferation, inflammation and symptomatology. In response, the open-label VASCEPA-COVID-19 trial randomized 100 symptomatic COVID-19-positive outpatients in Toronto, Canada, to icosapent ethyl or usual care. Over a 14+3-day follow-up period, treatment with icosapent ethyl (4 g twice per day for 3 days, followed by 2 g twice per day for 11 days) was shown to significantly reduce high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, as well as, improve symptomatology. This study provides novel evidence of icosapent ethyl to have an early anti-inflammatory impact in a modest sample size of COVID-19 ambulatory patients, including the first demonstration of a well-tolerated icosapent ethyl loading dose. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04412018. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Lapierre, Mariah | Hakem, Razq | Examining the Role of RNF8 in R-loop Resolution in BRCA1-deficient Breast Cancer Cells | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-06 | BRCA1 repairs DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) through homologous recombination, therefore, loss of BRCA1 leads to increased genomic instability and tumorigenesis. Our lab observed that loss of Rnf8 in female mice with mammary-specific deletion of Brca1 rescued these mice from the development of mammary tumors. In vitro, our lab previously found that human breast cancer cell lines lacking BRCA1 displayed elevated levels of DSBs with depletion of RNF8, leading to cell death. In this study, using DRIP and ChIP, we demonstrated that loss of RNF8 in BRCA1-deficient cells led to R-loop accumulation and that RNF8 was enriched at R-loop prone genomic loci. We performed IP/MS to identify whether RNF8 interacted with known R-loop suppressors. We validated one interactor, XRN2, however, we found that XRN2’s recruitment to R-loops was not significantly impaired in the absence of RNF8. It remains to be determined if RNF8 is directly or indirectly involved in R-loop resolution. | M.Sc. | ABS, female | 2, 5 |
| Tuccitto, Anthony Vincent | Lee, Patrick C | Exploring the Rheological, Crystallization, and Tensile Properties of Poly(lactide) Stereocomplexes and their Crystalline Network Structures | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-06 | Despite numerous benefits, commercialization of poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) is limited due to its low melt-viscosity and poor crystallization kinetics. This work demonstrates that the production of self-reinforced PLLA by a cost-effective, single-step Spunbond process, can overcome these limitations. Herein, poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) and PLLA were melt-blended to form stereocomplex (SC) crystallites that were drawn using blown air. Morphological observations illustrated that upon stretching, the SC crystallites were no longer visible owing to their high compatibility with the matrix but were detectable by calorimetry. Furthermore, rheological analysis revealed the polymorphic nature of network structures in blends after stretching. Interestingly, blend crystallization kinetics and rheological response were greatly enhanced at low PDLA concentrations, after the application of extensional flow. Slight improvements in tensile modulus were also achieved upon stretching. Hence, the use of a strong extensional flow during cooling effectively reduces the amount of PDLA needed to enhance PLLA’s bulk properties, without compromising PLA’s biodegradability. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Dovijarski, Aleksa | Bender, Timothy P | Accessing New Synthetic Pathways for Asymmetric Boron Subphthalocyanines and Considering a More Sustainable Boron Source | Chemistry | 2021-06 | While the selective synthesis of semi-symmetric ABAB- or AABB-type phthalocyanines has been published, no known synthetic pathway has been developed for asymmetric AAB-type boron subphthalocyanines (BsubPcs). A set of templated BsubPc approaches was investigated by pre-arranging the macrocyclic sub-units and ultimately forming the macrocycle through addition of a boron trihalide reagent. The methods employed however were unable to yield any result of interest. Separately, the syntheses of boron subnaphthalocyanines (BsubNcs) occurring between dicyanonaphthalene and a boron trihalide to form the macrocycle of interest are known to also introduce random bay-position halogenation. In addition, the standard usage of boron trihalides as the boron source presents recurring issues relating to the low boiling points, toxicity and reactivitiy to air and moisture they possess. The usage of triphenyl borates as alternative boron sources was considered, being a more sustainable boron source. A synthetic pathway using triphenyl borates to BsubPcs and BsubNc was developed. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Hamdy, Nancy Amr | Feng, Zhong-Ping | The Impact of Social Isolation on Depressive and Anxiety-related Behavior | Physiology | 2021-06 | The social distancing measures, although necessary to contain the current Covid-19 pandemic, may nonetheless incur a cost of negative mental health impact. Social isolation is an accepted model of psychosocial stress leading to neuropsychiatric and developmental disorders. Social isolation in rodents results in changes to neurotransmitter systems that are implicated in psychiatric pathology and social isolation in rodents is shown to results in neuroinflammation. Studies conducted in rodents suggest the importance of animal strain, duration of isolation, and age at induction of isolation in varying effects of isolation protocols. This study assessed the effects of chronic social isolation in adolescence and in adulthood on anxiety- and depression-related behaviors in male and female C57BL/6J mice. While the results mostly failed to detect significant effect of social isolation on anxiety, depression, and motor function, interesting age- and sex-dependent trends were elucidated suggesting changing vulnerability. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, mental health, female, animal | 1, 3, 5, 14, 15 |
| James, Kadesha Angelica | Guilcher, Sara | Understanding Medication Self-management in Community-dwelling Adults with Chronic Medication Experience: An Exploratory Concept Mapping Study | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2021-06 | Existing medication self-management frameworks are primarily adherence-focused and often do not consider physiological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that affect medication experiences. Thus, this study explored what Canadian adults with chronic medication experiences can contribute to our understanding of medication self-management. Using concept mapping, nine thematic clusters were identified on what matters to individuals about their medications: 1) researching and becoming educated about medications; 2) social support; 3) effectiveness of medication; 4) self-ownership of medication; 5) ease of use; 6) convenience and accessibility; 7) information provided by health care provider; 8) personal interactions with health care provider; and 9) patient involvement and trust. Statements within these clusters were generally rated highly on both importance and feasibility, regardless of participant characteristics. Themes generated by participants complement and extend current conceptualizations of self-management by including medication-specific priorities. | M.Sc. | health care, accessib | 3, 11 |
| Ashtari, Parastoo | Sheikholeslami, Ali AS | Two-dimensional Parallel Tempering for Solving Constraint-satisfaction Problems | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2021-06 | A Boltzmann machine (BM) is a symmetrically connected neural network with binary-valued neurons. BMs can solve optimization problems when combined with Monte Carlo methods such as Simulated Annealing and Parallel Tempering. In this thesis, we exploit the Boltzmann machine with Two-Dimensional Parallel Tempering to solve combinatorial optimization problems with linear inequality constraints. These problems have a wide range of applications in industry and science. A new parallel method for handling the constraints is proposed and implemented on GPU.We considered the Quadratic Multiple Knapsack Problem (QMKP) as a case study as it can be extended to many other combinatorial optimization problems. We beat 21 best-known solutions and 28 average solutions among 30 benchmark instances compared to the state-of-the-art QMKP solvers. | M.A.S. | inequality, equalit | 10 |
| Gomes, Malaika Maraya | Nambara, Eiji | Studies on the Relationship between After-ripening Regulated Gene Expression and Reactive Oxygen Species in Arabidopsis thaliana Seed Germination | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-06 | After-ripening (AR) is a process promoting seed germination, which occurs in the dry seed when storage time is extended. AR increases the seed’s response to environmental signals such as nitrate, which then regulates expression of AR-regulated genes upon imbibition. However, this mechanism is unknown. In this study, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in expression of AR-regulated genes was investigated. Using the promoter:β-glucuronidase reporter system, AR was shown to alter spatial expression patterns of CHOTTO1 (CHO1), an AR repressor, enhancing its expression in the vasculature. Interestingly, AR seeds of the cho1 mutant enhanced superoxide accumulation in the vasculature. Pharmacological experiments suggest H2O2 decreases expression of CHO1, while increasing expression of CYP707A2, another AR-regulated gene. Furthermore, H2O2 application increases nitric oxide release, but nitrate inhibits it, through NIN-Like Protein8, involved in nitrate signalling. These findings suggest ROS is involved in AR-regulated seed germination through regulating expression of CHO1 and CYP707A2. | M.Sc. | invest, environmental, species | 9, 13, 14, 15 |
| Chauhan, Neha | Dabdoub, Alain | Non-invasive Delivery to the Inner Ear: Investigating Blood-labyrinth Barrier Opening using MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Combined with Microbubbles | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-06 | Non-invasive therapeutic delivery to the inner ear remains challenging due to the anatomical complexity,its location within the dense temporal bone, and the presence of the blood-labyrinth barrier (BLB). Here, I investigated the safety and feasibility of using magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound (MRIgFUS) combined with intravenously administered microbubbles to enhance the BLB permeability and to deliver an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the inner ear. AAV9-GFP, microbubbles, and MRI contrast agents were delivered intravenously in rats with simultaneous FUS exposure, and hearing function was assessed using auditory brainstem response measurements. My data shows increased BLB permeability post-FUS+MB exposure, as indicated by gadolinium contrast enhancement and AAV9 transduction in treated inner ears relative to controls with no effects on auditory function. Taken together, my data supports the feasibility of MRIgFUS towards clinical development for non-invasive delivery of various therapeutics to treat inner ear disorders. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Edwards, Kyshona Maria | Yuzwa, Scott | Regulation of Proliferation and the Developmental Emergence of Adult Neural Stem Cells | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Following acute or chronic injury, the adult mammalian brain may sustain significant neural cell loss. Interestingly, the brain can regenerate these lost cells by activating endogenous quiescent adult neural stem cells (NSCs). But this repair response is short-lived, and not very robust. Developmentally, NSCs emerge from embryonic radial precursor cells (RPs), by entering a ‘slow-dividing’ state. However, this transition is not well understood. Recently, our lab showed the protein LRIG1 increases embryonic RP proliferation by negatively regulating EGFR. In this thesis, I investigated whether LRIG1 expression affects NSC proliferation similarly in the adult brain. In vivo, I showed the absence of Lrig1, stably increases NSC proliferation with advancing age. In addition, I have shown LRIG1 specifically marks ‘slow-dividing’ cells in the V-SVZ. This thesis contributes to our understanding of how quiescent NSCs emerge developmentally, which may enable therapeutic strategies designed to robustly activate endogenous NSCs following brain injury. | M.Sc. | ABS, invest, transit | 2, 9, 11 |
| Morrison, Craig Edward | Springgay, Stephanie | Dis-possessed to SK8: Push Pedagogy as Creative Entrepreneurial Inquiry/Interventions into Urban Poverty with the Grrlz of Oasis Skateboard Factory | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-06 | This activist practitioner research thesis thinks with/skates alongside a research-creation project that attempts to land a sk8trick of push pedagogy as creative entrepreneurial inquiry/interventions into urban poverty. Push pedagogy is a new concept of public pedagogy and radical design in(ter)vention activated by the collaborative production of skateboard materials frictioning mainstream skateboard culture and economics, schooling and educational research. Grinding an intersectional critique on capitalist designs for the neoliberal city concretized by patriarchy and white supremacy, this research-creation methodology moves by collaboratively producing critical design products with the OSF GRRLZ SK8 CREW at Oasis Skateboard Factory (a Toronto District School Board alternative school / professional design studio). Exploring how a research-creation project activated student-designed skateboard materials in the city of Toronto to push against youth experiences of marginalization/dispossession/exclusion and push toward future feminist/anti-racist movements, this thesis is also a pro/motion for radical form/function/futures of knowledge creation by student skaters and creators. | M.A. | poverty, pedagogy, knowledge, feminis, patriarchy, labor, entrepreneur, capital, anti-racist, urban, production, land | 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 |
| Golla, Sai Akhil | Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan | Improving Biosensor-based Circuits for Dynamic Control of Metabolic Pathways | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Bioproduction of chemicals in microorganisms using renewable feedstocks is a sustainable and greener alternative to traditional processes. Dynamic control of metabolism using biosensors has evolved as a common approach to partition cellular resources efficiently However, biosensor development requires several iterations of DBTL cycles to optimize for any application. In this work, we modeled and studied the effect of various parameters on the switching characteristics of an autonomous biosensor-regulator system, qCRIPSRi by simulating the dynamics of the circuit and performing sensitivity analysis. In addition, the effect of stringency of transcriptional activator LuxR on the switching characteristics and dynamics was investigated and validated through in vivo experiments. We also designed and modeled a novel biosensor architecture that enables tuning dose-response curve using small molecule inducers. Furthermore, we demonstrated the ability of the system to tune dynamic range, threshold, and sensitivity of dose response curves of adipic acid and resorcinol biosensors in silico. | M.A.S. | renewabl, invest, production | 7, 9, 12 |
| Haddadi, Kiandokht | Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan RM | Improving Metabolic Modelling by Considering Small Molecule Regulation | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Metabolism is a densely connected network of enzymatic reactions, and regulatory interactions, which fuel the cell with biomass building blocks. Organisms modulate their metabolism by changing the capacity of metabolic enzymes– termed proteomes when exposed to environmental stresses. Small Molecule Regulation (SMR) is an essential component of the metabolism that enables cells to adapt to environmental fluctuations. However, it has not been incorporated into the metabolic models extensively. In this project, we have proposed a workflow to assess the accuracy of mathematical models for proteome demand calculation after integrating them with the kinetics of metabolic regulation. Here, we have developed a standard database that provides in vitro kinetic parameters of 9,814 species. Then, this database was used to generate the inhibition power imposed on 3,883 enzymes of 972 organisms. Finally, we showed that the accuracy of traditional models improved after incorporating the SMR into protein abundance calculation in Escherichia coli. | M.A.S. | environmental, species | 13, 14, 15 |
| Alireza, Darzi | Sinton, David | Computational Modeling of Closed-loop Geothermal System | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-06 | Emerging closed-loop geothermal systems have the potential to offer dispatchable energy without the limitations of conventional geothermal technology. However, to be competitive, closed-loop geothermal requires a fluid that exceeds water with respect to heat capacity and thermosiphon effect. Employing phase change slurries (PCS) is one strategy to enhance the performance of closed-loop systems. A model was built to assess the viability of PCS-based closed-loop geothermal, the result of which shows 12.5% enhancement in thermal output compared to the water base case and achievement of additional energy by removing the need for pumping. To take advantage of the uniquely high-pressure and high-temperature conditions within the loop, idea of biofuel processing inside the loop has been proposed. A numerical model was built to assess the viability of this idea. An economic analysis of results shows that biofuel processing in the geothermal loop could potentially outperform electricity generation from water-based geothermal loop. | M.A.S. | water, energy, geothermal, biofuel | 6, 7 |
| Lee, Jiwon | Hahn, Margaret||Agarwal, Mahavir | Investigating Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Signatures of Metabolic Dysfunction in Antipsychotic-naïve Patients | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Psychosis spectrum disorders (PSDs) are characterized by metabolic dysfunction, arising from intrinsic and external factors, including antipsychotic (AP) treatment. Transcriptomics and metabolomics may help explore underlying causes of the metabolic comorbidity. The thesis comprises two studies. In study one, peripheral transcriptomic datasets of AP-naïve first-episode psychosis patients, early dysglycemia patients, along with hypothalamic and hippocampal datasets of central insulin perturbation rodent models were meta-analyzed to identify overlapping gene expression signatures. Overlapping gene expression signatures included pathways of endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and neuroplasticity. In study two, 25 AP-naïve cases and 6 controls underwent metabolomic and metabolic measures at baseline. Cases were followed over 12 weeks of AP treatment. Fatty acids distinguished AP-naïve cases from controls. Baseline adrenic acid was higher for cases who gained weight. Transcriptomics and metabolomics may identify biomarkers of metabolic dysfunction intrinsic to PSDs and predict individuals at risk for AP-induced weight gain. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Khan, Mashiat | Park, Jeehye | Investigating the Molecular Function of MATR3 | Molecular Genetics | 2022-06 | MATR3 is an RNA binding protein that plays a role in alternative splicing. Previous studies have shown that MATR3 binds to intronic regions flanking repressed exons and may be involved in cryptic splicing. Here, I demonstrate that MATR3 plays a role in cryptic splicing repression. I show that the RRM2 domain is required for this function, while the RRM1 and the ZF domains are not. I demonstrate that MATR3 binds its splicing targets using its RRM2 domain. I found that the disease-linked M548T mutation, which resides in the RRM2 domain, is unable to rescue cryptic exon repression, and this may be driven by its decreased solubility and/or its impaired RNA binding ability. Altogether, understanding the molecular functions of MATR3 can provide insights into how dysregulation of MATR3-dependent splicing and mutations in MATR3 influence transcript diversity and disease. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Koroluk, Katherine | Battistella, Marisa | Community Pharmacists as Antimicrobial Stewards: A Focus on Acute Otitis Media | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-06 | Background: Programs that optimize antibiotic use in primary care are important since most antibiotics are prescribed for outpatients. Although community pharmacists are gatekeepers for antibiotics, they are often absent from antimicrobial stewardship programs. Methods: This quasi-experimental uncontrolled before-and-after study was conducted with pharmacists in two community pharmacies. Patient participants were 6 months to 12 years of age presenting with an antibiotic prescription for acute otitis media (AOM). Study interventions included one-on-one pharmacist education, clinical decision support tools, and personalized monthly audit and feedback. Pharmacists were encouraged to adapt prescriptions as permitted. The primary outcome was the percentage change in guideline-congruent AOM antibiotic prescriptions attributable to pharmacist intervention. Results: The overall guideline adherence for AOM antibiotic regimens increased by 28% in the post-intervention study arm (p<0.0001), which was driven by optimization of the dose of antibiotic and duration of therapy. Conclusion: A community pharmacy-based intervention can leverage pharmacist expertise to improve antibiotic use for AOM. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Rizvi, Samar Zahra | Cohn, Ronald D | Doubling Down: CRISPR-Cas9-mediated Generation of Cellular MECP2 Duplication Syndrome Models | Molecular Genetics | 2022-06 | Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a transcriptional regulator primarily expressed inneurons. A duplication of the MECP2 locus underlies MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS), an X-linked recessive neurodevelopmental disorder. Strikingly, cellular studies have been limited to investigating MeCP2 overexpression models and patient cells, since no tandem duplication models currently exist. Here, I outline the CRISPR-mediated generation of the first cellular MDS model recapitulating the IRAK1-MECP2 tandem duplication shared across patients. I first test the feasibility of the CRISPR strategy in HEK293 cells, and then apply it to generate and characterize structural variations (SVs) in diploid HAP1 cells. Moving to a disease-relevant neuroblastoma cell line, I pinpoint the challenges of extending the technique across different cell types. Importantly, this project highlights the powerful potential of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in generating SVs, particularly duplications, of the MECP2 locus, establishing a framework to not only investigate MDS but duplication mutations at large. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Kwok, Winston Tse-Hou | Andreazza, Ana C | N-acetylcysteine in the Rotenone Model of Mitochondrial Complex I Dysfunction in THP-1 Monocytes | Pharmacology | 2022-06 | Mitochondrial Complex I dysfunction and oxidative stress have been consistently reported in bipolar disorder (BD). Neuronal cell lines and rotenone, an inhibitor of Complex I, were previously used to model Complex I dysfunction in the brain. We used rotenone and THP-1 cells, a human monocytic cell line, to model Complex I dysfunction and oxidative stress potentially present in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of BD patients and to explore N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in preventing the mitochondrial effects of rotenone. Rotenone upregulated NDUFS7, a Complex I subunit dysregulated in BD, and induced production of mitochondrial superoxide. NAC pre-treatment prior to rotenone exposure prevented NDUFS7 upregulation but had no effect on mitochondrial superoxide production. Our results suggest a reactive oxygen species-linked adaptive mechanism to mitochondrial Complex I dysfunction, providing insights to how NAC antioxidant therapy may be effective in BD. | M.Sc. | production, species | 12, 14, 15 |
| Welch, Robert T | Mandelis, Andreas | Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial-induced Dental Caries using Truncated-correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography and Computationally Optimized Modalities | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-06 | Dental caries is a highly prevalent chronic disease which is easily treatable when detected early in its formation. The primary diagnostic imaging modality used by clinical dentists, radiography, is insensitive to early caries and unsuitable for frequent use due to the health risks associated with ionizing radiation. Photothermal imaging shows great promise in the caries detection field thanks to its non-ionizing nature and the co-operative optical and thermal properties of healthy and diseased dental tissue making it highly sensitive to early caries. In this thesis, two existing photothermal modalities: Truncated-Correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography (TC-PCT) and Enhanced Truncated-Correlation Photothermal Coherence Tomography (eTC-PCT) as well as a newly introduced TC-PCT phase algorithm: the Linear Iso Phase (LIOP) are applied to bacterial-induced dental caries imaging of human teeth. The findings demonstrate higher sensitivities to early-stage caries than micro-CT, the non-destructive gold stand of caries detection, while operating as clinically safe energy levels. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Perez Franco, Rafael Ricardo | Acosta, Edgar J | Surfactant-oil-Water (SOW) Behaviour of Surfactant Mixtures Containing Naphthenic Species | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-06 | Recent studies have indicated naphthenic acid (NA) and its salt form, sodium naphthenates (NaN), both of amphiphilic nature, are the main agents in the formation of emulsions during the bitumen production process. Although similar fatty acids have shown ultra-low (< 0.1 mN/m) interfacial tensions (IFT) in surfactant-oil-water (SOW) systems, NA and NaN do not achieve such levels of IFT. In this work, HLD-NAC simulations guided a stoichiometric neutralization of the NA to find an ultra-low IFT interval. As experiments did not achieve ultra-low IFT, we explored potential explanations for the deviation. The work defined that NaN partitioned to the oil phase upon production. On the other hand, simulated neutralizations showed that by increasing NaNconcentration in the aqueous phase, forcing NaN to stay in it, the system could experience IFT reductions. However, NaN was then also lost to the oil phase. The zipper-like linker self-assembly, using a mixture of two balanced surfactants AOT-SDHS, was partially confirmed as a mechanism to enhance the interaction of the NA-NaN at the interface and even increased the retention of NaN in the aqueous phase. From the scenarios experimentally explored as a function of HLD (>0, ~0, and < 0), the systems with intrinsic HLD ~0 and < 0 suggested better NaN retention and potential NaN recovery even without neutralization. Emulsion stability studies confirmed the findings, achieving the separation of the water-in-oil emulsions in 15 minutes and were congruent with the HLD-NAC simulation once the critical aggregation concentration was revisited. | M.A.S. | water, production, species | 6, 12, 14, 15 |
| Santos, Alexandra Constance | Carlen, Peter L | Modelling Hyperexcitability in Human Cerebral Organoids: A Platform for Epilepsy Drug Testing | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Epilepsy is a complex neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, that affects 1% of the population. A third of people with epilepsy do not respond to drugs and there is not one drug that treats all; thus, better models of epilepsy are needed for drug development. Human cerebral organoids resemble the 3D complexity of the human brain and have the potential to augment current drug development pipelines. In the present work, human cerebral organoids are used along with electrophysiological methods to explore various means of inducing seizures. The resulting activity is characterized through signal processing and manual event analysis. Furthermore, this hyperexcitable activity is investigated in its response to current anti-seizure drugs. These findings demonstrate the presence of hyperexcitable changes in the cerebral organoid tissue, which supports the use of organoids as a platform for modelling epilepsy, as well as provides a framework for testing anti-seizure drug efficacy. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Xi, Min | Chan, Brian CF||Wodchis, Walter P | The Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions on Healthcare and Caregiving Access among Community-dwelling Adults Living with Spinal Cord Injury in Southwestern Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-06 | Restrictions implemented during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may disproportionately affect healthcare and caregiving access among individuals living with disabilities. A unique longitudinal survey was used to examine changes to healthcare and caregiving access among community-dwelling adults living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in southwestern Ontario, Canada before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this research demonstrated that most of the participants were able to access virtual care, but not in-person healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Longer time since injury was associated with accessing in-person healthcare services and attending all scheduled appointments. A large proportion of participants reported increased spousal participation in caregiving services early during the pandemic and understaffed formal caregiving agencies. Findings from the current study highlight the need for improved healthcare and caregiving access for individuals living with SCI during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used to inform ongoing and future pandemic responses. | M.Sc. | healthcare, disabilit | 3 |
| Nesovic, Karlo | Kumbhare, Dinesh||Popovic, Milos | Investigating the Effect of Sensory Input on Muscle Function | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Central sensitization (CSens) is a pain mechanism marked by hypersensitivity to stimuli. It is believed that neuroplastic changes caused by increased nociceptive input may allow sensory information to affect motor pathways. This study investigated the relationship between CSens and muscle function. Fifteen healthy participants underwent two interventions where capsaicin either induced CSens or was blocked with lidocaine. Three measurements were taken from the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles: shear wave elastography to monitor changes in muscle stiffness; surface electromyography to measure motor unit recruitment order, and F-wave amplitude and persistence to measure motor neuron excitability; torque recordings to determine force steadiness. An increase in the stiffness of the tibialis anterior was observed following the application of capsaicin. The amplitude and persistence of the F-waves were not significantly different after either intervention. Furthermore, although there was a change in motor unit recruitment, force steadiness did not change during the torque recordings. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Tran, Harvard | Palaniyar, Nades||Gauda, Estelle | The Role of Neuroepithelial Bodies and 5-Hydroxytryptamine During Inflammation in the Airways | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2023-06 | Neutrophils activated by foreign pathogens generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) via NADPH oxidase (NOX) 2 and myeloperoxidase (MPO), inducing the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that kill airway epithelial cells. Single pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) of the neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) present in airways secrete serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), a competitive substrate of MPO. We hypothesized that 5-HT secreted by NEBs into the lumen inhibits NET formation and protects epithelial cells against NET-mediated cell death. To test this hypothesis, neutrophils isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy human donors were exposed to 5-HT and stimulated to undergo NETosis. Both exogenous and 5-HT released by neuroendocrine H727 cells suppressed NOX-dependent ROS production and NETosis. Cell death and detachment assays showed that airway epithelial A549 cells are highly susceptible to NET-mediated killing. Therefore, we conclude that 5-HT inhibits NOX-dependent NETosis by suppressing ROS production and protects epithelial cells from NET-mediated damage. | M.Sc. | production, species | 12, 14, 15 |
| Rieder, Calvin James | Bilton, Amy | Design Optimization of a Wind-Powered Aeration System for Enhancing Rural Aquaculture | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Aeration is a critical process of commercial aquaculture and is required for maintaining sufficient dissolved oxygen (DO) levels for producing high yields of fish. However, many producers in low-income countries do not use active aeration due to high costs or lack of electrical availability. This project optimizes the design of a wind-powered system for passively increasing DO concentration in aquaculture ponds for use in these regions. The design consists of a vertical-axis wind turbine coupled to a subsurface impeller positioned in a draft tube. CFD-based optimization experiments were conducted to maximize the turbine efficiency and to increase the rate of water circulation. The optimized system was tested in an aquaculture pond to evaluate the impact of the system on DO levels. The optimized aeration system operated at a 12% greater rotational speed than the original design, improved distribution of DO and elevated the overall concentration by an average of 18%. | M.A.S. | low-income, water, wind, income, rural, fish | 1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 14 |
| Zhang, Margaret | Winnik, Mitchell MW | The Effect of Aging Time in Dispersion on Polymer Diffusion in Films Formed From a Waterborne 2-Component Polyurethane Formulation | Chemistry | 2023-06 | Waterborne polyurethane coatings are environmentally friendly alternatives to their solventborne counterparts. Waterborne 2-component polyurethane coatings comprise polyol nanoparticles and polyisocyanates (PIC) and are of great interest due to their excellent mechanical properties. I used fluorescence resonance energy transfer to study polymer diffusion in films formed from a dispersion consisting of a polyol latex containing primary hydroxyl groups (Mn(GPC) ≈ 5000 g/mol, Đ ≈ 2, Tg ≈ 15 °C) and a hydrophilically modified PIC (hmPIC) (Basonate® HW1000). My contribution was to examine the effect of aging time in the dispersion before applying the coating. I found that aging dispersions of the polyol plus hmPIC up to 9 h did not reduce hmPIC effectiveness in the coating. After 9 h of aging in the dispersion, a substantial fraction of the isocyanate groups had reacted with water, and the ability of the hmPIC to promote polymer diffusion in the films was greatly reduced. | M.Sc. | water, energy, environmental | 6, 7, 13 |
| Hui, Jenny Angela | Moodley, Roy | “We Rise Together, Let’s Do This”: Exploring the Lived Experiences of East Asian Bisexual Youth in Canada | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-06 | Over the last several decades, research by and about 2SLGBTQIA+ people and racialized people has flourished. Yet East Asian bisexual youth exist at an intersection of invisibility in literature. This study addressed the gap by qualitatively exploring the lived experiences of East Asian bisexual youth in Canada, particularly in relation to their ethnic and sexual identities. Constructivist grounded theory methods were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom video-conferencing with 10 youth (aged 23–29) who self-identified as East Asian, bisexual, and residing in Canada. Four core themes emerged from data to capture how youths developed their identities, encountered minority stressors, coped with stressors, and celebrated uniquely positive aspects of their lived experiences. Findings underscored the vibrancy and complexity of East Asian bisexual youths’ lives, and a mid-level theory was proposed to illustrate factors that shaped their daily experiences. Limitations, clinical implications, and future directions for this study are discussed. | M.A. | lgbtq, minorit | 5, 10 |
| Obeyesekere, Anne Nelun | Dei, George | Identity Construction of “Postcolonial” and Diasporic Sri Lankan Women | Social Justice Education | 2023-06 | This thesis examines how the identity construction of Sri Lankan women is affected by Whiteness and European colonization. It applies the principles of Critical Anti-Racism Theory to the analysis of eight in-depth interviews, four in the “postcolonial” context of Colombo, Sri Lanka and four in the diasporic context of Toronto, Canada. The results found that participants constructed their identities in three ways: self-perception, language and skin colour. Five factors and influences were found to inform this identity construction in relation to Whiteness and White hegemony: family, school, media/social media, and culture. This study explores the possibilities of using these framings in order to deconstruct Sri Lankan female identity through an anti-racist lens. It concludes with the examination of the implications of these factors on the identity construction of Sri Lankan women, the revaluing of Indigenous knowledges, their contestation and resistance of White hegemonic discourse, and anti-racist and anti-colonial educational practices. | M.A. | knowledge, knowledges, anti-racism, racism, women, female, indigenous, anti-racist | 4, 5, 10, 16 |
| Meikle, Bryanna Alexia | Pearson, Christopher E | Tissue-Specific Chromosomal Fragility in a C9orf72-ALS/FTD Mouse Model | Molecular Genetics | 2023-06 | The C9orf72 (GGGGCC)n repeat expansion is the most common cause of motoneuron and behavioural diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontal temporal dementia, respectively, with co-occurring diseases like immunodeficiency. This expansion is fragile site (FS) FRA9A. FSs are hotspots of clinically relevant genomic instability. Using a mouse model containing an expanded human C9orf72 transgene, I assessed fragility in primary cell lines derived from nine tissues, including brain and peripheral tissues, like the immune-related spleen. The C9orf72 transgene was a FS in all analyzed mouse tissues. I observed tissue-specific differences in FS expression and type. Transfer of fragility from human to animal model revealed C9orf72 expansion is required for fragility. Discovery of fragility in brain-derived cells permits characterization of C9orf72 in the central nervous system. Instability of the transgene-containing chromosome was observed – indicating in vivo predisposition of genomic instability by the repeat. Tissue-specific C9orf72 fragility may be related to varied disease presentation. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Neumann, Michael | Manion, Carly||Scully-Stewart, Coleen | Juxtaposing Gender and Race: An Exploration of a Professional Development Exercise for Teachers to Critically Reflect on their Gender Practices | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-06 | This study explored how juxtaposing gender and racial practices can assist teachers in challenging the normalization of binary gender differences. This action research was conducted during two months of Professional Development (PD) with 36 elementary school teachers at one international school in Malta. Teachers investigated the opportunities and limitations of this new strategy designed to help them reflect on, assess and ideally, change their practices that reinforce binary gender differences and stereotypes. The study found that juxtaposing gender and racial practices created a school-wide conversation about teachers' reinforcement of social differences; served as a reflective tool for teachers to critically examine their gender practices; and enabled some teachers to adopt more inclusive practices for diverse gender expressions and identities. This study proposes a new type of PD strategy for promoting gender inclusivity in teacher education and contributes to the growing body of research in this field. | M.Ed. | gender, invest | 5, 9 |
| Wang, Yuheng | Chapman, Margaret P | Applications of Risk-Averse Control Policies on Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine Drives | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-06 | Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) are a family of electric motors that offers high power-density, large torque-to-inertia ratio and precise speed/position regulation. However, PMSMs have complicated nonlinear system dynamics and are subject to various sources of disturbances. In this research, we view the unpredictable disturbance sources as stochastic noises with known distribution functions. We also exploit the synchronous feature of PMSMs to linearize and discretize the mathematical model at the nominal speed. Two risk-averse stochastic control policies, linear-exponential-quadratic regulator (LEQG) and risk-constrained linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) are used to regulate the system. On the linear PMSM model, the control policies are able to reduce the cost variance at the expense of higher average cost. When applied to the nonlinear PMSM model, the control policies simultaneously lower the average cost and the variance for a certain range of risk-averse parameters. The findings provide valuable information about handling external disturbances during PMSM operation. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Barzegar Khanghah, Ali | Roshan Fekr, Atena AR||Fernie, Geoff GF | A Novel Automatic Tele-Rehabilitation System Using Vision Technology | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Tele-rehabilitation (Tele-rehab) is changing the landscape of virtual care by redefining assessment and breaking accessibility barriers as a convenient substitute for conventional rehabilitation. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid uptake of virtual care. Researchers and health professionals have started developing new tele-rehab platforms e.g., in the form of video conferencing. Albeit useful, these platforms still require the clinicians’ time and energy. To address these gaps, this thesis proposes a novel automatic tele-rehab system using vision technology. The performance of the proposed system in estimating the Range of Motion of upper extremities is compared to the Motion Capture (gold standard). The thesis also proposes two automatic tele-rehab systems that use vision technology to guide patients in executing their rehab exercises. The proposed systems can be potentially integrated into tele-rehab platforms to help patients with mobility impairments perform their rehab exercises correctly, avoid injuries, reduce pain and improve their recovery process. | M.A.S. | energy, accessib, land | 7, 11, 15 |
| Lad, Jigar | Vitkin, Alex | Quantitative Prognostic Stromal Assessment of Colorectal Cancer using Polarized Light Microscopy | Medical Biophysics | 2023-06 | Colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in North America. In recent years, patients have observed an overall improvement in survival, however, a significant portion still experience unfavourable outcomes as consequence of high recurrence rates. An effort to mitigate this issue is by assessing the prognostic value contained within collagen surrounding the tumour, where it has been shown to correlate well with prognostic outcomes. However, its clinical uptake is withheld by its inherent subjective nature and lack of standardized approach. This thesis employs polarized light microscopy to address some of these challenges. It expands upon previously published work by introducing texture analysis and unsupervised machine learning. These additions and associated findings are presented in the form of a published study analyzing correlations between this revised polarimetric framework with known patient survival outcomes. Furthermore, this thesis contains preliminary work which was instrumental in the lead-up to the primary study along with additional analyses and discussion looking to improve upon the published findings. Overall, the work presented herein serves as a promising beginning for alternative methods of collagen assessment and for the use of more complex machine learning methods for its prognostic evaluation. | M.Sc. | learning, of color | 4, 10 |
| Lim, Alice | Donnelly, Peter | There's More to Poverty Than Income: Insights on Toronto's Leisure Access Policy from Policymakers and Implementers | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-06 | This study explores the Welcome Policy (WP) in Toronto, Canada. The WP is a leisure access policy that provides a subsidy for low-income families to participate in registered programs at city-operated recreation centres. The purpose of this study is to explore policymakers’ and Parks and Recreation Department managers’ assumptions about how the municipal government ameliorates and/or reproduces socioeconomic barriers to recreational activities. The study involves a critical analysis of approximately 240 documents, including public reports, municipal council meeting minutes, budgets, and plans. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who have experience working on the WP. The findings support the WP’s role in municipal recreation provision, yet also recommend systematic theory-based evaluations to contribute to Toronto’s implementation of targeted policies and proportionate universalism. Through the lens of public sociology, this thesis presents practical recommendations for policymakers to work with sociologists to improve access to sport for all. | M.Sc. | poverty, socioeconomic, low-income, income | 1, 10 |
| Rea, Alexa LeAnna | Shu, Li H | Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behaviour Through Product Design: Two Thermostat Interface Designs to Motivate Energy-Efficient Use | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | The increase in energy demand for air-conditioning motivates the development of interventions targeted at encouraging energy-efficient temperature setting. In part 1, a range-based thermostat system was proposed to extend the indoor temperature range to promote energy conservation. An online study based on user perceptions led to higher acceptance (~62% overall) over a set-point thermostat. In part 2, four intervention interfaces were tested in-person using psychology-informed engineering design principles. These fan-based interventions manipulated two effects: fan feel (feel fan versus don’t feel fan) and fan visibility (high visibility versus low visibility) during user interaction. The first study determined a significant effect of fan feel and a marginal effect of fan visibility. The second study replicated the significant effect of fan feel. Both studies found that participants engaged in energy-efficient temperature setting when interacting with some of the intervention interfaces (e.g., participants set temperatures 2.39°C higher in the high visibility + feel fan condition as compared to baseline). The findings from these studies inform the design of thermostat interfaces to encourage energy-efficient temperature setting at the household-level. | M.A.S. | energy, environmental, conserv | 7, 13, 14, 15 |
| Mofidinasrabadi, Hoda | Azhari, Fae | Water Management in Swimming Pools Using Real-Time Occupancy and Activity Data | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Disinfectants kill microbes in swimming pools but react with organic and non-organic matter released from swimmers, generating disinfection by-products (DBPs) with cytotoxic and genotoxic characteristics. Conventional water management guidelines involve adding a fixed amount of freshwater per swimmer per day regardless of their presence time and activity level, resulting in either freshwater overuse or degraded water quality. In this thesis, occupancy and activity data are used in a novel framework that provides a more meaningful measure of the required makeup freshwater. Occupancy and activity levels are used to model chemical reactions, which are then used to calculate the required amount of makeup freshwater for a healthy water quality. The proposed method leads to higher water quality during peak usage and lower water consumption during off-peak months. For a typical simulated pool, this approach reduced the yearly freshwater consumption by 13% while decreasing the maximum DBP levels by 18%. | M.A.S. | water, consum | 6, 12 |
| De Pol, Michelle Antoinette | Kolla, Nathan J | Investigating Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase in Comorbid Borderline Personality Disorder and Depression: Preliminary Results from a Positron Emission Tomography Study with the Radiotracer [11C]CURB | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Background: Previous research suggests that the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) protein is elevated in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD); however, no study has directly examined FAAH in individuals with both conditions. We hypothesized that [11C]CURB binding would be elevated in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus of comorbid BPD+MDD compared to healthy controls, and that brain FAAH would be positively correlated with symptom severity.Methods: Participants with comorbid BPD+MDD (n=10) and healthy controls (n=10) underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan with the radiotracer [11C]CURB to assess brain FAAH. Additional measures were administered to assess symptom severity. Results: There were no significant differences in levels of brain FAAH between the BPD+MDD group and controls. [11C]CURB binding did not correlate with symptom severity. Conclusion: These preliminary results suggest that FAAH is not significantly elevated in comorbid BPD+MDD, but a larger sample size is required to elucidate this relationship. | M.Sc. | emission, invest | 7, 9 |
| Providokhina, Ksenia | Min, Jinrong | Structural Studies of Histone H3K36 Methyltransferase NSD1 and CRL2 Substrate Receptors FEM1B/C | Physiology | 2023-06 | NSD1 is a histone methyltransferase that adds one or two methyl groups to H3K36. Mutations of NSD1 result in Soto’s Syndrome, a neurological disease. FEM1B and FEM1C, substrate receptors of ubiquitin ligase CRL2, specifically recognize proteins with an arginine residue at their C-termini. Dysfunction leads to diseases like Alzheimer’s or ALS. To better understand the disease implications of these proteins, this thesis aims to determine the protein structures of the NSD1 variants (Y1869C/T1927A) and FEM1B/FEM1C in complex with their inhibitors, H3K36M or EN106, respectively. Two crystal structures, NSD1(Y1869C) (PDB 8FBG) and NSD1(T1927A) (PDB 8FBH), have been obtained, which contain the cofactor SAM but not H3K36M. The FEM1B(aa 1-356) and FEM1C(aa 1-244) structures have also been reproduced, but lack the presence of EN106. In the future, the wild-type or mutated nucleosome will be used as substrates in the NSD1 co-crystallization, and more potent FEM1B/C inhibitors would be identified to facilitate co-crystallization. | M.Sc. | gini | 10 |
| Chembu, Aravinth | Sanner, Scott Dr | Optimal and Greedy Algorithms for Clustering with Applications to Data Science | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Clustering is a fundamental task in unsupervised learning and is popularly used in numerous scientific fields for exploratory data analysis and data science to discover latent discrete class structures. However, despite its maturity as a field, there remain several unanswered research questions and avenues for exploration such as (1) the absence of scalable and optimal algorithms for widely used methods like k-center clustering, and (2) the relatively unexplored space of models for clustering w.r.t. supervised learning objectives. To this end, this thesis addresses some of these open questions by (1) presenting a novel highly scalable algorithm that leverages constraint generation and mixed integer linear programming to efficiently and provably converge to global optimum for the generalized k-center objective, and (2) proposing a generalized optimization framework for predictive (supervised) clustering that admits different cluster definitions (arbitrary point assignment, closest center, bounding box) for both regression and classification objectives. These models help uncover different interpretable discrete cluster structures in data. Overall, this thesis makes advances in two critical areas of clustering that have the potential to provide strong guarantees for optimal clustering and provide a design space and toolkit of supervised clustering models for data science practitioners. | M.A.S. | ABS, learning | 2, 4 |
| Apostolovski, Marija | Todorova, Miglena | The Negotiation of Personal Names: An Exploration of Educators’ Usage and Pronunciation of Student Names in K-12 and Higher Education | Social Justice Education | 2023-06 | The following study provides a critical examination of how educators in Ontario navigate the political and social aspects of personal names in education, how they use student names, as well as how they (struggle to) pronounce student names. Seeking strategies to prevent offending students, this study involved ten personal interviews with educators, and examines educators’ practices and experiences related to personal names. It further involves scholarship, educational policies’ texts, personal observations, and documents pertaining to K-12 student-teacher relations, shining light on the impact of acculturation through the un-naming, misnaming, and re-naming of students, and how these practices contradict Canadian policies of multiculturalism and Ontario school boards’ human rights and social justice education policies. Based on these conclusions, this study proposes the implementation of a technological tool, NameCoach, to support educators with accurate name pronunciations whilst maintaining the importance of developing positive relationships and community building in various educational spaces. | M.A. | social justice, human rights | 16 |
| Allens, David Jonathan | Vieta, Marcelo A | Reifying 'Vision 2040': a Conceptual Framework for Community-Driven Development and Participatory Local Governance in The Bahamas | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-06 | The ossification of inequitable power dynamics in liberal democracies often leads to the general populace receiving an abating share of decision-making authority. In many instances, this is innately true for democracies that inherited systematised conduits of subjugation and inequality from colonial ontology. For these post-colonial environments, the vestiges of colonial governance maintain limited avenues to public influence in crucial decision-making, while environmental factors like demographic growth exacerbate pre-existing constraints. In The Bahamas, the development of Vision 2040: The National Development Plan of The Bahamas presents an opportunity to mitigate the challenges that have arisen from this policy environment through a comprehensive policy framework and reform agenda guided by broad consultative engagement, interdisciplinary research, and extensive analysis. Leveraging the space for further research provided by ‘Vision 2040,’ this thesis seeks to delineate a two-part conceptualisation that outlines a pathway for socio-political and socio-economic development that may yield community ownership, control and influence over their resources and governance systems. | M.A. | socio-economic, equitable, inequality, equit, equalit, environmental, governance, democra | 1, 4, 10, 13, 16 |
| Hector, Melinda Stephanie | Davis, Karen D | Resilience is associated with cortical gray matter of the antinociceptive pathway in people with chronic pain | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Resilience is a personal characteristic that influences health. This thesis examined whether resilience was related to cortical gray matter in 4 regions of the antinociceptive pathway: rostral and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (rACC, sgACC), anterior insula (aINS), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness wereextracted from T1-weighted MRI images of 88 people with chronic pain and 86 sex- and age-matched healthy controls, who completed The Resilience Scale and Brief Pain Inventory. Resilience was found to be negatively correlated with average pain and positively correlated with GMV in the bilateral rACC, sgACC, and left dlPFC in people with chronic pain. Mediation analyses revealed that GMV in the right rACC and left sgACC together partially mediated the relationship between resilience and average pain. These findings suggest that the antinociceptive pathway may play a role in the impact of resilience on one’s ability to modulate chronic pain. | M.Sc. | resilien, resilience | 11, 13, 15 |
| Garcia-Giler, Eduardo | Reber, Michael | Neuro-Regeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells on Bio-Activated Silk Based Scaffolds | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-06 | Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons form the optic nerve, connecting the retina to the visual areas of the brain. Any injury to the optic nerve leads to RGC death and ultimately blindness as RGC axons are unable to regenerate. One of the main challenges in regenerative neuroscience is to identify ways to stimulate neuronal survival and regrowth. We seek to develop an in vitro method using biomaterial and 3D bioprinting to enhance RGC survival and support axon regrowth and directionality. I engineer bio-platforms containing aligned silk nanofibers on which we culture RGCs. These silk nanofibers are bioactivated by adding trophic factors which will be entrapped in the fibers. Growing RGCs on these bioactivated silk nanofibers enhanced neuronal survival and axon regrowth.This technology will ensure fast, reproducible, and accurate generation of bioactivated silk nanofibers scaffolds that can be used to investigate the mechanisms of neuro-regeneration in vitro and in vivo. | M.Sc. | invest, regeneration | 9, 15 |
| Rempel, Jacob | Veer Singh, Chandra | Material Screening for Solid State Electrolyte Applications through Machine Learning and Ab-initio Molecular Dynamic Calculations | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-06 | Solid state electrolyte batteries provide a noticeable advantage over conventional liquid batteries due to improved safety and their potential for increased energy storage over current batteries. For this thesis, two types of calculations are undertaken: first, a machine learning neural network has been used to predict optimal systems; second, first principle Ab-Initio Molecular Dynamic (AIMD) calculations have been performed to predict the performance of the systems previously identified. Machine learning was implemented using the Tensorflow library, where a variety of neural networks were optimized and tested in the categorization and discovery of promising solid state electrolytes. AIMD was implemented using the Vienna Ab-Initio Software Package (VASP), where promising materials systems were simulated and then had ionic conductivities determined from these simulation results. The AIMD portion of this study focused on the Argyrodite system class, which was found during literature review and through the use of the preceding machine learning calculations. | M.A.S. | learning, energy | 4, 7 |
| Chin, Kyle | Hare, Gregory MT||Mazer, C David | The Role of the Kidney as an Oxygen Sensor that Initiates Integrative Cardiovascular Responses to Preserve Brain Perfusion during Acute Anemia | Physiology | 2023-06 | The mechanism by which the kidney functions as an oxygen sensor during anemia and its role in regulating integrative physiological responses to anemia is not completely characterized. We hypothesize that the kidney contributes to the sensing of arterial oxygen content (CaO2) and regulates cardiovascular responses to maintain brain perfusion during anemia. Methodology to accurately measure kidney and brain microvascular pO2 was established. Our data demonstrate that the kidney is an important oxygen sensor based on measurements which demonstrate a direct relationship between CaO2 and renal microvascular pO2 (PkO2 = 0.30 × CaO2 + 6.9,r2 = 0.75). Removal of this oxygen sensing organ (bilateral nephrectomy) resulted in reduced baseline brain pO2 and an even more severe reduction during anemia. Measurements of reduced cardiac output in anemic nephrectomised animals suggest that increased venous capacitance and reduced systolic function contributed to the reduced cardiac response and associated brain hypoxia during anemia. These data support the hypothesis that the kidney is an important oxygen sensor which signals increased cardiac output to maintain brain perfusion during acute anemia. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Chen, Shuangyi | Khisti, Ashish | Distributed Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning via Homomorphic Encryption | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-06 | Privacy-preserving machine learning enables training ML models on sensitive data while preserving individual data privacy using advanced cryptographic techniques. Some of the key techniques used in privacy-preserving machine learning include secure multiparty computation, homomorphic encryption, and differential privacy. In this thesis, we propose two protocols: a secure neural network inference protocol and a secure vertical federated learning protocol. In the first work, SECO, we extend prior work on secure inference to a multi-server hierarchy, allowing multiple server nodes to collaborate with a user to compute predictions without compromising data privacy. We use multiparty homomorphic encryption and garbled circuits to protect the model structure and evaluate SECO on MiniONN and ResNet32 models. In the second work, we analyze leakage in FedV using multi-input functional encryption and suggest using Quadratic functional encryption to avoid information leakage in training generalized linear models for vertical federated learning. | M.A.S. | learning, labor | 4, 8 |
| Mendez Mora, Mauro | Tyrrell, Pascal N. | Deep Generative Machine Learning to Create Synthetic 2D Ultrasound Images for Rare Disease Research | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Research on rare diseases is often not considered by the artificial intelligence (AI) field due to data scarcity. Hemophilia is a rare genetic bleeding disorder that affects blood clotting. Hemophiliacs often suffer from bleeding into the joint space (hemarthrosis) that causes pain and ultimately damage. Ultrasound imaging is used for non-invasive hemarthrosis assessment. Early detection using AI is key to improve treatment efficacy and access to care. This thesis proposes a novel generation framework that includes domain knowledge from an external dataset, decreasing missing information in rare cases. By dividing the problem in content and context generation, our enriched synthetic ultrasound showed no significant differences from real data; improved model performance, especially at smaller sample sizes; outperformed a previously accepted model in synthetic quality; and provided a robust model for hemarthrosis detection. Our framework facilitates AI research in the study of rare diseases and the prototyping of AI-driven clinical solutions. | M.Sc. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Marcellino, Bianca Jocelyne Lucia | McCauley, Shannon J||Murray, Rosalind R | Behavioural Response as a Function of Temperature and Interactions between Behaviour and Melanin Ornaments in Dragonflies | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-06 | Sexual selection creates and maintains elaborate phenotypes despite costs imposed by natural selection. This creates a trade-off between natural and sexual selection, whereby organisms can display traits that decrease survivorship if they sufficiently improve reproductive success. In many species of odonates males possess ornaments, formed by melanin, which increase their mating success, but also increase body temperature, potentially imposing novel trade-offs in a warming climate. Using a combination of comparative and experimental methods, I examined the effects of temperature on mating and thermoregulatory behaviour in Celithemis elisa and Leucorrhinia intacta dragonflies. In C. elisa, I found evidence for this trade-off with positive associations between temperature and time spent thermoregulating and a negative association with time spent mating. In L. intacta, only thermoregulatory behaviour was positively associated with temperature. My results suggest that some dragonflies will have reduced time windows for mating as climate change continues. | M.Sc. | wind, labor, trade, climate, species | 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 15 |
| Lu, Sarah | Scardamalia, Marlene M.S. | Discourse Analysis across Three Different Professional Contexts to Inform Knowledge Building Professional Development | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2023-06 | This thesis explored teacher discourse across three settings: a professional learning community, a professional learning network, and a global innovation network. In each case, the goal was greater understanding and advancement of Knowledge Building in the classroom. Inductive coding was used to analyze discourse within and across settings. Discourse forms identified were Connecting, Problematizing, Questioning, Self-Reflection, Idea Exploration, Inferencing, and Off-topic. Subsequent analyses explored deeper levels of engagement within these categories, strength of connections between codes, and descriptive accounts of types of interaction. No setting stood out as more engaged in principles-based design-mode discourse aimed at Knowledge Building improvements in practice, but the global innovation network showed the greatest variety of discourse moves, supports, and conditions for increased potential for Knowledge Building professional development The thesis ends with a discussion of future research and development to enhance work across different settings. | M.A. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Woo, Hyunjin | Andiappan, Meena | Impact of Multi-level External Factors on Role Identities of Community Pharmacy Owners/Managers and Service Provision in Ontario, Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-06 | This qualitative paper aims to explore how multi-level external factors influence the role identity of pharmacy owners/managers and pharmacy service provision. Data were collected from 10 semi-structured interviews and 14 online questionnaires from pharmacy owners/managers at community pharmacies in Ontario, Canada, and were analyzed through thematic analysis. In addition, documents were reviewed to explore the pharmacy field in Ontario. Ten role identities have been found, each showing different degrees of adherence to four institutions: profession, corporation, market, and state. Participants had to negotiate between competing demands created by the four institutions, which were likely to have arisen from a mismatch between policies and the system in the pharmacy field regarding how pharmacy services are understood, financed, and delivered. The findings suggest the importance of understanding healthcare professionals as being socially embedded and creating a coherent system that can facilitate professionals in achieving policy goals and professional ideals. | M.Sc. | healthcare, institut | 3, 16 |
| Abbaszadeh, Mahdi | Abdelrahman, Tarek S | Efficient Data Streaming for a Tightly-Coupled CGRA | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-06 | We propose a Data Streaming Unit (DSU) for a CGRA that tightly couples to its host CPU. The DSU operates in the context of the T-CGRA accelerator allowing the CGRA to access memory at the granularity of cache lines. It streams data from memory to CGRA cells and conversely. The DSU supports direct and indirect access patterns as well as dynamic memory accesses. Further, the DSU exploits cache line reuse to feed (collect) data on the same cache line to (from) multiple CGRA cells, reducing the number of memory transactions. We implement a prototype DSU on an FPGA that is connected to external memory. The evaluation shows that ideal throughput is achieved for common direct accesses and indirect ones when a sparsity structure is present. Thus, we conclude that direct data streaming between memory and CGRA cells is effective and enables previously unsupported memory access patterns on CGRAs. | M.A.S. | reuse | 12 |
| Storimans, Emma Adriana | Thorpe, Steven J | Novel Ni-V-Y Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-06 | Anion exchange membrane water electrolysers (AEMWEs) convert renewable energy into fuel in the form of hydrogen gas. Novel electrocatalysts are required to be active, stable, and economic for AEMWEs to become commercially viable.A novel amorphous Ni-V-Y system was successfully synthesized along with Ni, Ni5Y and Ni3V intermetallic phases in micron and nanosized powders to serve as a baseline measure of performance. Thermodynamic modelling was used to develop the amorphous alloy system, which was then produced in a two-step ball milling process. Elemental powders were mechanically alloyed and amorphized under cryogenic conditions, then size-reduced to nanoparticles via surfactant assisted high energy ball milling. Using XRD, Ni3V and Ni5Y phases were identified in the Ni80V10Y10 alloy, and SEM was used to confirm nanoparticle sizes. The electrochemical performance of a Ni80V10Y10 electrocatalysts was superior compared to pure Ni, Ni3V, and Ni5Y due to spillover effects in the multiphase Ni80V10Y10 material. The surfactant was not completely removed leading to lower-than-expected activity of the nanoparticles. | M.A.S. | water, energy, renewabl | 6, 7 |
| Carere, Shawn Giacomo | Uludag, Kamil | Deep fMRI Encoding Models of Human Vision | Medical Biophysics | 2023-06 | In this work, we analyze artificial intelligence models that predict fMRI-measured brain activity in response to visual stimuli (ie. encoders). First, we introduce capsule encoders, the first alternative to convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for deep image-fMRI encoding. We show that although capsule networks are not yet effective for complex naturalistic images, with simpler visual stimuli, they improve upon existing CNN encoders. We also introduce new metrics and visualizations that provide a more complete picture of how encoders behave when able or unable to predict voxel activity. With this, we separate these behaviors using a novel thresholding approach and show it is more robust than p-value significance. We also find that encoders may be able to surpass the noise ceiling, revealing how the SNR of the validation set may be limiting our ability to evaluate encoders and highlighting a trade-off between the number of unique and repeated samples. | M.Sc. | trade | 10 |
| Mazraeli, Mohammadmahdi | Chow, Paul P | Multi-FPGA Application Partitioning and Infrastructure | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-06 | Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have increasingly been deployed in data centers. As a result, there has been much focus on tools that provide developers with straightforward and efficient abstractions. As state-of-the-art FPGAs integrate multiple dies on a single device to provide abundant hardware resources, designing an efficient shell to abstract these FPGAs in data centers seems crucial. In this thesis, we extend the Galapagos project and propose a multi-die shell. The shell abstracts the cross-die interconnects and handles the communication of the FPGA with other devices. Additionally, we introduce an automated simulated annealing-based partitioner to map the input application kernels to multiple FPGAs, considering different objectives and constraints. Finally, we evaluate the shell and the partitioner using two micro-benchmarks and demonstrate them implementing a real-world case study, a Transformer model. | M.A.S. | ABS, infrastructure | 2, 9 |
| Mughis, Hafsah | Matthews, Stephen SM | Effects of Hypoxia on Drug Transport in the Developing Human Blood-brain Barrier: Implications for Fetal Brain Protection | Physiology | 2023-06 | P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) are two multidrug resistance transporters expressed at the blood-brain barrier (BBB). They confer protection against entry of harmful molecules into the fetal brain. The fetus develops under relatively low oxygen concentrations; however, pregnancy disorders may lead to even lower intrauterine oxygen levels. We investigated the effects of hypoxia on transporter expression in early- and mid-gestation human fetal brain endothelial cells (hfBECs). Results indicate a decrease in BCRP protein and activity under hypoxia in early-gestation hfBECs. Mid-gestation hfBECs exhibited an increase in P-gp and BCRP activity following hypoxia. These findings suggest a decrease in fetal brain protection in early-pregnancy, but a potential protective effect of the transporters at the BBB during mid-gestation, possibly modifying transfer of various substrates across the fetal BBB under hypoxia. Future studies are required to investigate the mechanisms by which hypoxia modulates P-gp and BCRP at the fetal BBB. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Chang, Christopher Thomas | Grant, Peter R. | Handling Qualities of a Regional-Class Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2023-06 | The handling qualities ratings (HQRS) of a hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft optimized for regional operations were evaluated by test pilots flying takeoff and landing tasks. The goal of the project was to determine if the use of a limited number of stability and control constraints during optimization produced a configuration with acceptable HQRS without stability augmentation. An aerodynamic lookup table model was created using computational fluid dynamics tools to solve the RANS equations and implement the VLM. This model was integrated into a 6DOF MATLAB Simulink model and compiled as a real-time executable used in the UTIAS full flight simulator. Linearized aerodynamic models were used to predict HQRS using the methodology specified in MIL-STD-1797A. A stability augmentation system (SAS) was designed to improve the HQRS. The pilot evaluations determined that HQRS were acceptable with the SAS but the aircraft would be dangerous to fly if failures were to occur. | M.A.S. | land | 15 |
| Graham, Lesley | Sproule, Beth | Development and Evaluation of an Educational Program for Community Pharmacists on Opioid Stewardship in Acute Pain | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2023-06 | The prescribing of excessive quantities and doses of opioids for acute pain can increase the risk of harm for patients and their families. Community pharmacists can play a role in preventing harm associated with opioids in acute pain by providing opioid stewardship activities such as dispensing smaller quantities, advising on safer daily doses and counselling on safe storage and disposal. An educational program for community pharmacists was designed to give community pharmacists the knowledge, confidence, and motivation to provide these activities in their everyday practice. Surveys were used to evaluate the program and showed that it was well received. Survey results also suggested that the program had a positive impact on participants’ confidence, motivation, knowledge, and intention, however it is not known if this translated into a change in pharmacists’ behaviour. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Klievik, Brinley | Bazinet, Richard P | Measuring the Turnover of Docosahexaenoic Acid in the Brain, Liver, Plasma and Adipose Tissue Using Compound Specific Isotope Analysis | Nutritional Sciences | 2023-06 | Through experimental evidence, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is known to be essential for brain growth and function, as well as for maintaining brain health. Our laboratory has explored an alternative, cost-effective technique, called compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) that takes advantage of natural differences in carbon-13 content (13C/12C ratio or δ13C) of the food supply to better understand tissue DHA metabolism. However, previous models have been limited by the selection of timepoints and variations in DHA pool sizes, preventing accurate measures of DHA turnover. The research carried out in this thesis explores the use of CSIA by using a diet switch study to trace tissue fatty acid metabolism by taking advantage of natural variations in the δ13C-DHA of algal and fish DHA sources while maintaining stable DHA pools to assess tissue DHA turnover rates. In addition, we used an enriched 13C DHA treatment diet (spiked-DHA) to test its use in diet switch studies. First, we showed that brain half-lives were consistent with previously published studies using various methodologies. Second, by incorporating additional early time points and maintaining DHA pool sizes, we were able to accurately calculate DHA turnover rates in tissues other than the brain including the plasma and liver. Lastly, by using an enriched (uniformly labeled 13C) DHA source (very high δ13C), we validated its utility in diet switch studies. | M.Sc. | labor, fish | 8, 14 |
| Lai, Kimberly | Olechowski, Alison | A Guideline for the Implementation of Model-Based Functional Hazard Assessment and its Integration with Model-Based Systems Engineering | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | This thesis presents two papers on the topic of implementing model-based functional hazard assessment (FHA) and integrating this with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) activities. The first paper presents a UML profile extension, the FHA Profile, which enables the modelling of failure conditions in the system model. A process for generating an FHA report using model data is also introduced. Finally, a demonstration using safety data for a wheel braking system is performed to show the profile in use. The second paper presents the MBFHA framework which details the language, methods and tool needed to perform model-based FHA. The framework introduces: an overall workflow specifying how MBSE and model-based FHA activities can be integrated, a process for generating safety requirements, and a guideline for tool selection. A proof-of-concept model is also presented using generic safety data for a landing gear extension and retraction system to demonstrate the framework in use. | M.A.S. | land | 15 |
| Sadat, Sajad | Post, Martin | Disruption of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms by Murine Alveolar-Like Macrophages Secreting Psl Glycoside Hydrolase (PslG) | Physiology | 2023-06 | In Cystic Fibrosis (CF), high morbidity and mortality arise from biofilm accumulation due to colonization of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs. These biofilms are resistant to the immune system and antibiotics. I considered that stem cell-derived Alveolar-Like Macrophages (ALMs) that have been genetically modified to secrete the glycoside hydrolase enzyme PslG which is capable of disrupting P. aeruginosa biofilms, may have potential as a novel CF therapy. I have characterized the secretion kinetics of PslG-ALMs in-vitro. PslG-ALMs can disrupt mature biofilms of the P. aeruginosa lab strain PAO1 and patient isolates in-vitro. After intratracheal delivery, PslG-ALMs survive and secrete active PslG in the airways of healthy mice. PslG-ALMs do not elicit an antibody response in mice. These results of PslG-ALMs against P. aeruginosa biofilms in-vitro and in-vivo in mice support future investigation of the potential of ALMs as a dual therapeutic and drug-delivery technology. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Worku, Fiqir | Papadakos, Janet | A Cross-Sectional Study of COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Black Communities in the Greater Toronto Area | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-06 | BackgroundAdherence to preventative health practices is tied to knowledge and attitudes. The COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) among Black communities has had limited testing in a Canadian context. ObjectivesTo explore the associations between health literacy, sociodemographic variables, and KAPs and test their hypothesized relationships. DesignCross-sectional survey. MethodsAn online questionnaire was completed by Black adults living in the Greater Toronto Area. Associations between KAPs, health literacy, and sociodemographic variables were assessed using descriptive tests. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to examine predictors of high preventative practices. ResultsOf the 169 respondents, most had high knowledge scores (80.5%), low attitudes (85.2%), and high COVID-19 preventative practices (82.2%). Hotspot status, working from home, and high health literacy were found to be independent predictors of high preventative practices. ConclusionThis study provides new knowledge that advances understanding of the COVID-19 KAPs of Black communities in a Canadian context. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Lim Ruey Chuan, Derrick | Masani, Kei | Development of a Clinically Feasible Functional Electrical Stimulation System with Visual Feedback Training to Improve Standing Balance | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Individuals with spinal-cord injuries (SCI) are at an increased risk of falling due to their impaired ability to maintain balance. Our research group has developed a closed-loop visual-feedback training (VFT) system coupled with functional electrical stimulation (FES) for rehabilitation of standing balance (FES+VFT system); however, clinical usage of this system is limited by its use of force plates, which are expensive, cumbersome, and not easily accessible. For my thesis project, I 1) evaluated the validity of alternative sensors to the force plate for assessing postural balance and 2) developed and evaluated an updated FES+VFT system which uses the best alternative determined for real-time postural feedback. A clinically feasible version of the FES+VFT using the depth camera was developed and tested with ten able-bodied participants. The results of this research contribute to a more accessible standing balance rehabilitation system for individuals with incomplete SCI. | M.A.S. | accessib | 11 |
| Kwok, Timothy Shun Him | Widdifield, Jessica | Evaluating Serum Urate Monitoring amongst Older Adults with Gout Initiating Urate Lowering Therapy in Ontario, Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-06 | Serum urate (SUA) monitoring plays an important role in gout management. This thesis examined whether older adults with gout received SUA monitoring after initiating urate lowering therapy (ULT). Among a population-based cohort of 44,438 gout patients who initiated ULT between 2010 and 2019, 64% had SUA testing within six months. SUA testing was lowest in 2010 (56%) and increased over time to 71% by 2019. Increasing patient age, rural residence, low socioeconomic status, male ULT prescriber, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and prior cardiovascular event(s) were associated with lower odds of SUA testing. Patients with kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, ULT prescribed by rheumatologists, at lower starting doses, in more recent years and who received concurrent colchicine/oral corticosteroids had higher odds of SUA testing. These findings suggest variations in care and the need to develop/disseminate Canadian clinical guidelines for gout management to reduce care variation and potentially improve gout clinical care. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic, rural | 1, 11 |
| Gao, Jinghua | McQuibban, Angus A.M||Comelli, Elena E.C | Identifying Probiotics that Modulate Mitophagy in Models of Mitochondrial Dysfunction | Biochemistry | 2023-06 | Disruption of mitophagy in neurons is linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder that currently has no cure. The neuroprotective effect of probiotics has become an emerging field of study due to growing evidence of the link between the health of the GI tract and the CNS. In various animal models and clinical trials, probiotic supplementation led to the alleviation of PD-like symptoms, while the mechanism of function remains unknown. The aim of this thesis was to identify probiotics that can potentiate mitophagy under mitochondrial stress and determine the active component(s). Utilizing cellular assays and a Drosophila model of PD, I validated that the probiotics Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM-I-1079 and Lactococcus lactis R1058 can induce Parkin-dependent mitophagy under mitochondrial stress, and only probiotics with mitophagy modulating ability shown neuroprotective effects. I also demonstrated that the small molecule MI6C is an active component released by CNCM-I-1079 and R1058 that induces mitophagy. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Bailleul, Celine | Gillen, Jenna B | The Influence of Sex on Fiber-Specific Morphological and Metabolic Characteristics of Human Skeletal Muscle | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-06 | We evaluated the influence of sex on whole muscle and fiber-specific indices of mitochondrial content, capillarization, and muscle morphology of untrained adults. Resting muscle biopsy samples obtained from age- and body mass index-matched females (n=14) and males (n=13) were analyzed via immunofluorescence and Western Blotting. Type IIa (p=0.003) and IIx (p=0.002) fibers, but not type I fibers (p=0.24), were smaller in females compared to males. Compared to males, females had a lower proportionate area of type IIa fibers (p=0.02) and a greater proportionate area of type I fibers (p=0.01). There were no differences between sexes in most whole muscle or fiber-specific indices of capillary and mitochondrial content; however, increased capillary density in type I vs. type II fibers was observed in males (p=9.37x10-5) but not females (p=0.76). In conclusion, we demonstrate that type I and type II muscle fiber morphology, but not oxidative capacity, differs between untrained males and females. | M.Sc. | female, sexes | 5 |
| Gandhi, Nisha | Harrison, Rene E | Mechanism of Deregulated Osteoclast Activity under Estrogen-withdrawal | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-06 | Estrogen (17β - estradiol) deficiency post-menopause alters bone homeostasis whereby bone resorption by osteoclasts exceeds bone formation by osteoblasts, leading to osteoporosis in females. We established an in vitro model of estrogen-withdrawal (E2-WD) with osteoclasts derived from the mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line and utilized it to investigate the mechanism behind deregulated osteoclast activity post-menopause. We found that a greater population of osteoclasts that underwent E2-WD contained a podosome belt, which is necessary for osteoclasts to adhere and resorb bone, than the osteoclasts exposed to estrogen (E2) continuously. Our results show that, compared to osteoclasts that received E2 continuously, those that underwent E2-WD had shorter podosome lifespans, reduced RhoA activation, and a faster rate of microtubule growth. Thus, altered podosome and microtubule dynamics induced by the withdrawal of estrogen supports podosome belt assembly/stability in osteoclasts, which may explain their enhanced bone resorption activity. | M.Sc. | female, invest | 5, 9 |
| Lee, Shinhyeong | Gray-Owen, Scott D. | Exploring the Role of Iron during Neisseria meningitidis Pathogenesis | Molecular Genetics | 2023-06 | Neisseria meningitidis is a human-restricted bacteria that can cause invasive meningitis and septicemia that can lead to lifelong morbidities and death, albeit its common asymptomatic colonization state. Not much is known of the factors that trigger the meningococci to transition into invasive disease, due to its human-restricted nature that makes infection studies difficult in wildtype mice. I utilize mice expressing human CEACAM1, transferrin and lactoferrin as a model to reveal the factors that are involved in the pathogenesis of N. meningitidis. I show that the co-expression of human CEACAM1, transferrin and lactoferrin significantly improves colonization compared to human CEACAM1 alone, and that transferrin utilization may be more advantageous over lactoferrin during early colonization. Lastly, I reveal that FetA-dependent xenosiderophore usage may be actively involved during meningococcal colonization. Collectively, this study unveils the importance of transferrin and lactoferrin during meningococcal colonization and provides an improved model of meningococcal pathogenesis in mice. | M.Sc. | transit | 11 |
| Herzog Bromerchenkel, Lucas | Peterson, Karl | Alkali-Activated Materials After 5 Years of Exposure to Alkali-Silica Reaction and Sulfate Attack | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | Cement is one of the most widely adopted building materials in the world, due to versatility, efficiency and cost. Cement production, however, is a big contributor to CO2 emissions worldwide. Alternatives are available, based on recycled building materials, industrial by-products, natural minerals, among others, but these are not always as cost-effective and durable as Portland Cement. The processes responsible for the long-term degradation of concrete, made from Portland Cement or otherwise, include corrosion, carbonation binder-aggregate reactions, sulfate attack among others. This work assesses the long-term durability of alkali-activated alternative binders, namely slag, fly-ash and metakaolin, as compared to regular Portland Cement in concrete. The main areas of focus are Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and sulfate attack. Six mix designs are studied under ASR conditions, two using Portland Cement as the binder, and four with slag as the alkali-activated precursor. For sulfate, Portland Cement, slag, fly ash and metakaolin are investigated after 5 years exposed to magnesium sulfate. The performance was investigated by length measurements, microscopic investigations, and chemical analyses using SEM-EDS equipment. It is found that ASR is heavily related to the calcium content of the binder, with higher ASR expansion the higher the Ca content. Under sulfate exposure, the main degradation process is the decalcification of the binder, weakening the matrix and allowing the formation of gypsum. | M.A.S. | emission, invest, production, recycl, emissions, co2, land | 7, 9, 12, 13, 15 |
| Chung, Shirley | Santerre, Paul||Maynes, Jason T | Development of a Delivery Platform for Protein-Based Regenerative and Reparative Cardiac Therapies | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Cell-based therapies for heart failure have been investigated in the field of regenerative medicine, however recent discoveries have shown that cardiac progenitor-cell derived paracrine effects (the secretome) may be inducing endogenous repair, instead of an intrinsic benefit from the stem cells themselves. We hypothesize that polyurethane-based nanoparticles will enable the delivery of therapeutic components of neonatal cardiac progenitor cell secretomes (BMP-4 and Ang1-7) and will induce characteristics representative of repair in damaged heart tissue. Polyurethane-based nanoparticles with a diameter of 190 ± 2 nm (polydispersity index < 0.2) and a zeta potential of -40 ± 1 mV were generated through an emulsion inversion technique. Through optimization of the concentration, coating duration, and coating efficiency, BMP-4 and Ang1-7 were coated onto the surface of the nanoparticles. Treatment with the coated nanoparticles significantly reduced expression of senescence associated b-galactosidase, a marker for senescence which is an important contributor to heart failure. On-going future work will further investigate the biological function of the nanoparticles with their biological payload, characterize both the particle and the biomolecule stabilities, and investigate co-delivery of multiple biomolecules simultaneously, in both in vitro cardiac cell and in vivo heart tissue models. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Dobbie, Haley Hunter | Jockusch, Rebecca | Intrinsic Photophysical Properties of Gaseous Acriflavine Ions | Chemistry | 2023-06 | Fluorescence is a widely used analytical technique in several disciplines of science. In this work, mass-selected ions are trapped in a quadrupole mass spectrometer for laser-induced fluorescence, and the photophysical properties of the fluorophore acriflavine - including steady state emission and time-resolved fluorescence lifetime - are characterized in the gas phase to learn more about its intrinsic photophysics in the absence of solvent interactions. The steady state emission spectrum of gaseous acriflavine displays two peaks, which I attribute to emission from two excited electronic states, showing that Kasha’s Rule does not always hold for warm gaseous molecular ions. The effects of excitation wavelength and internalenergy on the measured emission spectrum are investigated to further understand the flow of energy in the excited state of the acridine scaffold. This work provides experimental data that can be used to improve our models and understanding of excited states, and energy flow among these states. | M.Sc. | ABS, energy, emission, invest | 2, 7, 9 |
| Ellner Yerushalmi, Danna | Matthews, Stephen G | Effects of Antenatal Glucocorticoids on MiRNA Levels in the Prefrontal Cortex of the Newborn Guinea Pig | Physiology | 2023-06 | Antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) treatment in cases of preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) significantly decreases neonatal morbidity and mortality, as it replaces an important endogenous surge in glucocorticoids that occurs in late gestation. While there are minimal short-term risks of ACS treatment, studies have demonstrated long term behavioural and structural impacts of ACS treatment on adult offspring. The underlying mechanisms of these effects are still unclear. One potential explanation is modulation by epigenetic mechanisms, including miRNA. This project seeks to identify differences in miRNA expression patterns in the medial prefrontal cortex of postnatal day 1 female guinea pig offspring that had been exposed to a single course of ACS treatment. A miRNA microarray showed no significant differences between control and treated animals. This is an important finding as it helps us understand the role epigenetic factors play at different time points of development in the modulation of the programming effects of ACS treatment. | M.Sc. | female, animal | 5, 14, 15 |
| Ajrawat, Prabjit | Clarke, Hance | Self-Reported Medical Cannabis Use and Inflammatory Cytokines and Chemokines in Chronic Pain Patients | Medical Science | 2023-06 | This dissertation investigated the association between medical cannabis (MC) use and inflammatory immune markers among chronic pain (CP) patients. Validated questionnaires, self-reported effectiveness of MC, and patient blood samples were collected. Fifty-six patients (64% females) were included with dried cannabis (53%) and THC-dominant products (70%) most commonly consumed. Majority of patients (83- 96%) self-reported symptom relief and and 76% reported a significant decrease in analgesic medication usage (p = <0.001). Compared to males, females had lower concentrations of some pro-inflammatory cytokines, cortisol, and significantly lower eotaxin levels (p=0.04). The regression analysis indicated that female sex was associated with decreased eotaxin (p = <0.01) concentrations. Blood CBD levels were associated with lower VEGF (p=0.04) concentrations and THC-COOH was a factor related to decreased TNF-α (p=0.02) and IL-12p70 (p=0.03). These findings suggest cannabis improves CP symptoms, reduces analgesic consumption, and has a potential immunomodulatory effect associated with patient sex and product type. | M.Sc. | female, invest, consum | 5, 9, 12 |
| Zdasiuk, Benjamin James | Fortin, Marie-Josée||Mandrak, Nicholas E | Stream Fragmentation Affects Movement in a Wetland-specialist fish, Grass Pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-06 | Animal movement is a fundamental process for organisms to maximize their fitness, yet it is often challenged by human activities and climate change. For species listed under the Species at Risk Act, like Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus)—a wetland specialist—, understanding their movement ecology can inform conservation strategies. To determine their movement ecology, passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag data for Grass Pickerel in a Niagara Peninsula watershed gathered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada from 2009 to 2013 were analyzed. Of the 2,007 tagged fish, only 16% made movements more than 500m, with a median and maximum movement distance of 1.89 km and 13.5 km respectively. Movements mostly originated from locations with high local abundance, and mobile fish were longer than stationary fish. Hence, while a long-distance dispersal ability exists in extant Grass Pickerel populations, the conditions of riverscapes in southern Ontario may prevent these dispersals from occurring. | M.Sc. | water, climate, ocean, conserv, fish, species, animal, ecolog, land | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Yip, Elanie | Mitchell, Jane||Grynpas, Marc | Investigating the Interactions Between G Proteins and Estrogen Loss in the Mouse Skeletal System | Pharmacology | 2023-06 | Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common bone disease, as estrogen deficiency is directly related to reductions in trabecular and cortical bone. In addition to sex steroids, G proteins play important roles in bone development and maintenance. We have previously developed two transgenic mouse models that have high levels of Gαs (Gs-Tg) or Gα11 (G11-Tg) in osteoblasts. Gs-Tg mice had increased bone, whereas G11-Tg mice had osteopenia. To investigate how variations in G protein signaling in osteoblasts impact postmenopausal bone health, we ovariectomized (ovx) Gs-Tg and G11-Tg mice at 4 months of age and examined their skeletal phenotypes 5 weeks post-surgery. The high bone turnover in Gs-Tg mice made them more susceptible to bone loss with ovx. Conversely, G11-Tg mice were protected from ovx-induced bone loss. This offers new insight into predicting postmenopausal bone health in individuals with high G protein levels, in addition to potentially elucidating therapeutic targets. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Singh, Kirtan | Touchie, Marianne | Assessing the Performance of Passive House Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: An In-Situ Performance Verification and Comparison of Simulation Tools | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | In-situ performance verification of enclosure thermal performance and air tightness was conducted on a newly built Passive House (PH) multi-unit residential building (MURB) and a MURB retrofitted to the EnerPHit standard. Wall thermal performance ranged from 60% less to 33% more than the design R-value and window center-of-glass U-values were 20% more than design, both determined using ISO 9869. The air leakage was up to 75% less than the PH requirement of 0.6 ACH50 for new build and 1.0 ACH50 for retrofit. Overall, the enclosure performance was consistent with prior studies, however, exterior temperature estimates likely resulted in inaccuracies of the measured R- and U-values. Building energy simulation tools Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) and CAN-QUEST (CQ) were compared to assess the interchangeability of tools for compliance purposes, using the new PH MURB as a case study. The CQ model had 20% less cooling and 20% more heating energy use and 76% and 40% less heat gains and losses, respectively, than the PHPP Model. Due to these differences in energy use and loads, it is unclear whether the tools are interchangeable for compliance purposes. | M.A.S. | energy, wind, buildings | 7, 9 |
| Tang, Sin Man | Ng, Wai Tung | Study of 48-to-1 V Multi-inductor Hybrid Converters | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-06 | The 48 V DC bus is an intermediate power bus in all telecommunication systems. The traditional approach is to employ cascaded converters to step-down the supply voltage from 48 V to 5/12 V, and 5/12 V to 1 V at the point of load. This usually results in inefficient power conversion. To achieve high efficiency, this thesis is aimed to determine the best multi-inductor hybrid converter (MIHC) configuration, for a direct 48-to-1 V conversion, 90 A, 200 kHz application. The simulated 6-to-1 level is found to be the best topology. The gate drive loss and inductor conduction loss outweigh the benefits of the 8-to-1 level configuration. The 6-to-1 level MIHC is also verified experimentally to outperform the 2-to-1 topology in 48-to-1 V conversion with a peak efficiency of 90 % at 5 A, and 65% at 25 A. The 6-to-1 MIHC topology provides a good trade-off between circuit complexity and power conversion efficiency. | M.A.S. | trade | 10 |
| Wong, Suzanne | Drake, James M||Waspe, Adam C | Real-Time Motion Compensation of Magnetic Resonance Thermometry and Adaptive Targeting Algorithms for Focused Ultrasound Controlled Hyperthermia in Sarcomas | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Sarcomas are the most common extracranial solid tumours in children and have poor prognoses due to resistance to conventional treatments. Magnetic resonance-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) can non-invasively administer localized hyperthermia which can improve the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy in various cancers. One of the challenges preventing the widespread clinical adoption of MRgHIFU is that thermometry is prone to motion artifacts that corrupt data. The objective of this work is to optimize MRgHIFU-controlled hyperthermia by implementing motion compensation and adaptive tumour targeting algorithms. During targeted drug delivery in a murine sarcoma model, motion artifacts resulted in underheating of the tumour, leading to less drug being released. In preparation for translation, a motion compensation algorithm demonstrated powerful artifact removal during robot-controlled motion in a phantom on a clinical MRgHIFU system. An adaptive targeting algorithm was implemented to correct a mistargeted HIFU focus with high accuracy and precision in gelatin phantoms. | M.A.S. | corrupt | 16 |
| Fang, Qiao | Kim, Philip PK | Designing Epitope-specific CDR-H3 Loops via Deep Learning | Molecular Genetics | 2023-06 | Antibodies are great therapeutic candidates because of their ability to recognize and bind disease-related antigens with high specificity and affinity. Such binding is driven by the interaction between a subset of residues in the antigen, which collectively form the epitope, and loops within the antibody that are known as complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). One CDR loop in particular, the CDR-H3 loop, has a high degree of sequence and structural diversity, allowing such binding to be diverse and specific. Currently, approaches for the design of CDR-H3 loops are not antigen-specific. Here, I developed a pipeline to design backbones and sidechains for CDR-H3 loops that target specific epitopes. To determine the Cα position of the backbone, a Generative adversarial network (GAN) was trained to predict a Cα distance matrix defining the structure of the loop and its relative position to antigen residues. The resulting distance matrices show a high degree of similarity to the ground truth matrices (median 1.2Å difference). Using these generated matrices, the 3D positions of all Cα atoms were recovered. The full backbone and sidechains were subsequently reconstructed using existing physics-based methods such as Rosetta, yielding antibodies that were predicted to bind to the specified epitopes. This novel method has the potential to surpass or supplement current antibody development methods and can have numerous applications in biomedical sciences. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Nadeem, Amna | Shynlova, Oksana||Lye, Stephen | Local Metabolism of Progesterone Regulates Cervical Remodelling and Timing of Labour Onset | Physiology | 2023-06 | Withdrawal of pro-gestational hormone progesterone (P4) is necessary for labour onset in human and rodents. In murine cervix P4 withdrawal is mediated by enzymes 5-alpha-reductase (Srd5a1) and 20-alpha-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase (20αHSD/Akr1c18). I hypothesize that 1) inflammation (physiologic or infection-induced) alters the levels of both enzymes in mouse cervix, impacting local P4-metabolism; 2) Selective Progesterone Receptor Modulator (SPRM), Promegestone (aka R5020), non-metabolizable by 20αHSD, can prevent preterm labour (PTL) in mice by maintaining P4 signaling. I found significant induction (p<0.01) of Srd5a1 and Akr1c18 mRNA and protein levels during infectious (Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced) PTL in mice which was inhibited by prophylactic R5020 administration. Transcript levels of cervical ripening enzymes Adamts1 and Has2, as well as pro-inflammatory markers Il1b, Il6, Cxcl1, and Ccl2 were induced during PTL (p<0.05) and inhibited with R5020 pre-treatment (p<0.05). I concluded that prophylactic R5020 administration prevents LPS-induced inflammation and cervical ripening in mice, thus presenting a promising novel therapeutic for women at risk of preterm birth. | M.Sc. | women, arid, labour | 5, 6, 8 |
| Dolati-Ardejani , Parnian | Wallace, Valerie A | Development of a CRISPR Screen to Identify Molecular Regulators of Photoreceptor Intercellular Material Transfer | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2023-06 | A widely investigated therapeutic strategy for retinal degeneration is transplantation to restore photoreceptor function. Recent studies suggest that vision rescue from photoreceptor transplantation is due to material transfer (MT) of cytoplasmic proteins from donor to host photoreceptors. However, the mechanisms of MT are largely unknown. Our lab has established an in vitro co-culture assay to track cell contact-dependent mitochondria transfer. Using this system, we designed and investigated a genomic CRISPR/Cas9 screening strategy for an unbiased, large-scale investigation of genes regulating MT in acceptor photoreceptors. We generated retinal explant derived CRISPR/Cas9 edited photoreceptors with the capacity to efficiently accept mitochondria in the co-culture assay. We optimized culture components to increase the feasibility of this challenging primary cell-based strategy. Our findings have advanced the development of an approach for discovery of mechanisms underlying photoreceptor MT. Further understanding of MT regulators can lead to therapeutic applications of MT for treatment of retinal diseases. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ujic, Daniel | Liu, Fang | Neurodevelopmental and Protein Analysis in the Maternal Immune Activation Mouse Model of Neurodevelopmental Disorders | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Neurodevelopmental disorders are a class of psychological disorders which alter brain development and function. The cause of these disorders is believed to include a variety of factors including genetics, environmental contaminants and issues related to pregnancy including maternal immune activation (MIA). To study MIA and its implications in neurodevelopmental disorders, we decided to inject an immunostimulant called polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (POLY IC) into pregnant mice (CD-1) to illicit an immune response. We examined the phenotypical and molecular outcomes of the MIA offspring throughout different developmental periods. We found a decrease in global prepulse inhibition in adult MIA mice at twelve weeks of age. MIA also resulted in differences of protein expression related to microglial activity, the complement system, post synaptic densities and metabolism. | M.Sc. | environmental, illicit | 13, 16 |
| Ben Suleiman , Ahmed Mohamed | Azarpazhooh, Amir AA | The Outcomes of Endodontically Treated Teeth Restored with Custom-made Cast Post-and-core Restorations: A Retrospective Cohort Study | Dentistry | 2023-06 | Introduction: Custom-made cast post-and-core (CMCPC) restorations have long been used to restore structurally deficient endodontically treated teeth (ETT). However, the evidence regarding their impact on the outcomes of ETT is largely inconclusive. This study evaluated the long-term treatment outcome of ETT restored with CMCPC. Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined the dental records of patients with CMCPC placed at a specialty private practice in Toronto, Canada, between 1999 and 2021. The proportion of ETT with complete periapical healing and those that survived were estimated, and prognostic factors were investigated using multiple logistic and Cox regression analyses, respectively (P<.05). Results: A total of 500 and 1000 teeth met periapical healing and survival criteria, respectively. The periapical healing rate was 88.8% and was associated with the presence of baseline periapical radiolucency [OR=0.1, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI):0.05–0.2; P<.001]. The survival, after a mean follow-up time of 68.9±54.07 months (range:0.5–251.9), was 87.9% and was associated with <75% of root length in bone [Hazard Ratio (HR) =2.6; 95%CI:1.0–6.6; P=.033], type and quality of final restoration [HR=2.09; 95%CI:1.1–3.9; P=.020; HR=2.3; 95%CI:1.2–4.5; P=.008, respectively], and the presence of periapical radiolucency at the latest recall (HR=3.2; 95%CI:1.7–6.3; P<.001). Conclusions: The outcome of ETT restored with CMCPC was assessed to be very good. CMCPC may be regarded as a viable restorative option for ETT with reduced coronal structure. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Canales Sanchez, Laura Estefany | Goring, Daphne R | Investigating the Role of LRR-VIII-2 Receptor-like Kinase genes in Intra- and Inter-species Pollinations in Arabidopsis thaliana. | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-06 | Successful fertilization in flowering plants requires tightly controlled pollen-pistil interactions to promote compatible pollen and prevent interspecies hybridizations. In Arabidopsis, previous research has mainly focused on the later stages of compatible pollen tube growth and ovular reception in the pistil and the pre-zygotic interspecies barriers acting at this stage. Previously, we identified a group of Leucine-Rich Repeat (LRR) VIII-2 Receptor-Like Kinase (RLK) genes that function in the female reproductive tract to support compatible pollen. Here, I have shown that wildtype compatible pollen tubes deposit smaller callose plugs when growing through LRR-VIII-2 RLK mutant pistils from two different higher-order mutants. LRR-VIII-2 RLK mutants were also impaired in establishing an interspecies barrier against Capsella rubella pollen tubes. The stigma-specific expression of one member, RKF1, in the LRR-VIII-2 RLK septuple mutant was sufficient to rescue these mutant phenotypes. Thus, my research further defined the functions of these LRR-VIII-2 RLKs in supporting the earlier stages of compatible pollen-pistil interactions and blocking interspecies pollen. | M.Sc. | female, invest, species | 5, 9, 14, 15 |
| Mir, Negar | Beaudry, Jacqueline | Short-term Effects of Elevated Levels of Glucocorticoids on Lipolysis in Differentiated Murine White Adipocytes | Nutritional Sciences | 2023-06 | Adipose tissue (AT) is a dynamic organ that can change its morphology in response to environmental cues. Expansion or compression in the size of AT depends on the balance between lipogenesis (biosynthesis and storage of triglycerides) and lipolysis (hydrolysis of triglycerides) which can be affected by steroid hormones such as glucocorticoids (GCs). GCs can work through binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR-mediated effects) or exert non-GR mediated effects, which are currently understudied in AT. The purpose of this thesis was to expand the knowledge about GR and non-GR mediated effects of GCs on lipolysis in AT, with a primary focus on elucidating the mechanism behind the non-GR mediated effects of GCs on white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis. In this study, 3T3-L1 cells were used as a model of WAT and it was evident that elevated GC levels could decrease lipolysis in short durations, through effects that were independent of GR and gene transcription. | M.Sc. | knowledge, environmental | 4, 13 |
| Fox, Fiona | Hofmann, Ronald | Distinguishing between Adsorption and Biodegradation of MIB and Geosmin in Operational Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Filters | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | Water treatment facilities commonly use granular activated carbon (GAC) filters to remove taste and odour (T&O) compounds, such as geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). However, filter exhaustion is challenging to predict due to the seasonal nature of T&O events. Thus, a tool is needed to qualify performance. Therefore, the φ parameter of the pore surface diffusion model (PSDM) was calculated from parallel minicolumn data to determine filter performance. Here, the biodegradative and adsorptive φ were measured using parallel biologically active and suppressed minicolumns, thus, distinguishing their relative contribution to the removal rate. When evaluated near GAC full-scale empty bed contact times, the average removal efficiency of MIB and geosmin were 53 ± 30% and 80 ± 14%, respectively. Additionally, based on principal component analysis, the full-scale conditions at the time of GAC collection significantly impact φ. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Eliathamby, Daniella | Simmons, Craig||Chung, Jennifer | Ascending Aortic Geometry and its Association with Type A Aortic Dissection and Biomechanical Properties of Aortic Tissue | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Current diameter-based guidelines are ineffective in identifying aortic aneurysms at risk to dissect. Aortic length has recently been proposed to better predict risk of dissection; however, the data evaluating length as a metric to predict dissection is limited and how it adds to long-standing diameter thresholds is unclear. In this thesis, ascending aortic geometry (i.e., diameter and length) and its association with normal, aneurysmal, and dissected aortic states were examined. Furthermore, mechanical properties of aortic tissue (i.e., energy loss, modulus of elasticity, and delamination strength) were also examined to determine the association between aortic geometry and mechanical risk of aortic failure. After adjusting for covariates associated with aortic length, patients who had dissection exhibited disproportionately longer aortas than normal or aneurysmal states. However, aortic length did not correlate with mechanical properties of aortic tissue associated with mechanical failure. Additional research is needed before length-based thresholds can be considered. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Wu, Amy | Fairn, Greg D||Lee, Warren | Limiting S-Palmitoylation of Pro-Inflammatory Signals by Inhibiting Fatty Acid Synthase | Biochemistry | 2023-06 | S-palmitoylation is the addition of an acyl-CoA to a cysteine residue of a protein via a thioester bond. The attachment of this hydrophobic moiety can impact the protein targeting, trafficking and protein function, and is often observed in the immune-regulatory system, including being required for NOD1/2 signal transduction and the MyD88-dependent TLR4 pathway. Dampening of S-palmitoylation in the immune system via inhibition of FASN-mediated de novo lipogenesis has been shown in vitro, however holds little translational use due to dangerous toxicity of these inhibitors. Here, I investigate the potential of new FASN-inhibiting TVB compounds to decrease inflammatory signalling. TVB-3166 decreased intracellular palmitoyl-CoA and reduced translocation of NOD1/2 to the PM in epithelial cells and was able to reduce NF-kB transcriptional activity and IL-1β and IL-6 secretion from macrophages. Thus, we believe TVB compounds, upon further investigation, could provide a therapeutically viable approach to modulating severe inflammation as seen in sepsis. | M.Sc. | trafficking, invest | 5, 16, 9 |
| Davidian, Vartkes | Packer, Jeffrey A | Experimental Study of Laterally Offset RHS X-Connections in Branch Axial Tension | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | In all predominant design guides for truss-type welded Rectangular Hollow Section (RHS) connections, the branch and chord member axes are assumed to lie in the same plane. To investigate the effect of laterally offset branch members on the strength and behaviour of welded RHS connections, 14 full-scale experiments (five full-width matched, four stepped, and five laterally offset) have been performed on cold-formed RHSto-RHS X-connections with quasi-static branch axial tension loading. A recent recommendation made for extending the validity range of full-width connection failure models to high-strength steel is re-evaluated, and resistance factors are proposed for design. Recommendations for the design of laterally offset connections subject to branch axial tension are also evaluated and resistance factors are proposed for design. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Grant, Paige V. | Titchkosky, Tanya TT | Black Speculative Fiction as a Pathway to Collective Responsibility | Social Justice Education | 2023-06 | Introduced by critical race scholar, Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1991, “intersectionality” has become a term used to untangle multiple identities such as race, ability, and gender to better understand “how systems of power work within and beyond identity claims alone" (Schalk, 2018, p. 8). This thesis investigates the social expectations that fall in an unbalanced way onto Black communities to be overly responsible for service, especially related to the pursuit of justice and liberation. Informed by a Black feminist disability framework (Bailey & Mobley, 2019), I explore how speculative fiction can disrupt these expectations. I turn to Rivers Solomon’s (2019) novella, The Deep, to gain insight on similar, but fictionalized accounts of the underseen impacts that effect the body and the mind. I further inquire what it might mean to introspect through sense, memory and feeling as a method to redistribute the responsibility to be of service as a collective responsibility. | M.A. | disabilit, gender, feminis, invest | 3, 5, 9 |
| Craig, Charlotte Victoria | MacIvor, Scott | Experimental Warming of Flower Temperatures and Influence on Pollinator Visitation | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-06 | Climate change and the urban heat island effect are warming temperatures in cities, putting pollinators at risk as they increasingly experience temperatures close to or above their thermal tolerance range. I evaluated patterns in flower visitation in relation to temperature and hypothesized that an increase in floral temperature will result in decreased visitation. Using an in-situ temperature manipulation experiment, I experimentally heated flowers of three pollinator-dependent plant species in spring, summer, and late summer. Between paired plots of heated and control (i.e., unheated) plants, I recorded 617 plant visitations and painted 96 bees for a mark-recapture experiment. Pollinator visitation declined on heated flowers during the peak of summer when the temperature is hottest. Additionally, the number of blooms per plot increased pollinator visitation in all seasons. Knowledge gaps in our understanding of influences on microclimatic temperature and how this applies to quantifying temperature in field experiments are discussed. | M.A.S. | knowledge, cities, urban, climate, species, land | 4, 11, 13, 14, 15 |
| Ball, Alexandra Elizabeth | Andrysek, Jan | Quantifying Lower Limb Sagittal Plane Alignment Based on 3D Scans: Method Validation and Implementation to Compare Conventional and Digital AFO Shape Capture Processes | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Lower limb alignment is a key aspect of ankle foot orthosis design which needs to be addressed in the development of digital technology workflows. The goal of this work was to develop a practical and accurate method to measure the sagittal plane ankle angle from 3D scans and investigate alignment differences achieved in conventional and digital shape capture processes. The sagittal plane ankle angle was measured by three orthotists using a digital goniometry tool and through an alignment algorithm. The digital goniometry tool was found to be a reliable method for measuring the sagittal plane ankle angle, and the algorithm produced measurements equivalent to the orthotists’ measures. Alignment differences were found between the digital and conventional shape capture processes ranging from 8° of dorsiflexion to 11° of plantarflexion. This work has highlighted the need for further investigation into a digital design process to enable the correction of the lower limb alignment. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Wong, Rachel | Chan, Timothy CY | Pooling Donations in Human Milk Banks using Machine Learning and Optimization | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Human milk is considered the ideal nutrition for preterm infants. Donor milk is collected, processed and distributed by milk banks. The macronutrient content of donor milk is critical to infant development but varies substantially between donations. To reduce this variance, milk banks pool multiple donations together to create a product. Approximately half of all North American milk banks do not have the resources to measure the macronutrient content of donations, which means pooling is done heuristically. For these milk banks, an approach is needed to optimize pooling decisions. We propose a data-driven framework combining machine learning and optimization, to predict macronutrient content of donations, then optimally combine them in pools. We rigorously simulate milk bank operations to evaluate our framework then conduct a year-long trial implementation comparing between our model to current practice. Pools created by our approach met macronutrient targets more often, demonstrating the value of a predict-optimize approach. | M.A.S. | nutrition, learning | 2, 4 |
| Koppel, Alex | Mizrahi, Romina||McPherson, Peter | Linking Peripheral Blood Biomarkers with Neuroinflammation in the Brains of Alzheimer’s Disease and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients | Pharmacology | 2023-06 | To evaluate brain inflammation - translocator protein (TSPO) can be used as a target in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients, TSPO is elevated compared to both healthy volunteers (HVs) and subjects with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI). Peripheral biomarkers, such as cytokines (CKs) and fatty acids (FAs), are also indicative of inflammation. To understand whether peripheral biomarkers are predictive of brain TSPO, a secondary exploratory analysis of two previously acquired TSPO imaging studies was conducted in a HAB subsample of AD, aMCI and aged-matched HVs, as no data were acquired for MABs in the aMCI cohort rendering their inclusion impossible. Serum IL-6 and IL-10 were found to be elevated in AD compared to the aMCI and HVs. A limited number of exploratory associations were observed between region-specific TSPO and FAs in aMCI, and between Aβ42 and TSPO signal in AD. | M.Sc. | ABS, emission | 2, 7 |
| Jordan, Gwyneth | Edwards, Elizabeth A | Investigating the Fate of Bio-based Plastics in Anaerobic Digestion | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-06 | The anaerobic digestibility of three bio-based after-market plastics used for food packaging applications was evaluated. These plastic samples were tested in a lab-scale solid-state digester, called Daisy, that was operated for 26 weeks. Daisy comprises 6 sequentially fed leach beds (~10 kg each) fed with a mixture of fibres and food waste, with each leach bed having a residence time of 6 weeks. The mass loss of polyhydroxyalkanoate straws, bamboo-fibre coffee cups, and polylactic acid clamshell containers was evaluated as a measure of anaerobic biodegradability. The PHA straws exhibited a mass loss of 55 % ± 17, the bamboo-fibre cups had a mass loss of 54% ± 15, and the PLA clamshell containers had no measurable mass loss. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted on samples of each bioplastic before and after digestion. These images revealed the formation of a biofilm and potentially the presence of methanogens on all bioplastic types. | M.A.S. | invest, waste, food waste | 9, 12 |
| den Otter-Moore, Imogen Kate | Drake, James M | Non-Invasive Tendon Release for Contractures using Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound: Feasibility, Monitoring and Assessment | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | Contracture is the permanent tightening of muscle or tendon causing pain, deformity, and a restricted range of motion. Patients with contracture often undergo surgical tendon lengthening to improve their range of motion. This thesis investigated focused ultrasound (FUS) as a non-invasive treatment option for tendon lengthening. Porcine Achilles tendons were successfully released in vivo using a hybrid therapy of FUS cavitation and ablation, resulting in improvements in the range of motion of the ankle. Ex vivo experiments determined that passive cavitation detection can monitor inertial cavitation in tendon in real time, with sensitivity to histotripsy parameters. Finally, the effect of FUS on longitudinal tendon stiffness was quantified using ultrafast shear wave elastography. Results indicate that treating tendons with FUS causes a significant decrease in shear wave speed, and consequently in tendon stiffness. The thesis concludes with recommendations for future studies to advance the understanding of FUS tendon lengthening. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Ignacio, Maria Angelie | Jang, Eunice Eunhee | Self-Regulated Learning, Self-Assessment of Writing, and Writing Abilities at the Microstructure and the Macrostructure Level: The Effects of Gender and Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-06 | Students with ADHD struggle with most aspects of writing (Graham et al., 2016). Furthermore, girls outperform boys on both reading and writing tasks (Reilly et al., 2018). This study investigated the relationship between self-regulated learning and writing ability at the microstructure and macrostructure level, and determine how this relationship is moderated by gender or diagnosis of ADHD. Results showed that ADHD students compared to non-ADHD had lower scores on both levels of writing. In addition, female students had higher scores on the two levels of writing than male students. Finally, no significant interactions were found between SRL and ADHD diagnosis. However, gender moderated the relationship between SRL and microstructure writing: Female students with high SRL scores were more likely to have high microstructure writing scores. These results underline the complexity of the writing process and emphasize the role of gender and diagnosis in students’ writing ability at different levels. | M.A. | learning, gender, girl, female, invest | 4, 5, 9 |
| Cal, Cagcan | Harrison, John | Considering the Observational Approach in a Probabilistic Setting | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | The observational approach is utilised when the prediction of geotechnical behaviour is challenging. The main principle of the observational approach is reviewing the design during construction after discovering that it is inadequate. Design modification decisions must be appropriately justified to prevent over-reliance on the engineer’s judgement. This could be achievable by predicting the effects of any potential design modifications in advance. This thesis investigates the observational approach from a probabilistic perspective in evaluating design options. For this purpose, a probabilistic convergence-confinement model is established for a tunnel design scenario that requires modification. In addition, a probabilistic traffic light system which quantifies the risks associated with each observation is developed. It is concluded that the suggested procedure can help assess support design options for various ground conditions. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Duyan, Mehmet | Eyles, Nick | Geology and Origin of a Coastal Placer Chromite Deposit, Port au Port Bay, Western Newfoundland, Canada | Earth Sciences | 2023-06 | Detrital chromite (Cr) is currently accumulating in the modern wave-influenced and gravel-dominated shoreface environment of eastern Port au Port Bay, western Newfoundland. Chromite concentrations of up to 7485 ppm occur in modern cross-bedded shallow marine gravel and pebbly sand facies derived from a large late- and early postglacial fan delta complex undergoing rapid marine erosion. The fan delta fills a broad coastal embayment and was constructed during an early postglacial phase of rapid crustal rebound and low relative sea level that lasted until about 9,500 ybp. Since coastal outcrops of the fan delta have undergone rapid erosion and sediments in response to ongoing postglacial sea level rise outpacing the rate of crustal recovery, chromite-bearing sediment is being re-transported and reworked southwards by shore parallel currents resulting in much higher concentrations within a nearshore chromite placer deposit, some 8 km long and 2 km wide. | M.A.S. | sea level, marine, land, erosion | 13, 14, 15 |
| Khan, Mohammad Fawaz | Thomson, Murray | Microwave-Assisted Methane Pyrolysis in a Fluidized Bed Reactor for CO2-free Hydrogen and Solid Carbon Production | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize energy systems if it can become simpler to distribute and cleaner to produce. Methane pyrolysis can produce hydrogen without direct CO2 emissions with modest energy inputs. Microwaves are an efficient method of adding the required energy for this endothermic reaction. This thesis investigates a novel method of low-GHG hydrogen production via methane pyrolysis using microwaves and carbon particles in a fluidized bed reactor. Activated carbon particles in the fluidized bed absorb microwave energy and create a hot medium (>1200℃) in contact with flowing methane. As a result, methane decomposes into hydrogen and solid carbon causing carbon catalyst deactivation with over 90% methane conversion rate and hydrogen selectivity. The produced carbon possesses an autocatalytic effect thus bypassing the need for catalyst regeneration or replacement. This modular pyrolysis system can be built anywhere with access to natural gas and electricity, enabling distributed and localized hydrogen production. | M.A.S. | ABS, energy, emission, invest, production, decarboniz, emissions, co2, methane, regeneration | 2, 7, 9, 12, 13, 15 |
| Doherty, Cathal | Finkelstein, Sarah A | Long-term Carbon Accumulation in a Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Swamp in the Lake Simcoe Watershed, Southern Ontario, Canada | Geography | 2023-06 | Cedar swamps stand out amongst forested wetlands as containing high soil carbon stocks; however, factors determining rate of peat accumulation remain unclear due to uncertain carbon turnover rates across spatial and temporal gradients. To address this, this thesis first analyses Ontario peatland and forest inventory data to compare peat properties among forested wetlands, showing significant regional differences, with northern swamps being more acidic and containing lower peat bulk densities compared to southern swamps. Secondly, we analyse a series of cores in a mineral-rich cedar swamp in southern Ontario, showing that peat development and long-term carbon accumulation vary with water table depth. While rates of carbon accumulation in the cedar swamp were slower (5.7 g m-2 yr-1) than non-forested peatlands, carbon stocks were significant (60.3 kg m-2) and basal radiocarbon ages suggest decamillennial development of these wetlands, showing their significance as carbon pools and their vulnerability to peat-degrading disturbances. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, water, urban, forest, land, soil | 1, 6, 11, 15 |
| Bonares, Michael | Wentlandt, Kirsten | Development and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Tool for Estimating the Risk of 1-year Mortality among Hospitalized Patients with Dementia | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Advance care planning (ACP) has an established benefit among dementia patients though may happen infrequently, which could contribute to goal-discordant end-of-life care. A prognostic tool could serve as a trigger for ACP. We sought to develop and test a clinical tool to predict the risk of 1-year mortality among hospitalized dementia patients. Population-level linked healthcare administrative databases in Ontario were used. In a cohort of 235667 patients hospitalized from 2009-2017, we developed a tool with 76 predictor variables (sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, previous interventions, functional status, nutritional status, admission-specific information, previous healthcare utilization). In a cohort of 62909 patients hospitalized from 2018-2019, the tool demonstrated acceptable discrimination (c statistic=0.796). It demonstrated acceptable calibration in the validation cohort (mean relative difference=-3.29%) and subgroups of meaning to clinicians and policy-makers. This model could be integrated into electronic medical records as an automated prognostic tool, which could prompt ACP among hospitalized dementia patients. | M.Sc. | nutrition, healthcare | 2, 3 |
| Sadek, Marawan | Reid, Aylin | Investigating the Effects of IDO1 Inhibition on the Recovery of Motor Coordination, Memory and Mood Following TBI | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by mechanistic forces that impact the brain, leading to neuronal damage and deterioration. Secondary injuries, such as neuroinflammation, can cause further damage and neurological dysfunction. The enzyme indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the kynurenine pathway (KP) which produces both neuroprotective and neurotoxic metabolites and may contribute to secondary injury mechanisms. We hypothesized that PF-06840003, an IDO1 inhibitor, would decrease secondary injury, improving motor, memory and mood recovery following the fluid percussion injury (FPI) model of TBI. Rats underwent either FPI or sham injury and were treated orally with PF-06840003 or vehicle. PF-06840003 treatment resulted in improved performance on long-term visuospatial memory and anxiety-like behavioural tests but not on sensorimotor tests. This suggests the KP may play a role in neurological dysfunction after TBI and should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic target to improve recovery. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Hsu, Prisca | Cheyne, Douglas||Dlamini, Nomazulu | The Neural Correlates of Dystonia and Impaired Inhibitory Control in Pediatric Stroke Patients | Medical Science | 2023-06 | Dystonia affects over 20% of pediatric ischemic stroke survivors and is associated with cognitive impairments. However, it remains unclear whether dystonia is solely a motor disorder or if other cognitive impairments are involved. We investigated the functional and structural profiles of post-stroke patients during a motor inhibitory control task, focusing on differences between those with and without dystonia. Using MEG and DTI, we analyzed task-induced brain activity and the structural integrity of the corticospinal tract. Our results suggest that successful motor control relies on the integration of higher order frontal and motor processes, alongside basic motor functions, and that dystonia patients may have impairments in these higher order functions. Furthermore, our study found evidence of functional reorganization beyond motor execution in higher order frontal areas. This multimodal approach provides insight into motor impairment after stroke in children and may inform effective therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Fartaj, Melina | Carter, Michael | Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to Analyze Admission Criteria of a General Internal Medicine Short Stay Unit | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Short Stay Units (SSU) have been created to minimize emergency department overcrowding and aid in the patient flow process of hospitals. The best way to determine admission criteria into such units remains to be a challenge as not all hospitals operate the same. We apply 3 machine learning algorithms to predict the length of stay (LOS) of all General Internal Medicine (GIM) patients at Toronto General Hospital based on patient flow and emergency room triage assessment data from January 2019 to December 2019. Of these patients, 46% of them had a LOS of less than 72 hours and of those patients 51% were GIM patients. To aid in the potential implementation of a GIM SSU, we investigate into the predictors of the best performing model. Performance metric precision was calculated and found to be 0.77 for the best performing model (Random Forest) after hyperparameter tuning and feature selection. The features affecting admission criteria for a potential GIM SSU were found to be the following: age, pulse, blood pressure, respirations, day of admission, and chief complaint. Predictive key words for patients with a LOS of less than 3 days were also identified. | M.A.S. | learning, invest, forest | 4, 9, 15 |
| Lung, Shih-Ju | Tsang, Ka Tat||Eaton, Andrew | The Trajectory and Posttraumatic Transformations of Suicide Bereavement: A Focus on the Experiences of Chinese Canadians | Social Work | 2023-06 | Suicide survivors have lost a loved one to suicide and often experience unique challenges when processing the loss. Addressing a gap in research, this study aims to understand Chinese Canadians’ lived experiences of suicide bereavement. This grounded theory qualitative study involved 11 self-identified Chinese Canadians who had lost loved one(s) to suicide. The findings suggest that when intertwined with questions of “why the person chose suicide” and “what if I had noticed their struggles”, participants reported intensified feelings of shock, sadness, and guilt. The stigma around suicide in Chinese culture exacerbated suicide survivors’ challenges. Contrastingly, strong social support served as a facilitator to counter the negative impact of stigma. Suicide survivors reported increased mental health awareness and strengthened interpersonal relationships following the suicide loss. Both challenges and growth following the death were identified by participants. Study limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed. | M.S.W. | mental health | 3 |
| Alimowska, Olga Aleksandra | Prosser, Robert Scott | Strategies for Resolving Functional States in Complex Proteins | Chemistry | 2023-06 | Guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large family of proteins that mediate many physiological responses, notably sensory and neuronal signalling, and cell homeostasis. Nearly one-third of approved prescription pharmaceuticals target GPCRs for their druggability and dispersion across the body and hence are essential to study. Biophysical techniques (i.e., NMR and fluorescence) provide detailed information regarding GPCR functional states and conformational dynamics associated with their activation and pharmacology. While these spectroscopic methods often reveal a complex conformational ensemble, it is often difficult to resolve conformers based solely on their electrostatic microenvironments. Here we evaluated two novel tags, for NMR and fluorescence applications. In the former case, we implemented and tested a new thiol-reactive fluorinated lactim/lactam tautomer (ITFPA) exhibiting unprecedented chemical shift sensitivity to polarity. In the latter case, we performed preliminary studies on a solvatochromic fluorophore (PM3_6), whose emissions are also known to depend on microenvironment. | M.Sc. | emission, emissions | 7, 13 |
| Sklar, Michael Chaim | Brochard, Laurent | Duration of Diaphragmatic Inactivity after Endotracheal Intubation of Critically Ill Patients | Medical Science | 2023-06 | There is a recognized pathophysiological association between mechanical ventilation (MV) and respiratory muscle dysfunction, particularly the diaphragm and is associated with adverse outcomes. In this study, we aimed to assess the duration of absent or excessively low diaphragm activity after intubation by continuously measuring the electrical activity of the diaphragm (EAdi) soon after intubation in critically ill patients and assessed the relationship between EAdi and diaphragm activity on ultrasound. We hypothesized that resumption of activity was influenced by disease severity and sedation management. Sixty-nine patients were analyzed, the median time to EAdi recovery was 22 hours. Prolonged duration of EAdi suppression was associated with sedative agents and controlled modes of ventilation, but severity of illness was not. We found that low levels of diaphragm electrical activity are common in the early course of mechanical ventilation, and it may be related to clinician behaviour and sedation prescription. | M.Sc. | ABS, illness | 2, 3 |
| Ackermann, Sydney | Osmond, Matthew M | The Lattice Model of Fragmentation Modes: A Multilevel Selection Model of a Major Transition in Individuality | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-06 | A multicellular organism is a group of cooperating cells. But wherever there is cooperation, there is the temptation to cheat. Cancer cells are cheating cells. On a cellular level there is selection for cells that replicate faster, even if it is to the detriment of the organism. Given this phenomenon, what has facilitated and maintained the transition to multicellular life? The unicellular bottleneck has been hypothesized as an adaptation to deal with these cheating cells by increasing kinship among cells in the organism and purging lineages of cancer cells. Meanwhile, competition between organisms may favour larger offspring. I created a simulation to investigate the most adaptive life history strategies given the trade-off between different selective forces acting on propagule size. This model provides insight into a major transition in individuality, and in particular, the evolution of clonal, multicellular life cycles. | M.Sc. | invest, trade, transit | 9, 10, 11 |
| Da Silva, Nicole Pinheiro | Anderson, G. Harvey | The Effects of Dairy and Non-dairy Aternatives on Post-prandial Gycemia and Appetite in Healthy Young Adults | Nutritional Sciences | 2023-06 | The hypothesis that dairy products will reduce post-prandial glycemia (PGG) and appetite more than their plant-based alternatives before and after a fixed size meal in healthy young adults was explored. Experiment one compared one-serving of Greek yogurt or cheddar cheese to their plant-based alternatives. Experiment two compared one-serving of 2% milk, vanilla soy beverage, vanilla almond beverage, cheddar cheese, and vegan cheese. In experiment one, PPG was reduced by premeal consumption of Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese compared to their plant-based alternatives. In experiment two, PPG differed among dairy products and their plant-based alternatives. Similarly, post-prandial appetite and appetite responses during the second meal were product dependent. Overall, premeal consumption of semi-solid and solid dairy food resulted in lowered PPG than their plant-based alternatives. Future research is necessary to determine components in dairy products and their plant-based alternatives that contribute to PGG, insulin responses, and appetite control. | M.Sc. | consum, vegan | 12, 13 |
| Rakowska, Scarlett Barbara | Adams, Matthew D | Utilizing Mobile Monitoring to Predict the Spatial Distribution of Urban Air Temperature and Associations of Marginalization at a Microscale in Mississauga, Ontario | Geography | 2023-06 | This thesis has two main objectives: to determine if the model based on continuous collection of air temperature observations could produce better performing results than a semi-stationary collection to estimate a microscale surface of urban air temperature, and second, to investigate the spatial associations between marginalization and air temperature in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The first objective was achieved by sampling air temperature by mobile monitoring, then comparing the performance of models generated from continuous collection and semi-stationary using regression kriging. Results demonstrated that the model generated from the air temperature data from continuous collection performed better. The second objective was achieved by expanding our air temperature results from the first objective and using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) modelling techniques to understand the associations between marginalization and air temperature. Results demonstrated that the spatial differences in urban air temperature in Mississauga do not align with marginalization. | M.Sc. | invest, urban | 9, 11 |
| Vlahos, Fotini | Buckner, Elizabeth | Debunking the International Student Problem: Redefining Plagiarism as Culturally Specific Behaviours for Demonstrating Widely Held Moral Values | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-06 | Academic misconduct is a global issue in higher education, but literature from Western countries like Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom, seem to frame it as an “international student problem”. This assumption is both essentialist and racist, absolving the institution of responsibility in the teaching and learning relationship. In this study, I debunk this concept as a complex, socially constructed issue that naturalizes the academic cultural capital of the white, Western middle-class. I do so through a comparison of Eastern, Western, and African ideal types for normative constructions of academically honest behaviours. In comparing each type to the International Center for Academic Integrity’s values for academic integrity, I encourage Western faculty and institutions of higher education to realize their joint responsibility with students in maintaining academic integrity so that international students can be better supported towards academic success. | M.A. | ABS, learning, capital, institut | 2, 4, 9, 16 |
| Musani, Iman | Ansloos, Jeffrey | Towards Quality Care: Understanding Mental Health Service Providers in the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-06 | Mental health-related harms and suicide are significant public health crises among Indigenous populations in Canada, with outcomes being attributed to lasting impacts of colonization, ongoing marginalization, and barriers to accessing services. The Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program is a federally funded program for First Nation and Inuit people that seeks to address disparities in access to care through services, including mental health counselling, that are not otherwise covered through insurance programs. Despite growing uptake and increasing expenditures for the mental health counselling area, this analysis serves as one of the first evaluations of the program. Data from a nationwide survey for NIHB mental health providers was used to summarize demographic information, assess providers’ beliefs about suicide, and explore the relationship between experience and provider confidence levels. Our growing understanding has lasting implications for policy and practice, including addressing gaps in service delivery and clarifying areas where more training is needed. | M.A. | mental health, public health, indigenous | 3, 10, 16 |
| Musomi, Ian Joshua | Madibbo, Amal A.M | Integration Experiences of Kenyans in North America: A Case Study on Canada and the USA | Social Justice Education | 2023-06 | This thesis examines the integration experiences of Kenyan immigrants in North America, with a primary focus on Canada and the US. The study employs a qualitative methodology and integration and transnational theory to investigate the different experiences of Kenyan immigrants in both nations, as well as the factors affecting their integration. Findings indicate that although Kenyan immigrants to North America encounter language, cultural and social capital obstacles, they are also able to find a sense of community and belonging. Despite these challenges, the study shows that Kenyans have used a variety of tactics to disrupt the obstacles and seize the chances that North America has to offer. This thesis offers significant insights into the ways in which immigrants from Kenya manage their life in their new cultures and helps our knowledge of the integration experience of those immigrants in North America. Additionally, through this study, both the positive and negative impacts of transnationalism are determined and examined. | M.A. | knowledge, capital, invest, nationalism | 4, 9, 16 |
| Dai, Nasia | Husain, Dr. Muhammed Ishrat | Assessing Astrocyte Function in Bipolar Depression | Pharmacology | 2023-06 | Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a chronic mental disorder characterised by episodes of hypomanic/manic, depressed, or mixed mood. Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) is an enzyme that is associated with oxidative stress in the brain and is found in astrocytes, a type of glial cell. Reports suggest neuroinflammation in BD may be associated with astrocyte dysfunction. The aim of this pilot positron emission tomography (PET) study was to evaluate MAO-B volume distribution (VT) as an index of astrocyte activity in the prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex of adults with BD depression using the radiotracer, [11C]SL2511.88. Recruitment was conducted at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto from January 2021 and is ongoing. Findings indicated reduced MAO-B VT in participants with BD depression (n=4) compared to healthy controls (n=20), suggesting astrocyte loss/dysfunction. Further investigations are required to confirm whether reduced MAO-B VT is associated with the neuropathology of BD depression. | M.Sc. | mental health, emission, invest | 3, 7, 9 |
| Liu, Linkun | Kwon, Roy | Modeling and Comparison of Parallel Heuristic Algorithms for Trade Optimization | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | This thesis proposes a mathematical optimization model for the trade optimization (TO) problem, considering various general features and key performance indicators (KPIs) from both commodity suppliers and retailers' perspectives. It also introduces parallel models for genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA), and large-scale neighborhood search (LNS) to solve the TO problem. The study aims to evaluate and compare the performance of these heuristic optimization algorithms in terms of convergence behavior, solution quality, and robustness. The contributions include a novel optimization model, a parallel framework implemented using Python, and a comprehensive evaluation of different heuristic optimization algorithms in the TO context. Experimental results indicate that the suggested parallel framework greatly improves both the convergence rate and the quality of the solution. Overall, among the three algorithms, SA exhibits the most superior performance. The study provides insights and guidelines for solving complex optimization problems in the context of trade optimization. | M.A.S. | trade | 10 |
| Suderman, Richard Peter | Changoor, Adele||Grynpas, Marc D | Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation: Tissue Storage and Surgical Factors Using an Ovine Model | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-06 | An effective surgical treatment for large cartilage lesions is Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation (OCAT). The method and duration of cadaveric donor tissue storage prior to transplantation can reduce chondrocyte viability, which is directly correlated to negative clinical outcomes. Active research aims to increase chondrocyte viability at extended durations of storage. Effects of long-term storage were investigated by quantifying changes in ovine cartilage explants after storage in a proprietary, DMEM-based media known as MOPS. OCAT surgical techniques can also negatively impact cartilage quality. This thesis investigated the relationship between increased graft press-fit and insertion forces and resulting cell viability, using both human and ovine tissues. Finally, 3D-printed drill guides were developed for placement of osteochondral grafts in a pre-clinical ovine model. This thesis highlights interdependent factors that influence donor cartilage quality in OCAT, as well as identifying species differences that are important to consider when interpreting results from the pre-clinical ovine model. | M.A.S. | invest, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Pearse, Kendriah Anne | Wotton, Mike | Characterization of the Wildland Fire Environment and Situational Factors associated with Historical Wildfire Evacuations in the Province of Ontario, Canada | Forestry | 2023-06 | Evacuations in Ontario are used to ensure public safety from either the direct threat of wildfire or from the health impacts of smoke. The recommendation to evacuate is based on several factors, one being forecasted fire weather and fire danger from the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System. We examined fire danger and evacuation occurrence at both an annual scale and an individual community scale for Ontario. Annually, in Ontario smoke evacuation occurrence was associated with extreme Build Up Index (BUI), while direct threat evacuations were associated with extreme Fire Weather Index (FWI). When a fire occurred in the area around communities, fire size, distance from the community and maximum BUI had the strongest associations with evacuation occurrence. When differentiating evacuation cause, fires closer to communities were more strongly associated with direct threat evacuations. These results can inform Ontarians of the conditions associated with evacuations from wildland fires. | M.Sc. | weather, land | 13, 15 |
| Wahl, Helena Maria | Oladi Ghadikolaei, Soudeh||Kipkosgei, Evelyn | Accessible Localized, Trauma-focused Support for Refugee Students in K-6 Canadian Classrooms: A Codified Workbook for Educators | Social Justice Education | 2023-06 | Canadian educators play an important role as first responders for the increasing number of refugee students in classrooms. Refugee students enter the classroom with prior experiences of trauma from premigration, migration, and resettlement; educators must be trained and equipped to support the needs of these students. The present research explores a fusion of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and Art Therapy (AT) methodologies to design an accessible workbook format to be utilised by educators. NET and AT are effective strategies for trauma support with refugee communities and can efficiently translate into the localized and cooperative format of a workbook. An in-class workbook is a multi-modal trauma focused intervention strategy to incorporate family, peer, and community networks at the local level to accommodate the diversity and individuality of each refugee student. A biopsychosocial methodology works to emphasize the psychological, educational, and social realities of individual refugee students to develop resiliency skills and trauma support networks. | M.A. | refugee, resilien, accessib | 10, 11 |
| Wu, Phyllis Shin-Yu | Grasselli, Giovanni | Mechanical Properties of Outcropped Montney Formation | Civil Engineering | 2023-06 | This thesis presents experimental and image-processing studies on outcropped Montney Formation. The mechanical properties of the rock were obtained from a series of laboratory testing that was conducted following the International Society of Rock Mechanics Suggested Methods. From the results, the studied Montney Formation was classified as relatively strong compared to previous studies on other rocks from Montney Formation. Additionally, size effect was observed, and a positive correlation between acoustic emission and fracture toughness was discovered. In the second part of this thesis, the fracture network generated in a Montney Formation cube during a companion laboratory hydraulic fracturing experiment was three-dimensionally reconstructed using the serial section images method to understand the rock behaviour and fracture propagation. The serial section images and three-dimensional visualization showed that bedding planes and rock anisotropy have a significant influence on the generated fracture network geometry. These observations have important implications on the evaluation of the stimulated rock volume, as well as on completion strategies, as preferential opening of bedding planes might result in horizontal intra-well connectivity and increase parent-child interactions. | M.A.S. | emission, labor | 7, 8 |
| Chang, Hugo | Scardamalia, Marlene | Challenges and Possibilities for the Creation of Knowledge Building Dashboards | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2023-06 | In this paper, I discuss challenges and possibilities for design of a Knowledge Building dashboard. Knowledge Building aims to foster knowledge creation in education and requires high levels of agency in planning, monitoring, evaluating, and pursuing promising ideas to create new knowledge. Students must take collective responsibility for advancing community knowledge, working as an expert team to take ideas to increasingly high levels. Typically, education and learning dashboards focus on individual achievement; in contrast, Knowledge Building focuses on collective responsibility for advancing public knowledge. I review the literature on limitations in learning dashboards; for example, data misinterpretation, failure to accommodate personal preferences, irrelevant metrics, and lack of pedagogical focus, followed by designs that aim to moderate these limitations and provide bases for Knowledge Building dashboards to be added to Knowledge Forum, a technology specially built to support Knowledge Building. | M.A. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Fetwi Imam , Halle | Ratto, Matt | Resequencing Identity: African Americans and Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing | Information Studies | 2022-06 | This thesis examines the integration of direct-to-consumer genetic testing technologies into personal and group identity formation practices among African Americans. In framing race and identity as performative, I applied digital ethnographic and situational analyses frameworks to examine ‘ancestry reveals’ shared by African Americans mobilizing test results on YouTube. To do so, I examined 10 ancestry reveals highlighting collaborative meaning-making processes mediated through information infrastructures, both direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC GT) technologies and YouTube. Exploring ancestry reveals among African American consumers offers insight into an emerging practice merging technology, and the performativity of race and identity online. | M.I.S. | labor, infrastructure, consum | 8, 9, 12 |
| Manning, Alanna Margaret | Khan, Omar F | Development and Optimization of Multi-Motif Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Ribonucleic Acids | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Lipid nanoparticles and the emergence of RNA technology has come forth as a key player in the medical field in recent years. With the development of mRNA vaccines to treat SARS-COV2 the potential applications for RNA and lipid nanoparticles have expanded. Lipid nanoparticles comprised of an ionizable lipid encapsulating RNA payloads in its core, provide the delivery vehicle required for RNA to effectively enter cells. Using engineering design criteria and a rational approach, we discuss the synthesis of a novel ionizable lipid and its formulation into RNA nanoparticles. Lipid nanoparticle formulation optimization is an intricate process which can be engineered many ways to meet design criteria. In this body of work the process from conception to lead formulation is described, as well as in vitro and in vivo validation studies. | M.A.S. | vaccine | 3 |
| Manning, Alanna Margaret | Khan, Omar F | Development and Optimization of Multi-motif Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for the Delivery of Ribonucleic Acid | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Lipid nanoparticles and the emergence of RNA technology has come forth as a key player in the medical field in recent years. With the development of mRNA vaccines to treat SARS-COV2 the potential applications for RNA and lipid nanoparticles have expanded. Lipid nanoparticles comprised of an ionizable lipid encapsulating RNA payloads in its core, provide the delivery vehicle required for RNA to effectively enter cells. Using engineering design criteria and a rational approach, we discuss the synthesis of a novel ionizable lipid and its formulation into RNA nanoparticles. Lipid nanoparticle formulation optimization is an intricate process which can be engineered many ways to meet design criteria. In this body of work the process from conception to lead formulation is described, as well as in vitro and in vivo validation studies. | M.A.S. | vaccine | 3 |
| Kim, Gyoorie | Wang, Jue JW | Portraying the Urban Food Environment of the City of Toronto before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic through Yelp Reviews | Geography | 2022-11 | The obesity epidemic encompassing diet-related health outcomes, such as obesity and overweight, has risen as a public health crisis. The urban food environment, within which we make our daily food choices, is essential in influencing eating behaviours. Recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban dwellers have signaled changes in the urban environment that ultimately affected food consumption habits. This study utilizes Yelp reviews to capture changes in the environment, and improve our understanding of the consumers’ perceived urban food environment in the City of Toronto. The list of food words that can be used to identify content in social media data is expanded, then a comparison of the environment before and during the pandemic in relation to neighbourhood characteristics is performed. Results reveal that the food environment is disproportionately affected, and consumers’ favourableness towards healthy foods varied with neighbourhood characteristics. These findings should be considered for policy interventions catering to consumers’ characteristics. | M.Sc. | public health, urban, consum | 3, 11, 12 |
| Cohen, Rachel | Roshan Fekr, Atena||Fernie, Geoff | Staying Hydrated: An Automated Fluid Intake Monitoring System using a Vision-based Approach | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Staying hydrated is important at any stage of life and even more so as we age, as there are increased risks. There is a need for an accurate, automated system that tracks the amount of liquid consumed to prompt the user to drink. The objective of this thesis is to determine whether using cameras and depth cameras can accurately detect drinking events and determine the amount consumed when using deep learning models. We collected data with subjects performing household tasks, eating and drinking in a simulated home environment. We compared the use of both static images and videos as inputs to train the models, and the videos yielded a higher detection performance. Notably, using video inputs also allowed us to estimate the amount consumed throughout a sip with an error comparable to previous literature. If hydration can be tracked at home remotely to encourage intake, hospitalizations from dehydration can decrease. | M.A.S. | learning, consum | 4, 12 |
| Shi, Yucong | Andrews, Robert C. | Adsorption of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Microcystins by Virgin and Weathered Microplastics in Freshwater Matrices | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) both represent persistent environmental contaminants that have been associated with human health risks. Microcystins are naturally occurring cyanobacterial toxins that may be present in drinking water sources. Recent concerns have emerged regarding the ability of microplastics to adsorb various types of organic contaminants, including PFAS and microcystins. This study examined the adsorption of two long-chain and two short-chain PFAS by virgin microplastics, as well as two common microcystins by both virgin and weathered microplastics in freshwater. Results indicate adsorption to be driven by specific types of polymers and dominated by hydrophobic interactions. Weathering may decrease adsorption of microcystins by introducing hydrophilic oxygen-containing groups to microplastic surfaces. This is the first known study to determine if PFAS and microcystins may be concentrated by microplastics in freshwater when considering environmentally relevant concentrations while also addressing questions regarding weathered microplastics. | M.A.S. | water, weather, environmental | 6, 13 |
| Mondal, Subhajit | Hofmann, Ronald | Evaluation of Peracetic Acid Treatment for Reducing Disinfection By-product Formation in Drinking Water | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Prechlorination is a widely adopted mussel control strategy by water treatment utilities. Although prechlorination is effective and inexpensive, it leads to disinfection by-product (DBP) formation. Peracetic acid (PAA), which exists in equilibrium with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), is a promising alternative to prechlorination for mussel control. At the same time, PAA may also destroy DBP precursors, thereby serving two concurrent roles in drinking water treatment. This research explored the ability of PAA pre-oxidation to reduce subsequent chlorination DBPs (THMs, HAAs, and AOX). The results showed that a 5 mg/L PAA dose (containing about 10% H₂O₂ by mass) decreased DBP formation potential by up to 40% in raw water (pH:7.8-8.2, temperature:22-24 °C) collected from three Ontario utilities. The findings also indicate that H₂O₂ is more effective than PAA for reducing DBPs on a per mass basis. However, the poorer reactivity of PAA is compensated by its higher concentration in the PAA/H₂O₂ mixture. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Wu, Menghong | Andrews, Robert RCA||Peng, Hui HP | Desorption of Organotin and Organophosphorus Compounds from Virgin Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics in Freshwater | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment. Health concerns exist regarding chemicals that have been added during plastic production and may desorb from MPs into water. Previous studies have examined desorption of chemical additives from MPs into marine environments, however only limited studies consider freshwaters that also represent sources of drinking water. This thesis examined the desorption of two groups of chemical additives, organotin (OTCs) and organophosphorus compounds (OPs) from virgin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in artificial freshwater (AFW). Higher desorption was observed when considering smaller size (45 - 125 µm) PVC particles compared to larger (300 - 500 µm) particles. Water quality factors including pH and the presence of chlorine or chloramines were observed to impact OTC desorption. This thesis provides new information regarding the desorption of chemical additives such that potential risks may be better understood when considering freshwater sources of drinking water. | M.A.S. | water, production, marine | 6, 12, 14 |
| Allana, Amir | Kuluski, Kerry||Pinto, Andrew D | The Role of Paramedics in Integrated Care | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-03 | Health systems look to improve by enacting principles of ‘integrated care,’ but lack guidance on being responsive to local needs. This qualitative study examined the evolving role of paramedics in integrated care, finding that paramedics fill localized gaps in health and social services and serve as flexible, adaptive capacity in health systems. They perform unscheduled response functions and support prevention and primary care, targeting both broad, low-needs populations and more complex, high-needs populations. The findings support that integrated care systems can be enhanced by community-based services accessed through a single-point-of-entry, delivered by a generalist, flexible health workforce that is mobile in the community. This means fostering local organizational networks, allowing local control and experimentation, balancing standardization with flexibility and assessing value at a system level. Further work is needed on governance approaches to enable this, and clarifying the role of paramedics in the skill mix of integrated care teams. | M.Sc. | governance | 16 |
| Velayudhan, Prashanth Surjeet | Wheeler, Anne L | Characterizing the Window of Vulnerability in a Mouse Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury | Physiology | 2022-03 | Following one mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), there is a window of vulnerability during which subsequent mTBIs can cause exacerbated impairments. I characterized this window in mice by giving them one or two mTBIs separated by various intervals and measuring their resulting behavioural impairment using the Y-maze, visual cliff, and novel object recognition tests as well as their white matter pathology by silver staining. The window of vulnerability following our lab’s mTBI model was over 2 weeks when defined by silver staining but was not detectable when defined by behavioural testing. I also found that sex and impact severity differentially affect post-mTBI vulnerability in different white matter regions. This work highlights the value of including white matter damage, sex, and replicable mTBI models for the study of post-mTBI vulnerability. As well, this work establishes important groundwork for the future investigation of mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapies for post-mTBI vulnerability. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, wind, invest | 1, 7, 9 |
| Medina Cruz, Alison | Raught, Brian | Investigating the Role of the SUMO System in PAX5- ETV6-driven Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | Medical Biophysics | 2022-03 | Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer, diagnosed in ~1140 children every year in Canada. Despite a high 5-year survival rate, it remains one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in children. Predisposing factors of ALL include several chromosomal translocations that give rise to fusion proteins. Among them is PAX5-ETV6, a gene fusion present in ~1% of pediatric ALL cases. Very little is known about the PAX5-ETV6 protein interactome. Using proximity-dependent biotinylation, I found a prominent association between PAX5-ETV6 and components of the SUMO system, which plays important roles in heterochromatin formation and maintenance. A better understanding of this interaction could help shed light on the initiation mechanism for this disease and importantly - could be targeted therapeutically. So, I investigated the role of the SUMO system in PAX5-ETV6 leukemogenesis and examined the possible therapeutic effects of SUMO inhibitors on these types of cancers. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Fu, Yiyang | Triverio, Piero||Jimenez Juan, Laura | A Comparative Study of Regular- and High-fidelity Solvers for the Prediction of Aortic Hemodynamics | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-03 | Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of cardiovascular systems are currently very time consuming. Simulation results significantly depend on the specific algorithms used and inappropriate choices of their settings may compromise accuracy. There is a clear need to understand the impact of algorithms and spatial/temporal resolutions on the accuracy of hemodynamics results. More efficient algorithms for cardiovascular flows in thoracic aorta are needed to allow incorporation of CFD simulations into the clinical decision cycle. In this thesis, we conducted a comparative study between regular-fidelity and high-fidelity CFD algorithms, in terms of performance and accuracy of predicted hemodynamic indices. The high-fidelity solver showed a superiority in detecting high-frequency flow patterns and, on par of accuracy, the high-fidelity solver was 150 times faster compared to the regular-fidelity solver. This thesis can also serve as a guideline to the selection of temporal and spatial resolutions to achieve accurate hemodynamic results for patient-specific aortic flow simulations. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Richardson, Elizabeth Anne | Huang, Annie A | Defining Synthetic Lethal Pathways in ATRT-MYC Tumours | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2021-03 | Atypical Rhabdoid Teratoid Tumours (ATRTs) are malignant embryonal brain tumours, of which the ATRT-MYC subgroup are particularly invasive and treatment-resistant with poor clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the cellular effects of the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor Dasatinib on ATRT-MYC tumours in vitro, as well as identify and characterize drug compounds that act synergistically with Dasatinib. Here I show that Dasatinib has a cytostatic, but not cytotoxic effect at IC50 concentrations. Proliferative impairment observed is most consistent with senescence and G1/S cell cycle arrest. Vorinostat, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, was found to act synergistically with Dasatinib at near-IC50 doses; combination showed cytostatic effects, with increased senescence markers and impaired cell cycle progression. In conclusion, while Dasatinib and Vorinostat combination did not elicit cell death, it effectively suppressed ATRT-MYC proliferation. Further study of Dasatinib-Vorinostat combination is warranted in vivo as a potential therapy for this highly lethal disease. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ferguson, Phillip | Watson, Jeanne C | Reconnecting with One's Lost Self: Experiencing the Emotion-focused Meditation Group Intervention | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-03 | A qualitative approach was taken to explore the experiences of men who have sex with men (MSM) and who live with HIV (LWH) who participated in the Emotion-Focused Meditation (EFM) group intervention. EFM is an approach to meditation that combines key aspects of Emotion Focused Therapy with an open monitoring form of mindfulness known as Recollective Awareness. Archival audio recordings of group therapy sessions were transcribed and coded using a modified constructivist grounded theory approach to analysis. A core category of Reconnecting with One’s Lost Self: Experiencing the EFM Group Intervention emerged. A hierarchical model of reconnecting with one’s lost self was developed that subsumed all other categories. By extrapolating principles from this model, a theory of Reconnecting with One’s Lost Self was proposed which identifies factors that contribute to reconnecting with one’s lost self. Limitations of the current research are presented along with suggestions for further research. | M.A. | mindfulness | 3 |
| Yim, King-Sin Winfield | Yoshioka, Keiko||Scott, James | Identification and Characterization of Bacterial Isolates that can Enhance Plant Immunity | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-03 | The ability of soil microorganisms to protect plants has been known for a century and their biotechnological use for crop protection has gained increasing attention. In this study, to identify bacterial strains that can protect crop plants and understand their mechanisms, two bacterial libraries were screened in Arabidopsis thaliana and/or Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) against Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000. Through this project, a high-throughput imaging system was developed and in total, 19 bacteria were identified to mitigate disease symptoms. Some of these isolates exhibited direct anti-microbial activity, while other strains did not, suggesting that they induce immunity, termed induced systemic resistance (ISR). In addition, some of the strains showed plant growth promoting effects. Overall, I have established the high throughput method to identify plant immunity-inducing bacteria that can be used for further agricultural biotechnological research. | M.Sc. | agricultur, soil | 2, 15 |
| Osazuwa, Sandra | Moodley, Roy | (Re)Negotiating the Centre: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Black Community's Attitudes Towards Culturally Integrative African Healing Traditions and Western Psychotherapeutic Systems | Psychology | 2021-03 | The increased interest and use of holistic and traditional healing systems among diverse groups have inspired a demand for culturally integrative mental health treatments and research. This study used a postcolonial lens to explore how Canada’s African descendants might respond to a psychotherapeutic approach that culturally integrates African healing traditions (AHT) and Western systems. Ten participants were recruited for semi-structured interviews. The data were thematically analyzed using a grounded theory approach, and a mid-level theory was proposed. The findings indicated that the participants’ attitudes and experiences with AHT systems and Western psychotherapy influenced their attitudes and receptiveness towards interventions that aim to culturally integrate AHT and Western systems for psychotherapeutic purposes. Implications for clinical practice and theory were provided, along with recommendations for future research. | M.A. | mental health | 3 |
| Zhao, Mudi | Arruda-Carvalho, Maithe | Capturing Heightened Impulsivity In Adolescent Mice using A T-Maze Delay Discounting Task | Psychology | 2021-03 | Delay discounting is a well-established measure of heightened impulsive decision-making during adolescence. The VTA and mPFC are implicated in delay discounting and undergo developmental alterations during adolescence. It remains elusive, however, as to whether the functional maturation of this circuit underlies age-dependent changes in delay discounting. In this study, we used a T-maze delay discounting task and found C57BLK6/J wildtype adolescent mice to exhibit steeper delay discounting than adults with a five second delay contingency. This difference in impulsivity was not driven by age-dependent abilities in cognitive and behavioural flexibility. To measure in vivo calcium signaling in dopaminergic VTA axons in the PL during delay discounting decision-making, we injected a Cre-dependent calcium sensor in TH-cre animals and saw no terminal viral expression after thirty days. Furthermore, TH-Cre adolescent animals exposed to deep anaesthetic ketamine did not exhibit heightened impulsivity compared to adult counterparts. | M.A. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Lofft, Zoe | Comelli, Elena M | Investigating the Effects of Cranberry Proanthocyanidin and its Microbial Metabolites on the Human Intestinal MiRNome In Vitro | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-03 | The molecular basis underlying the known anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties of cranberries is incompletely understood. The objectives of this project were to determine microRNA signatures of Caco-2BBe1 cells in response to a cranberry proanthocyanidin-enriched extract and two of its gut microbial metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and 3-(4- hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid, evaluate if they were maintained in an inflammatory environment, and assess if the treatments mitigated inflammatory microRNA signatures. Each treatment generated a distinct microRNA signature, but the metabolites shared a “core” microRNA response. Treatment signatures were disrupted following IL-1β challenge, but the extract and 3,4- dihydroxyphenylacetic acid partially reversed microRNAs upregulated by IL-1β. Gene targets of microRNAs altered by the metabolites, but not the extract, were significantly enriched in many pathways relating to cell growth and development and pathways in cancer. Conclusively, the health effects of cranberry could be mediated via host microRNA and the gut microbiome may be indispensable to its bioactivity. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| John, Noah Austin | Thomas, Scott||Taha, Tim | Investigation of Modern Basketball Movement Demands by Film Analysis to Inform Training Interventions | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-03 | The feasibility and utility of film-analysis for studying basketball movements completed by NBA guards in the context of performance training was examined.The action type, plane of movement and estimated joint actions of ten NBA guards in five 4th quarter performances were characterized using count data. Athletes made 0.74 + 0.15 movements of interest per minute of performance. Four movements; Change of Direction, Single Leg Bound, Single Leg Jump, and Forward Curvilinear Acceleration, comprised > 80% of observations. Movements were primarily in the sagittal plane. Ankle Plantar Flexion, Knee Flexion, Hip Flexion, and Hip External Rotation were frequently observed. Principal Component Analysis indicated Flexion actions at the hip, knee and ankle were highly linked, while external rotation of the hip was independently important. The film analysis techniques were successfully utilized. Variation in exercise selection for the features of movement plane and joint action may better prepare athletes to meet demands. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Smith, Sarah Ann | Charach, Alice | Characteristics of Child and Adolescents Hospitalized with Eating Disorder Diagnoses in Ontario Over Time | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-03 | Methods: Population-based repeated cross-sectional design using linked health administrative and demographic datasets of individuals aged 5-17 years residing in Ontario between April 2002 and March 2020. Outcomes included rates, and relative changes in rates, of hospitalization overall and by patient sex, age and eating disorder diagnoses. Poisson regression models examined risk ratios of multiple hospitalizations.Results: The largest relative changes in rates per 10,000 population were observed for males (417%, 0.2 to 1.1), individuals aged 12-14 (196%, 2.8 to 8.1) and those with eating disorders other than anorexia or bulimia nervosa (254%, 0.6 to 2.2). Risk ratios of multiple hospitalizations decreased after 2011. Conclusion: Changes over time in the characteristics of hospitalized pediatric eating disorder patients have implications for health service planning, evaluation, clinical research and healthcare provider education. | M.Sc. | healthcare | 3 |
| Pham, Christine | Gray-Owen, Scott | Investigating Bacterial Fitness Determinants in a Humanized Mouse Model of Gonococcal Infection | Molecular Genetics | 2023-03 | Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes the sexually transmitted bacterial disease, gonorrhea, which can have devastating consequences on reproductive health. Climbing rates of gonococcal infection and the rise of antibiotic resistance has prompted the development of novel therapies. Our lab previously identified genetic adaptations consistently selected for in N. gonorrhoeae after passaging under in vivo and in vitro conditions, revealing a GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) whose role in N. gonorrhoeae had not yet been explored. Here, I generated a GNAT knockout in N. gonorrhoeae (DGNAT). DGNAT was outcompeted by its isogenic wild type strain during co-infection in a murine model. DGNAT also exhibited impaired invasion of human epithelial cells and an altered metabolic profile compared to the wild type strain. Proteomic analyses were conducted to highlight differences in global acetylation between the strains. This work explores the potential role of a GNAT and the effects of protein acetylation on bacterial fitness of N. gonorrhoeae. | M.Sc. | reproductive health, invest | 3, 9 |
| Abbasi, Hanaan | Walker, Gilbert | Analyzing Stability and Protein Interaction of RNA Loaded “OnpattroTM” Lopid Nanoparticle | Chemistry | 2023-03 | RNA medicines show potential to be viable treatments for multiple diseases, although treatments suffer from low bioavailability given the efficiency of the immune system at degrading RNA. This creates an urgent need for delivery systems, and lipid nanoparticles are the leading non-viral delivery systems. The stability and protein interactions of RNA loaded lipid nanoparticles made with the formulation used in OnpattroTM was analyzed. Size measurements were performed to analyze the nanoparticle characteristics as size is a sensitive attribute. Size is often measured initially for release of LNP drugs because it is a good reporter of undesirable traits in a nanoparticle formulation. Size measurements were performed using Nanoparticle tracking analysis, and Cryo-TEM was used to observe size and morphology. This project aims to understand the storage stability of the RNA loaded LNPs to establish better practices for handling and understanding protein interactions to better support future cell and animal studies. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Wu, Dixin | Liebeherr, Jorg | A Low-Cost Low-Power Wide-Area Network For Environmental Sensing | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | Sustainability and climate monitoring efforts create a need for long-term, in-situ sensing of large geographic areas. However, environmental monitoring in developing countries remains impeded by a lack of low-cost, scalable IoT solutions. Most existing IoT systems for in-situ sensing are either low-cost or suitable for large areas, but not both. This thesis presents CottonCandy, a LoRa-based mesh network solution with which nodes self-organize in a spanning-tree topology in a distributed fashion. Scalability is achieved by developing methods that mitigate packet collisions during data collection. Each CottonCandy node runs on a low-cost, custom-built circuit board and can operate for years on 2 AA batteries. Evaluations by simulation show that a CottonCandy network can be scaled to at least 100 nodes across hundreds of square kilometers and achieve a packet delivery ratio of >90%. Measurements of an outdoor deployment with 15 nodes corroborate the high packet delivery ratio in a real-life setting. | M.A.S. | climate, environmental | 13 |
| Santilli, Jessica | Coburn, Bryan | Pulmonary Microbial Composition and Density as Prognostic Markers in Lung Transplantation | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2023-03 | Introduction: Allograft microbial community composition and density are associated with chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) in lung transplant recipients. Approach & Hypothesis: We assessed the performance of allograft microbiota for prediction of CLAD and hypothesized that quantitative (continuous) microbial predictors of CLAD would outperform categorical composition-only models of the lung allograft microbiota. Methods & Results: 16S rRNA sequencing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from two cohorts of lung transplant recipients revealed three compositional ‘extremes’ of the lung allograft; community state types (CST). In a case-control study of lung transplant recipients who did or did not develop CLAD, clinical culture and density-normalized relative abundance of Gammaproteobacteria outperformed sequencing-based CSTs for prediction of CLAD. Conclusions: Clinical culture and absolute abundance of BALF microbes may predict CLAD in lung transplantation. The identification of these targets may allow the use of widely available, rapid, and sequencing-independent microbiome analysis for this application. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Xu, Hang Yu (Calvin) | Qian, Li | Demonstration of a Plarization-frequency Hyperentangled Photon Pair Source based on Periodically Poled Silica Fiber | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | Hyperentangled photons are particles of light that exhibit quantum correlations in multiple degrees of freedom simultaneously. The simultaneous entanglement in these degrees of freedom allows hyperentanglement to provide a distinct advantage over entanglement by increasing the information capacity per particle. Therefore, there is much demand for a high quality hyperentangled source, especially in fiber-based applications such as long distance quantum communication. Periodically poled silica fiber is a strong candidate for directly generating photon pairs in fiber, producing broadband collinear polarization-frequency hyperentangled photon pairs. However, collinear photon pairs cannot be simply accessed for practical applications without reducing their available information capacity. In this thesis, I investigate a method for separating these photon pairs while maintaining their original information capacity. I demonstrate the separation of the photon pairs, measure the degradation of the entanglement quality, and discuss the sources of this degradation as well as possible improvements to avoid degradation. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Archambault, Étienne | Saunders, Natasha R.||Vigod, Simone | Mental Health Outcomes in Childhood Survivors of Physical Assault: A Population-Based Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-03 | Objectives: Compare the risk of adverse mental health outcomes and describe patterns of mental illness among children who experienced physical assault vs. non-assaulted children.Methods: Population-based matched cohort study comparing physically assaulted children 0–13 years old (n=5487) and age-matched non-assaulted children (n=27,435). Hazard ratios (HR) were generated for the primary outcome, incident mental illness. Results: Incident mental illness was highest in assaulted children (exposed: 53.3/1000 person-years, unexposed: 32.2/1000 person-years; adjusted HR (aHR) 1.96; 95%CI 1.85-2.08). The greatest risk of mental illness was observed in the first year following assault (aHR 3.08; 95%CI 2.68-3.54). Non-psychotic disorders were the most common mental health disorder in both groups and exposed children more frequently sought acute care compared to unexposed children (14.0% vs. 2.8%). Conclusions: Children who experience physical assault were at high risk of mental illness. Findings suggest there is an opportunity to support children in the first year following assault. | M.Sc. | mental health, illness | 3 |
| Yang, Peng | Esmaeili, Kamran | Advances in Mine Pit Wall Geological Mapping using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology and Deep Learning | Civil Engineering | 2023-03 | With rising costs and decreasing high-grade reserves, there has been an increased focus in mining operations to improve and to optimize current practices, including pit wall geological mapping. Proper mapping is critical for open pit mining operations since accurately and efficiently identifying the location, spatial variation, and type of geological features on mine faces will greatly decrease dilution and increase geological certainty. Conventional techniques rely on physically examining the pit walls in close proximity and laboratory testing of collected field samples, which are labour-intensive and can expose personnel to hazards such as falling rocks and machineries. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and deep learning (DL) techniques can improve and complement existing practices by efficiently acquiring high-resolution pit wall images and automatically predicting geological units. This thesis investigates the application of geological mapping using UAV-acquired RGB image data with DL models, and also demonstrates the advantages and limitations using these methods. | M.A.S. | learning, labour, labor, invest | 4, 8, 9 |
| Gershanik, Daniel | Lawryshyn, Yuri A||Plataniotis, Konstantinos N | FCRC: A Fully Connected Recurrent Convolutional Network for Recommendation | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | In pursuit of superior recommendation performance, it is compulsory to leverage information that goes beyond simple user-item interaction histories. Traditional supervised learning recommenders, like factorization machines (FM), collect both userand item attributes to enhance their recommendation while treating each interaction as an independent data instance. Later research showed that interaction histories can be effectively organized into a knowledge graph (KG), thereby exploiting the data’s spatial information and interconnectedness. Although these KG-equipped methods are capable of superior performance, the advent of KGs, caused prevalent literature to bifurcate into item or user attribute models. By exploiting only a single knowledge domain, such models forego additional performance. This work combines both knowledge domains into a single Fully Connected Recurrent Convolutional Neural Network (FCRC). Specifically, a method for concurrently leveraging both knowledge domains into a single graph is presented, alongside a novel recurrent pooling approach for improved message passing throughout the graph. | M.A.S. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| Sambhus, Nikhil Pradeep | Abdelrahman, Tarek | Reuse-Aware Temporal Partitioning of Data-Flow Graphs on a Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Array | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | We design, implement and evaluate an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) model to partition dataflow graphs (DFGs) that exceed the resource capacity of a Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Array (CGRA) based system, called T-CGRA. T-CGRA tightly couples the CGRA to system memory, which gives rise to partitioning concerns not addressed in prior work. First, it leverages the opportunity to reuse a cache line to multiple load nodes in a DFG partition. This results in an increase in throughput by up to 56% compared to when reuse is ignored. Second, T-CGRA has a limit on concurrent memory transactions that can be issued, which the model enforces. This leads to a reduction of up to 33% in throughput. Third, the inter-partition reads/writes are modeled for correctly measuring communication traffic, as opposed to inter-partition edges, which a bulk of the prior work has done. This leads to an increase in throughput of up to 48%. | M.A.S. | reuse | 12 |
| Sawula, Evan | Nagy, Andras | Development of a Cell-mediated Passive Immunization System for Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Infection | Medical Science | 2023-03 | Immunologically impaired individuals respond poorly to vaccination, underscoring the need for alternative strategies to protect these vulnerable populations from COVID-19. The work contained in this thesis combines cell and monoclonal antibody engineering in an attempt to overcome the transient protective immunity afforded by passive monoclonal antibodies. Here, both mouse and human pluripotent stem cells engineered for safety and allogeneic acceptance were genetically modified to secrete potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing biologics (nBios). When transplanted subcutaneously, transgenic mouse embryonic stem cells and their differentiated derivatives deliver a supply of protective nBio titers for long periods of time in vivo, resulting in high and persistent plasma SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing activity. Altogether, this work establishes the foundation for a novel approach to passive immunization by demonstrating the potential for long-lived ‘off-the-shelf’ cell products that secrete neutralizing antibodies to confer sustained passive prophylaxis against current and future viral pathogens. | M.Sc. | vulnerable population | 10 |
| Elshennawy, Sally Mahmoud | Gong, Siew-Ging SGG | In-Vitro Characterization of the Effects of a Developing Oral Probiotic Against Dental Caries in Orthodontic Patients (Streptococcus Salivarius LAB813, a Probiotic Against Dental Caries) | Dentistry | 2023-03 | Dental caries is the most common worldwide chronic disease with an increased incidence in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Streptococcus salivarius, LAB813, has shown inhibitory activity against Streptococcus mutans (MS), the major cariogenic bacterial species. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of S. salivarius, LAB813, against S. mutans biofilms using mono-, dual-, and multi-species cariogenic biofilms formed on three types of orthodontic appliances. Our results demonstrated that LAB813 significantly inhibited S. mutans biofilms with cell killing of approximating 99% in a mono-species biofilms and 90% in a complex multi-species biofilm on all tested orthodontic materials. Furthermore, precoating the appliances with LAB813 strongly inhibited the formation of S. mutans biofilm. Finally, the addition of xylitol potentiated the inhibitory effects of LAB813 against S. mutans embedded in a more complex biofilm. In conclusion, LAB813 possesses strong antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, potent anti-biofilm properties, and enhanced antimicrobial activity in the presence of xylitol. | M.Sc. | invest, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Han, Tianran | Sanders, Graham | Beyond Landscape: Self-Expression in Xie Lingyun’s (385–433) Music Bureau Poetry and Imitation Poems Series | East Asian Studies | 2023-03 | The Southern Dynasties poet Xie Lingyun 謝靈運 (385–433) is known as the pioneer of Chinese landscape poetry (shanshui shi 山水詩). Scholarly attention has been focusing on the accomplishments of Xie Lingyun’s landscape poetry and his philosophical thoughts; meanwhile, studies of his other poetic works are relatively few. While scholars argue that the writing of imitation poems was from the perspective of literary criticism, and the motivation was to express the inheritance and respect of Jian’an建安 (196–220) literature and Music Bureau (yuefu 樂府), they neglect the poet’s self-expression of writing styles and emotions. The thesis will concentrate on Xie Lingyun’s lesser-studied imitation poetry. It argues that the poems demonstrate the poet’s distinctive writing styles, personality traits and sentiments. This thesis aims to interpret Xie Lingyun’s imitative poem series and music bureau poetry as a form of self-expression that will reveal individual and diverse values and meanings. | M.A. | land | 15 |
| Rostam Shirazi , Niyousha | Licht, Christoph | Role of the Complement System and Vascular Endothelium in COVID-19 Pathogenesis | Medical Science | 2023-03 | While COVID-19's pathophysiology remains poorly understood, evidence links complement system and endothelial injury to organ damage that increases mortality of this disease. In this study, sera from SARS-CoV-2-positive patients with mild (n=7) and severe COVID-19 (n=7) were used to investigate complement activation and endothelial injury. Complement products C3b and C5b-9 on endothelial cells (ECs) exposed to patient sera were measured using immunofluorescence assays, and endothelial monolayer exposed to patient sera was tested for permeability using a transwell model. C3b and C5b-9 deposition was significantly higher on ECs treated with SARS-CoV-2-positive sera than with normal human serum. ECs treated with mild COVID-19 sera had greater C3b deposition, whereas ECs treated with severe COVID-19 sera had higher C5b-9 deposition. Regardless of severity, SARS-CoV-2-positive patient sera increased monolayer permeability over time. Thus, we show that complement is overactivated in SARS- CoV-2-positive patients, and anti-complement treatments may be beneficial in treating COVID- 19-associated vascular injury damage. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Woo, Tristan Suejin Donna | Notta, Faiyaz | GATA6: A Molecular Regulator of Pancreatic Tumour Growth and Phenotype | Medical Biophysics | 2023-03 | Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has been classified into two main transcriptional subtypes, Basal-like and Classical. The Classical subtype correlates with GATA6 expression, and ~16% of tumors show amplification in GATA6. The goal of this project is to understand the role of GATA6 as a molecular regulator of the Classical subtype. Competition assays show loss of GATA6 reduced cell fitness. Gene expression analysis showed GATA6 was integral in maintaining Classical gene expression and loss led to shifts towards more Basal-like expression and pathways. Despite a transcriptional shift towards Basal-like expression, phenotypic characteristics of the Basal-like subtype were notably absent (i.e., no EMT, MYC expression, or aggressive growth). This data suggests that loss of GATA6 is not sufficient to cause a full Basal-like phenotype and may lead to a transitional state that does not offer the same growth advantages as being in a full Basal-like state. | M.Sc. | ABS, transit | 2, 11 |
| Talaei Khoozani, Kimia | Betz, Vaughn T | Capturing Realistic Architectures for Field Programmable Gate Array Optimization | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | The use of FPGAs is growing, and with it the need for open-source CAD tools that are customizable and easily accessible. Benchmarking is crucial for the development of these tools, as it helps identify areas for improvement and evaluate updates and new features. This thesis presents a VPR-compatible architecture description of Intel’s Stratix 10 device for use as a benchmarking test case in FPGA CAD flows. The capture is used to benchmark the performance of VPR in terms of quality of results (QoR), runtime, and resource utilization, as compared to Quartus Prime 21.2. The results show a significant gap in packing and placement runtime, but a smaller overall runtime and smaller memory footprint for VPR. In terms of QoR, VPR performed noticeably worse with longer wirelength and smaller frequency on average. The major causes for VPR’s slow packing runtime are investigated and potential future directions for improvements are proposed. | M.A.S. | invest, accessib | 9, 11 |
| Shoji, Yoshiki | D'Eleuterio, Gabriele G.D | A Maximum Entropy Principle for the Brain | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2023-03 | In this work, we attempt to provide a theoretical rationale, rooted on biological grounds, for the anatomical organization of neurons in the brain. We propose a maximum entropy principle for the brain, inspired by Merzenich's work on neuroplasticity and Hebb's and Edelman's postulate for brain development. We show that when one maximizes the joint entropy of neuronal diameter and length constrained by neurophysiological elements of power, resource, space, and time, one arrives at a maximum entropy joint distribution conforming to a joint gamma distribution often reported in the literature. Then, using graph theory, we show how biological neuronal networks may self-organize topologically to maximize entropy and exhibit properties of a Rentian scaled small-world architecture to accompany learning and memory formation often observed in in vivo and in vitro neuronal networks across different species. This thesis is an attempt to show how the brain unfolds in a structured and lawful manner such that it embeds these laws into its anatomy to make learning and memory formation possible. It attempts to show that these fundamental elements of everyday life are mapped to the structural and topological level, which can be explained through an inference model from maximizing Shannon's entropy subject to biological constraints. In the hope of advancing the engineering of truly intelligent robotics, we believe that translating brain dynamics with mathematical and physical laws can pave the way for the future. | M.A.S. | learning, species | 4, 14, 15 |
| Weckesser, Chris | Christopoulos, Constantin | Performance-Based Seismic Assessment of Moment-Resisting Frame Structures Retrofitted with Viscoelastic Plastic Dampers | Civil Engineering | 2023-03 | Despite the incorporation of inelastic mechanisms to dissipate energy during seismic activity, buildings designed to current standards can still sustain significant damage. Older buildings, lacking proper seismic detailing, are particularly vulnerable to global instability. To mitigate financial losses and promote sustainability, researchers are seeking ways to enhance the seismic resilience of structures. One promising solution is the implementation of visco-elastic dampers, which provide supplemental damping and enhance a structure's ability to withstand wind and earthquake forces. Researchers at the University of Toronto have successfully integrated visco-elastic-plastic dampers into high-rise concrete buildings. Following their success, the potential for incorporating these dampers into mid-20th century high-rise moment-resisting frame structures was explored, resulting in estimated improvement in building performance. A general design process was established to optimize damper configurations for specific performance objectives. | M.A.S. | energy, wind, buildings, resilien, resilience | 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 |
| Lee, Cecilia | Penner, Melanie | Caregiver Mental Health and Caregiver-Mediated Intervention in Autistic Children: An Integrated Approach | Medical Science | 2023-03 | Caregivers of autistic children participating in caregiver-mediated interventions (CMI) (e.g., Social ABCs) face high levels of stress. Interventions such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may help alleviate stress. This study utilized reflexive thematic analysis to 1) understand mental health needs of caregivers participating in the Social ABCs; and 2) identify caregivers’ perspectives on the benefits and disadvantages of ACT, and its potential application to early intervention. Semi-structured interviews with Social ABCs participants revealed the need for social support, culturally sensitive care, emphasis on caregivers’ own wellness needs and the link between child success and caregiver wellness. ACT participants felt supported and revealed a new focus on prioritizing their own needs. Recommendations were made on integrating ACT with early intervention. These findings highlight the mental health need of caregivers participating in CMIs, and provide a starting point for integrating mental health intervention within early intervention. | M.Sc. | mental health | 3 |
| Aflaki, Kayvan | Ray, Joel G | Maternal Deaths using Ontario Coroner's Data: A Latent Class Analysis | Medical Science | 2023-03 | Though rare in Canada, maternal death during or after pregnancy is an often-preventable event with far-reaching consequences. This study sought to identify distinct profiles of women who died during or after pregnancy. All deaths in pregnancy, or within a year thereafter, were identified using Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario database, from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2020. Variables related to the social and clinical circumstances surrounding the deaths were abstracted in a standardized manner. A latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to identify distinct profiles. Among 273 deaths identified, injury (22.0%) was the leading cause of death. LCA optimally identified three distinct subgroups, namely, (1) in-hospital deaths arising during birth or soon thereafter (52.7%); (2) accidents and unforeseen obstetric complications also resulting in fetal or infant demise (26.3%); and (3) out-of-hospital suicides occurring postpartum (21.0%). These findings highlight the need for policy aimed at reducing peri-pregnancy mortality. | M.Sc. | ABS, women | 2, 5 |
| Pyne, Danielle | Buck, Leslie T | Critical Oxygen Tension of Synaptic Arrest, an Anoxia Defense Mechanism in Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) and Common Goldfish (Carassius auratus) | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-03 | The partial oxygen pressure at which an organism is no longer able to aerobically support its cellular energetic (ATP) demand is defined as the critical oxygen tension (Pcrit). Western painted turtles and goldfish are model vertebrates of anoxia tolerance, able to balance a decreased ATP supply and demand through various physiological methods including synaptic arrest, whereby GABAergic signaling causes a shunting inhibitory effect, depolarizing the neuronal membrane and increasing chloride conductance. The Pcrit of synaptic arrest for both fish and painted turtle was previously unknown, though unpublished results from our own lab predicted them to be around 30 torr for turtles. These results seemed oddly high, though my results corroborate these findings. Using nonlinear regression models, I observed Pcrit for turtle being observed at 21 torr, and 27 torr for goldfish. My findings suggest the Pcrit of synaptic arrest is higher than what is typically expected of hypoxia tolerant animals. | M.Sc. | fish, animal | 14, 15 |
| Tok, Kimberly | Saville, Bradley||MacLean, Heather | Process Design, Techno-Economic Analysis, and Life Cycle Assessment of Adipic Acid Production from Lignin | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-03 | This thesis examines the environmental and financial aspects of lignin-derived adipic acid production. Process modelling and material and energy balances were used to conduct a techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the economic and environmental impacts of this process. Three lignin-derived adipic acid production cases were evaluated and appeared profitable and economically robust with an expected capital cost of $99.9M to $100.1M, with IRRs ranging from 69% to 86%. The lignin-derived adipic acid production cases have life cycle GHG emissions ranging from 0.772 to 0.795 kg CO2 eq/kg adipic acid while conventional production emits 12.9 kg CO2 eq/kg adipic acid. The lower CO2 emissions for lignin-derived adipic acid production, when compared to conventional production, is consistent with other studies, however, GHG emission values can vary significantly due to study assumptions such as facility location, electrical grid, treatment of biogenic carbon, adipic acid yield, and chemical inputs. | M.A.S. | energy, emission, capital, production, environmental, emissions, co2 | 7, 9, 12, 13 |
| Zhang, Zhongze | Yu, Wei | Learning based Communication and Sensing with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) can intelligently manipulate the impinging electromagnetic wave to improve the wireless propagation environment between the transceivers. New communication algorithms need to be explored as conventional algorithms are difficult to deploy in RIS-assisted networks due to the passive structure of the hardware. This thesis focuses on finding deep learning-based approach to address two challenging problems in RIS-assisted networks, namely 1) user scheduling in densely populated networks and 2) uplink localization via active sensing. To address the former problem, this thesis shows that graph neural networks can be used to schedule users and design RIS configurations to achieve high overall throughput while ensuring user fairness. For the latter problem, this thesis shows that long short-term memory networks can be used to design the RIS to gradually narrow down the search area to locate the user. Numerical results show that the proposed learning-based approaches outperform existing conventional approaches. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Schultz, Jessica | Cheyne, Douglas | Maturation of Movement-Related Brain Activity and Motor Control in Early Childhood | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-03 | The neural development of motor control in early childhood is poorly understood. This thesis attempts to fill gaps in our knowledge by examining movement-related brain activity, motor skill assessments and white matter changes in children aged 6 to 10 years. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings of brain activity were collected during visuomotor and passive movement paradigms. Responses were found to be highly variable across participants during both tasks. However, clear trends were noted for movement-evoked fields during passive movements (MEFI - MEFIII) in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. Increases in amplitude of the MEFs were also correlated with an increase in motor skills, as measured with the MABC-2. The development of white matter changes (fractional anisotropy, FA and mean diffusivity, MD) in the corticospinal tract revealed increases in FA and decreases in MD with age and the opposite with MABC-2. Further research is required confirm relationships between age and motor skills neural development. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Loudoun, Casey Anne | Arhonditsis, George | Towards the Development of Long-term Watershed Managment Plans: Retrospective Analysis and Forecasting of Hydraulic and Phosphorus Loading Trends in the Bay of Quinte | Physical and Environmental Sciences | 2023-03 | My study presents a modelling framework that can aid in our understanding of tributary total phosphorus and streamflow trends in the Bay of Quinte, Area of Concern. Retrospective analysis of riverine P concentrations signifies the success of local remediation efforts to mitigate the impact of point sources, but we also found a recent increase in the impact of nonpoint-source pollution. Global Circulation Models predict a seasonality shift, whereby spring freshet occurs earlier in the year accompanied by higher flow rates in the local creeks for the winter and early spring. This prediction implies that the timing when the exogenous nutrient masses enter the system may not necessarily be conducive to stimulating the primary productivity, but the GCM projections of intense summertime precipitation also suggest a propensity for higher frequency of extreme runoff during the period of the year, when the Bay of Quinte is more susceptible to undesirable ecological shifts. | M.Sc. | pollution, water, remediation, pollut, ecolog | 3, 6, 14, 15 |
| Herdem Yucel, Dilem | GREGORY, Daniel David | Trace Element Loss in Pyrite at Different Pressure and Temperature | Earth Sciences | 2023-03 | Pyrite is a common accessory mineral in orogenic gold deposit, one of the most important sources of gold that is valuable for economic geology all around the world. Although ore fluid sources are debated by researchers, metamorphic fluid source is the most popular model recently. During syngenetic and/or early diagenetic formation, pyrite is enriched with gold and trace elements that are present in the water column. When the metamorphism starts, later pyrite overgrowths replace earlier pyrite, and some trace element and gold are released to fluids that may precipitate as a free gold in cracks or as a rim around the pyrite. If the metamorphism reaches high grade (Greenschist and/or Amphibolite facies), pyrite converts into pyrrhotite, and gold and associated trace elements are released to metamorphic fluids to form ore deposit. But this model is only based on the interpretation of pyrite and pyrrhotite with the optical petrography.In this study, pyrite was converted to pyrrhotite experimentally, and determine which trace elements are released or retained and in what quantities. To do this a piston cylinder apparatus was used to apply pressure and variety temperatures. After the conversion, reductant pyrrhotite was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to check amount of pyrrhotite produced, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP MS) to determine which trace element. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Schneider, Rilla | Nguyen, Geoffrey | Paediatric Crohn's Disease: The Impact of First Maintenance Therapy | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-03 | Background: Tumour necrosis factor-a antagonist (aTNF) therapy is increasingly used as primary therapy to induce and/or maintain remission of Crohn’s disease (CD). Aim: This study compared outcomes with immunomodulator (IM) versus aTNF-based first maintenance therapy in paediatric CD. Methods: This study analyzed data from the Canadian Children IBD Network (CIDsCaNN) inception cohort study. Children with newly diagnosed luminal inflammatory CD receiving IM or aTNF-based first maintenance therapy were included in this analysis. The primary outcome was 18-month sustained steroid-free clinical remission and intestinal healing on first maintenance therapy. Propensity score matching was used to match children on baseline characteristics who received aTNF therapy or IM as first maintenance. Results: The primary outcome was more often met with aTNF vs IM maintenance. Conclusion: aTNF was superior to IM as first maintenance therapy in paediatric luminal CD. This was true even before matching, despite greater CD activity among children receiving aTNF therapy. | M.Sc. | emission | 7 |
| Lyu, Jialun | Schroeder, Bianca BS | Towards Fail-in-Place Server Operation in Cloud Platforms | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | Hardware failure in datacenters is becoming a more challenging problem as the size of datacenter increases. Current cloud platforms handle hardware failures by sending technicians for an immediate repair, which becomes inefficient and unsustainable at scale. For example, each technician is responsible for maintaining 1,000 servers on average in modern datacenters. The number of technicians scales linearly with the size of datacenters under immediate service model. Moreover, future datacenter designs confine servers into closed-space environments to increase power efficiency. Forexample, Microsoft has been experimenting with encapsulating servers into sealed containers that are placed on the ocean floor. Immediate service becomes infeasible with such design; instead, a paradigm shift to the Fail-in-Place is required, where no repairs are performed until the entirecluster is decommissioned. This thesis introduces Tetra, a novel design of datacenter stacks that provides support for hosting VMs when hardware failures occur. Under air-cooled datacenters, Tetra employs repair batching with tunable repair frequency to improve efficiency. Tetra aligns with denser datacenter trend by reducing required technicians to scale sublinearly with the number of servers. As a first attempt atimplementing the Fail-in-Place paradigm, Tetra supports closed-space server environment design byforegoing repairs on components that fails most frequently. Under evaluations with real-world data, Tetra reduces operation costs on fan-cooled datacenters by reducing repairing needs by 80% while maintaining Service Level Objectives (SLOs) in key performance metrics. With immersion-cooled technology and future server designs, Tetra eliminatesthe need for repairs without having any impact on VM scheduling. | M.A.S. | ocean | 14 |
| Hallett, Claire | Watson, Jeanne | Social Anxiety and Friendship Quality: The Role of Anger Suppression | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-03 | Social anxiety has been linked to poor friendship quality, although it remains unclear why this association exists. The present study investigated anger suppression as a possible mechanism by which social anxiety influences friendship quality. 115 participants completed self-report measures of social anxiety, depression, anger suppression, self-criticism, and friendship quality. After controlling for depression, higher social anxiety was found to be associated with greater anger suppression. In addition, greater anger suppression was associated with poorer friendship quality. However, contrary to what was hypothesized, social anxiety was not significantly associated with friendship quality after controlling for depression. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted to determine if self-criticism moderated the mediated relationship between social anxiety, anger suppression, and friendship quality through its effects on the relationship between social anxiety and anger suppression. Evidence for moderated mediation was not found. These findings provide insight into the social and emotional functioning of individuals with social anxiety, thus illuminating potential targets for intervention and areas for future research. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Grinberg, Nicolas Guy-Alberto | Gingras, Anne-Claude||Rost, Hannes | Implementing a Thermal Proteome Profiling Assay to Probe Off-Target Effects of Novel GID4 Binder | Molecular Genetics | 2023-03 | Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) is a chemoproteomic approach to identify the protein:small molecule interactors. It relies on shifts in thermal stability of proteins when a small molecule binds to them. This is done by creating thermal denaturation curves at the scale of the proteome and finding proteins that have changes in denaturation or “melting” temperature. In this thesis, I first implemented a TPP pipeline and optimized it with previously published compounds methotrexate and staurosporine. I later used TPP on a novel GID4 binder. GID4 is the substrate binding domain of the CTLH complex, a conserved RING E3 ligase complex found across eukaryotic species. GID4 is responsible for binding to a peptide motif known as a “degron” and recruit it to the RING domain of the E3 ligase so it can be ubiquitinated. Through a collaboration with the Sicheri lab, we found 2 lead compounds (Cmpd67 and Cmpd88) that bind to GID4. Of the two compounds, Cmpd88 had the highest affinity and was cell permeable. With TPP, I found 15 potential interactors of Cmpd88 with GID4 being the compound significantly shifting the most. These results will inform future efforts to use Cmpd88 in a therapeutic context such as targeted protein degradation. | M.Sc. | labor, conserv, species | 8, 14, 15 |
| Darville-O'Quinn, Paige Elizabeth | Andrulis, Irene | Investigating the Use of Circulating Tumour DNA for Sarcoma Management | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2023-03 | Sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of cancers, many with high rates of recurrence and metastasis, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Due to a lack of early diagnostic biomarkers, by the time recurrent disease can be clinically detected it is often extensive and difficult to treat. ctDNA can potentially be used to monitor disease recurrence, progression, and response to treatment. Since ctDNA is present in extremely low quantities detection requires highly sensitive methodologies. Droplet digital PCR is highly sensitive, and capable of detecting and quantifying ctDNA; however, it is limited in that it can only be used to target one tumour variant at a time. mPCR-amplicon sequencing overcomes this issue by investigating multiple tumour variants simultaneously, although it is not as sensitive as ddPCR. ctDNA was detected in plasma collected at two different time points, indicating that ctDNA analysis has the potential to be used to monitor disease progression. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Tarannum, Sanjana | Eder, Lihi LE | Sex-related Differences in Healthcare Access and Utilization in Adult Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis in Ontario | Medical Science | 2023-03 | This thesis compared healthcare access and utilization between male and female patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) in Ontario. Using Ontario health administrative data, inception cohorts of adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 were assembled. Annual healthcare access and utilization patterns were assessed for 3 years before and after diagnosis, and compared between male and female patients using regression models. Before and after diagnosis, female patients were more likely to visit family physicians and rheumatologists, and undergo musculoskeletal imaging and laboratory tests across the cohorts. Opioids and NSAIDs were more likely to be dispensed to older female RA patients and, conventional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs to older female AS patients. In summary, female IA patients have higher musculoskeletal-related healthcare utilization than male patients, either due to biological differences in disease activity or sociocultural differences in healthcare seeking behaviour. | M.Sc. | healthcare, female, labor | 3, 5, 8 |
| Rowe, Shannen | Ansloos, Jeffrey | Approaching a Cultural Understanding of Suicide and Complex Death Among Older Indigenous Adults: Perspectives of Indigenous Elders | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-03 | Indigenous people across Canada are disproportionately affected by suicide. Yet, little research has been conducted that examines how older Indigenous adults are impacted. Additionally, cultural factors of suicide are often overlooked. This research aimed to center the voices of Indigenous Elders to contribute to nuanced conceptualizations of the meaning of suicide within Indigenous populations to include key cultural dimensions and the experiences of older Indigenous peoples. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with six Indigenous Elders. Narrative analysis revealed three main themes and several subthemes related to meanings of death, complex death, and suicide, and three main themes with several subthemes related to ecological contexts of suicide. Results indicate a need to rethink conventional definitions of suicide to include a deeper understanding of complex death and relational and spiritual dimensions. The findings also indicated a need to address systemic racism, structural violence, and economic marginalization of Indigenous populations. | M.A. | racism, indigenous, ecolog, violence | 4, 10, 16, 15 |
| Schackmann, Joshua | Winnik, Mitchell | Synthesis and Characterization of MAA-Containing Polyol Latexes Tested in Model 2K-WPU Mixtures and Coatings | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-03 | Waterborne two-component polyurethane (2K-WPU) films are safer, more environmentally friendly, and less hazardous than their solventborne counterparts. However, due to the complex interplay between polymer diffusion and colloidal forces, today’s researchers do not have a complete understanding of the mechanisms that underlie 2K-WPU behavior. To advance this knowledge, the Winnik group created a model 2K-WPU system consisting of methacrylic acid (MAA)-containing polyol latexes and a commercially available hmPIC, both of which were functionalized with fluorescent dyes. By studying these systems with dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC), several conclusions were made. It was found that MAA functionalization reduces aggregation in 2K-WPU dispersions, while also increasing the rate of hmPIC consumption. Most interestingly, increasing amounts of MAA increased the extent of hmPIC/polyol mixing in both dispersed and film phases, which may improve 2K-WPU physical properties. | M.A.S. | knowledge, water, consum, environmental | 4, 6, 12, 13 |
| Usta, Engin | Esmaeili, Kamran | Predicting Shear Behaviour of Joints Using Multi-Sensor and Manual Core Logging Data and Supervised and Unsupervised Learning Methods | Civil Engineering | 2023-03 | Joint surface characteristics significantly influence the shear behavior of discontinuity and the geomechanical design of a surface and underground excavation. Conventional core logging method for joint surface characterization is subjective and inconsistent. Sensor-based technologies can be adopted for surface characterization.This thesis compares manual and multi-sensor joint surface characterization to demonstrate the discrepancy between the manual and digital logging techniques. Joints detected over more than 500 meters of core samples were logged. A handheld 3D scanner, hardness test, and pXRF were performed on the joints to measure roughness, joint wall hardness, and a proxy for alteration mineralogy at discontinuity surface, respectively. Ja and Jr were assigned to the joints based on observations. Unsupervised learning techniques were used to classify the joints based on their surface characteristics. Samples from each class were selected for the direct shear test. Finally, unsupervised and supervised learning techniques were applied to predict joints' shear behaviour. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Emtyazi, Delara | Hamani, Clement CH | Studying the Effects of Focused Ultrasound-triggered Drug Delivery and Deep Brain Stimulation on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder-type Behaviour | Medical Science | 2023-03 | This thesis investigates the effects of neuromodulation therapies and sex differences in a rodent model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Firstly, it sought to assess whether focused ultrasound-mediated delivery of pentobarbital using nanodroplets to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) would lead to therapeutic benefits on fear- and anxiety-like behaviour. Though we successfully delivered the drug and observed a marked decrease in BLA neuronal activity, no behavioural differences were found between animals receiving pentobarbital-loaded or empty nanodroplets. Next, we sought to establish a preclinical model of PTSD in female rats. Our results showed that females present extinction deficits and prolonged fear, but differences in the phases of the estrous cycle during extinction did not play a role on behavioural responses. Finally, we assessed the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS), on the PTSD-type symptoms. Chronic DBS of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) alleviated anxiety-type behaviour, but not the fear-type responses. | M.Sc. | female, invest, animal | 5, 9, 14, 15 |
| Gu, An | Ruda, Harry | Simulation of Synthesizing Titanium Nanoparticles in a Radio-frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-03 | Following the rising demand for nanoparticles for plasmonic applications, Induction Plasma Synthesis is a promising technique for the synthesis of nanoparticles or nano-structured coating. A numerical study has been conducted on the evolution of Titanium particles in a radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled plasma (ICP). A comprehensive model consisting of three sub-models is developed. A 2-dimensional axisymmetric computational model of a 40 MHz RF-ICP torch has been constructed to investigate the thermo-fluid field of the torch. The mathematical particle tracing model based on the Lagrangian tracking method incorporates the Stefan-Fuchs evaporation mechanism is built. And lastly, to understand the mechanism of nanoparticle formation such as nucleation and particle growth, a growth model under the scheme of the nodal method has been developed. Parametric studies for the influences of coil power, precursor particle size, and material feed rate are performed to find a way of controlling the operating conditions for desirable final particle size. The results of particle temperature, nucleation rate, particle mean diameter, and final size distribution are discussed. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Zambri, Marc | Kluger, Ronald | Reaction Intermediates Derived from Thiamin and Their Role in Benzoylformate Decarboxylase | Chemistry | 2023-03 | The unexpected pyridinium catalysis of the enzymatic intermediate mandelylthiamin led to an investigation of a brominated analogue derived from a potent inhibitor of the enzyme benzoylformate decarboxylase that undergoes an elimination reaction to release bromide. The results suggest decarboxylation of para-(bromomethyl)mandelylthiamin is catalyzed by pyridine/pyridinium buffers through a proposed pre-association mechanism. This initially forms the protonated analogue that exists transiently before a rapid elimination process occurs. The findings indicate that the enzyme may not involve pre-association catalysis with the substrate but instead uses an alternate mechanism to separate CO2.Further investigations of the enzyme mechanism led to mutations of an active site serine residue. Replacement by the nucleophilic residue threonine altered the kinetic properties but provided similar rates of inactivation in the presence of a mechanism-based inhibitor, benzoylphosphonate. The results favor one inhibition mechanism in which serine and threonine attack free metaphosphate or carbon dioxide in solution to inactivate the enzyme. This mechanism has implications for a similar process when CO2 is present, with the nucleophilic residues acting as a trap forming hemicarbonate. | M.Sc. | invest, carbon dioxide, co2 | 9, 13 |
| Schwarz, Avery | Darling, Emily||Fortin, Marie-Josee | Identifying Climate Refuges for Coral Reefs with a Life Histories Approach | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-03 | Climate change is leading to widespread losses of corals, necessitating novel conservation strategies. One such strategy is the identification and protection of climate refugia where reefs escape the worst climate impacts. Recently, three types of coral climate refugia have been proposed: avoidance, resistance, and recovery. Here, we seek to address whether coral community composition and abundance of coral life histories can facilitate the classification of reefs into these refugia types. Using contemporary coral community composition from 122 surveyed reefs in four countries in the Western Indian Ocean from 2016-2019, we provide the first regional, empirical test of a proposed three-refugia reef framework. We found that the dominance of various life histories can classify reefs into these refugia types: avoidance refugia dominated by competitive corals; resistance refugia by stress-tolerant taxa; and recovery refugia by weedy life histories. Effectively protecting coral reefs requires an understanding of such diverse portfolios of climate refugia. | M.Sc. | climate, climate impacts, ocean, conserv, coral | 13, 14, 15 |
| Alsabaie, Rabia | Buckner, Elizabeth | Libyan Higher Education in War times: Youth Participation in Higher Education in Libya | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | During the time of war in any country, higher education is one of the most affected sectors. However, despite the great challenges presented by warfare, there are people who become inspired to pursue their educational goals. This research explores the reasons that youth– both men and women – decide to participate in the Libya’s higher education system, despitethe impact of war that began in 2011. This research will contribute to the literature on what prompts motivation and resilience in time of war and conflict. The findings indicate that the students’ hopes, aspirations, plans, and dreams were factors behind youth motivation, meanwhile the factors associated with young people’s resilience came from community support, personal drive, and education as a form of protection. Theoretically, the study contributes to identifying and defining the specific individual attributes and broader social and community characteristics associated with persistence in higher education. | M.A. | women, resilien, resilience | 5, 11, 13, 15 |
| Awan, Malik Mohamed Arfaa | Andrews, Robert||Almuhtaram, Husein | Microplastics Removal in a Dynamic Coagulation-Flocculation-Sedimentation System | Civil Engineering | 2023-03 | Most studies examining microplastics (MPs) removal during bench-scale trials have applied sweep flocculation, such that the impact of other coagulation mechanisms remains largely unknown. Furthermore, the use of bench-scale batch systems (e.g., jar testing), wherein the hydrodynamics bear little resemblance to their full-scale counterparts, is ubiquitous in the literature. In this study, MPs removal during jar tests and bench-scale continuous-flow trials was compared. The production of large aluminum hydroxide floc consistent with sweep flocculation was the dominant factor driving MPs removal. Under combined coagulation and sweep flocculation conditions, total MPs removal was lower (11 – 82%) during continuous-flow trials, suggesting that extrapolation of jar test results may overpredict removal in full-scale systems. Strong correlations were observed between MP concentration and turbidity reduction, indicating that it may potentially serve as a surrogate. As well, correlations were observed when comparing both floc size and concentration to the removal of MPs. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Yue, Yang | Hatton, Benjamin B | Design of Porous Polydimethylsiloxane for Non-fouling Filtration | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-03 | Membrane fouling is a severe issue in pressure-driven filtration processes. Fouling influences filtration performance and limits the lifetimes of membranes. To manage the interactions between membrane materials and foulants, designing anti-fouling membranes has drawn much attention. Infused polydimethylsiloxane (iPDMS) is a composition of PDMS that exhibits non-adhesive, non-wetting, and non-fouling properties. We hypothesize that iPDMS can work in narrow spaces inside porous PDMS materials. In this study, methods for generating tunable pore size, porosity, and pore connectivity have been tested for PDMS materials, in particular using green, water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrospun nanofibers as templates. Porous structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and flow tests. The kinetics of template dissolution was studied via spectrophotometry. The chemical properties of PVA nanofiber-templated PDMS were elucidated via Raman spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Our PVA nanofiber-templated PDMS membranes could be a candidate for infusion for applications in non-fouling microfiltration. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Kennedy, Natalie | Kvist, Sebastian | A Phylogeographic Analysis of the North American Medicinal Leech, Macrobdella decora | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-03 | The data regarding population structure and biogeographic affinities of leeches are scarce despite their important roles in many ecosystems. I begin to address this knowledge gap by performing a phylogeographic analysis of the North American medicinal leech, Macrobdella decora (Say, 1824). A total of 224 M. decora specimens were collected from 35 localities. Using four loci (COI, ND1, 18S and 28S), I constructed a phylogeny which showed a lack of geographic structure among the different populations of M. decora, with individuals collected at a single locality representing monophyletic groups only on six occasions. An AMOVA test did show a significant difference between the genetic variation within populations and between populations (COI: FST = 0.65412, P < 0.00001; ND1: FST = 0.69245, P < 0.00001), which was largely driven by the same six monophyletic groups in the phylogeny. Finally, a Mantel test also showed a weak, but significant correlation between geographic distance and genetic distance (COI: r = 0.209, P = 0.027; ND1: r = 0.1289, P = 0.030). The weak structure suggests that M. decora is panmictic throughout its range, which could be due to a lack of geographic barriers to gene flow or a high capacity for dispersal via their hosts. | M.Sc. | knowledge, ecosystem | 4, 14, 15 |
| Modabber, Melika | Dempster, Laura||Taddio, Anna | Children’s Perceptions of Dental Experiences and Ways to Improve Them | Dentistry | 2023-03 | Children’s Perceptions of Dental Experiences and Ways to Improve ThemMaster of Science, 2023 Melika Modabber Paediatric Dentistry (Faculty of Dentistry), Univeristy of Toronto AbstractA qualitative study was conducted to explore children’s perceptions of their dental experiences and the acceptability of the CARD™ (C-Comfort, A-Ask, R-Relax, D-Distract) system, as adapted for the dental setting. Semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted from a purposive sample receiving dental care at the Paediatric Dental Clinic in University of Toronto. Deductive data analysis was performed using a Person-Centered Care framework (PCC). Twelve children (7 males) aged 8-12 years participated. Four themes were identified: (1) establishing a therapeutic relationship, (2) shared power and responsibility, (3) getting to know the person, and (4) empowering the person. Children emphasized the importance of clinic staff characteristics and communication skills. They expressed a desire to have an active role in their care decisions and reflected on their need for pre-operative education and parental presence. Children also felt that the modified CARD™ system was an effective tool to facilitate self-advocacy and optimize their dental experience. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Chen, Yuxiao | Beck, Christopher||Senderovich, Arik | Solving Short-term and Long-term Multi-resource Server Management Problems in the Cloud with Queueing and Combinatorial Models | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-03 | In recent years, an increasing number of companies and individuals use cloud services in their daily life. As their workload increases, the cloud providers pay more attention on managing their server capacities to reduce their expenses. In this thesis, we study the short-term capacity planning problem in data centers, and introduce a hybrid framework based on queuing model and combinatorial model. The framework calculates a deterministic server set with the minimum operational cost to satisfy the stochastic workload in a cloud. We embed the short-term framework into another framework that solves the long-term server capacity planning problem with longer planning horizon. The long-term framework calculates the periodic server purchasing plan to satisfy the workload in months or years with the minimum server purchasing cost and operational cost.Our experimental results indicate that both frameworks may calculate a solution to satisfy the workload in a reasonable runtime. Moreover, the solution is closer to the optimal when the workload is more stable. | M.A.S. | cities | 11 |
| Pilieci, Christopher | Welsh, Timothy N | Automatic imitation among individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive symptoms | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-03 | Humans display a strong tendency and capacity to imitate their peers, and this imitation might underlie various aspects of social cognition. Individuals with obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms exhibit deficits social cognition, but little is known about the imitative patterns that might underlie these deficits. The current study examined whether individuals with OC symptoms exhibited atypical patterns of hypo-imitation, and whether the animacy of a model impacted these patterns. Participants from the general population were recruited to complete a questionnaire measuring OC (Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Revised: OCI-R) and comorbid symptoms, followed by the completion of an automatic imitation task. Based on their OCI-R scores ( 21) participants were subdivided into age/gender matched Low (LOC: 17) and High (HOC: 17) symptom groups. Contrary to predictions, individuals with OC symptoms exhibited atypical patterns of hyper-imitation, and the animacy of the model exaggerated these patterns in the opposite direction, which might be implicative for imitative training. | M.Sc. | gender | 5 |
| Liu, Zichu | Pavel, Lacra | Understanding Generative Adversarial Networks in the Context of Game Theory and Control Theory | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | Since their introduction in 2014, generative adversarial networks have shown great success in various applications like video synthesis and image generation. Unlike the traditional approaches of distribution learning, GANs view the learning problem as a two-player zero-sum game. In this thesis, we study the optimization of GANs from the perspectives of dynamical systems and game theory.This thesis proposes level k gradient play, a novel first-order that can predict each player’s next action. We evaluate our algorithm on a variety of games and empirically demonstrate that training GANs with our algorithm is much more efficient and effective than traditional methods.Another contribution of this thesis is that we proposed a simplified framework to analyze the solutions of GANs. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first analytical justification for the observation that well-performing stationary points of GANs need not be local Nash equilibria. | M.A.S. | knowledge, learning | 4 |
| McNamee, Clara Marie | Gillis, J. Roy | Conceptualizations of Identities in Bisexual, Pansexual, and Plurisexual Communities | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-03 | Plurisexual people – individuals who are attracted to multiple genders – are at increased risk for mental health concerns. Internalized sexual stigma, that is, the internalization of negative attitudes towards one’s sexual orientation, is a key contributor to plurisexual mental health. However, extant scales of this construct are few and lack appropriate content. This study aimed to understand individuals’ attitudes towards their plurisexuality, and translate this into questionnaire items. Qualitative interviews were conducted with n = 13 plurisexual people and n = 3 mental health clinicians. Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three themes: (1) Validating vs. Doubting Myself – self-affirmation to combat identity uncertainty, (2) Owning My Truth vs. Avoiding It – accepting plurisexuality as a core part of oneself versus denying it, and (3) Celebrating vs. Shaming Myself – viewing plurisexuality as an overall positive versus negative force in one’s life. Implications for conceptualizations of internalized sexual stigma and quantitative scale development are discussed. | M.A. | mental health, gender | 3, 5 |
| Greenwood, Alexander Charles Benjamin | Qian, Li | Detecting Multipartite Entangled States with Machine Learning-Derived Witnesses | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-03 | We are entering a time in which quantum channel capacity is becoming increasingly dependent on having high-dimensional entangled systems. However, existing methods of detecting high-dimensional entanglement are hindered by their need for an unwieldy amount of measurements and computational power. Indeed, the use of entanglement witnesses circumvents this problem by only considering a small subset of the entangled states in Hilbert Space. Although efficient witnesses for 2-qubit Bell States and 3-Qubit GHZ states are well-known, the predominant “fidelity method" witnesses used for detecting multipartite W states remain relatively complex in the amount of measurements that they require. The work outlined in this thesis aims to improve on existing entanglement witnesses by drawing their correspondence with supervised learning techniques, specifically Support Vector Machines. In doing so, one can derive entanglement witnesses whose features (observables obtained via local operations and classical communications) can be ranked according to their impact on the classification of entangled and separable states. This method allows us to derive W state witnesses that require fewer measurements than those derived via the fidelity method. The process of Recursive Feature Elimination is also presented, by which we can define witnesses that can be decomposed into fewer Pauli observables at the cost of inferior tolerance to noise. Finally, we present the practical utility of our derived witnesses through physical experiments performed on the superconducting qubit devices provided by IBM. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Pedret, Kayla | Jamieson, Greg | An Online Platform for Manipulating and Understanding Attentional Tunneling: The Development and Assessment of CogLog 2.0 | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-03 | This thesis explores the induction and measurement of attentional tunneling in a display-based visual search task through the development and subsequent analysis of an online platform called CogLog. An overview of the terms and definitions relevant to attentional tunneling, as well as a review of the state-of-the-art of measurement and manipulation of attentional tunneling, are provided. The original CogLog was designed by previous researchers but is no longer accessible for further research as originally intended; therefore, the development and assessment of a more accessible and modular platform called CogLog 2.0 as serves as the major contribution of this thesis. The assessment confirms that CogLog 2.0 performs comparably to its predecessor with the addition of a built-in workload assessment feature. CogLog 2.0 is positioned as a tool for further studying attentional tunneling as well as cognitive countermeasures and adaptive display interventions. | M.A.S. | accessib | 11 |
| Venditelli, Matthew | Prakki, Anuradha||Carneiro, Karina | Covalent Attachment of Polyaspartic Acid to Experimental Resin-based Materials for the Microinvasive Treatment of White Spot Lesions: An In vitro Pilot Study | Dentistry | 2023-03 | Background: Resin infiltrants can be improved through the addition of bioactive molecules. A bioactive molecule capable of promoting hydroxyapatite development is polyaspartic acid, pAsp. Objective: This in vitro study assessed the material properties of experimental resin-based materials. Methods: Artificial white spot lesions on extracted human premolars (n=60) were treated with resin-based materials, Prime&BondTM (Dentsply Sirona, North Carolina, USA) or IconTM (DMG, Hamburg, Germany), containing pAsp (passive or covalent) or unmodified. After remineralization, specimens were assessed for penetration depth (μm) through Confocal Microscopy, and surface nanohardness (GPa) and Young’s modulus (GPa) through Diamond Berkovich Indenter. Two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc test was used to analyze data, a=0.05. Results: Covalent attachment of pAsp significantly increased penetration depth compared to passive addition pAsp to resin-based materials (p=0.013). Conclusion: To our knowledge this is the first study to covalently attach pAsp to resin-based materials targeted for the treatment of white spot enamel lesions. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Wu, Jessica | McGowan, Patrick O | Effects of Maternal High Fat Diet on Microglia Activation in Rat Offspring | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-03 | Maternal consumption of high saturated-fat diets (mHFD) leads to anxiety-like phenotypes in offspring. Prior evidence suggests that enhanced reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which regulates the stress response and neuroinflammation through glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity, contributes to these phenotypes. Microglia sustain long-lasting phenotypes in response to mHFD, but their role in early-life GR-mediated neuroinflammation is relatively unknown. The objectives of this study were: (1) measure inflammatory gene expression in P7 (neonatal) offspring after mHFD exposure; (2) study changes in microglia density, activation, and morphology; (3) purify microglia from P60 (adult) offspring and characterize their immunophenotype. I hypothesized mHFD would alter offspring microglia to become more activated and pro-inflammatory. My results showed microglia changed their immunophenotype and became activated after mHFD exposure during neonatal stages. Adult microglia immunophenotypes were altered in a sex-specific manner. This research provides insight into mechanisms that drive stress-related mental health outcomes associated with developmental mHFD exposure. | M.Sc. | mental health, consum | 3, 12 |
| Ismail, Marwa | Hansen, Bettina | Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis-Individual Patient International Meta-analysis of Biochemical and Clinical Predictors of Outcome | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-03 | PSC is an autoimmune disease of the biliary tracts that affects males more than females. Patients with PSC have a variable disease course. The disease hallmark is strictures and dilations involving the bile ducts with an increased risk of cholangiocarcinoma. PSC has a close association with IBD predominantly UC with a higher hazard of developing colon cancer. Risk stratification of PSC patients is crucial for patient education and to guide clinical decisions and transplant efforts. Multiple risk stratification strategies and models have been proposed. In this study, we sought to explore novel risk stratification strategies in addition to longitudinal risk stratification models to identify patients with progressive disease. ALP, TB, Albumin and platelets have a distinctive pattern and levels for patients with progressive disease and can identify them up to 10 years before experiencing death or transplant. Additionally, total bilirubin ULN can be used to discriminate high-risk patients. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Blundell, Mathew Grahame John | Darnell, Simon | Play-in-Development: An Examination of the Role of Free Play and the University in the Sport-for-Development Sector | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-03 | The following research examined student experiences with the community service-learning (CSL) course Play Around the World (PAW), offered by the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation (KSR) at the University of Alberta (U of A). This research sought to understand the nature and objectives of the program, and to analyze PAW student experiences with the program to answer the following research questions: 1) What is the role of the university within the sport for development (SFD) sector, and 2) What is the role of “free play” within the sport for development sector: with a third research question having emerged as the research process unfolded: 3) How can the PAW program inform the SFD sector moving forward? Key findings revealed that the university and their use of the free play methodology created critically reflexive environments which allowed student practitioners to challenge the neoliberal and neo-colonial features associated with traditional SFD programs. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Guan, Raymond | Bazylak, Aimy | Predicting Oxygen Transport Properties of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Gas Diffusion Layers with Local Saturation Considerations: A Pore Network Modelling Approach | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are a promising means of reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, mass transport losses hinder the performance of PEM fuel cells, impeding their commercialization. This thesis comprises of two studies that determine the impact of liquid water within the substrate on the oxygen transport behaviour of the fuel cell. First, the impact of channel and land region saturation on the oxygen transport properties of the substrate were determined. The oxygen transport properties of the substrate were severely affected by channel region saturation, while land region saturation had a relatively minor impact. Next, the contribution of the substrate to the oxygen transport resistance of a PEM fuel cell was determined. It was determined that significant oxygen transport resistance arises from the catalyst layer (CL) or CL-microporous layer interface. This thesis offers insight into designing next-generation components for improved PEM fuel cell performance. | M.A.S. | water, emission, greenhouse, greenhouse gas, anthropogenic, emissions, land | 6, 7, 13, 15 |
| Sikorski, Ashley April | Rehner, Katherine | Student Reflections of their Experiences with French as a Second Language Programs in Ontario | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | By documenting student perspectives on French as a Second Language (FSL) in Ontario, this study gains a better understanding of the degree to which students appreciate their FSL programs. The literature review reveals that research on FSL focuses primarily on teachers’ working conditions, pedagogy, and student proficiency and motivation. This study aims to provide the voice of students on their experiences of FSL. Participants were university students (n=24) who had previously completed a FSL program in Ontario. Data were collected using a questionnaire and individual interviews (n=8) and were analysed via a mixed method approach through a Complexity Theory framework. Findings revealed that participants generally appreciated their FSL programs, however they also wished to be more proficient in their oral skills, particularly university-level French-studies students who felt underprepared for their French studies. Participants expressed wanting to have more agency and authentic learning in their FSL programs at the elementary/secondary levels. En documentant les points de vue des étudiants sur le français langue seconde (FLS) en Ontario, cette étude permet de mieux comprendre dans quelle mesure ils apprécient leurs programmes de FLS. L'analyse documentaire révèle que la recherche sur le FLS porte principalement sur les enseignants, la pédagogie et la compétence et la motivation des élèves. Les participants étaient des étudiants universitaires (n=24) qui avaient déjà suivi un programme de FLS en Ontario. Les données ont été recueillies par un questionnaire et d'entretiens individuels (n=8) et ont été analysées via une approche de méthode mixte dans un cadre de théorie de la complexité. Les résultats ont révélé que les participants appréciaient généralement leurs programmes de FLS, mais qu'ils souhaitaient également être plus compétents dans leurs compétences orales. Les participants ont exprimé le désir d'avoir plus de pouvoir et l’apprentissage authentique dans leurs programmes de FLS aux niveaux élémentaire/secondaire. | M.A. | pedagogy, learning | 4 |
| Wang, Kevin | Roth, Frederick P | DropMAVE: A High-throughput Droplet Microfluidic Platform for Non-localized Protein Variant Effect Assays | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | Genome variant interpretation becomes increasingly important as next-generation sequencing discovers more genomic variation. Precision medicine seeks to leverage genomic data to better inform clinical decision making. Because most variants are classified as variants of uncertain significance, genomic data often do not have functional annotations to inform clinical decision making. Of the currently available variant interpretation methods, multiplexed assays of variant effect (MAVEs) are the only methods that can provide strong functional evidence for variant pathogenicity at scale. Because of technical challenges, scalable variant effect assays are limited for non-localized genes are limited, e.g., genes encoding secreted proteins or genes encoding enzymes with diffusible enzymes. I developed DropMAVE, a droplet microfluidic platform for scalable non-localized gene variant function assays. This platform is accessible to most life science research laboratories and generalizable to improve variant interpretation for many non-localized genes. | M.Sc. | labor, accessib | 8, 11 |
| Leclair, Kamille | Farber, Steven | Social Equity in Infrastructure Planning and Delivery? Introducing An Innovative Tool Developed for the City of Toronto | Geography | 2022-11 | This project stems from an applied research partnership between the University of Toronto and the City of Toronto. Over an 18-month period, our team designed a web-based tool to help managers at the Transportation Services Division assess the equity performance of infrastructure projects under their care. The tool’s output is a quantitative score which is based both on the demographic profile of those who live around the project location and on the anticipated impacts of the project. The main goal of this master’s thesis is to explain the scoring protocol we developed and to demonstrate how the tool can be used in practice to inform decision-making. As the City of Toronto faces a major budget shortfall, this new tool shows great promise to support equity-oriented project prioritization. More broadly, we hope that reporting our experience will prompt other cities to make equity an integral part of their infrastructure planning and delivery process. | M.A. | equity, infrastructure, equit, cities | 4, 9, 10, 11 |
| Patel, Priya | Adams, Matthew | Modelling Ground-level NO2 Concentration across the Greater Toronto Area using Machine Learning and Satellite Remote Sensing Data | Geography | 2022-11 | This thesis is divided into two major research studies. In the first study, we test a series of machine learning algorithms and cross-validation models to model ground-level nitrogen dioxide across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The best performing model is then used to model nitrogen dioxide from 2019 to 2022. In the second study, the best performing machine learning model from the previous project is used to model ground-level nitrogen dioxide in Toronto and Hamilton. The results are aggregated for electoral wards between the two cities. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on air pollution levels is also examined. In the final step of this study, the reduction in nitrogen dioxide from 2019 to 2020 is correlated with socioeconomic predictors such as household income and immigration status. | M.Sc. | socioeconomic, pollution, learning, income, cities, pollut | 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 14, 15 |
| Derakhshan, Dorsa | Giacobbe, Peter | Investigation of Neural Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Hot and Cold Cognitive Systems in Depression | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Introduction: Cognitive impairment is a chronic feature of major depressive disorder (MDD), conceptualized as aberrant processing in hot (emotion-laden) and cold (emotion-independent) cognitive systems. While the clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for MDD has been established, its effects on cognition remain unclear. This thesis aimed to investigate the effect of rTMS on hot and cold cognition. Methods: MDD patients (N=24) received rTMS, completed cognitive assessments, and were evaluated for depressive symptoms. Matched healthy controls (HC) (N=33) were recruited. Results: Following rTMS, antidepressant effect was observed in MDD patients, while hot and cold cognition remained unchanged. A pre-rTMS cognitive phenotype for remitters emerged, suggesting greater sustained attention, free recall, and efficiency in facial expression identification, independent from clinical outcome. Conclusions: Findings suggest rTMS to be cognitively safe and clinically efficacious. A pre-rTMS cognitive phenotype for remitters was discovered, highlighting potential trait-markers indicative of future remission status. | M.Sc. | emission, invest | 7, 9 |
| Tsai, Pascale | Hodaie, Mojgan | Structural and Connectivity Analysis in Acoustic Neuroma Patients | Medical Science | 2022-11 | The global incidence of acoustic neuroma (AN) tumours is increasing, with devastating implications for individuals who subsequently develop unilateral hearing loss (UHL). Recent advances to brain imaging techniques permit a non-invasive investigation of UHL pathophysiology. The goal of this thesis is to use brain imaging methods to identify structural markers of UHL in adults with ANs. In Study 1, I use a fixel-based analysis to examine white matter structure in adults with ANs and UHL. In Study 2, I use structural connectomics and graph theory to explore whole-brain topology in this group. I found that 1) at the whole-brain level, white matter structural properties do not distinguish adults with ANs and UHL from healthy controls, but that 2) there are structural connectivity patterns unique to adults with ANs and UHL. Overall, this thesis concludes that brain imaging techniques can demonstrate whole-brain topological reorganization in adults with ANs and UHL. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Rzadki, Kathryn | Das, Sunit | Decade-long Trends in Treatment, Healthcare Utilization, Travel Burden and Outcomes in Patients with Glioblastoma in Ontario | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-06 | Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumour in adults. Clinical trials have demonstrated the critical effect of adjuvant therapies on patient survival. Little is known about how changes in, and access to, standard of care has affected real-world outcomes. Using administrative databases, we conducted two retrospective population-based cohort studies of newly diagnosed GBM patients in Ontario (2010-2019). We describe the GBM population and evaluate the implications of new practice standards on outcomes. Further, we investigate travel time as a barrier to receipt of chemoradiation and the impact of the expansion of neuro-oncology care delivery on treatment and travel patterns. As the incidence of GBM rises, outcomes remain poor. Expansion of neuro-oncology care delivery resulted in changes in healthcare utilization patterns consistent with decreased travel burden without compromising care, suggested by increased delivery of chemoradiation. These findings will inform future decisions to improve neuro-oncology care delivery in Ontario. | M.Sc. | healthcare, invest | 3, 9 |
| Lad , Heta | Gilbert, Penney M | Investigating ICU-acquired Weakness in a 3D Human Skeletal Muscle Microtissue Platform | Biomedical Engineering | 2021-03 | Numerous pathologies can lead to progressive muscle weakness and atrophy as secondary consequences. Intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW) is a clinically detected muscle weakness in critically-ill patients, often resulting in persistent disability. We investigated how humoral factors contribute to ICUAW by treating genetically identical 3D-human skeletal muscle microtissues(hMMTs) with sera collected along the treatment of critically-ill patients that may develop ICUAW. Treatment of hMMTs with sera collected within 72 hours of ICU admission with intubation and mechanical ventilation resulted in significantly reduced hMMT myotube diameter, sarcomere integrity and absolute passive force. Comparison of trends in hMMT form and function, when treated with early and later timepoint serum, to clinical outcomes revealed that hMMT passive force outcomes align with clinical outcomes of function measured by Medical Research Council sum score and motor functional independence measure. The next steps will include understanding which molecules are responsible for effects observed in culture. | M.A.S. | ABS, disabilit, invest | 2, 3, 9 |
| Lee, Jonathan Sebastien | Christendat, Dinesh | Investigating the Functional Evolution of Shikimate Kinase-Like 1 in Marchantia polymorpha | Cell and Systems Biology | 2020-11 | Shikimate kinase-like 1 (SKL1) is an ancient gene duplicate of shikimate kinase that arose during the evolution of early land plants between 400 and 500 million years ago. Through previous studies of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtSKL1), SKL1 is known to be essential for chloroplast biogenesis. My work aimed to study the ortholog of SKL1 in Marchantia polymorpha subsp. ruderalis (MpSKL1), an ancient species of land plant. This was aimed at confirming that SKL1 evolved its function shortly after its emergence during the early stages of land plant evolution. In this thesis, I have shown that MpSKL1 is a true ortholog of AtSKL1, functioning in chloroplast biogenesis. I have also shown that SKL1 evolved through the diversification of a shikimate kinase retrogene and that it most likely retains its functions as a small molecule kinase, having evolved to phosphorylate a new substrate. | M.Sc. | invest, species, land | 9, 14, 15 |
| Tu, Yi Xin | Brumell, John H | Examining the Autophagy Proximity Interactome | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-11 | Macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy) is a highly conserved catabolic process involving the lysosomal degradation of macromolecules, organelles and invading microbes. The signaling and mechanisms of autophagosome formation and targeting of intracellular cargo is incompletely understood. To address this, proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) analysis was performed on 39 autophagy proteins to map the autophagy interactome in human cells. We identified 773 unique interactors, of which 78% were previously uncharacterized. The interactome identified novel interactors of autophagy proteins associated with essential genes and have links to human disease. From this network, proteins involved in membrane contact sites (EMC complex), mitochondrial translation (TARS2) and endosomal trafficking (UHRF1BP1, UHRF1BP1L) were found to have functional roles in autophagy. UHRF1BP1 was further characterized to be a bona fide LC3 interactor localized to Salmonella-containing autophagosomes. Altogether, this autophagy proximity interaction map will serve as a valuable resource for future analysis of autophagy. | M.Sc. | trafficking, conserv | 5, 16, 14, 15 |
| Chan, Jacky | Sarhangian, Vahid | The Value of Advance Surgery Booking Information for Inventory Management of Surgical Supplies | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2020-11 | We study the value of incorporating Advance Booking Information (ABI) of elective surgery schedules information on into the inventory replenishment decisions of surgical supplies at hospitals. Medical operations require a large variety of consumable supplies that are kept in hospital inventory and replenished regularly. The combination of stringent requirements on their availability and high usage variability contributes to the high inventory costs. We study a periodic-review stochastic inventory control problem, where the item demand is driven by the number and type of surgeries. Through exact analysis of a simplified model and extensive numerical experiments (synthetic and real data), we provide insights on and quantify the value of using ABI. In the relevant parameter regime of high backlogging and low setup costs, the value of using ABI is significant and most of the benefit can be gained through using one period of ABI beyond the ordering lead-time into the ordering decision. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Ku, Michelle | Comelli, Elena M||Thompson, Lilian U | Effect of Flaxseed, its Oil and Lignan Components, and of its Hull Fraction on the Murine Intestinal Ecosystem | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-11 | Flaxseed (FS) is rich in oil (FSO; enriched in the kernel), secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), and dietary fiber (both enriched in the hull (FH)). FSO has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. SDG and fiber are metabolized by the intestinal microbiota to produce enterolignans and short chain fatty acids, respectively, contributing to FS benefits. The objective was to assess the effects of FS, and its FSO and SDG components at levels found in FS (Chapter 3), and of FH (Chapter 4) on the female C57BL/6 murine intestinal microbiota. In Chapter 3, FS induced greater microbial diversity, enrichment of fiber and protein metabolic pathways, and relevant taxa compared to FSO and SDG. In Chapter 4, FH induced a higher relative abundance of Bacteroides genus and serum lignans concentration compared to FS. Findings suggest that the complementary action of FS components is necessary to affect the intestinal microbiota and the production of beneficial metabolites. | M.Sc. | female, solar, production, ecosystem | 5, 7, 12, 14, 15 |
| Miller, Joshua | Hakem, Razq | Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 Loss of Function Screens Identify Genetic Vulnerabilities in BRCA1 Mutated Cancers | Medical Biophysics | 2020-11 | The breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA1) encodes a protein that plays a central role in DNA- damage repair and several nuclear processes. Somatic and germline mutations in BRCA1 drive breast and ovarian cancer development, however also confers a significant vulnerability to particular forms of chemotherapy. To search for genetic targets whose inhibition may interact in a synthetic lethal manner with BRCA1, we screened a BRCA1 methylated and BRCA1 wildtype ovarian cancer cell line with a genome-wide CRISPR based library. To provide a more comprehensive analysis, we additionally queried data from large-scale CRISPR-Cas9 dropout screens. Through the validation of CRISPR screening hits, here we found that the depletion of FAAP24 was selectively essential in BRCA1 deficient cell lines. We propose that targeting of FAAP24 may be a promising drug target for BRCA1 mutated cancers, although further in vitro and in vivo studies are required to extrapolate these findings. | M.Sc. | vulnerability | 1 |
| Cheung, Annette Oi Kiu | Sievenpiper, John | The Effect of Important Food Sources of Fructose-containing Sugars on Adiposity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | Nutritional Sciences | 2020-11 | Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are associated with increased weight gain. It remains unclear if other food sources of fructose-containing sugars show a similar relationship. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials to assess the effect of different food sources on body weight (primary outcome) and other adiposity measures. We identified 119 controlled trials (368 trial comparisons, N=5,263). Total fructose-containing sugars increased body weight (MD, 0.29kg [95% CI, 0.05 to 0.53]; moderate-certainty evidence) and body fat (MD, 0.0.47% [95% CI, 0.09 to 0.85]; low-certainty evidence) in addition trials (energy from sugars added to diet) with no effect in substitution (energy matched comparisons), subtraction (energy from sugars subtracted from diet), or ad libitum trials. There was evidence of interaction by food source with SSBs and mixed sources increasing body weight in addition trials. Energy control and food source appear to be mediators of the effect of fructose-containing sugars on adiposity. | M.Sc. | energy | 7 |
| Pompili, David | Ciruna, Brian G | Establishing Zebrafish Embryonic Axial Curvature as a Scoliosis Surrogate Model to Screen for Pathogenic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-11 | Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is characterized by abnormal spinal curvatures arising without observable vertebral or physiological anomalies. Genetic heterogeneity and historical lack of relevant animal models have hindered understanding of mechanisms driving disease. Consequently, scoliosis treatments rely on invasive mechanical spinal corrections. Our lab first demonstrated that zebrafish faithfully recapitulate hallmarks of human IS. We identified disruptions in cerebrospinal fluid flow/homeostasis and neuroinflammation as drivers of zebrafish IS, and found that pharmaceutical immunomodulation suppresses spinal curvature. As scoliosis develops and progresses slowly, an embryonic phenotype linked to scoliosis would facilitate small molecule suppressor screening for mechanisms underlying spinal curvature, while revealing targets amenable to therapy development. Herein I establish zebrafish embryonic ventral tail curvature as a functional scoliosis surrogate model. In exploiting this discovery, I identified novel chemical therapy in a new zebrafish model of IS and implemented a high-throughput embryonic screening platform providing potentially translatable biology and therapeutic targets. | M.Sc. | fish, animal | 14, 15 |
| Khaw, Yew Meng | Kundur, Deepa | A Deep Learning-based Cyberattack Detection and Mitigation System for Transmission Protective Relays | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2020-11 | There is a pressing need for the development of cyberattack detection and mitigation systems for substations and in particular protective relays, a critical component of substation operation. Multiple false transmission line trippings initiated by coordinated cyberattacks on protective relays can cause large scale power disturbances and cascading failures. This thesis presents a deep learning-based cyberattack detection and mitigation system (CDMS) for transmission line protective relays. The proposed CDMS consists of a convolutional autoencoder based anomaly detector that is first trained with power measurements representing various types of fault and fault-free conditions. The CDMS is then employed to detect measurements that are maliciously injected by an attacker. The proposed CDMS is evaluated under a variety of cyberattack scenarios and is capable of blocking most attacks without interfering with normal relay operations. This thesis also evaluates the security and robustness of the machine learning model within the CDMS under a white-box attack. | M.A.S. | learning, urban | 4, 11 |
| Che, William Taizhi | Petronis, Arturas | Spatial Variation of Circadian Gene Expression in the Rodent Brain | Pharmacology | 2020-11 | The brain plays a major role in the coordination of circadian rhythms in the body. However, it has been demonstrated that circadian transcriptome oscillations in the bulk brain exhibit dampened amplitude compared to peripheral organs. This paradoxical phenomenon can be explained by the complexity of anatomical structures within the brain which may exhibit phase differences in the expression of circadian genes. To address this question, we investigated Per2 and Arntl expression during the circadian cycle in thousands of isometric voxels in the rat brain. We identified a previously uncharacterized spatiotemporal organization of circadian rhythms in the brain. The acrophase time of Per2 and Arntl expression is incrementally delayed with increasing distance from a caudomedial region of the brain. Our results confirm circadian heterogeneity of the brain and point at a new mechanism of phase regulation across brain regions. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Zhou, Susan | Jia, Zhengping | The Role of PAK Signaling in Social Memory | Physiology | 2020-11 | Long-term memory is retained in cells which retain structural changes induced by repeated stimulation, termed engram cells. The p21-activated kinase (PAK) signaling pathway is known to be important in the regulation of synaptic structures and subsequent plasticity, but its role in engram cells is unknown. In this project, I used a tetracycline inducible system to express mutant PAK3 proteins, which inactivates the PAK pathway, to address this question. Mutant PAK3 proteins were expressed mostly in excitatory neurons of the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala and led to reversible social memory deficits in mutant mice. Social memory engram cells were weakly labelled in the hippocampus. Acute optogenetic inhibition of excitatory cells in the entorhinal cortex perforant pathway led to similar social memory deficits in control animals, but may reduce deficits in mutant animals. These findings contribute to the understanding of social memory engram cells and the role of PAK in social discrimination. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Chen, Michelle | Diamandis, Eleftherios | TMI on TBI: Multi-approach Proteomics Discovery of Traumatic Brain Injury Biomarkers | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2020-11 | Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has recently been highlighted as a significant public health concern, affecting over 65 million patients worldwide per year. Despite increased awareness, reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to improve patient care. Here, we use mixed proteomics approaches - including high-throughput multiplex immunoassay and mass spectrometry - to identify brain injury biomarkers in the serum and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of severe TBI (sTBI) patients. We identify a candidate list of diagnostic markers that are perturbed in sTBI patients in comparison with non-brain injury controls, with significant ability to discriminate the presence of TBI. In addition, we discover candidate prognostic markers that are significantly correlated to clinical indicators of TBI and are able to predict survival outcome in sTBI patients. The preliminary findings presented in this pilot study represent a promising starting point for future validation, where candidate biomarkers can be tested in independent TBI cohorts. | M.Sc. | public health | 3 |
| Perovic, Mateja | Einstein, Gillian | Prefrontal Cortical Thickness and Hippocampal Volume Maintained in Women Taking E2 Replacement Therapy Post Bilateral Salpingo-oophorectomy | Psychology | 2020-11 | Bilateral oophorectomy prior to spontaneous menopause is associated with increased risk of dementia. A likely mechanism behind this increased risk is the sudden drop in 17β-estradiol (E2) which occurs following surgery. The current study examines whether E2 replacement therapy in women who have a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) maintains verbal and working memory performance, prefrontal cortical thickness and hippocampal volume. Women were tested before and after BSO. Overall results indicate a beneficial effect of E2 on cognitive performance and brain structure following BSO, as no changes are observed between the pre- and post- testing sessions. However, examination of pre- and post-BSO outcomes for individual women reveals that E2 replacement is not universally beneficial in maintaining verbal memory performance and prefrontal structure. These findings have implications for clinical practice as, while they provide evidence in support of the use of E2 for many surgically menopausal women, they also explore limitations of E2 effectiveness. | M.A. | women | 5 |
| Van Lieshout, Emma | Wither, Joan | Investigation of the Immunologic Changes that Discriminate Asymptomatic Antinuclear Antibody Positive Individuals from Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Patients | Immunology | 2020-11 | The Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (SARD) are a class of chronic autoimmune diseases with widespread inflammation leading to heterogenous clinical manifestations and significant morbidity. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are the hallmark of SARD but are also detected in healthy individuals. Some immune abnormalities associated with SARD have also been identified in asymptomatic ANA+ individuals. Here, we demonstrate that asymptomatic ANA+ individuals have significant immune activation as compared to ANA- healthy controls, which is intensified in individuals who will progress to SARD. Furthermore, elevated monocyte levels and trends to decreased regulatory T cells were observed in SARD patients compared to asymptomatic ANA+ individuals indicating that the balance of proinflammatory to regulatory factors is central to SARD progression. These findings enhance our understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in SARD pathogenesis and suggests that ANA+ individuals with the highest immune activation have an increased risk of progression. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Tran, Celina Tuyet Lan | Cordes, Sabine P | Investigating the Molecular Role of Tubby in Subcellular Localization of RNAs | Molecular and Medical Genetics | 2020-11 | Mice and humans deficient in the Tubby (Tub) protein, which contains a nucleic acid-binding TUB domain, exhibit maturity-onset obesity, insulin resistance, and sensorineural deficits. We found that Tub has roles in RNA localization. As seen for many RNA binding proteins governing subcellular mRNA localization, I demonstrated that nuclear localization of Tub is essential for its regulation of localization of its target Neuropeptide Y and that Tub-bound sequences can repress translation. To investigate the shared roles of Tub and the related Tulp3 in ciliary trafficking, I showed that disruption of the phosphoinositide PI(4,5)P2 binding motif did not affect their ciliary localization, and induced nuclear localization of Tub but surprisingly not Tulp3. Using the MS2 RNA binding system, I have taken the first steps to examine Tub-dependent ciliary GPCR RNA localization. Altogether, I provide evidence that begins to explore the RNA-based mechanism of Tub in regulating subcellular mRNA localization. | M.Sc. | trafficking, invest | 5, 16, 9 |
| Zhang, Cindy Xin Wen | Levitan, Robert||Matthews, Stephen | Seasonality and the Immune System during Pregnancy: Impact of Seasonal Affective Disorder | Physiology | 2020-11 | The current analysis examined whether high maternal seasonality was associated with a unique pattern of immune activity during pregnancy. Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) was measured in 100 highly seasonal mothers and 100 matched controls in the 1st and 3rd trimester. In trimester 1, highly seasonal women had significantly lower CRP than controls. There was no effect of season on CRP for both study groups during pregnancy. In a subsample, gene expression of pro- (IL1β, IL6, TNFα) and anti-inflammatory (IL4, IL10) cytokines were measured in peripheral leukocytes. No cytokine gene expression differences between groups were detected. Multiple regressions were conducted to predict CRP using BMI, maternal seasonality group, gene expression of each cytokine, and cytokine by seasonality group interaction. Significant predictor variables were IL1β by group interaction and IL10 gene expression. These findings suggest highly seasonal pregnant women have a different immune profile than control women in early gestation. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Rios Garcia, Julian David | Cheng, Mary | Characterization of the Role of Downstream Regulatory Element Antagonist Modulator (DREAM) in the Murine Circadian Clock | Cell and Systems Biology | 2020-11 | DREAM is a multifunctional Ca2+ binding protein with diverse functions both inside and outside the nucleus. However, no study to date has examined the role of DREAM within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), even though DREAM is present in high abundance in the SCN. Here, we find that DREAM ablation results in a shorter period of wheel-running activity and impaired entrainment to environmental light cycles. However, at the molecular level, the absence of DREAM established no significant change in the expression of pERK, immediate early genes and clock genes. At the transcriptome level, RNA-seq analysis suggests that DREAM may be involved in or impact cellular stress mechanisms, cell excitability, and structural remodelling of neurons. These findings identify DREAM as a potential regulator of circadian clock speed and photic entrainment. However, further experiments are needed to find the precise role and mechanism of action of DREAM within the SCN. | M.Sc. | ABS, environmental | 2, 13 |
| Burns, Samantha Caitlin | Perlman, Michal||White, Linda | Information Effects on Parental Preferences for Regulatory Types of Early Childhood Education and Care | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2020-11 | Choosing early childhood education and care (ECEC) services is a complex process and research has shown that parents are poorly informed consumers of these services. Experimental studies show that when participants are informed on the importance of a specific decision, they engage in a more complex decision-making process. In this paper, we test whether providing parents with information about the regulatory stringency of ECEC options available to them would influence their ECEC preferences. A conjoint survey capturing quasi-behavioural preferences of ECEC services was completed by 682 parents. Prior to engaging with the survey, participants were randomly assigned to a treatment that informs them about the stringency of oversight of ECEC options available in the province of Ontario or a control group. Receiving information did not meaningfully change the preferences of the entire sample. However, subgroup analysis of parents identified as lower-resourced indicates an important information effect for parent decisions. | M.A. | consum | 12 |
| Ebrahimi, Jessica | Prakki, Anuradha | Physical and Mechanical Properties of a Dental Resin Covalently Attached to Epigallocatechin-3-gallate | Dentistry | 2020-11 | Background: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is an antibacterial green tea polyphenol that can inhibit dentinal protease activity and help preserve dentin-bond strength. However, current methods of EGCG delivery involve passive inclusion of EGCG into methacrylates, leading todiffusion of EGCG and rapid depletion of its bioactive properties. Objectives: To evaluate the physico-mechanical properties of a novel resin based on methacrylate copolymer covalently attached with EGCG. Methods: Resins were formulated with EGCG functionalized at varying degrees (E33, E67, and E100) and varying concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10%), and compared to passively incorporated EGCG (E0) and the control group (TEGDMA). Degree of conversion (n=3), flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, modulus of resilience, and microhardness were tested (n=8). Results: EGCG-methacrylate groups had statistically similar physico-mechanical properties to control group except 10% E33. Conclusions: Functionalized EGCG-methacrylate groups except 10% E33 possess adequate physico-mechanical characteristics to progress with further testing in an innate dentin matrix model. | M.Sc. | resilien, resilience | 11, 13, 15 |
| Pham, Justin | Lemaire, Mathieu | Investigating Sialic Acid Deficiency on Promoting Renal Thrombosis | Medical Science | 2020-11 | Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) is a rare condition which causes thrombosis in the renal microvasculature. Pneumococcal aHUS (P-aHUS) is a rare subtype resulting from severe Streptococcus pneumoniae infections. Although the pathophysiology of P-aHUS remains unknown, patients often present with high blood levels of sialidase, enzymes which remove terminal sialic acids from cell surface glycans. Recently, recessive mutations resulting in loss-of-function in the sialyltransferase ST3GAL1 were identified in three siblings with aHUS. To determine how sialic acid-deficiency promotes thrombosis in the renal microvasculature, the desialylated glycoproteins expressed on sialic acid-deficient endothelial cells were identified and the renal phenotypes of sialic acid-deficient rats were characterized. In total, 5 desialylated glycoproteins of interest were identified by mass spectrometry proteomics, while sialic acid-deficient rats were revealed to have significant renal microvasculature injury. The data collected provides evidence for sialic acid-deficiency as a mechanism for promoting renal thrombosis, and potentially novel targets for future study. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Ni, Tiffany | Ni, Heyu | Salvianolic Acid B Inhibits Platelet Aggregation and Blood Coagulation | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2020-11 | Dan Shen extracts have been reported for centuries to control cardiovascular diseases in Chinese medicine, and its depside salts are approved in China to treat chronic angina. As the most abundant active compound of Dan Shen, salvianolic acid B (SAB) has been shown to exhibit anti-thrombotic properties in animal models. However, its mechanism of action has not been adequately explored. Interestingly, we found SAB bears structural similarities to dabigatran. SAB reduced clot weight, delayed coagulation determined by PT, aPTT, and TEG. Confocal and scanning electron microscopy revealed SAB also reduced fibrin network density. We demonstrated SAB attenuates ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Remarkably, SAB inhibits thrombin-induced platelet aggregation more potently than other agonists. Ex vivo perfusion chamber studies showed SAB reduced platelet adhesion/aggregation under flow conditions. These data establish a novel mechanism of SAB in the inhibition of platelet aggregation and blood coagulation, likely partially through direct thrombin inhibition. | M.Sc. | animal | 14, 15 |
| vandenEnden, Lori Anne | Simpson, Myrna J | A Molecular-level Investigation of Soil Organic Matter Responses to Climate Change in Two Temperate Forests | Chemistry | 2020-11 | Climate change is expected to alter the amount and type of carbon (C) stored in forests as soil organic matter (SOM). To better understand the response of forest SOM to warmer temperatures and enhanced nitrogen (N) deposition, samples were collected from the Detrital Input and Removal Treatment plots at University of Michigan Biological Station and the Soil Warming and Nitrogen experimental plots at Harvard Forest after 10 years of manipulation. Molecular-level analytical techniques were used to understand the composition and degradation state of SOM from these plots. Results indicated that although neither site showed changes in the amount of C or N stored after 10 years, there were changes in the composition and decomposition state of SOM. The results of this thesis have demonstrated that forest SOM cycling and storage are sensitive to environmental change, and also highlight the importance of long-term forest manipulation studies. | M.Sc. | invest, climate, environmental, forest, soil | 9, 13, 15 |
| Kannampuzha, Courtney | Einstein, Gillian | Estrogens, Inflammation, and Cognition: Does Inflammation Mediate Verbal Memory Deficits Observed in Surgically Menopausal Women? | Psychology | 2020-11 | Women who have had an oophorectomy prior to spontaneous menopause experience a decline in E2 production and are more susceptible to dementia (Sherwin, 1988; Farrag et al., 2002; Gervais et al., 2020). Women with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) display elevated levels of inflammation compared to age-matched controls (Trollor et al., 2001; Lee et al., 2018). This study investigated the role of inflammation in mediating verbal memory deficits observed in surgically menopausal women. Our analyses revealed that women with a bilateral salpingo oophorectomy (BSO) experienced significantly greater verbal memory decay in the Logical Memory task and had significantly higher levels of CRP, IL-1????, IL-8, IL-18, and MCP-1 compared to pre-menopausal age-matched controls and/or women with a BSO taking E2 related hormone therapy (BSO + E2). Furthermore, MCP-1 mediated the difference in verbal memory decay between the BSO and BSO + E2 groups. | M.A. | women, invest, production | 5, 9, 12 |
| Yan, Nicole E'June | Wallace, Valerie A | Characterization of Inter-neuronal Communication by Material Exchange between Primary Photoreceptors In Vitro | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2020-11 | Recent discoveries in retinal transplantation have reframed our understanding of photoreceptor communication. The presence of pre-labelled donor cells in recipient retinas was assumed to be synaptic integration of transplanted cells but is now reinterpreted as intercellular material exchange (ME) between donor and recipient cells. The transfer of cytosolic material via membranous protrusions is known to occur in a number of cell types; however, the mechanisms and functional relevance are unclear. In this study, we established an in vitro model of primary retinal neurons to investigate the mechanisms behind ME. We observed intercellular transfer of proteins and mitochondria via neurite-like protrusions between primary photoreceptors. We propose that ME occurs through a mechanism involving cytoplasmic continuity and membrane fusion and is modulated by Rho GTPase cytoskeletal remodelling. The findings of this study contribute to expanding our understanding of inter-neuronal communication between retinal cells and its implications in retinal function and pathology. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Tinafar, Hamed | Pardee, Keith I | Exploring Cell-free Synthetic Biology Tools for De-centralized Diagnostics and Protein Manufacturing | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2020-11 | Food security and disease prevention are of utmost importance in maintaining societal welfare. This work outlines some strategies to tackle these issues through the use of cell-free technologies. These include development of sensors for detecting Classical Swine Fever and colistin resistance genes, as well as advancement of capabilities for manufacturing of therapeutics and lab reagents. Classical Swine Fever poses a major threat to global food supply and trade. In this work, construction of low-cost and portable sensors for detection of Classical Swine Fever is demonstrated with the ultimate goal of field deployment. Furthermore, building and screening of gene circuits for tracking of colistin resistance genes is showcased. This thesis also explores several parameters relating to cell-free expression and purification of protein-based therapeutics and laboratory reagents. By canvassing these applications, this work aims to help bring the power of genetically-encoded tools outside of the laboratory. | M.Sc. | welfare, food security, labor, trade | 1, 2, 8, 10 |
| Pyo, Keonjun | Amon, Cristina C.A | Multiscale Cell-to-vehicle Thermo-electrical Modelling, Simulation and Testing of Electric Vehicles: A Case Study for Battery Pack Temperature Estimation Models | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11 | Advancements in modelling of electric vehicles (EVs) are needed to improve vehicle and battery thermal performance. This thesis aims to develop a multiscale cell-to-vehicle model in MATLAB Simulink to study the effects of five battery pack temperature estimation models based on two metrics: battery thermal management system (BTMS) power consumption and maximum temperature gradient. The study considers battery packs with parallel and serial cooling delivery modes in both summer and winter conditions. These estimation models include average temperature, maximum temperature, top 10 percentile, reduced maximum temperature and reduced average temperature. This study also considers temperature sensing resolution in typical commercial EV battery packs by varying the number of temperature sensors used to estimate the two metrics. The findings from this study suggest that parallel cooling delivery mode with the reduced average temperature estimation model is best suited when considering the two metrics. | M.A.S. | consum | 12 |
| Chu, Jonathan Jo Jo | Claramunt, Santiago | Determinants of Variation in Natal Dispersal Distances amongst North American Birds | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-10 | Dispersal is fundamental to many processes such as community connectivity, gene flow, and macroevolution. Natal dispersal, movement from birth site to breeding site, is usually the longest dispersal event among birds and thus the most influential to these processes. Recent work has suggested that the cost of transport may be an important factor for determining dispersal distance. I use large-scale mark-recovery data to estimate natal dispersal distances in North American birds and incorporate morphologically based flight efficiency proxies, ecological and behavioural factors into models that explain the variation of dispersal distances across species. Model inference techniques suggest that flight efficiency, population size and habitat are important for natal dispersal distance, the individual effects of which are difficult to disentangle. I suggest that since these parameters capture information about a species mobility, mobility is what determines natal dispersal distances in North American birds. | M.Sc. | species, ecolog | 14, 15 |
| Masum, Fahim | Sinton, David||Pardee, Keith | Medical Devices and the ManGo: Prototyping Low-cost, High-quality Medical and Laboratory Systems That Make Healthcare More Accessible | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11 | The COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world in 2020 gave light to a lot of things, but mostimportantly it highlighted how access to healthcare remains an obstacle to many, particularly to those in resource-poor areas of the world. In this work, I describe my efforts in building medical and laboratory systems that help provide high-quality healthcare with low-cost resources. My main project is the development of a portable fluidic system which takes advantage of cell-free systems to significantly reduce the time and costs associated with protein manufacturing. Two versions of this fluidic system have been developed, both of which manufacture therapeutics and research tools quickly and at low-cost. A second system I developed is an economical incubator as a companion device to augment the functionality of a glucose meter interface for diagnostics. | M.A.S. | healthcare, labor, accessib | 3, 8, 11 |
| McKay, Hayley | Lumba, Shelley | A Morphological and Molecular Investigation into the Role of Ethylene in Cannabis sativa Sex Determination | Cell and Systems Biology | 2021-08 | Commercial Cannabis producers rely on harvesting unfertilized female flowers for their high cannabinoid levels, but presence of male pollen can lead to fertilization and yield losses. Although male plants can be genetically identified, there is no reliable way to identify female plants which spontaneously produce viable male flowers. Understanding of Cannabis sativa’s sex determination mechanisms is limited, but the phytohormone ethylene is known to promote female flower development. Phenotypic analysis confirmed C. sativa responds canonically to ethylene. Microscopy revealed unisexual C. sativa flower development diverges early through distinct morphological pathways and ethylene inhibition in female plants exposed an alternative male flower formation pathway. From these, a model for C. sativa sex determination regulated by ethylene is proposed, with support from differential gene expression analyses. Future studies are needed to identify causal genes regulating sex determination so male flower-producing plants can be identified by growers, and female-only strains can eventually be bred. | M.Sc. | female, invest | 5, 9 |
| Bhimani, Sweta Pravinchandra | DeAngelis, Carlo | Hyperglycemia from Glucocorticoid Use for Prophylaxis of Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV) | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2021-11 | Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), a frequent adverse effect of chemotherapy, is debilitating and negatively impacts patients’ wellbeing. Despite the introduction of newer antiemetics, glucocorticoids continue to play a fundamental role in CINV prophylaxis. Hyperglycemia is a well-documented adverse effect of glucocorticoids, yet there is a limited systematic effort to assess its occurrence and develop strategies for its management in the oncology population. We sought to provide a better understanding of glucocorticoid-induced hyperglycemia (GIH) in the setting of CINV prevention by conducting a: (1) systematic review of the current literature; (2) retrospective chart review to ascertain current glucose monitoring practices; and (3) prospective observational study to assess the occurrence of GIH. There is a paucity of high quality evidence addressing GIH in this population. Current glucose monitoring practices do not adequately identify the magnitude of the issue in practice as GIH occurs more frequently than is documented. | M.Sc. | wellbeing | 3 |
| Grande, Elisabeth Maria | Adeli, Khosrow | GLP-2 Regulation of Dietary Fat Absorption and Intestinal Chylomicron Production: The Role of the Enteric Nervous System via Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase (nNOS) Signalling | Physiology | 2021-11 | Postprandial dyslipidemia is a metabolic condition associated with insulin-resistant diseases. It is characterized by the overproduction of intestinal chylomicron particles and excess atherogenic chylomicron remnants in circulation. We have previously shown that GLP-2 augments dietary fat uptake and chylomicron production; however, the underlying mechanism(s) remain(s) unclear. This study investigated the role of nNOS in lipid uptake and chylomicron formation in animal models, after intraduodenal and oral fat administration. GLP-2 treatment in WT mice significantly increased postprandial lipid accumulation and circulating apoB48 protein levels, while these effects were abolished in nNOS-/- mice. nNOS inhibition in Syrian golden hamsters and PKG inhibition in WT mice also abrogated the effects of GLP-2 on postprandial lipid accumulation. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism in which nNOS-generated NO is crucial for GLP-2-mediated lipid absorption and chylomicron production. This data also implicates an nNOS-PKG mediated pathway in the effects of GLP-2 on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. | M.Sc. | ABS, invest, production, animal | 2, 9, 12, 14, 15 |
| Danesi, Alexander | Carneiro, Karina | Investigating Calcium Phosphate Growth on DNA and Protein Scaffolds | Dentistry | 2021-11 | Biomineralization of mineralized tissues (e.g. teeth and bones) are highly organized and regulated processes. In particular, extracellular matrix proteins such as amelogenin (scaffold) and amelotin (mineral promoter) play crucial roles in enamel formation. Amelotin contains a short SSEEL peptide responsible for mineralization regulation. In this thesis, self-assembled scaffolds composed of amelogenin or DNA, in combination with amelotin or its SSEEL peptide, are used to investigate guided calcium phosphate deposition. Though amelogenin scaffolds provide a direct in vivo relation to enamel development, self-assembled DNA scaffolds offer the ability to arrange mineral promoting groups with nanoscale precision. This thesis shows that amelogenin and amelotin co-assemblies result in controlled hydroxyapatite (HAP) growth, while DNA nanostructures functionalized with the SSEEL peptide result in selective calcium phosphate deposition. Mineralized tissues are incapable of regeneration past a critical defect size; therefore there is a marked need for investigating biomineralization processes and for developing treatment options. | M.Sc. | invest, regeneration | 9, 15 |
| Chini, Katrina | Cohn, Melanie | Accelerated Long-term Forgetting in Parkinson's Disease and Healthy Aging | Psychology | 2021-11 | Accelerated long-term forgetting (ALF) is characterized by rapid forgetting of long-term episodic memories over hours to weeks despite normal initial learning. Emerging evidence suggests ALF occurs in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and healthy aging. However, the few ALF studies in these groups use paradigms with high reliance on executive functions which hinders the ability to determine whether these forgetting effects are indicative of hippocampally-based episodic memory and/or fronto-executive declines. Using two long-term item memory measures that minimize demands on executive functions, I hypothesized that PD and healthy older adult groups would show greater forgetting by three days than healthy controls and younger adults respectively. Preliminary results show no significant ALF effects in either group, which may reflect the current under-powered sample or that executive functioning mediated ALF in previous studies. Notwithstanding, this research will help elucidate the relationship between ALF, hippocampally-based memory processes and fronto-executive abilities in PD and healthy aging. | M.A. | learning | 4 |
| McGroarty, John Aylward | Bilton, Amy M | Exploration of Surface Properties of Engineered Sponges for Effective Marine Oil Spill Cleanup | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11 | Removing emulsified oil from seawater is challenging. Superwetting foams developed using afacile dip coating technique have emerged as a promising approach. They allow for the manipulation of surface properties to remove free and emulsified oil from seawater. Herein, new surface engineered sponges have been developed to remove different crude oils from seawater. These coatings were developed to improve performance for different oils and understand the influence of different factors on oil removal efficacy: surface chemistry, surface roughness and electrostatic compatibility. The developed materials displayed over 99% removal efficacy for light, conventional, and heavy crude oil emulsified in water, across a wide range of environmental conditions, including pH, temperature, and salinity. This approach is simple, scalable, and economical with the potential to address large-scale marine oil spills. The insights provided can provide researchers an understanding of pivotal surface properties necessary to drive emulsified crude oil adsorption when developing future materials. | M.A.S. | water, environmental, marine | 6, 13, 14 |
| Nishat, Eman | Wheeler, Anne L||Ameis, Stephanie H | White Matter Microstructure in Male and Female Children with Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Association with Processing Speed | Physiology | 2021-11 | As maturation of the brain microstructure and cognitive processes continue throughout development, there is risk of interference from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This thesis used T1-weighted and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate differences in white matter and cortical microstructure between children with a history of mTBI and children with no history of mTBI, and to investigate whether differences in brain microstructure are associated with performance on cognitive tests. Group comparisons between children with and without a history of mTBI revealed significant differences in deep and superficial white matter microstructure in females with mTBI. In addition, in females with mTBI, superficial white matter microstructure was associated with lower scores on the processing speed test. These findings suggest that mTBI in childhood may alter white matter development in females. This sex dependent effect on the brain may be associated with enhanced vulnerability to persistent symptoms after mTBI in females. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, female, invest | 1, 5, 9 |
| Perez, Taegan Jessica Maya | Lovejoy , Nathan | Integrative Taxonomy as a Tool for Conservation: Exploring Freshwater Fish Diversity of the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11 | As global biodiversity declines, conservation efforts are important in megadiverse areas such as the Neotropics where biodiversity is especially imperiled. The accurate identification of species/specimens is critical to successful conservation plans. However, in groups such as freshwater fishes, conventional methods for species/specimen identification such as morphology, or molecular methodologies such as DNA barcoding, have documented challenges. Approaches that integrate multiple data sources are likely to provide the best species identifications. Here, I assess the diversity of freshwater fishes in the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, and document 51 species. I use and compare multiple approaches to identify species. My results demonstrate that barcode-based identifications are comparable to field-based identifications despite known gaps in resources for field-based identifications and are inferior to identifications by experts using morphology. I conclude that an integrative approach to specimen identification is a critical facet of successful preservation of biodiversity. | M.Sc. | water, conserv, fish, species, biodivers, wildlife | 6, 14, 15 |
| Xu, Zhaoyi | Liu, Xinyu XL | An Improved Approach for Optogenetic Locomotion Control of Caenorhabditis Elegans | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11 | Animals have greatly inspired the development of robotics with their sophisticated bodies after the evolution of millions of years. By directly harnessing the intelligence of animals, the technical bottlenecks such as integration of actuation mechanism and energy source for untethered microrobot could be overcome. Our research group proposed an approach to develop a living soft microrobot by optogenetic locomotion control of Caenorhabditis elegans, called RoboWorm. This thesis work further improves the RoboWorm technology. Firstly, the applications of RoboWorm to support biophysical research of C. elegans are illustrated through a literature review. Secondly, the performance of RoboWorm has been significantly improved by generating a new transgenic strain of C. elegans, with a different approach to hijack the worm motor neurons. The third aspect is to improve the operation and enhance the user-friendliness of the RoboWorm system. Overall, this thesis improves the performance and demonstrates applications of the RoboWorm technology. | M.Sc. | energy, animal | 7, 14, 15 |
| Klingler, Jessica Jean | Shachak, Aviv||Furness, Colin | Information-seeking Drug Professionals: Information Practices of Peer Harm Reduction Workers in Toronto | Information Studies | 2021-11 | While a significant body of literature exists studying the effectiveness of peer-led harm reduction programming, a much smaller body of work examines peer harm reduction workers’ professional capacities, particularly outside of public health policy or social work fields. Using a Library and Information Sciences theoretical framework, the purpose of this study is to investigate the information practices of peer harm reduction workers, thereby centring the experiences of people who use drugs working in the harm reduction field. Eight peer harm reduction workers who live and work in Toronto were interviewed about their workplace experiences, professional development, and community engagement. Applying Lloyd’s writing about embodied information practice as a theoretical framework, the findings of this study conceptualize how harm reduction workers with lived experience develop their career identities and collaboratively create social and cultural norms in their workplaces. | M.I.S. | public health, labor, worker, invest, cities | 3, 8, 9, 11 |
| Srikrishnaraj, Arjuna | Brubaker , Patricia | The Effects of Combined h[Gly2]Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 and Exendin-4 on Parameters Relevant to Short Bowel Syndrome | Physiology | 2021-11 | The intestinotrophic hormone, Glucagon-Like Peptide-2 mimetic h[Gly2]GLP2 is used to treat patients with Short Bowel Syndrome. GLP-1 mimetics including Exendin-4(Ex4) improve metabolism but are also intestinotrophic. Given this overlap, intestinal growth and permeability, body weight (BW), and gastric emptying (GE) were investigated in male and female C57/BL6mice following h[Gly2]GLP2 and Ex4 treatment, alone and in combination at “low”, “medium”, and “high” doses. Only the h[Gly2]GLP2 low dose/Ex4 high combination increased small intestinal (SI) weight compared to vehicle and both mono-agonists, via increases in SI length and villus height. This combination also abolished Ex4 induced reductions in BW and GE. However, h[Gly2]GLP2 induced reductions in intestinal permeability were abrogated by this combination.These findings suggest that adding GLP-1 mimetics to GLP-2-based therapy improves intestinal growth without detrimental effects on BW and GE, although antagonistic effect on intestinal permeability, as well as use in SBS models necessitate further studies | M.Sc. | female, invest | 5, 9 |
| Tinajero, Maria Gabriela | Malik, Vasanti S | Ethnic Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk: A Meta-analysis in Adults and a Cross-sectional Study in Children | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-11 | Type 2 diabetes (T2D) manifests differently in adults of different ethnicities. Whether these differences arise as early as childhood remains narrowly explored. For Objective 1 of this thesis, two separate meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies were conducted using random effects models to investigate whether the associations between BMI, WC, and T2D risk differ across ethnic groups. For Objective 2, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 5,557 children (ages 3-11 years), and linear and multivariate regression models were used to estimate differences in continuous cardiometabolic risk (CMR) outcomes, including a CMR score, between European and non-European children. In Objective 1, the meta-analyses showed that Southeast Asians displayed the highest risk of T2D per unit increase in BMI and WC. In Objective 2, African and East Asian children were observed to have significantly lower CMR scores than European children, while South Asian children displayed higher levels of lipid markers than Europeans. | M.Sc. | invest, cities | 9, 11 |
| Rajkumar, Anthony John Peter | Evans, David C | First Records of a Cribriform Plate in Non-avian Dinosauria, with Implications for Olfactory Evolution and Ecology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2021-11 | The study of internal cranial anatomy in dinosaurs has allowed for insights into aspects of their neurology and sensory evolution. We describe the novel aspects of the olfactory anatomy of two ankylosaurids: Anodontosaurus lambei and Dyoplosaurus acutosquameus. These specimens exhibit ossified cribriform plates, a plate of bone perforated by olfactory nerve bundles. These represent the first known occurrences of this feature in non-avian dinosaurs, and it is rarely seen in non-mammals. The pattern of perforation in ankylosaurs is more peripheral than in mammals but the density is similar. This enables us to use the framework of a previous study to estimate the number of functional olfactory receptor genes from the plate area. We also examine the potential application of “maximum olfactory windows” in other dinosaurs, where the olfactory nerve passes through ossified foramina (ceratopsids, hadrosaurids and tyrannosaurids). This research provides the first estimates of functional sensory genes in non-avian dinosaurs. | M.Sc. | wind, ecolog | 7, 15 |
| Chen, Cheng Cheng | Kennedy, James JLK | Pharmacogenetic Analysis of Antipsychotic Response in Schizophrenia | Medical Science | 2021-11 | Antipsychotic (AP) medications are the best treatment option for schizophrenia (SCZ), but the inter-individual difference in treatment response is a serious concern. Previous studies have revealed a strong genetic component in AP efficacy, thus we aimed to identify genetic predictors for AP response. We examined the metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 (GRM3) gene variants for association with AP response, and observed that rs274621 was associated with better response. We also investigated the associations between the polymorphisms in alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit genes and clozapine (CLZ) response and found rs1461225 to be associated with negative symptom improvement. Lastly, we studied the complement component 4 (C4) gene in relation to SCZ clinical characteristics. We found nominal associations between C4 and SCZ clinical characteristics, as well as a strong sex-specific effect on C4 genotype distribution in SCZ. Our studies pointed to several potential biomarkers for AP response, but future replication studies are required. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Li, Fang-Chi | Kishen, Anil AK | Deciphering Stem Cell from Apical Papilla - Macrophage Choreography in Inflammatory Environment using a Novel 3D Organoid | Dentistry | 2021-11 | The aim of this study is twofold: (1) develop and characterize a 3D binary-cells tissue construct to study SCAP (stem-cell-from-apical-papilla) - MQ (macrophage) interaction, and (2) investigate the interactions and cell signaling mechanisms between SCAP-MQ under pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory environments in the organoid system. 3D (dimensional) image analysis and cytokine profiles were employed in this investigation. It was demonstrated that the SCAP self-organized as a cap-shaped organoid in the tissue construct. The pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory environments influenced SCAP-MQ interactions, resulting in altered cell volume, cell viability, cell morphology and structural organization in 3D tissue construct. The increased cytokine/chemokine profiles at the earlier phase of pro-inflammation, increased ratio of pSTAT6/pSTAT1 and decreased CD206/80 indicated a distinct polarization behavior in macrophages during repair. Conversely, equal ratio of pSTAT6/pSTAT1 and late increase of CD206/80 with amplified secretion of IL-1RA, IL-10 and TGF-1 in the anti-inflammatory environment directed alternative macrophage polarization, while promoting SCAP differentiation and tissue modeling. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Gilmore, Julian C. | Bendayan, Reina | Investigating Sex Differences In Fetal Antiretroviral Drug Disposition: The Role Of Membrane-associated Transporters and Metabolic Enzyme | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2021-11 | Antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is effective in reducing risk of vertical HIV transmission during pregnancy, however, the fetal toxicity of ARVs remains poorly understood and existing literature often does not account for fetal sex. New evidence of sex-linked toxicities in ARV-exposed children suggests sex-differential drug disposition, which may be explained by differential expression of membrane-associated drug transporters and metabolic enzymes, which are known to vary with sex. We investigated the effect of fetal sex and ARV treatment on the expression of transporters, metabolic enzymes and other relevant proteins in a mouse model of antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy. We also measured fetal brain and amniotic fluid drug concentrations by LC-MS/MS and assessed correlations between transporter expression and ARV penetration. Both fetal sex and ARV exposure were observed to impact transporter expression in fetal brain and placenta, suggesting an important role for transporters in mediating sex-specific ARV disposition and in utero toxicity. | M.Sc. | invest, cities | 9, 11 |
| Harrison, Emma Lise | Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan | Computational Evaluation of a Hybrid Electrochemical Reduction-bioproduction System for the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Fuels and Chemicals | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2021-11 | The electrochemical reduction of CO2 (eCO2R) can produce a number of one and two carbon (C1/C2) compounds that can serve as sustainable feedstocks for bioproduction processes. The presented research seeks to optimize the integration of these two technologies by evaluating a wide range of eCO2R product-bioproduct pairs. Specifically, the costs of production of the eCO2R system were evaluated for eight C1/C2 eCO2R products, and these costs were combined with metabolic modeling predictions to investigate the most economically feasible pairs when considering more than 1000 bioproduction options (20+ assimilation pathways and 50+ bioproducts). The results suggest that the aerobic bioconversion of C2 products or methanol to highly oxidized products provide the most economically viable option, followed by the anaerobic bioconversion of formate/hydrogen or carbon monoxide/hydrogen to more reduced products. Overall, this analysis highlights areas of interest for future studies, particularly when selecting substrate-product combinations on which to focus experimental efforts. | M.A.S. | invest, production, carbon dioxide, co2 | 9, 12, 13 |
| Henrique, Daniel Bonomo | Posen, Daniel | Evaluating the Energy Consumption of Battery Electric Vehicles Under a Diverse and Changing Climate | Civil Engineering | 2021-11 | Passenger vehicles contribute considerably to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are one form of climate change mitigation through their higher efficiency compared to internal combustion engine vehicles as well as their use of electricity, which has potential to be less carbon intensive than fossil fuels. However, passenger vehicle energy consumption is affected by operating conditions provided by weather and climate variability.This thesis presents a review of known relationships between climate variables and passenger vehicle energy consumption, with an emphasis on BEVs. The impacts of rising global temperatures on passenger vehicle energy consumption in North America is also estimated. Finally, the impacts of BEV charging on electricity demand and peak demand were estimated for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area while taking ambient temperature into account. The results illustrate the importance of taking climate and climate change into account when conducting BEV impact analyses. | M.A.S. | energy, emission, greenhouse, climate change mitigation, consum, climate, greenhouse gas, weather, fossil fuel, emissions | 7, 11, 13, 12 |
| Bekarovska, Sofija | Crome, Sarah | Loss of Bat3 on T Cells Impairs Response to Viral Infection via Altered T cell-NK Cell Crosstalk | Immunology | 2021-11 | Factors regulating T cell and innate lymphoid cell (ILC) cross-talk ensure coordinated immune responses. Human leukocyte antigen-B-associated transcript 3 (Bat3) protects T cells from Tim-3-induced exhaustion and regulates human Natural Killer (NK) cells. Herein, we use Bat3flox/flox CD4-cre mice in the RIP-gp model to demonstrate that loss of Bat3 on T cells impairs CD8+ T cell-mediated tissue destruction and reduces CD4+ T cells proliferation, expression of activation markers, and TNF- and IFN- production. Furthermore, we show mice lacking T cell-expressed Bat3 have a CD49b+NK1.1+ ILC population that expresses high levels of Galectin-9 and IL-22, and expands following viral infection. Depletion of NK1.1+ cells or ILCs (Nfil3-/-) restores normal T cell activity in vivo, and T cell proliferation and activation marker expression is restored in Bat3flox/flox CD4-cre Nfil3-/- mice. Collectively, this thesis provides evidence that NK cell regulation of anti-viral T cell responses is influenced by T cell expression of Bat3. | M.Sc. | production | 12 |
| McPhee, Hannah | Sinton, David | Development and Analysis of Phase Change Slurries for Geothermal Energy Systems | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2021-11 | Geothermal energy provides continuous baseload power, in contrast to the intermittent and seasonal capacity of other renewables. Closed loop geothermal (CLG) systems harvest thermal energy using a continuously circulating working fluid and enable the use of novel fluids to enhance thermal energy recovery. In this thesis, phase change material (PCM) based slurries (PCS) are developed and assessed for their suitability as a CLG working fluid. PCS enable enhanced thermal storage by capturing energy in both sensible and latent heat. First, non-encapsulated and microencapsulated based PCS are assessed based on their stability, flow behaviour and thermal properties. The impacts of surfactants and sub-surface contaminants are assessed. Next, a deep analysis into the flow behaviour of these fluids is performed. PCS are optimized and found to be suitable for use over many cycles in a geothermal system. The key properties impacting PCS flow behaviour are demonstrated, enabling their optimization for flow-based applications. | M.A.S. | energy, renewabl, geothermal | 7 |
| Gould, Michelle Jordana | Walsh, Catharine M | Assessment of the Impact of Antegrade Enema Insertion on Health Care Utilization in Pediatric Patients with Constipation: A Population-based Cohort Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2021-11 | Constipation is a common condition in the pediatric population which leads to high patient morbidity and a large burden on health care systems. Children with medically refractory constipation may undergo placement of an antegrade enema. We performed a population-based study to assess the impact of antegrade enema insertion on health care utilization. We identified that in pediatric patients following antegrade enema insertion, health care utilization remains stable for most forms of care, although emergency department health care use increases, in part secondary to device-related visits. Some forms of constipation-related care may decrease following antegrade enema insertion specifically in patients with functional constipation, though further work is needed to explore these findings. This thesis expands our understanding of the clinical success and financial impact of antegrade enemas and will aid clinical decision making for children with medically refractory constipation and allocation of health resources to manage these patients. | M.Sc. | health care | 3 |
| Laschuk, Michael Walter | Lam, David K | Retention of Third Molars Pose a Risk for Delay in Cancer Therapy; A New Perspective on the Relative Need for Extraction of Impacted Third Molars in Young Adults | Dentistry | 2021-11 | Purpose: Cancer treatment leads to deleterious effects on oral health. This study investigates the impact of retained third molars in the oncologic patient population. Methods: A 6-year retrospective review of new patients presenting to the Princess Margaret Hospital Dental Oncology clinic was conducted. Cancer patients who were awaiting cancer therapy and who had retained third molars were identified, and data regarding third molar position and problems was collected. Results: 2,431 pre-treatment new cancer patients were identified who had at least one retained third molar. 60% of patients had a third molar-related treatment dilemma. 26% of patients experienced a potential third molar related delay in cancer treatment, and 34% of patients underwent observation-only prior to initiating cancer treatment had an increase in the risk for delayed cancer treatment. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of potentially problematic retained third molars in oncology patients, which may be a consideration for high-risk patients. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Vucevic, Diana | Keshavjee, Shaf||Murphy, Kieran | Novel Tissue Preservation and Transport Solution | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | The current laboratory tissue fixative is formalin, a type 1 carcinogen and biohazard alluding to environmental, disposal and legal costs. Beyond these consequences, formalin creates crosslinks with the specimen leading to masked epitopes. This thesis is the development of a novel preservation media composed of Low Potassium Dextran Glucose (LPDG), 10% honey and 1% coconut oil, named, Amber. This work investigated histological preservation of Amber in comparison with formalin, epitope integrity with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescent (IF) staining, and nucleic acid extraction. Results show histological superiority of Amber in animal and human tissue. IHC showed non-inferior staining of Amber by comparison to formalin. IF VE-cadherin and α-SMA expression showed increased epitope preservation in Amber groups, particularly in lung. Total RNA and RNA quality was comparable to Amber and fresh tissue. This work demonstrates Amber, a media that maintains high quality morphology without compromising the ability to perform immunostaining and nucleic acid extraction. | M.A.S. | labor, invest, environmental, animal | 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 |
| Asadzadeh, Amirreza | Draper, Stark C. | Approximate and Randomized ADMM-LP Decoding using Geometric Information of the Parity Polytope | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | We present two strategies to reduce the complexity of the alternating direction method of multipliers with linear programming (ADMM-LP) decoder for LDPC codes. The complexity bottleneck of ADMM-LP decoding is projection onto the parity polytope. We propose the sparse affine projection algorithm (SAPA), which projects onto the affine hull of the χ closest local codewords for each check of degree d, where χ can be significantly smaller than d. Unlike exact projection, SAPA does not require a water-filling process, thus can be implemented with lower per-iteration complexity. Furthermore, we present a randomized layered scheduling framework for ADMM-LP decoding. In the randomized schedule, instead of updating all checks in a single iteration, more problematic checks are updated more often by using priors based the location of replica vectors inside or on the parity polytope. We demonstrate the decoder converges significantly faster with this randomized scheduling, thus it is well suited for limited-iteration applications. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Ravin, Rahul | Zee, Robert E | Mechanical Design and Development of High-Performance Microsatellite Platforms for Remote Sensing and Technology Demonstration | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Small spacecraft are powerful platforms for hosting specialized space-based payloads. They can service roles such as communications, Earth-observation and technology demonstration. This thesis discusses the engineering development of the NorSat-TD and GHGSat C3, C4 and C5 microsatellite missions at the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL). The NorSat-TD mission will advance the state-of-the-art in small-satellite technology demonstration capability. Based on SFL's DEFIANT microsatellite platform, the spacecraft will perform ship tracking as a primary mission and spacecraft technology demonstration as a secondary mission. The structural dynamics of the spacecraft and the nuanced assembly process is explored. The GHGSat mission is a cluster of Earth-observation satellites built for GHGSat Inc. Based on the NEMO platform, they will detect methane emissions from anthropogenic sources. The mechanical design of subsystems, assembly, and testing are discussed. The development culminated in the successful launch of a mission that pushes the envelope of Earth-observing microsatellite capabilities. | M.A.S. | emission, labor, anthropogenic, emissions, methane | 7, 8, 13 |
| Goertzen, Erin Olga May | Casas, Michael J | An Educational Method for Learning and Assessing Interproximal Dental Caries Diagnosis in Bitewing Radiographs of Children | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Background: Intraoral bitewing radiographs are the gold standard for diagnosing interproximal caries. There are currently no validated methods for assessing this competency in Canadian dental trainees. Objective: A computerized learning tool was developed to measure and improve performance in caries diagnosis from pediatric bitewing radiograph interpretation amongst dental trainees. Methods: In this multi-centre prospective cohort study, diagnostic performance was measured using learning curves and linear regression analysis identified image variables associated with increased interpretation difficulty of bitewing radiographs. Results: 62 participants completed the case set and a significant increase from mean initial to maximal diagnostic performance was observed (p<0.001). Two image-specific variables were associated with a significantly greater image interpretation difficulty score (p<0.001). Conclusion: The computerized learning platform led to effective and feasible skill improvement in diagnostic performance amongst dental trainees. Significance: The platform may be a valuable adjunct to existing educational methods in dentalradiology for dental trainees. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Saadat Dehghan, Atilla | Zee, Robert E. | Design and Test Optimizations for Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control Subsystems | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | As the demand for spacecraft grows, spacecraft manufacturers are required to innovate on system design and test procedures in order to meet demand. The University of Toronto Institute of Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) thus requires innovative solutions to optimize the design and test of these spacecraft. This thesis presents four novel solutions to optimize both the Attitude Determination & Control System(s) (ADCS) design of new spacecraft and the test of related hardware. The test of ADCS hardware through software automation methods is explored, utilizing state-of-the-art software techniques to expedite testing procedures for the Hawkeye 360 constellation satellites. On-orbit inertia tensor estimation algorithms are also investigated, providing an alternative to model-based tensor calculations. Additionally, a novel method for repurposing an existing spacecraft inspection camera as a viable Earth Horizon Sensor (EHS) is exhibited. Lastly, automation methods for model-based spacecraft power generation analysis are demonstrated for the NASA StarBurst spacecraft. | M.A.S. | labor, invest, institut | 8, 9, 16 |
| Ki, Seung Hyun | Yuen, Darren | Targeting Acid Ceramidase to Attenuate Kidney Fibrosis | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects nearly 1 in 10 Canadians, a condition that in its end-stage has a worse prognosis than most cancers, and results in an annual healthcare cost of $40 billion. Despite fibrosis driving the progression of most forms of CKD, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests the important role of acid ceramidase in regulating fibrosis across several organs, including the lung and liver. However, the role of acid ceramidase in the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that acid ceramidase mRNA is increased in fibrotic kidneys, and that inhibition of acid ceramidase with Carmofur reduces renal fibrosis. Furthermore, we provide evidence that acid ceramidase inhibition with Carmofur inhibits the activity of YAP and TAZ, two key pro-fibrotic transcription co-factors. Taken together, these data suggest that acid ceramidase inhibition might be a novel strategy to reduce kidney fibrosis. | M.Sc. | healthcare | 3 |
| Liu, Rick Zhaoju | Shelby, Amer | A Social Equity Lens on Toronto Transit Network Performance using a Graph Theory Approach: Examining Criticality, Service Redundancy, Transit Delays and Disruptions | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Public transit delays and disruptions are inevitable occurrences in many transit sys- tems. Past studies did not differentiate between different groups of riders when study- ing the disruption impacts and rarely integrated service frequency into their network models. This study adds a social equity layer by determining if different equity- seeking groups were more vulnerable to disruptions or had less resiliency than the general population.Various graph theory measures were used in the analysis, and both a time-expanded and an L-Space or route-map representations of the Toronto transit network were adopted. Census and travel demand survey data were used to determine trip patterns for the equity analysis. The results show that equity-seeking riders had slightly greater vulnerability and less redundancy in hypothetical scenarios of service disruptions compared to the gen- eral population. However, when analyzing real-world disruptions that occurred in 2019-2020, equity seeking riders were more resilient compared to the general population. | M.A.S. | vulnerability, equity, equit, resilien, transit | 1, 4, 10, 11 |
| Faruk, Tamim | Khan, Shehroz S | Real-time Location Data to Classify Degree of Cognitive Impariment and Motor Agitation | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Real Time Location Systems can produce spatiotemporal data from people with dementia that might provide information about their cognition and health status. The first study explored a novel method to classify the severity of cognitive impairment (‘No-CI’, ‘Mild-Moderate CI’, ‘Severe CI’) among residents of a care unit using walking path images. The RTLS data was distributed into windows of various durations and transformed into images used in a Convolutional Neural Network that achieved a top accuracy of 87.38%. Class Activation Mapping was used to consolidate an objective score that can reliably distinguish between each class. The second study utilized features of spatiotemporal data with single-instance and multi-instance learning techniques in generalized and personalized models to detect low and high motor agitation. The top performing model achieved 0.71 with the Receiver Operator Characteristic in 5-fold cross validation with an indication that personalized models may require more data for improvement. | M.A.S. | learning, wind | 4, 7 |
| Wu, Lucy | Voinigescu, Sorin P. | Monolithically Integrated Millimeter-Wave Spin-Qubit Control Circuits in FDSOI CMOS | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | This thesis investigates design considerations and topologies for spin-qubit control circuits integrated with qubits and readout circuits into one- and two-lane quantum processor test vehicles in a production 22-nm FDSOI process. The control circuits produce millimeter-wave pulses through direct modulation of an externally generated carrier in the DC-to-70-GHz and 140-to-160-GHz frequency ranges. At 2 K, one design featuring a shunt-series-shunt switch achieves 31.1 dB to 77.7 dB of on/off isolation from DC to 27 GHz, while another featuring a distributed switch achieves > 30.2 dB of on/off isolation at 2-46 GHz and 50-70 GHz. The standalone distributed switch shows > 34 dB of on/off isolation over 40-218 GHz at 295 K. These measurements demonstrate not only the possibility of minimizing qubit idling errors with the adopted switch topologies, but also the feasibility of the proposed elevated-temperature (1-7 K) monolithic quantum processor and methodology for designing cryogenic control circuits. | M.A.S. | invest, production | 9, 12 |
| Plener, Joshua | Ammendolia, Carlo||Hogg-Johnson, Sheilah | “Information is Power”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Lived Experiences of Patients with Degenerative Cervical Radiculopathy | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Degenerative cervical radiculopathy (DCR) leads to severe pain, paresthesia, and/or motor weakness, resulting in significant morbidity, disability, and reduced quality of life. The objective of this research is to understand the everyday experiences of individuals living with DCR, to help inform the development of a patient-centered non-operative program of care. A qualitative study conducted through an interpretivist lens explored the experiences of DCR through semistructured interviews. Participants describe significant physical and psychological impacts of symptoms, leading to disruption of their normal daily activities. Healthcare providers are seen as a cornerstone in patients’ journey with DCR, while family members provide substantial physical and emotional support. Expectations for a non-operative program of care include symptomatic relief and improved control of symptoms. The results of this project provide the first account of the everyday experiences of DCR patients and lay the groundwork for future steps to create a non-operative program of care. | M.Sc. | healthcare, disabilit | 3 |
| Korman, Melissa B | Maunder, Robert | Supporting Healthcare Worker Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from Peer Support Facilitators | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Healthcare Workers are at risk of long-term negative mental health effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Social Support, Tracking Distress, Education and Discussion Community Staff Wellness Program was implemented in select hospital units during the pandemic. Programming was facilitated by multidisciplinary peer supporters; this project aimed to elucidate their experiences, and gain insight into lessons learned and future directions for the implementation of peer support programming. Two open-ended, semi-structured focus groups were conducted with peer supporters. Transcripts were inductively and iteratively read and coded. Codes were deductively categorized to summarize relevant information. Peer supporters described benefits and challenges of the role, reporting an overall positive experience. Building trust with the target group was highlighted as important to program uptake. When planning similar work, groups should aim to build organizational, as well as individual, resilience by targeting leadership and incorporating non-pathologizing messages regarding wellness in onboarding and routine team meetings. | M.Sc. | mental health, healthcare, learning, worker, resilien, resilience | 3, 4, 8, 11, 13, 15 |
| Noh, Ryan | Davies, John JD | Investigation of Soft Tissue Healing around Osseointegrated Titanium Mini-implants Placed in the Mandibular Diastema of Rabbits | Dentistry | 2022-11 | A novel rabbit mandibular diastema model was employed to investigate the soft tissue-implant interface of various implant surface topographies. A total of 96 custom designed titanium implants were placed in the mandibular diastemas of 24 sixteen-week-old New Zealand white rabbits. Four different surfaces were examined: (1) machined (2) machined surface, roughened through anodization; (3) dual acid-etched; and (4) dual acid-etched with anodization. After 7, 21, and 42 days, the soft tissue-implant interface was examined by both light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). While no significant differences were observed in collagen fibre orientation and fibrous tissue thickness by polarized light microscopy, SEM images showed that topographically complex surfaces had a profound effect on soft tissue peri-implant entanglement. Increasing implant surface topographic complexity increased both the amount and structural organization of peri-implant soft tissue. The rabbit diastema also provides advantages from practical, economic, and ethical points-of-view over more traditional implant placement sites. | M.Sc. | invest, land | 9, 15 |
| Rammohan, Indhu | Werb, Dan | A Spatial Analysis of Overdose Mortality Incidence and Supervised Consumption Services in Toronto, Canada | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | It is well-established that supervised consumption services (SCS) prevent overdose deaths on site, but evidence gaps remain regarding their capacity to impact overdose mortality at the population level. This study sought to characterize overdose mortality in Toronto, Canada, a city with heightened overdose incidence, and investigate the association between SCS proximity and overdose mortality incidence. First, overdose mortality incidence rates were compared before and after the implementation of nine SCS. Second, overdose incident data were assessed for global spatial autocorrelation and local clustering (i.e., hot spots). Third, geographically-weighted regression was employed to model the association between SCS proximity and overdose mortality incidence. Findings revealed that (1) overdose deaths in SCS- surrounding neighbourhoods decreased significantly post-implementation; (2) overdose deaths were significantly spatially autocorrelated and the magnitude of local clustering decreased in SCS-surrounding neighbourhoods year-over-year; and (3) the spatially-mediated impact of SCS on overdose mortality incidence increased in both magnitude and area year-over-year. | M.Sc. | invest, consum | 9, 12 |
| Yang, Diwen | Diamond, Miriam||Peng, Hui | Identifying Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals Binding to Human Nuclear Receptor and Intracellular Lipid-binding Proteins | Earth Sciences | 2022-11 | Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic the functions of endogenous hormones to modulate endocrine systems that can cause adverse health effects. Most EDCs remain unidentified due to the immense number of chemicals in commerce. This thesis focused on identifying EDCs binding to the fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) and human estrogen related receptor gamma (ERRg). The first project demonstrated that the minor structural changes of PFECAs from legacy PFAS show broad-spectrum binding activity to target human proteins. In the second project, I developed a protein affinity purification method to identify EDCs at the exposome-wide level to discover the hitherto unknown compound, nitrate bisphenol A (NO2-BPA), that binds to the ERRg. NO2-BPA was found to be transformed from bisphenol A through heterogeneous HONO reactions in the indoor environment. This finding has expanded knowledge of a large class of nitration compounds formed via reactions with HONO. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Yousif, Meguel | Evans, Greg J.||Brook, Jeffrey R. | Source Apportionment of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from oil sands operations in the Athabasca region of Alberta are known to impact Fort McKay (a nearby Indigenous community), often causing poor odours. However, the relative contribution of specific sources to the VOCs observed in Fort McKay has remained unclear. To address this, community exposure to non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) was attributed to nearby sources through two independent approaches; a chemical mass balance (CMB) model which relied on speciated VOC measurements to be used as chemical tracers, and a surface level trajectory model using wind measurements from several nearby stations. The results showed that the two major facilities south of Fort McKay, operated by Suncor and Syncrude, accounted for 40 – 42 % of total observed exposure, while the two nearby Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) operations (Horizon and Jackpine/Muskeg River) accounted for 13% – 14% of total observed exposure. | M.A.S. | wind, emission, indigenous, natural resource, emissions, methane | 7, 10, 16, 12, 13 |
| Kucab, Michaela | Maguire, Jonathon | Centre-based Childcare in Early Childhood and Adiposity in Later Childhood | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-11 | Attending centre-based childcare in early childhood may influence the development of important health behaviours including dietary intake, eating behaviour, physical activity, and routines but its impact on childhood adiposity and weight status is unclear. In this thesis, I have evaluated the relationship between centre-based childcare attendance (hours/week) in early childhood (1 – 4 years of age) and body mass index z-score (zBMI) in later childhood (4 – 10 years of age) compared to non-centre-based childcare. Through a prospective cohort study of healthy children participating in the TARGet Kids! cohort, attending centre-based childcare in early childhood was associated with a lower zBMI and lower odds of overweight and obesity in later childhood compared to non-centre-based childcare. These associations were stronger for children from lower income families. These findings suggest that attending centre-based childcare in early childhood may be an effective early intervention for the prevention of childhood obesity. | M.Sc. | income | 10 |
| Mosseri, Jacob | Khalil, Elias B | Predicting Duration of Surgery to Schedule Elective Orthopaedic Surgery | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Objectives:The aim of this thesis was to determine if a two-stage approach utilizing a machine learning (ML) model for prediction of duration of surgery (DOS) paired with schedule optimization improves operating room over/underutilization compared to using the mean duration. Materials and Methods: ML models were compared to determine the best model for predicting DOS and length of stay (LOS) using patient factors. DOS predictions were used as an input to three schedule optimization formulations, which were evaluated using the true labels. Results: Neural networks performed best in predicting DOS and LOS based on mean squared error. The Split and MSSP formulations yielded similar results and performed significantly better than the Any formulation. The schedules that utilized ML-predicted DOS outperformed the mean surgery duration over all schedule hyperparameters, with an average overtime reduction of 300-500 minutes/week. Conclusion: Optimizing surgical scheduling using a predict-then-optimize approach improves operating room efficiency. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Khanna, Shalina | Mirchandani, Kiran | A Journey towards Allyship: How Middle-class, Second Generation South Asian Canadian Mothers Challenge Anti-black Racism | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | This study explores how self-identified middle-class second generation South Asian Canadian mothers journey towards allyship with racialized Black people in dismantling anti-Black racism. Using Participatory Action Research principles, as well as Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality Theory as frameworks, three key findings emerged from the data. First, the journey towards allyship begins with envisioning ourselves as racial justice allies and determining what that means to us, doing the introspection work to examine our own internalised racism, and then working to unlearn those perspectives. The journey towards allyship moves forward by acknowledging our capability to address anti-Blackness in our familial and social networks as well as in institutions such as schools and workplaces. And, the journey towards allyship is sustained by the support of middle-class, second generation South Asian Canadian mothers with similar anti-racism goals sharing resources and stories of their journeys thereby catalysing new understandings of privilege and oppression together. These findings are a meaningful contribution to larger scale efforts in addressing anti-Black racism and achieving social justice for racialized Black people. They are also a contribution to the growing body of research on middle-class second generation South Asian Canadians and, a source of inspiration for us as individuals and as a supportive community of mothers to continue our journey as aspiring allies of colour beyond the scope of this project. | M.A. | anti-racism, racism, of colour, institut, social justice | 4, 10, 16 |
| Rafiei, Dorsa | Kolla, Nathan J | Investigating the Endocannabinoid System in Major Depressive Episodes: Imaging with the Radiotracer [11C]CURB | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Purpose. To determine whether brain fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is elevated in vivo in patients with major depressive episodes (MDE) and if FAAH is related to depressive severity.Methods. Medication-free MDE and healthy control (HC) participants were recruited. All participants were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. FAAH was measured using [11C]CURB positron emission tomography. Results. Seven MDE and 10 age- and sex-matched HC participants completed the study. Data showed no significant group differences in FAAH, and no correlation between FAAH and depressive severity in MDE. FAAH in the medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, ventral striatum, and substantia nigra were positively correlated with apathy in MDE. It should be noted that this study was underpowered. Conclusion. This study is the first to investigate FAAH in MDE in vivo. Despite no significant group differences in FAAH levels, FAAH may be related to apathy in MDE. | M.Sc. | emission, invest | 7, 9 |
| Zuo, Xiaomeng | Brown, Laura C | The Relationship between Large-scale Atmospheric Oscillations and Cyclone Patterns, and Their Impacts on Summer Precipitation Distribution in the Canadian Arctic | Geography | 2022-11 | A trend analysis of the Arctic System Reanalysis Version 2 (ASRv2) data from 2000 to 2015 showed that changes occurring with summer rainfall and snowfall are synchronized in the Canadian Arctic. The precipitation distribution in the Canadian Arctic with the low-pressure system (center pressure < 1000hPa) patterns showed high consistency; however, snowfall in areas including Ellesmere Island and northeastern mainland NU was not found to be related to the cyclone distribution. The influences of the summer Arctic Oscillation (AO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the cyclones vary regionally, leading to a complicated distribution pattern of rainfall and snowfall. These variations might also be related to sea ice opening and local evaporation, in addition to the moving jet stream. Under the circumstances of global warming and Arctic amplification, changes in summer precipitation might have substantial impacts on the hydrology, sea ice, and permafrost conditions in the Canadian Arctic. | M.Sc. | global warming, land | 13, 15 |
| Tian, Sijie | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Time Series Classification and Augmentation with Domain-agnostic Self-supervised Learning for Combustion Signature Analysis | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | When responding to freight transportation fire incidents with unknown or mixed materials, first responders require decision support on the appropriate emergency response strategy. In this work, we propose to use machine learning (ML) to aid first responders by identifying hazard characteristics (e.g., toxicity and explosivity) of a given fire using the time series profile of chemicals found in the effluent. We experiment with time series classification algorithms, enhance their performance with time series augmentation techniques, and demonstrate that a model named MultiRocket achieved high testing performance with minimal inference time. Additionally, we explore using self-supervised learning to learn patterns of the data without the need of any handcrafted augmentations and demonstrate that it is a promising alternative avenue to training supervised ML models. Our proposed toolkit benefiting from machine learning will pave the way for further research in accessible, easily-deployable AI-enabled tools in fire sciences and management. | M.A.S. | learning, accessib | 4, 11 |
| Casselman, Theresa Juanita-Marie | Guttman, David S | The Bacterial Microbiome of Four Hard Red Spring Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Cultivars in the Context of Fusarium Head Blight | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a serious disease in wheat and other cereal grains, caused by several Fusarium species including Fusarium graminearum. The mycotoxins secreted by these fungal pathogens can be lethal if ingested in large quantities, and their accumulation in cereals results in significant annual crop losses worldwide. Current disease management strategies are struggling to cope with FHB outbreaks and could be improved via the identification and utilization of bacterial endophytes that provide their hosts with disease suppression against FHB. The aim of this project was to identify native bacterial endophytes in the wheat heads of four cultivars of Canadian hard red spring wheat of varying FHB resistance, to investigate any links between microbiome profile and host resistance level. DNA sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed significant differences in species prevalence and abundance among cultivars and among samples collected at early and late stages of FHB infection. | M.Sc. | invest, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Ong, Felita | Nurul Habib, Khandker KNH | The Adoption, Use, and Impacts of Ride-sourcing Services in the Metro Vancouver Area | Civil Engineering | 2022-09 | The advent of a new travel mode can transform travel behaviour and urban transportation systems. While ride-sourcing services provided by Transportation Network Companies have generally been established in most urban areas, they only recently became available in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Given the relative novelty of ride-sourcing in the region, it is important to understand the impacts of its introduction. This thesis aims to examine the factors influencing the adoption and use of ride-sourcing services and the impacts of said services on the use of other modes in Metro Vancouver through a web-based survey administered to residents of the region. Additionally, this thesis presents the results of empirical work performed using the collected survey data. The results can help planners understand the role that ride-sourcing plays and its relationship with other travel modes. The results can also be used to develop policies that harness the benefits of ride-sourcing. | M.A.S. | urban, metro | 11 |
| Guan, Kevin | Zee, Robert E. | Design of a Custom Rideshare Payload Adapter for the GHGSAT-C3/C4/C5 Microsatellites Launched in Tandem | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | The increasing repercussions of climate change have encouraged governments and corporations to adopt better ways to monitor and quantify greenhouse gas emissions, opening new opportunities in space-based Earth monitoring. The rapid advancement in space technology has increased small satellite missions dedicated for Earth observation. The Space Flight Laboratory has been developing microsatellites for GHGSat Inc. which is becoming the global reference for remote sensing of greenhouse gas from any source in the world. This thesis presents the complete design cycle of a custom Rideshare payload adapter for a cluster of three microsatellites. Finite element analysis is presented to verify the adapter’s compliance with all structural requirements. Necessary ground support equipment is designed to ensure appropriate handling of the structure. The adapter is then qualified for launch through vibration testing. Experimental data is analyzed to update the simulation models and to develop appropriate testing profiles for spacecraft qualification. | M.A.S. | emission, greenhouse, labor, climate, greenhouse gas, emissions | 7, 8, 13 |
| Cusack Striepe, Melissa | MacLean, Heather L. | Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Vehicle Lifespan Caps for Reducing Light-duty Vehicle Fleet GHG Emissions in the U.S. | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Accelerated vehicle turnover gets new technologies on the road faster but increases the rate of vehicle production and purchases. By combining vehicle fleet modelling, life cycle assessment (LCA), and total ownership costing this work estimates the GHG emissions and costs for the U.S. light-duty vehicle fleet from 2020 – 2050 under a forced early retirement program. We estimate that under current EV sales projections, even when combined with vehicle light-weighting, fuel consumption improvement, and vehicle size reduction, vehicle lifespan caps are ineffective at reducing GHG emissions. While under a 100% EV sales target by 2035, applying a 12-year lifespan cap on conventional light-duty vehicles can be effective, reducing cumulative GHG emissions from 2020 through 2050 by 6%. However, the abatement costs for this method are high, near 2020 USD 1000/tCO2e, placing either a high burden on the government for providing incentives or markedly increasing average vehicle ownership costs. | M.A.S. | emission, consum, production, emissions, co2 | 7, 12, 13 |
| Dyck, Andrew Benjamin | Zee, Robert E | Advancing the Development of a Maritime Monitoring Satellite from Design to Payload Testing | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | The newest maritime monitoring satellite for Norway is NorSat-4, whose purpose is to improve situational awareness in Norwegian territorial waters. The mission is housed within a Space Flight Laboratory designed satellite bus, and utilizes the Automatic Identification System receiver and Low Light Imager payloads to meet its objectives. Contributions to advancing the completion state of the mission in this thesis fall under the Command \& Data Handling and Payload subsystems, as well as Assembly, Integration, \& Testing. Of these contributions, a software program is presented that can control the Low Light Imager and save pictures to file. Designs for physical systems have been created as well, including the satellite wire harness and flatsat. Finally, the flatsat wireless communications were set up in preparation for payload testing. Through rigorous testing, following best practices, and meeting mission requirements, these contributions will play a part in ensuring the mission’s successful completion. | M.A.S. | water, labor, maritime | 6, 8, 14 |
| Cowan, Emily | Pyle, Angela | The Association Between Kindergarten Teachers’ Facilitation of Playful and Didactic Learning Activities and Their Responsive Interactions with Students | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | Research findings show the invaluable role of responsive student-educator interactions in promoting high-quality early childhood education and fostering positive student outcomes. Despite their importance, responsive interactions occur variably in early childhood education classrooms, in part because they are impacted by numerous classroom variables including the curriculum. In recent years, many early childhood education programs have implemented play-based learning curriculums. To investigate the association between educators’ responsive interactions with students and their facilitation of different levels of developmentally appropriate learning activities, the present study examined 5-minute videotaped interactions between 42 kindergarten teachers and their students, collectively spanning teachers’ facilitation of free play, guided play, teacher-directed play, and didactic activities for learning. Videos were coded for quality of responsive interactions using the RIFL-Ed. Results indicated that the type of playful or didactic learning activity being facilitated may influence the quality of responsive student-educator interactions. Implications for researchers, policymakers, and educators are considered. | M.A. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Hamzeh, Amir | Tandon, Anurag | The Role of Exosomes in Spreading Pathology in Synucleinopathies | Medical Science | 2022-05 | Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy are neurodegenerative diseases classified as synucleinopathies due to the accumulation of misfolded and aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn). This misfolded α-syn is implicated in templating the misfolding of additional α-syn in a prion-like manner, contributing to the spread of synuclein pathology between brain regions. A purported mechanism of intercellular α-syn transmission is through small extracellular vesicles called exosomes which are comprised of a lipid bilayer enclosing proteins and nucleic acids. Here, we isolated and characterized exosomes from the brains of synucleinopathy-affected mice and intracerebrally inoculated healthy mice. We demonstrated that exosomes can induce progressive neurological dysfunction which correlates with the accumulation of insoluble and protease resistant α-syn inclusions. Furthermore, we measured peripheral blood α-syn to investigate its potential utility as a biomarker for aberrant α-syn. This work suggests that exosomes can transport α-syn across brain regions contributing to the progression of synucleinopathies. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Syed, Fatima | Nolan, Robert P | Impact of a Digital Counselling Program with an Integrated Social Support Network for Self-care on Mental Health in Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronic Heart Failure | Medical Science | 2022-11 | ODYSSEE-vCHAT is a novel intervention combining digital counselling (ODYSSEE) with social network support (vCHAT) to increase self-care behaviours to improve patient prognosis and psychological well-being. The role of social support in digital self-care programs is understudied. The primary objective was to assess the impact of vCHAT engagement on mental health at 4 months using the Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the 36-Item Short-Form Survey. Secondary outcomes included the MCS subscales, the 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire, the Revised 6-Item UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the ENRICHD Social Support Instrument. Greater engagement was associated with higher composite and Vitality and Role-Emotional MCS scores. Individuals with greater vCHAT usage were less likely to express depressive symptoms. This study demonstrated the therapeutic benefit of vCHAT on psychological well-being. It added to our understanding of digital health interventions aimed at optimizing patient health-related quality-of-life. These findings will support a large-scale randomized controlled trial. | M.Sc. | well-being, mental health | 3 |
| Climans, Seth Andrew | Chan, Kelvin KW | Temozolomide Chemoradiotherapy and Pneumocystis Pneumonia Prophylaxis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Background: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) can occur in glioma patients receiving chemoradiotherapy. Health Canada recommends PCP prophylaxis during temozolomide chemoradiotherapy. Not all neuro-oncologists follow these recommendations. The research objective was to characterize the risk-versus-benefit balance of PCP prophylaxis during chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Using ICES data, the risk of PCP in temozolomide-treated glioma patients with or without antibiotics was evaluated. Secondary outcomes included mortality, hospitalizations, and myelosuppression. Results: Between 2005–2019 there were 3225 patients included in the cohort (648 received antibiotics). Eighteen patients developed PCP within 90 days of therapy. The propensity score–adjusted absolute risk reduction in PCP with antibiotics was 0.0035 (95% CI -0.0013–0.0083), number needed to treat:288. Neither overall survival nor hospitalization count differed between groups. The number needed to harm by causing grade 3/4 neutropenia was 39. Conclusion: In regions where PCP is rare, routine PCP prophylaxis should not be offered, since the harms may outweigh the benefits | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Qiu, Jeffrey Changjie | Kundur, Deepa | Skeleton-based Body Geometry Reconstruction from Sparse Image Sequences | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | In this thesis, we propose a point cloud fusion algorithm to reconstruct a 3D model of the human body from a sparse set of depth images. The challenges we address are threefold: (1) complex body geometry; (2) non-rigid motion; and (3) self-occlusions with little image overlap. We define an energy function with an internal skeleton model to track non-rigid body motion and a visual hull term to promote spatial consistency. Supplementary to our algorithm is a novel lightweight automatic measurement extraction method. To evaluate our fusion algorithm, we generate a synthetic dataset with controlled body motion. An ablation analysis on our synthetic dataset quantitatively demonstrates the effectiveness of skeleton tracking. Furthermore, we simulate joint estimation errors and demonstrate algorithm robustness to joint estimation. Comparisons are made with existing techniques of various complexity. Our algorithm uses fewer images while maintaining low reconstruction error, a crucial step towards accessible 3D scanning technology. | M.A.S. | energy, accessib | 7, 11 |
| Fu, Yi | Claramunt, Santiago | A New Method for Estimating Total Wing Area to Determine Flight Efficiency and Dispersal Ability in Birds | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | Dispersal is a fundamental process in evolution and ecology. Due to the predominant role of flight in bird movement, their flight morphology can be used to predict dispersal capabilities. Most predictors of flight efficiency require an estimate of the total wing area, but the existing methodologies for estimating wing areas are multi-stepped and prone to compounding error. Here, I validated a new method for estimating the total wing area that requires only two measurements from the folded wings of study skin specimens–wing length and secondary length–and an associated wingspan. I demonstrate that the new folded-wing method estimates total wing area with high precision across various species and wing shapes. With the folded-wing method, estimates of the total wing area can readily be obtained from thousands of specimens in ornithology collections to benefit studies of flight efficiency and dispersal in birds. | M.Sc. | species, ecolog | 14, 15 |
| Lane, Danielle Penny | Luka, MaryElizabeth||Cohen, Nicole S | YouTube for Museums: The Role of YouTube Content in Museum Education and Outreach | Museum Studies | 2022-11 | The production of original educational content by museums has a long history, and throughout it, these institutions have found reward in experimenting and adapting to new forms of technology. YouTube is the most recent stage in this history, and as with previous changes in distribution mediums, YouTube comes with its own infrastructure, features, and user culture that must be navigated to utilize the platform to best effect. Rather than directly transplanting approaches from legacy media like television and radio, YouTube should be approached on its own terms. Using the successful museum-based YouTube channel The Brain Scoop as a case study, this thesis undertakes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the channel’s content and production approaches, and from these findings, a set of best practices are identified for institutions looking to produce their own content on the platform as an extension of their educational and outreach objectives. | M.M.St. | infrastructure, production, institut | 9, 12, 16 |
| Kanny, Omar | Leong-Poi, Howard | Investigating The Role of Long Non-coding RNA MEG3 in Diabetic Tissue-Specific Angiogenic Responses | Medical Science | 2022-11 | 12.1% of Canada’s population is projected to be affected by type 2 diabetes by 2025. Diabetic patients suffer from micro- and macrovascular diseases that arise from aberrant angiogenesis, both deficient and excessive angiogenic vascular beds. LncRNA MEG3’s role in angiogenesis is conflicting in literature, the majority highlighting an antiangiogenic role, and has been investigated as a therapy in diabetic vascular diseases with excess angiogenesis exclusively. We investigated the role of MEG3 overexpression in a diabetic cell model with deficient angiogenesis and healthy cells. In vitro matrigel assays report impaired tubule formation with MEG3 overexpression in both cell types by disrupting Notch1 and VEGF signaling pathways. This study introduces new data to the potential mechanism of action of MEG3 and highlights the importance of direct-target delivery of MEG3 in therapeutic areas. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Kiar, Alexander Kermack | Zee, Robert E. | Enabling Formation Flying Microsatellite Missions through the Microspace Approach | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | The growth of the small-satellite industry has created numerous benefits for life on Earth. This growth has been aided by the development of spacecraft formation flying. The Space Flight Laboratory has become a leader in formation flight through the development of the DEFIANT platform. This thesis presents contributions made to two DEFIANT missions across three spacecraft development areas: thermal control, formation control, and spacecraft assembly. A thermal control system was designed to predict spacecraft orbital temperatures. Model validation was performed using thermal vacuum test and on orbit data. A maneuver-time-efficient formation control approach was developed to reduce the time spent maneuvering spacecraft to achieve formation requirements. The approach was compared to an existing fuel-optimal method used by the Laboratory. A candidate propulsion system for achieving formation requirements was tested, and validated in orbit. Finally, design and analysis was put into practice through the assembly of flight hardware. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Mangat, Harshdeep Singh | Caminiti, Marco F | A Comparative Analysis of Orthognathic Surgical Stability between Fixed Appliances and Clear Aligner Orthodontic Therapy | Dentistry | 2022-11 | The purpose of this study is to: (1) compare the incidence of skeletal relapse following Orthognathic Surgery between patients treated with conventional fixed appliances (CFA) versus clear aligner orthodontic therapy (CAT) and (2) to compare outcome measures of peri-operative morbidity and surgical performance including surgical blood loss, operative time and length of hospital stay between the two treatments groups. The primary objective was evaluated on lateral cephalograms obtained at two post-operative time periods to identify changes in skeletal position of the maxilla and mandible. The secondary objectives were investigated through a chart review. Statistical analysis with parametric methods did not reveal any statistically significant difference in skeletal relapse, peri-operative morbidity or surgical performance between patients treated with CFA or CAT. Furthermore, the overall degree of relapse was minimal and did not require re-operation. The study supports both CFA and CAT as viable treatment options in combined surgical-orthodontic therapy. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Chatrath, Veronica | Waslander, Steven | Probilistic Object-level Change Detection for Mapping Semi-static Scenes | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Maintaining an up-to-date map to reflect recent changes in the scene is essential for robot autonomy in warehouse environments where goods need to be transported around the facility. An accurate map is particularly important for repeated traversals by a robot operating in an environment over an extended period. Undetected changes may cause a deterioration in map quality, leading to poor localization, inefficient operations, and lost robots. Volumetric scene mapping representations, such as truncated signed distance functions (TSDFs), have quickly gained traction due to their real-time production of a dense and detailed map, though map updating in scenes that change over time remains a challenge. We introduce a novel probabilistic object state representation to track object pose changes in semi-static scenes. The representation jointly models a stationarity score and a TSDF change measure for each object. A Bayesian update rule that incorporates both geometric and semantic information is derived to achieve consistent online map maintenance. To extensively evaluate our approach alongside the state-of-the-art, we release a novel real-world dataset in a warehouse environment. We also evaluate on the public ToyCar dataset. Our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods on the reconstruction quality of semi-static environments. Next, the problem of robot localization in slowly changing environments is tackled, introducing a multi-hypothesis cost function to deal with scene ambiguity. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Meijers, James | Veneris, Andreas | Decentralization of IoT Networks: Exploring Blockchain-enabled Connected Vehicles and Data Marketplaces | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Blockchain technology has been proposed as a solution to the privacy and security concerns faced by the Internet of Things. This is especially true in the automotive industry, where connected sensors surround vehicles and proper handling of data they produce is safety critical. In addition, blockchain networks' ability to support microtransactions could revolutionize how data from sensors are bought and sold. This thesis surveys and analyzes the current state of automotive blockchains. It describes the services blockchains have to offer the automotive industry and analyzes the applications that build on them. It also investigates the current state of blockchain architectures that may be capable of supporting these applications, and proposes directions for future work in this area. Additionally, this thesis presents a design for a blockchain-based data marketplace and credit system that together allow data producers to sell data streams to interested parties in a decentralized, safe, and efficient manner. | M.A.S. | invest, internet | 9 |
| Montgomery-Song, Aaryn Keun | Kandel, Rita||Santerre, Paul | Investigation of Senescence in Inner Annulus Fibrosus Cells | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | This study investigates the ability of TNFα and H2O2 to induce senescence in cells of the inner annulus fibrosus (iAF) and the role of paracrine signaling in the latter process. Our results show that unlike NP cells, TNFα does not induce senescence in iAF cells, however degeneration-like changes were observed. Contrary to iAF cells, TNFα treatment induced dysregulation of ROS homeostasis in NP cells, which suggests ROS involvement in the mechanism of TNFα-induced senescence for NP cells. Treating iAF cells with an exogenous low dose of H2O2 did induce senescence, but did not induce degeneration-like changes. Lastly, co-culturing iAF cells with TNFα-induced senescent NP cells could induce both degenerative and senescent changes in iAF cells. This study provides insights into factors and their related pathways involved in the accumulation of senescent iAF cells associate with the IVD. The work contributes to our understanding of the pathogenesis of IVD degeneration. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Deiterding, Rachel | Krmpotich, Cara||Migwans, Mikinaak | Decolonizing or Changemaking: Professional Perspectives on Decolonizing Museum Practice in Small- and Medium-Sized Public Art Institutions | Information Studies | 2022-11 | Ongoing calls for change in the museum sector, paired with recent events, have increased the urgency for decolonization. While past scholarship on decolonizing museums has been dedicated to large-scale institutions, this study focuses on small- and medium-sized public art institutions to ask how they have been responding to calls for decolonization. It uses semi-structured interviews with staff and volunteers to determine how professionals understand decolonizing; how they have been enacting decolonizing in practice; and what challenges have limited decolonial change. Answering these questions revealed that professionals choose to describe their practice using more general terms, commonly diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, which better align with their broad changemaking efforts. This language, however, obscures attention to land and privileges a focus on representation. Furthermore, interviews revealed that despite the process-based nature of decolonizing and changemaking, critical reflection has not been considered an essential component of current practice. | M.M.St. | decolonial, equity, equit, decolonization, accessib, land, institut | 4, 10, 11, 15, 16 |
| Simonian, Rebecca | Anderson, G. H. | Genetic Disruption in Folic Acid Metabolism and Embryonic Development of Energy Balance Regulation in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-11 | High gestational folic acid (FA) favours an obesogenic phenotype in offspring but its interaction with common polymorphisms in FA metabolizing genes such as methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), is unknown. While preclinical murine models have been valuable to inform on diet x gene interactions, a recent folate expert panel has encouraged the validation of new animal models. We used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a preclinical model for understanding interactions between mthfr and FA. Wildtype and mthfr-deficient embryos were supplemented with no folate (0FA, control) or 100μM FA (100FA) throughout embryonic development. mthfr deficiency in zebrafish altered food intake and reduced metabolic rate and expression of central regulatory genes. Mthfr zebrafish also had greater lipid accumulation, changes to the one-carbon metabolic profile indicative of reduced methylation capacity, and reduced microglia abundance. FA exposure exacerbated these effects. Both a functional loss of mthfr and FA supplementation adversely affected the development of energy homeostasis and metabolism in zebrafish. | M.Sc. | energy, fish, animal | 7, 14, 15 |
| Momi, Anjandev Singh | Tate, Jospeh E | Generator Model Identification using the Unscented Kalman Filter Based on Augmented Phasor Measurement Unit Signals | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | In 1996, the Western Systems Coordinating Council system had a system break-up event due to incorrect parameters. As a result, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has mandated the regular calibration of parameters to ensure accurate simulation results. It has been proposed to use Kalman filter-based approaches to estimate parameters via signals from an online generator. However, the current literature focuses on using limited signal measurements and limiting the number of simulation parameters to estimate. In this thesis, we investigate if a richer set of signals from the phasor measurement unit with the unscented Kalman filter will make it easier to improve the simulation accuracy, estimate more parameters, and identify the generator controllers’ parameters. The results show that improving simulation accuracy via an unscented Kalman filter is more manageable with augmented phasor measurement unit signals. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Mohabbat, Hamidreza | Meyer, David D.J. | Water-energy Nexus in Intermittent Water Supplies: A Household-induced Trap | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Intermittent water supply (IWS) is a persistent reality for one billion people. Here we explore one possible reason for the persistence of IWS: friction-induced energy loss. Under IWS, water is delivered in a short period, increasing flow rates and friction. To quantify this IWS-friction relationship, we defined three paces at which a household could withdraw water from IWS and determined how each pace would contribute to energy loss. We implemented each household withdrawal type by: a) expressing an analytic model of energy loss in a highly simplified IWS and b) simulating the behaviours of IWS in EPANET. Together, the analytic expressions and the EPANET simulations provide strong evidence that energy loss in an IWS is highly dependent on the household withdrawal type which may trap some utilities in the mode of IWS. We recommend additional theoretical and field research on IWS investigate the pace at which household withdrawals occur. | M.A.S. | water, energy nexus, energy, invest | 6, 7, 9 |
| Jafari, Deniz | Yunusova, Yana||Taati, Babak | 3D Video Tracking Technology in the Assessment of Orofacial Impairments in Neurological Disorders | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Changes to the orofacial muscles’ movement and speech are often among the earliest signs perceived in Neurological disorders. Detection of subtle changes in speech and facial movements can help with the diagnosis and prognosis of neurological disorders. Deep artificial intelligent video-based facial analysis models have the potential to be used as objective and non-invasive clinical tools. This thesis used the V3 framework for evaluation of digital biomarkers and their adoption into clinical settings to evaluate an automatic video-based facial analysis system as an objective assessment tool for accessing orofacial movements. The proposed system consists of a 3D camera and Artificial Intelligent-based algorithms that automatically extract objective clinically interpretable kinematic features from video recordings of individuals performing standard orofacial tasks. This work investigates the analytical and clinical validation of the proposed system to assess the severity of orofacial impairment in clinical groups. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Hessel, Kunio | Cunningham, Todd | Teacher Perspectives on Refugee Youth Education in Ontario: The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on School Engagement and Barriers to Education | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | Refugee youth arrive in Canada with gaps in their education and a lack of English language abilities. English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are designed to help refugee high school students close these gaps and provide direct instruction in reading, writing, and oral language. Refugee youth are also at considerable risk for school disengagement, and they have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 school disruptions (Gallagher-Mackey et al., 2021). The present study uses thematic analysis based on teacher interviews to investigate refugee school engagement, barriers to education, and schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to teachers, refugee high school students face numerous barriers to their education including a lack of school skills and difficult home environments which negatively impact their school engagement, and which were exacerbated during emergency online learning. Findings from the present study will add to existing literature and serve as a foundation for future research in this area. | M.A. | learning, invest, refugee | 4, 9, 10 |
| Khalil, Mohamed | Groth, Clinton P.T. | Numerical Prediction of Lean Premixed Hydrogen-air Deflagrations in Vented Vessels | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | In water-cooled nuclear power plants, hydrogen gas can be generated by various mechanisms during an accident. If the resulting hydrogen-air mixture within the facility combusts, existing containment structures may be compromised, and radio-active material can be released to the environment. Thus, to develop mitigation strategies for these scenarios, an improved understanding of the propagation of lean hydrogen deflagrations within buildings and structures is required. Large-eddy-simulation (LES) techniques can be used to model the propagation of flames in such scenarios. Adaptive-mesh-refinement can be used to increase the level of detail provided by the LES simulations, and thus they are applied in this study along with an Integral-length-scale-approximation (ILSA) sub-filter scale model. The LES predictions are compared to experimental data obtained by the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). Particularly, the predicted time histories of pressure as well as the maximum overpressure achieved within the vessels are compared to those arising from CNL experiments. | M.A.S. | water, labor, buildings | 6, 8, 9 |
| Selvarajah, Abarna | Todorova, Miglena | Challenging Canadian Immigration Policies and Services: The Settlement Experiences of Mature Tamil Women in Ontario, Canada | Social Justice Education | 2022-11 | Literature on immigrant integration in Canada documents the limits of public services supporting the settlement of newcomers. This study provides deeper understandings of these limitations by examining the experiences of ten mature Tamil immigrant women who have resided in the province of Ontario, Canada for more than 10 years. Using personal interviews and archival immigration policy documents, the study argues that despite interacting closely with settlement programs, adult Tamil immigrant women continue to face gendered and classed barriers to social integration within and outside their communities. The thesis attributes these barriers to neoliberal and patriarchal notions of a “successfully integrated immigrant” enacted through Canadian government legislation and services supporting newcomers. Reflections from study participants challenge Canadian immigration policymakers to look beyond a time-limited definition of “successful integration” and towards feminist and community-centered notions of belonging. Based on these conclusions, the study proposes changes in Canadian federal and provincial settlement and integration policy. | M.A. | gender, women, feminis | 5 |
| Saade, Jad | Drake, Jennifer | Impact of Biochar on the Hydrological Performance of Extensive Green Roofs in Southern Ontario | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Green roofs are a form of green infrastructure used in urban areas to help the postdevelopment water balance mimic the pre-development balance by retaining stormwater during the wet period and restoring it as evapotranspiration (ET) during the dry period. The overall objective of the current research is threefold: (1) assessing the discharge performance (retentionand detention) over 115 rain events and vegetation growth of four configurations of extensive green roof testbeds for two variables (a) green roof plant communities, and (b) substrate amendment using biochar; (2) assessing the effect of biochar amendment on the water balance, including dew, of a green roof module planted with sedum, using a smart field lysimeter; finally (3) assessing the effect of scale on a green roof by comparing the hydrological performance of a small green roof module with that of a larger green roof testbed. Overall, the green roofs showed good hydrological performance. | M.A.S. | water, green infrastructure, infrastructure, urban | 6, 11, 9 |
| Almurad, Omar | Prosser, Scott | Investigating the Allosteric Role of PIP2 in the Activation Pathway of Adenosine-A2A Receptor through 31P 19F NMR | Chemistry | 2022-11 | G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a large eukaryotic membrane protein family. They function as signal transducers that regulate various cellular pathways upon activation by orthosteric ligands. GPCRs are known to adopt multiple conformational states that are stabilized by orthosteric, allosteric, and intracellular binding partners. Lipids are known allosteric modulators that constitute the hydrophobic environment for GPCRs to function. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is a minor phospholipid component of cell membranes and recently been shown to regulate class A GPCRs by engaging its (4,5) phosphate groups with positively charged amino acids. In this project, phosphorus and fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance (31P/19F NMR) was used to investigate the interplay between receptor, heterotrimeric G protein, orthosteric ligand, and PIP2. Interestingly, PIP2 (4, 5) phosphate groups show evidence for binding adenosine A2A receptor; additionally, PIP2 enhanced states involved in G protein binding and recognition (precoupled state). | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Kashanchi, Sara | Chandra, Sanjeev | Fabrication of In-mold Pressure and Temperature Sensors using Masked Wire-arc Thermal Spray | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Pressure and temperature fluctuations within injection molding cavities adversely impact the viscosity of injected molten polymers, leading to material defects and poor part quality. This research investigates the feasibility of wire-arc deposition through patterned masks as a cost-effective and direct method for fabricating strain gauge and thermocouple sensors directly onto cavity surfaces for accurate and real-time in situ process monitoring. Preliminary characterization of coating microstructures revealed improved density and surface splat formations in a comparative study against flame sprayed coatings. The thick film Ni-Cr strain gauge responded linearly to uniaxial tensile strains and exhibited a cycled gauge factor of 70 with a R2 value of 0.995. Furthermore, a four-point bending experiment successfully demonstrated a reduction of hysteresis with increased cycling of flexure loads. Finally, wire-arc fabrication of a steel-constantan surface thermocouple, with a 0 °C Seebeck coefficient of 50 µV/°C, was also proposed to compensate for thermal output. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Chikowero, Ruvimbo Wendy | Bentz, Evan C | The Behaviour of Large Hollow Reinforced Concrete Shear-Critical Beams with Transverse Reinforcement | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | The objective of this study is to investigate the shear capacity of rectangular reinforced concrete beams with hollow cross sections subject to combined shear and flexural loading. The size of the hollow section is a key component of the analytical modelling and was evaluated using 2D Sectional Analysis software and CSA A23.3-14 Code formulations. The transverse reinforcement ratio was varied between specimens to observe its influence on crack development, shear capacity, and deformation. It was concluded that a 52% reduction in cross sectional area and 40% reduction in concrete volume with identical transverse and longitudinal reinforcement results in a 23% reduction in shear capacity compared to a solid beam with the same external dimensions. An identical hollow-section specimen with the same longitudinal reinforcement and twice as much transverse reinforcement carries 38% more shear than the lightly reinforced hollow specimen, and 6% more than the lightly reinforced solid specimen. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| de Vries-Jenkyns, Lara Kristrun | Carter, Jill | Towards a Body: A Study of Anatomical Exhibits in "Canada" | Drama | 2022-11 | Autoethnographic methods and affect theory guide this reflection upon three anatomical exhibits: The Maude Abbott Medical Museum, The AstraZeneca Human Edge, and Medical Sensations. It reflects upon the stakes of the display of bodies, the idea of presence, and, ultimately, conceptions of the human life-form. Approaching the material by thinking through critical race theory, performance studies, and women and gender studies, this thesis questions how these exhibits pose challenges for dreaming of a collective future. Many of the displays include fragments of deceased bodies, or replications of deceased bodies. Thus, this thesis asks how we can ethically engage in these exhibits by bearing witness to rather than consuming these bodies. Critically thinking about the body and humanisms is a central concern for living in an ethical present and future. Ultimately, the writing reflects upon how storytelling is a key method for theoretically shifting how we think about the human life-form itself. | M.A. | gender, women, consum | 5, 12 |
| Ahmed, Lubabah | Allen, Christine | Cytotoxicity of Non-psychoactive Cannabinoids with an Emphasis on Cannabidiol and Ovarian Cancer | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-11 | There has been an increased interest in determining the therapeutic potential of non-psychoactive cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), cannabichromene, and cannabigerol. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the cytotoxicity of non-psychoactive cannabinoids in various cancer cell lines and to determine the combined drug effects of CBD with chemotherapeutic agents, cisplatin (CDDP), and paclitaxel (PTX) in ovarian cancer cell lines. All cannabinoids exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic effects with IC50 values in the micromolar range. When CBD was further evaluated in combination with CDDP, the combined drug effect was neither cell line nor molar ratio dependent and was predominantly antagonistic at most molar ratios of CBD:CDDP. Conversely, the effects of CBD combined with PTX resulted in synergistic, additive, and antagonistic effects which varied depending on the cell line evaluated. The combined effect of CBD and PTX cannot be explained solely by the involvement of the drug transporter, P-glycoprotein. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Kanageswaran, Meera | Carter, Jill | Teacher-student Tradition: Bharathanatyam Classroom Experience in the Greater Toronto Area | Drama | 2022-11 | This research project explores the guru-shishya paramapara (teacher-student tradition) within Bharathanatyam classrooms in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Briefly examining the complex history of the dance form and the origin of the teacher-student tradition within Hinduism establishes the sources of this tradition and challenges the effectiveness of said tradition in present-day Bharathanatyam classrooms. The researcher’s overt auto-ethnographical methodology as well as individual and group interviews with nine Bharathanatyam students from the GTA ascertain challenges faced within the teacher-student relationship. Further information is gathered through publicly posted social media content and their advocacy and condemnation of the teacher-student tradition is examined. The main purpose of this research project is to assess if the teacher-student tradition can offer safe and inclusive learning spaces for Bharathanatyam students of diverse backgrounds. | M.A. | learning | 4 |
| Nitsis, Christina | Maclaren, Virginia | Reduce, Reuse, Refill: Understanding the Refill-based Sector in Ontario | Geography | 2022-11 | As a reuse-based system, refills offer a starting point in reducing packaging waste and shifting our capitalist, linear economies towards more circular approaches. The concept of ‘refilling’ has been present since the advent of milk delivery services (Vaughan et al., 2007), however the study of what a refill is, and how it works in practice, is insufficiently understood. The purpose of my research is to fill this gap in understanding by investigating the motivations and challenges faced by retailers who offer refills of household and personal care products in a case study of Ontario. This qualitative study involved one-on-one, semi-structured interviews (n=23) with refill-based retailers across Ontario. Key findings include challenges such as customer education and recruitment, COVID-19 and having to ‘do it all alone’, and motivations, including environmental motivations. The implications of this study reveal that further research is needed on the accessibility of refills, and their economic and environmental viability. | M.A. | capital, invest, accessib, waste, reuse, environmental | 9, 11, 12, 13 |
| Kujbid, Nastasia Matilda | Levitan, Robert | Assessing Chronotype and Mood in an Integrated Day Treatment Program in Patients with a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) | Physiology | 2022-11 | Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Most patients with a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) have sleep complaint(s). Chronotype is one’s preferred time of day to be active and awake. Having an evening chronotype has been associated with greater depression severity, and a higher likelihood of non-remission. Prior work in MDE patients attending Integrated Day Treatment (IDT) revealed that receiving treatment at a time opposite to one’s chronotype was associated with reduced depression severity. The present work aims to extend this work using objective measures of actigraphy and momentary mood assessment. Individual case analysis was conducted to assess changes in sleep, activity and mood from early-to-late treatment. Sleep and activity changes across treatment, and their relationship to treatment response, varied by patient. Participants treated during the COVID-19 pandemic had shorter sleep duration and higher sleep fragmentation. These preliminary findings will require further elaboration in larger samples. | M.Sc. | disabilit, emission, labor | 3, 7, 8 |
| Smith, Eric Robert | Kerekes, Julie | Pragmatic Development and a Learner’s Life on Study Abroad: A Case Study of a Japanese Learner of English | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | The present study examines L2 pragmatic development in requesting in study abroad, focusing on how an individual’s experiences impact development. The study reports on a longitudinal case study of a Japanese learner of English in her first two months studying in Toronto, Canada. The data consists of naturalistic recordings and memos the participant made herself throughout the two months and role plays conducted at the beginning and end of the study, for a total of 106 requests. Additional data includes the participant’s reflections made on her requests, and weekly semi-structured interviews, diaries, and L2 engagement logs. The analysis focuses on the evolution of the participant’s use of politeness strategies and her knowledge of rules and structures, considering the role of noticing, language socialization, and personal (e.g., motivation) and social (e.g., networks) matters. Findings reveal a complex relationship between the person, her experiences, and her use and development of requesting. | M.A. | knowledge | 4 |
| Leonetti, Amanda Marie | Walters, Brandon J||Zovkic, Iva B | The Task- and Sex-specific Function of FTO During Memory in Female and Male Mice | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Work investigating N-6 methyladenosine (m6A) established RNA modifications as novel regulators of memory in the male brain. Our lab showed that m6A demethylase fat-mass and obesity associated (FTO) protein is depleted, while m6A is accumulated during fear memory. Moreover, hippocampal FTO depletion improves fear memory in male mice, but the role of FTO and m6A has yet to be characterized in the female brain. I observed (1) if FTO and m6A are regulated similarly between sexes during fear memory and (2) the effect of hippocampal FTO depletion between sexes on fear and spatial memory tasks. I found that FTO and m6A expression is sex-specific during fear memory and FTO depletion has no effect on fear or spatial memory performance in females. However, FTO depletion impairs spatial and fear memory performance on harder but not easier learning tasks in males, suggesting that FTO has a sex- and task-specific function during memory. | M.A.S. | learning, female, sexes, invest | 4, 5, 9 |
| Roussy, Sophia Scott | Adams, Matthew | An Exploration of TRAP Exposure and Patterns of Environmental Inequality at a High Spatial Resolution in Etobicoke-York, Ontario | Geography | 2022-11 | This thesis addresses two objectives. The first objective explores the use of high spatial density urban sampling and regression kriging to improve land use regression (LUR) modelling performance for predicting ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at a high spatial resolution across Etobicoke-York, Ontario. The second objective explores marginalization as a potential mechanism for disparate NO2 exposure in Etobicoke-York. This objective was met by using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) modelling techniques to identify spatial associations between NO2 exposure and fine-scale metrics of marginalization and by computing odds ratios (ORs) to capture the effect of marginalization on the odds of high versus low NO2 exposure levels. This thesis highlights improvements in exposure modelling performance for the incorporation of high spatial density monitoring data and regression kriging, as well as identifies significant patterns of disparate NO2 exposure in Etobicoke-York related to ethnic concentration, material deprivation, and residential instability. | M.Sc. | inequality, equalit, urban, environmental, land use, land | 10, 11, 13, 15 |
| Scott, Lily Frances | Chalikian, Tigran | Drug-Induced Stabilization of G-Quadruplex-Duplex Hybrid Structures | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-11 | A combination of spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the stabilizing influence of the minor groove binders (MGBs) netropsin and Hoechst 33258 on a family of G-quadruplex-duplex hybrids (QDHs). Binding affinities were measured to monitor the extent of drug binding to QDH structures studied. Thermal stability measurements were conducted to evaluate the degree of stabilization afforded to each QDH structure by drug binding. Our results revealed a significant increase in the global stability of all DNA structures examined following binding of netropsin or Hoechst 33258. The hierarchal order of the increases in thermal stability suggests that the stabilization arises from drug binding to both the stem-loop and the GQ domains of the QDH structure, if the former contains an AT-rich binding site. Our results point to a novel, allosteric mechanism for the selective stabilization of four-stranded DNA structures at predetermined genomic loci, with implications for the control of genomic events. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Diriker, Fuat Kaan | Zee, Robert E | Communication Subsystem Design and Assembly, Integration, Testing of the GHGSat Remote Sensing Microsatellite Constellation | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | The efforts of industrial operators to measure and quantify their environmental impact have been increasing exponentially in the past years. This interest lies particularly on greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality gas (AQG) emissions. The GHGSat constellation aims to detect and quantify GHG emissions from orbit with pin-point accuracy. The GHGSat satellites were designed based on the NEMO bus developed by the Space Flight Laboratory. This thesis describes the design process of the communication subsystem for the newest iteration of the NEMO bus which is being developed to support the GHGSat constellation. Emphasis is given on miniaturized antenna design, development and testing process, link budget analysis and Assembly, Integration and Testing effort to build these satellites. The first cluster of GHGSat satellites was launched in May 2022 and is healthy in-orbit. This thesis also outlines the testing standards and procedures which ensure the success of the satellite missions following SFL’s design philosophy. | M.A.S. | emission, greenhouse, labor, greenhouse gas, environmental, emissions | 7, 8, 13 |
| Yata, Sanjana | Stewart, Bryan | Genetic Iinteractions between dNSF2 and l(2)gl, nwk, puc in Wing Development of the Drosophila melanogaster | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | In the development of the wings of the Drosophila melanogaster, dNSF2 is an important protein that functions to recycle SNARE proteins to allow vesicular trafficking to transport molecules necessary for development. Previous pilot studies observed three new genes l(2)gl, nwk and puc that have never been implicated in wing development. I have extended these studies by determining a genetic interaction between the three genes and dNSF2. I observed that l(2)gl is expressed in the wing disc where Wingless is expressed and that l(2)gl has effects of its own on wing development. Furthermore, puc is also expressed in the same region that Wingless and Decapentaplegic is expressed. Various mutations of nwk exhibit the same results on wing development as they did in the development of the Drosophila NMJ. Overall, these results suggest that these three genes are involved in wing development through multiple signaling pathways. | M.Sc. | trafficking, recycl | 5, 16, 12 |
| Lee, Michael Kyung Ik | Diamandis, Phedias | Developing a Compound Computational Pathology Workflow for Automated and Integrated Analyses of Morphologic and Molecular Histopathological Features | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Despite recent innovations in deep learning, attempts to automate the integration of histomorphologic and molecular information found on respective H&E- and IHC-stained tissue sections are scarce. Here, I aim to address this issue by incorporating computer vision tools, including deep learning and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), to align H&E-stained sections with accompanying IHC studies for automated subclassification of gliomas. I first trained a VGG19 convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize histological patterns of 16 common tissue and lesion classes. Afterwards, I optimized several deep learning classifiers to recognize various IHC markers relevant for molecular subclassification of gliomas. For downstream integrated analyses, I employed SIFT to align lesional regions of H&E and IHC slides. The quantitative analysis of IHC WSIs significantly improved by using SIFT in conjunction with the classifiers. Collectively, these tools can provide a pathologist-inspired workflow to help automate advanced histopathology-based diagnostic tasks, such as subclassification of gliomas. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Yehia, Nagam Anna | Hanley, Anthony J||Bazinet, Richard P | The Role of Branched Chain Fatty Acids in Cardiometabolic Disorders Underlying Type 2 Diabetes in the PROMISE Cohort | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-08 | Various fatty acids are linked with risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), although the branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) are under-investigated. This thesis aimed to (1) systematically review the available literature on the association of BCFAs with cardiometabolic disorders; and (2) investigate the relationship of BCFAs across 4 serum fractions with dietary intake and analyze the longitudinal association between BCFAs and pathophysiological disorders underlying T2DM. Three of the 4 studies identified in our review reported significant inverse associations between circulating BCFAs/monomethyl BCFAs and insulin sensitivity. Correlations between total dairy and BCFAs showcased pool specific results. Our longitudinal analysis documented heterogenous results that were largely modest in magnitude and significance. Most notably, iso15:0 and anteiso15:0 (NEFA) were positively associated with measures of insulin sensitivity while iso14:0 and anteiso14:0 (NEFA) were inversely associated with the same measures. Our findings highlight the need for additional research on BCFAs and their role in cardiometabolic outcomes. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Evans, Ferrin (Scott) | Keilty, Patrick | “Next Stop, Sayville”: COVID-19, Precarious Labour, and Queer Memory Work on Fire Island | Information Studies | 2022-11 | Grounded within the experience of seasonal workers on Fire Island, New York during the Summer 2020 vacation season, this thesis exists at the intersection of COVID-19, precarious labour, and queer memory work. Examining the impulse toward forgetting held by many community members on the island, the author parses out the concept of “safe havens,” exploring both their value and their limitations – most acutely in relation to 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests. Turning inward, Evans explores the difficulty of embodied research creation amid overwhelming grief and personal loss. Finally, he uses oral history interviews conducted with Fire Island colleagues to position the concepts of recreation, refusal, and reciprocity as integral to an understanding of Fire Island during COVID-19. Through the modalities of oral history and autoethnography, Evans engages in a historiographical project that centres subjects often left out of Fire Island’s storied past and present. | M.I.S. | precarious, queer, labour, worker, land | 1, 5, 8, 15 |
| Huang, Leo | Page-Gould, Elizabth | The “Unhealthy” Racist | Psychology | 2022-11 | North America’s increasingly diverse demographic meant that intergroup interactions are often an essential component of daily living. The consequences of experiencing racism and discrimination during negative intergroup interactions have been well researched from the perspective of the targets. However, few studies have examined prejudice’s impact on the racists themselves. Recent research suggests that prejudice correlates with cardiovascular mortality (Leitner et al., 2016), and this association is mediated by stress (Mendes et al., 2007) or negative emotions such as anger (Thomas & Williams, 1991). This study assessed the connection between people’s levels of prejudice, stress, anger, and health by considering 27 potential models of the relationships between these constructs. Two models emerged as the most probable representations of the variables’ relationships. Both models included only the prejudice, anger, and health variables. The study's findings suggest that anger is an important variable when examining the health of racists. | M.A. | racism, judic | 4, 16 |
| Mogadam, Alexandra Ashraf Catherine | Peterson-Badali, Michele||Skilling, Tracey | Examining the Measurement Invariance and Psychometrics of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) in Justice-Involved Youth | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | Substance abuse can be a risk factor for reoffense and potential rehabilitation barrier for justice-involved youth; to address this need, reliable and valid assessment tools are critical. The psychometric properties of the DAST-A, a well-established drug use survey, have not yet been explored in youth justice samples. We examined the measurement invariance and psychometrics of the DAST-A in 741 (Nfemales=105) justice-involved youth. The tool showed strong internal consistency in the overall sample and subgroups (males, females, White, Black youth; α=.87-.92), and good convergent and concurrent validity. Logistic regression results indicated that, with each unit increase in DAST-A total score, the odds of being diagnosed with a SUD increased by 23% (overall sample; predictive validity). The predictive findings were more robust for White youth compared to Black youth; a different cut-off score was recommended for Black youth as a result. The DAST-A demonstrated configural invariance across groups, supporting a unidimensional structure. | M.A. | substance abuse, female | 3, 5 |
| Chen, Maggie Mae Zhengyi | Santa Mina, Daniel | Is Pragmatically Delivered Prehabilitation Cost-effective Compared to Usual Care? A Cost-effectiveness Analysis | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-11 | A significant and growing proportion of major surgeries are undertaken in high-risk patients, where the rate of surgical complications and associated burdens are disproportionately high. Surgical prehabilitation describes the process of increasing physical and psychological reserve prior to surgery to improve postoperative outcomes and reduce the risk of harm. The impetus toward implementing prehabilitation among hospitals has followed burgeoning empirical evidence regarding its safety, feasibility, and efficacy. This thesis investigated the economic merit of prehabilitation to inform the emergent hospital implementation decision-making context. A cost-effectiveness analysis from a hospital perspective was piloted using data from a clinical trial of a pragmatic model of prehabilitation, including three iterations of prehabilitation delivery, for high-risk surgical patients in Ontario, Canada. This work contributed novel, understudied, preliminary insight regarding the economic merit of prehabilitation implementation from a hospital perspective and informed the design of future prehabilitation economics research. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Gosewich, Molly | Phu, Thy||Bear, Jordan | “There are no shadows that cannot be illuminated:” Memory, Museality, and August Sander’s Portraits of Persecuted Jews | Information Studies | 2022-11 | This thesis focuses on August Sander’s Portraits of Persecuted Jews and investigates its stakes for memory and memorializing Jewishness through a visual analysis and consideration of the sub-collection’s museological functions. By focusing on Sander’s work, this thesis demonstrates how the Portraits of Persecuted Jews might be seen to contest the National Socialist visual regime, which drew on photography as a means of creating and reinforcing stereotypes of Jewishness—as part of a bureaucratic process with the core objective of elimination. I explore how the Portraits of Persecuted Jews in exhibited, published, and archival form can be used to inform readings of Jewish identity and Holocaust history—to ask how these interpretations are read when considered en masse. By focusing on representations of the face, embodiment, and the relationship between singularity and the collective—I contend that Sander’s portraits centre humanization above all else. | M.M.St. | invest | 9 |
| Taylor, Anika Renée | Stirling, Ashley E | Advancing a Safeguarding Culture in Sport: Sports Journalists' Coverage of Athletic Abuse, Harrassment and Discrimination | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-11 | Sports journalists play a key role in making issues visible and mobilizing discussion through their coverage. The purpose of this thesis was to explore how sports journalists’ coverage of athlete maltreatment could advance a safeguarding culture in sport. A qualitative constructionist approach guided semi-structured interviews with 12 sports journalists and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three main themes were generated: journalistic implications of social justice orientations in sport and society, safeguarding people and their stories and journalistic outlooks on advancing a safeguarding culture. Findings position sports journalists as safeguarding agents given how they construct their role in relation to values-based strategies and in alignment with the proactive, coordinated, multi-agency approach needed to advance a safeguarding culture in sport. Applied recommendations for stakeholders across sport and journalism, and directions for future research across both areas are discussed. | M.Sc. | social justice | 16 |
| Maho, Tea | Reisz, Robert R | Diet-related Tooth Development and Replacement in Early Amniotes, with Comparison to a Stem Amniote and Extant Reptiles | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | The present study investigates the relationship between dental development, replacement rates, and feeding strategies among members of the oldest known complex terrestrial vertebrate community and compares them to the stem amniote, Seymouria, and various extant varanid lizards. Three patterns of tooth replacement were observed within the early synapsids: (1) long-lived teeth with slower replacement rates, as seen in herbivores, (2) short-lived teeth with rapid replacement rates, as in the varanopid predator Mesenosaurus, and (3) long-lived teeth with rapid replacement rates, as seen in the apex predator Dimetrodon. While Seymouria had an intermediate tooth longevity and replacement rate. Additionally, the largest extant varanid lizard, Varanus komodoensis, was found to maintain up to five replacement teeth per position and an exceptionally rapid replacement rate (40 days). The distinct patterns of dental development among these terrestrial amniotes reveal a hidden aspect of dental complexity in the diverse terrestrial amniote community. | M.Sc. | invest, metro | 9, 11 |
| Corchis-Scott, Eligh Nicholas | Groth, Clinton PT | Application of Tabulated Chemistry to Laminar Co-flow Diffusion Flames at Atmospheric and Elevated Pressures | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Numerical simulations of combustion can be very computationally expensive, particularly when combustion of the complex fuels frequently found in aircraft gas turbine engines is considered. The large chemical mechanisms required to simulate flames involving these fuels become computationally prohibitive when realistic combustion conditions are used. In order to render these simulations tractable, this thesis investigates chemistry tabulation techniques, which have the potential to significantly reduce the computational costs of simulating reacting flows. In this thesis, four different tabulation techniques will be assessed by applying the methods to the prediction of steady, laminar, co-flowflames. The tabulation techniques considered are the flame prolongation of intrinsic low dimensional manifold (FPI) method, the steady laminar flamelet method (SLFM), the flamelet/progress variable (FPV) method, and the radiative flame prolongation of intrinsic low dimensional manifold (RFPI) method. These techniques are all applied to ethylene flames at atmospheric pressure, methane flames at 5 atm and 10 atm, and Jet A surrogate flames at atmospheric pressure. The results are compared to those obtained for the same case obtained using detailed chemistry, both with and without low-Mach preconditioning. This comparison facilitates the discussion of the relative merits of the tabulation techniques in relation to each other and to detailed chemistry. | M.A.S. | invest, methane | 9, 13 |
| Cooke, Gregory Adam | Voinigescu, Sorin P | 200GS/s Analog to Digital Converter Frontend in SiGe BiCMOS | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | This thesis investigates time-interleaved analog to digital converter front end circuits for use in next-generation fiber optic receivers capable of 200 GS/s with analog bandwidths reaching up to the Nyquist frequency. Measurements were conducted on an existing time-interleaved ADC front end which displayed record-breaking performance while sampling at 200 GS/s. A full four-way 200GS/s time-interleaved ADC front end employing a novel architecture was designed and fabricated in a 55nm SiGe BiCMOS process technology. The constituent track and hold amplifier was measured and achieved a record-breaking 101 GHz of track mode bandwidth. Finally, a 60GHz digitally-controlled oscillator was also designed and fabricated in 22nm FDSOI-CMOS technology with the goal of producing on-chip high-frequency clock signals to enable a full time- interleaved ADC front end system on chip. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Gorodensky, Ariel Celine | Kohler, Jillian C | The Need for Shared Health Governance, Mutual Collective Accountability, and Transparency in COVAX | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-11 | This study addressed the question: to what extent does COVAX employ shared health governance, mutual collective accountability, and transparency? We conducted a multi-method qualitative study triangulating document analysis and key informant interviews. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results demonstrate that each of COVAX’s co-convening organizations are governed by and formally accountable to their individual boards. This structure for accountability, however, is ineffective when decisions are made collaboratively. As a result, most effective accountability for COVAX comes from informal accountability mechanisms such as media scrutiny. Furthermore, COVAX lacks transparency and has not achieved its goals to date. These results demonstrate that COVAX does not employ shared health governance or mutual collective accountability. These results also illuminate barriers to successful global collaboration and contribute to the literature about the roles of good governance, transparency, and accountability in global health initiatives. | M.Sc. | global health, labor, governance | 3, 8, 16 |
| Rana, Remsha | Ferrari, Michel MF | Exploring Positive and Negative Liberty for COVID-19 Vaccination | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | This study investigated how COVID-19 has influenced experiences of the positive and negative liberty. More specifically, if the decision to be vaccinated is influenced by positive liberty through internal desires, or if it infringes on negative liberty through external limits. A qualitative analysis was conducted using open-ended questions and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that some participants experienced a violation of their negative liberty due to restrictions from COVID-19 public health measures. However, there were also participants that experienced positive liberty by taking the initiative to expand their knowledge about immunization which increased their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. | M.A. | public health, vaccine, knowledge, invest | 3, 4, 9 |
| Lee, Albert | Stumm, Michael | PR-MRC: MRC Construction using Non-statistical Sampling | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Miss ratio curves (MRCs) play an important role for visualizing and deciding on an effective cache size for a given workload. Unfortunately, generating exact MRCs require processing and memory overheads that are not practical for online use in production systems. Previous approximate algorithms employ statistical sampling where the set of sampled keys is decided based on satisfying a random sampling condition. We introduce a new approximation algorithm that employs non-statistical sampling where the set of sampled keys is decided based on prior knowledge from previously accessed keys. Our algorithm, called PR-MRC (Pattern Recognition MRC), only updates the MRC when the access pattern is changing. We evaluate PR-MRC using publicly available traces. More than eighty MRCs were generated and compared to the exact MRC. Results show up to 5.5% lower throughput for MRC generation compared to existing approximation algorithms, while achieving improved MRC accuracy. | M.A.S. | knowledge, production | 4, 12 |
| Denkovski, Stefan Milan | Mihailidis, Alex||Khan, Shehroz S | Multimodal Unsupervised Deep Learning Algorithms for Fall Detection | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Falls are one the major cause of both death and injury in people over 65 years of age. Fall detection is critical to minimize the risk that falls pose. Existing methods of fall detection require constant use, invade privacy and/or struggle with practical implementation. This thesis seeks to explore video fall detection as an anomaly detection problem. A novel fall data set is explored to compare multiple modalities from a performance and privacy aspect. Infra-red cameras are found to perform the best, while depth cameras provide the most privacy. Various methods of multi-modal fusion and a novel loss function are explored to improve performance. This method was able to achieve 0.925 AUC ROC and 0.125 AUC PR, improving on individual modalities by 0.03 AUC ROC and 0.05 AUC PR. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Khanzina, Valentina | Carter, Jill | Dancing Memory: Exploring the Personal Experience through the Dramaturgy of Movement (and vice vesa) | Drama | 2022-11 | This study focuses on practise as a research approach to act against the critical problem of contemporary performance arts—the commodification of a performer’s body and soul. How can this problem be overcome? The research sees the solution in appealing to personal experience and embodied memories. What role do personal memories play in creating the dramaturgy of movement performance? How can somatic memory be used to restore the dancer's authenticity, values, truths, and spirit? What are the choreographic and dramaturgical practises and approaches to working with bodily memory? This investigation is an exegesis of an artistic work, a dance performance, devoted to the stages of a woman’s life and created with appeal to the personal, familial, and transgenerational experience. The research reveals the topics of improvisation, embodied memories, dance narratology, collaborative creation, and the body- mind relationship, using improvisational movement and reflective conversations as the main methods. | M.A. | labor, invest | 8, 9 |
| Li, Ruowei | Roorda, Matthew | Simulating Behaviour of a Person-following Delivery Robot in Pedestrian Environments | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | As e-commerce continues to grow, the demand for fast and efficient last-mile delivery is increasing. Person-following robots are a solution that is now beginning to be deployed to assist foot couriers in performing last-mile delivery tasks in public areas, such as underground pedestrian walkways and malls. Although they have proved their capacity to operate successfully in uncrowded spaces like warehouses, it is still uncertain whether their performance would be satisfactory in crowded, complex environments. This study proposes a simulation approach for evaluating the performance of a commercial person-following delivery robot, EffiBOT, in dynamic pedestrian environments. Laboratory experiments are conducted to understand EffiBOT’s operating characteristics. Based on the empirical observation, a computer simulation model of EffiBOT is developed in the pedestrian simulator MassMotion. The model is calibrated and validated with the experimental data. Lastly, research limitations and recommendations for future work are identified. | M.A.S. | labor | 8 |
| Ricketts, Amanda | Matsuura, Naomi | Ultrasound Image-guided, High-intensity Focused Ultrasound for Remote Controlled Modification of Polylactic Acid Films | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | The intrinsic degradation times of biodegradable polymers are not ideal for many temporary implants. Here, ultrasound-guided, high-intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) was investigated as a remote and precise means to modify the mechanical properties of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) films to induce stent failure. USgHIFU delivered for 120 seconds, at a power of 150 watts and 100% duty cycle reduced tensile strength and strain at break of PLA films by 21 ± 9% and 98 ± 55%, respectively. Consistent large strain at break reductions in particular support the potential for stent material failure to be achieved. This reduction was likely due to the creation of defects in PLA films at the target from localized HIFU effects. These results support further investigation of USgHIFU to modify mechanical properties of biodegradable polymer-based structures such that future implants can be removed at time points tailored to meet the requirements of their end applications. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Zhou, Guanglei | Anderson, Jason | Novel CAD techniques for Reconfigurable Architectures | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Reconfigurable architectures, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and coarse-grained reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs), are popular platforms for realizing application-specific accelerators, where the hardware is tailored to an application’s needs, yielding higher performance and energy efficiency. This thesis presents new CAD techniques for FPGAs and CGRAs, with the aim of reducing circuit cost and reducing CAD tool run-time. The proposed techniques leverage recent advances in machine learning and graph algorithms. The first contribution applied reinforcement learning (RL) to logic synthesis for FPGAs in a bid to reduce area. We demonstrated conclusive signs of learning across a suite of benchmark circuits, as well as the ability to generalize learning following training on a circuit set, followed by inference on a different validation circuit set. The second contribution applies a recently published heuristic algorithm for finding graph minors to the CGRA CAD problem. Results show orders of magnitude speedup in run-time vs. existing CGRA mappers. | M.A.S. | learning, energy | 4, 7 |
| Naik, Rushay | Di Ruggiero, Erica | Health Service Delivery in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus: Envisioning the Role of International Organizations in Rebuilding Fragmented Health Systems in the Post-conflict Peacebuilding Process | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | The delivery of health services in conflict-affected states has significant implications for the health and security of communities. However, little evidence regarding the process of rebuilding health systems in the humanitarian context exists. This novel review of the reconstruction process at the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus presents two chapters analyzing the theory and practice of health service delivery in the post-conflict transition. First, a narrative review finds the international community’s process shifts donor-funded health services to state-planned health systems as state institutions stabilize through novel financing and governing mechanisms. Second, a scoping review of post-conflict Essential Packages of Health Services (EPHS) interventions finds significant variations in benefit packages, financing schemes, and government control over contracting mechanisms. Cross-sectoral priorities identified for delivering EPHS interventions post-conflict include stabilizing security from attacks, improving access to financial resources, and mitigating gender disparities. Recommendations call for additional evaluations of EPHS to build evidence supporting peace-responsive health systems. | M.Sc. | peace, gender, humanitarian, transit, institut | 4, 16, 5, 10, 11 |
| D'Silva, Ingrid | McDougall, Doug | Supporting Grade 9 Students in Destreamed Mathematics Classrooms | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | This study investigates teachers’ perceptions of the new destreamed Ontario Grade 9 mathematics curriculum. The Ten Dimensions of Mathematics Education serves as a framework through which this case study of four teachers was conducted. Teacher practices and challenges in the implementation of the new curriculum are discussed. The key findings include the need for differentiation in order to accommodate a diverse group of learners, the importance of an open and inclusive classroom environment, and the need for teacher professional development in order to successfully administer the program. Recommendations for further research are also discussed. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Page, Lysanne | Zee, Robert E | Thermal Design and Analysis of a Microsatellite Constellation | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | In order to address the growing demand of microsatellite constellations, the Space Flight Laboratory has aimed to create repeatable, modular spacecraft designs that can be produced with lower costs and shorter timelines. DEFIANT is a spacecraft platform developed at the Space Flight Laboratory that has been adapted for a constellation mission. Microsatellite constellations present unique thermal challenges calling for innovative thermal design solutions. The thermal design for this mission is one of the many design aspects that has been tuned for a constellation. The thesis will present the thermal design and temperature predictions for spacecraft using either a field-emission electric propulsion system or a water-based resistojet, validated through on-orbit correlations. In addition, a novel thermal modeling approach was proposed to optimize the thermal design for any orbit within an altitude range. With this work, the DEFIANT satellite thermal design has been improved and streamlined, thus enabling the rapid production of future spacecraft to complete this growing microsatellite constellation. | M.A.S. | water, emission, labor, production | 6, 7, 8, 12 |
| Dos Santos, Hannah | Bunce, Susannah | Mulheres, Get on your Bikes!: Critical Consciousness Building and Women’s Cycling Mobility Spaces in Brazil | Geography | 2022-11 | Over the past decade, cycling groups, collectives, and social projects specifically dedicated to improving the everyday cycling mobility experiences of women have emerged across Brazil. My research categorizes these cycling groups, collectives, and social projects as women’s Cycling Mobility Spaces (CMSs). Women’s CMSs use collective practices to address the gender, race, and class relations that have contributed to the underrepresentation of women cyclists in Brazil. For example, in Niterói, the Brazilian city with the highest share of women cyclists, women only represent 12 per cent of the cyclists (Franco 2014). My research draws from interview data with women across 10 different cities and 14 different CMSs to answer the following question: why and how do women use cycling as a method for social transformation? I argue that the collective practices of women’s CMSs reflect the process of critical consciousness-building. The critical consciousness-building activities of women’s CMSs in Brazil highlight the significance of non-physical cycling infrastructure in mobilizing cycling mobility justice in the Latin American context. | M.A. | gender, women, infrastructure, cities | 5, 9, 11 |
| Moran, Julian Dean | Zhen, Mei | Two Calcium Imaging Analysis Workflows for Identifying Coordinated Networks underlying C. elegans Locomotion | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | Though previous research has elucidated the Central Pattern Generator (CPG) networks governing backward and forward crawling in the C. elegans body below the neck, an undiscovered CPG controlling the head likely exists. Calcium imaging constitutes an effective means for visualising neuronal activity, useful for identifying candidate CPGs and neuronal assemblies. I developed SNCI_track, an autotracker wrapper and interface for proofreading of small-number calcium imaging (SNCI) experiments. SNCI_track incurs few autotracking errors and enables fast proofreading, improving the time-until-results of an SNCI workflow. Toward identifying candidate oscillators and neuronal assemblies in the head, I implemented a collaborator-authored pan-neuronal calcium imaging (PNCI) workflow on a single unc-13(s69); unc-2(hp647); hpIs675 whole-brain recording of 135 neurons. Qualitative appraisal identifies 12 neuronal assemblies in the recording, two of which may be oscillators. This thesis demonstrates use of two calcium imaging analysis workflows and preliminary results that may elucidate new features of the C. elegans head locomotory network. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| Cane, Cody Jordan | Ruocco, Anthony||Lee, Andy | An Exploratory Study of Functional Brain Activation Underlying Cognitive Control in Major Depressive Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder | Psychological Clinical Science | 2022-11 | Cognitive control is associated with impulsive and harmful behaviours, such as substance abuse and suicidal behaviours, as well as major depressive disorder (MDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The association between MDD and BPD is partially explained by shared pathological personality traits, which may be underpinned by aspects of cognitive control, such as response inhibition. The neural basis of response inhibition in MDD and BPD is not fully understood and could illuminate factors that differentiate between the disorders and that underlie individual differences in cross-cutting pathological traits. In this study, we measured functional brain activity underlying response inhibition using functional magnetic resonance imaging and compared participants with MDD with and without comorbid BPD, and controls with neither disorder. Whereas response-inhibition-related activation was observed bilaterally in frontoparietal cognitive control regions across groups, there were no group differences in activation or significant associations between activation in regions-of-interest and pathological personality traits. | M.A. | substance abuse | 3 |
| Behboudi, Minou | Reilly, Raymond | Construction and Characterization of a Nano-shuttle for the Delivery of Meitner-Auger Electron-emitting Radionuclides to Human Breast Cancer Cells | Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2022-11 | Meitner-Auger electrons (MAE) are low energy electrons ( < 25 keV) emitted by certain radionuclides. These MAEs precisely irradiate cancerous cells due to their subcellular range (nm to um). One approach to deliver MAE-emittting radionuclides into cancer cells is construction of a nano-shuttle. A nano-shuttle is composed of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified with peptides (RDG) that would target cell surface αVβ3 integrins on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells, and a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) that would import the nano-shuttle into the cell nucleus. This research was focused on the construction and characterization of a nano-shuttle for the delivery of Meitner-Auger electron emitting 111In and 99mTc into human breast cancer cells. A peptide vector that is composed of sequences of RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid), a NLS (nuclear localization sequence), a terminal cysteine for foming a Au-thiol bond and tyrosine for radioiodination was linked to AuNPs and labelled 111In through DOTA chelators. This peptide further included a hexahistidine sequence for labeling with the 99mTc(I) tricarbonyl complex. Cell binding of 99mTc was mediated by both the RGD and NLS determined by competition binding assays using an excess of RGD and NLS peptides or peptide vectors. Similar cell binding results were found for 111In-labeled AuNPs. The result of these experiments demonstrated more blocking by excess peptide vector and NLS compared to excess RGD. This suggests that NLS functions as a cell-penetrating peptide and cell uptake was mediated by both RGD and NLS sequences. | M.Sc. | energy, gini | 7, 10 |
| Dontsova, Valeriya | Serghides, Lena LS | The Effect of the HIV-antiretroviral Dolutegravir on Glucose Homeostasis in Healthy Mice and its Implication on Fetal Toxicity | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Dolutegravir (DTG)-containing antiretroviral therapy is a preferred regimen for all people living with HIV. However, DTG use has been associated with weight gain and rare events of hyperglycemia, as well as an increased risk for neural tube defects (NTDs) in pregnancy. As pre-pregnancy obesity and hyperglycemia contribute to an increased risk for congenital defects, we aimed to characterize the effects of DTG on glucose homeostasis and its impact on the emergence of congenital anomalies. The first study assessed metabolic changes in female mice over 9 weeks of DTG treatment. We found transient blood glucose elevations, and changes to insulin and lipid metabolism in the DTG-treated animals. In the second study, length of DTG treatment on maternal glucose homeostasis and rates of fetal anomalies were investigated. Increased rates of NTDs were observed in dams starting DTG-based treatment at conception, suggesting that DTG-associated changes to maternal metabolism are likely responsible for NTDs. | M.Sc. | female, invest, animal | 5, 9, 14, 15 |
| Zebarth, Julia | Swardfager, Walter | Diabetes, Perivascular Spaces, and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease in Cerebrovascular Disease and Across the Neurodegenerations | Pharmacology | 2022-11 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension are established risk factors for cerebral small vessel disease (SVD); however, few studies have characterised their relationships with MRI-visible perivascular spaces (PVS). Patients with neurodegenerative diseases were stratified by presence or absence of T2DM, and MRI was used to quantify deep (d) and periventricular (p) white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunes (LACN), and PVS in the white matter (wmPVS) or basal ganglia (bgPVS). Patients with T2DM had greater wmPVS volume, but not other SVD volumes, with greater wmPVS volumes in patients with T2DM and hypertension together. Counterfactual moderated mediation models found total natural indirect effects of T2DM on all other SVD volumes that were mediated by wmPVS: pWMH, dWMH, pLACN, and dLACN, in patients with hypertension, but not in patients without hypertension. Studying the regulation of cortical perivascular fluid dynamics may reveal targets to mitigate the impact of T2DM on cerebral small vessels. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Janda, Andrej | Kelly, Jonathan | A Contrastive Learning framework for Self-supervised Pre-training of 3D Point Cloud Networks with Visual Data | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Reducing the quantity of annotations required during supervised training is vital when labels are scarce and costly. This reduction is especially important for segmentation tasks involving 3D datasets, which are often significantly smaller, and more challenging to annotate, than their image-based counterparts. Self-supervised pre-training on large unlabeled datasets is one way to reduce the amount of manual annotations needed. Previous work has focused on pre-training with point cloud data exclusively; this approach often requires two or more registered views. In this thesis, we combine image and pointmodalities, by first learning self-supervised image features and then using these features to train a 3D model. By incorporating visual data, which is often included in many 3D datasets, our pre-training method requires a single scan of a scene only. We demonstrate that our pre-training approach, despite using single scans, achieves comparable performance to other multi-scan, point cloud-only methods. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Karayol, Soykan | Carter, Jill | A Hopeful Research of a Necessary Revolution: Influences of Turkish Political Theatre | Drama | 2022-11 | As a Turkish artist who grew up influenced by the works of left-wing figures, the author sets out to research how Turkish political theatre from 1960 to 1980 impacted the period as well as future generations. Through autoethnographic methods, this paper aims to examine the chain of artistic and political influence between Nâzım Hikmet, Genco Erkal, and the author. By referring to existing scholarship and privileging materialist analysis, the depoliticization of post-1980 is observed as the result of capitalist development, oppressive propaganda, and active dismantling of socialist movements and organizations. The paper ends with two original artistic creations by the author, presented as the inspired results of the research, to move forward the chain of influence. The writing of the paper itself is offered as a political performance that calls for collective action. Yazar, solcu figürlerin eserlerinden etkilenerek büyüyen bir Türk sanatçı olarak 1960'tan 1980'e kadar Türk politik tiyatrosunun dönemi ve gelecek nesilleri nasıl etkilediğini araştırmaya koyulur. Bu makale, Nâzım Hikmet, Genco Erkal ve yazar arasındaki sanatsal ve politik etki zincirini otoetnografik yöntemlerle incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. 1980 sonrasının depolitizasyonu mevcut bilime atıfta bulunularak ve materyalist analize öncelik verilerek, kapitalist gelişmenin, baskıcı propagandanın ve sosyalist hareketlerin ve örgütlerin kasıtlı olarak dağıtılmasının bir sonucu olarak gözlemlenir. Makale, etki zincirini ilerletmek için araştırmanın ilham verici sonuçları olarak sunulan yazarın iki orijinal sanatsal yaratımıyla sona ermektedir. Makalenin yazılışı da, kolektif eylem çağrısı yapan politik bir performans olarak sunuluyor. | M.A. | capital | 9 |
| Jarvie, McKayla Christine | Jackson, Donald | Evaluating Stream Fish Community Responses to Environmental Change through Biological Indices | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | Freshwater fish species require, and compete for, suitable habitats to maximize various physiological and behavioral processes. Yet, the habitats on which they rely are being modified by localized human activities and global climate change, resulting in increased temperatures and decreased health. Monitoring fish communities in areas affected by these modifications (i.e., urban areas) allows for responses to be tracked and trends identified. Biological indices are often used in these areas as they can succinctly communicate community responses to resource managers and the public, but are also criticized based on the metrics and scoring used and their lack of consideration for sampling variability. Here, long-term stream fish community monitoring data, different indices, and their responses in both urbanized and less impacted areas are evaluated, contributing to the confidence with which monitoring programs can interpret sampling results and identify areas for improvement when using or developing new indices. | M.Sc. | water, urban, climate, environmental, fish, species | 6, 11, 13, 14, 15 |
| Marsilla, Joseph Nicholas | Haibe-Kains, Benjamin | Open-source Implementation and Clinical Acceptability Assessment of Organ-at-risk auto-segmentation in Head Neck Cancers | Medical Biophysics | 2022-11 | Auto-segmentation of organs at risk (OAR) in cancer patients holds the potential to improve efficacy and reduce inter-observer variability in radiotherapy planning. While studies have shown that deep learning auto-segmentation models can reach high accuracy, they often fail to reach the level of transparency and reproducibility required to assess the models’ generalizability and clinical acceptability, hindering the adoption of auto-segmentation systems in clinical environments. In this study, we leverage the recent advances in deep learning and open science platforms to reimplement and compare the performance of eleven published OAR auto-segmentation models on the largest compendium of head and neck cancer imaging datasets to date. We further provide examples as to how clinical acceptability assessment could accelerate the adoption of auto-segmentation systems in the clinic by establishing ‘baseline’ clinical acceptability threshold(s) for nineteen organs-at-risk in the head and neck region. Our data, open-source models and computational framework are providing a strong foundation for benchmarking segmentation tools, a key challenge for accelerated clinical adoption of these methods. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Mogil, Joshua David Cooper | Sleep, Brent E | Further Investigating the Transformation of Benzene Derivatives in Acidic Conditions by the Fungus Hormoconis Resinae | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Different strains of H. resinae have been found to use several pathways to transform a number of benzene derivatives. Further study of the transformation of toluene, benzaldehyde, and benzyl alcohol by H. resinae ATCC 34066 was carried out in acidic solutions, with different fungus culturing media, both with and without glucose. It was found that H. resinae ATCC 34066 is not able to transform toluene at all, though it is tolerant to concentrations up to 50 ppm. The fungus was able to reduce benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol up to concentrations of 500 ppm, both in the presence of glucose and without it. Glucose was found to be a preferred culturing media to PDA with smaller observed transformation lag times. Benzaldehyde to benzyl alcohol conversion ratios by the fungus were found to be higher in the presence of glucose. Further study is needed to better understand the benzene derivative transformation pathways. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Li, William | Zhen, Mei | Environmentally Induced Changes to Neuron Connectivity and Morphology in the Brain of the C. elegans dauer | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | An organism’s survival relies on the ability of the nervous system to convert a vast array of sensory information into appropriate motor responses. Processing conducted by the nervous system is complex, even in simple animals. In the nematode C. elegans, sensory neurons connect to an intricate, layered network of interneurons and motor neurons. Many neuron-to-neuron connections are stable from birth to adulthood, but recent developments show that even some of the most stable connections in the nervous system can change in response to environmental stress. In this thesis, I describe the significant changes to network connectivity and neurite morphology in a C. elegans model of environmental stress, the dauer stage. I show that one of the most prominent dauer-specific changes, the loss of the RIC-to-AVA connection, correlates with behavioural responses. The dauer is not simply a paused developmental state, but has active remodeling of neuron connectivity. | M.Sc. | environmental, animal | 13, 14, 15 |
| Rybnicek, Jonas | Lambe, Evelyn EKL | Common Genetic Variants in CHRNA5 Alter β-amyloid Neuropathology and Highlight Chandelier Cells in Human Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease | Physiology | 2022-11 | Changes in high-affinity nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are connected to cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The nicotinic α5 subunit (coded by CHRNA5) is important for attention and cognition, however its role in the context of aging and neuropathology is unknown. Here, we investigate, in an aged human cohort, the impact two common CHRNA5 polymorphisms: the function-compromising rs16969968 and the expression-altering rs1979905. We observed a significant negative association between the high CHRNA5-expression rs1979905A2 genotype and β-amyloid load. Furthermore, we found that the greatest abundance of CHRNA5 expression was in chandelier cells, a specialized set of interneurons enriched for β-amyloid-binding genes. Finally, we found that in subjects homozygous for the minor allele of the CHRNA5 function-compromising polymorphism rs16969968, chandelier cell proportions in the prefrontal cortex are significantly decreased at high levels β-amyloid levels. Taken together, these findings urge further investigation into the role of CHRNA5 and chandelier cells in AD neuroprotection. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Luo, Yiqing | Beck, Christopher | A Scheduling-based Constraint Programming Approach to Solving a Complex Two-dimensional Two-stage Cutting Stock Problem | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | We investigate the novel Two-Dimensional Two-stage Cutting Stock Problem with Flexible Length, Flexible Demand, Order-to-Order Marriageability, and Scheduling Costs (2SCSP-FFMS): orders for rectangular items must be cut from treated rectangular stocks using guillotine cuts with the objective to minimize waste, inventory cost, and tardiness cost. Different from problems in the literature, the 2SCSP-FFMS allows the item length and total order demands to vary within customer-specified intervals. We first investigate a variation of the problem that ignores marriageability (pairwise conflicts between orders) and scheduling costs, proposing constraint programming models, mixed-integer programming models, and heuristics. Then, we study a second variation that adds the marriageability requirement before examining the full 2SCSP-FFMS problem. Accordingly, we extend the approaches that performed best in the first variation to the second one and the full 2SCSP-FFMS. For each of these problems, we perform empirical analysis on both generated and real-life industrial instances. Notably, our scheduling-based constraint programming model has orders-of-magnitude smaller memory requirements over other exact methods and can be competitive with a customized multi-phase heuristic. | M.A.S. | invest, waste | 9, 12 |
| Tahmasian, Nareh | Kaplan, David R. | Investigating the Establishment of the Developmental Transitions of Cortical Neural Precursors at the Transcriptional Level | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) arise from radial precursor cells (RPs) in the embryo that build the brain by generating different neural cell types in a temporally and regionally defined manner. An emerging model proposes that adult NSCs transition from RPs which can generate different neural cell types in response to signals in the environment. In Chapter 3 of this thesis, I have tested the hypothesis that developing cortical neural precursors are multipotent and show that they may have the potential to generate both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In Chapter 4, I hypothesize that the time around birth is an important developmental period for neural precursors as they transition gradually from RPs to adult NSCs. I show that perinatal neural precursors take on a unique transition state, undergoing transcriptional changes within the first few days after birth. | M.Sc. | invest, transit | 9, 11 |
| Ayme Bustamante, Yesica Paola | Bale, Jeff | Intercultural Bilingual Education (IBE) and the Image of Indigenous People and Quechua Speakers in the Peruvian Andes | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | In Peru, there are currently more than 27,000 government-funded IBE schools located mostly in rural areas. These schools were created to redress the historical marginalization of indigenous languages like Quechua and to narrow the achievement gap between indigenous and non-indigenous students linked with the privileging of Spanish linguistic and cultural practices. While Quechua is recognized in the Peruvian constitution as an official language and is spoken by roughly 4 million Peruvians, parents continue to equate education with Spanish language education. They do not encourage their children to learn Quechua due to its low status. This linguistic bias is related to many factors including the social stigma attached to Quechua as the language of illiterate indigenous. This study examines how discourse in various IBE policies imagines Indigenous people and Quechua speakers to be. I also include my voice through my own personal experience as the daughter of Quechua speakers. | M.A. | indigenous, rural | 10, 16, 11 |
| Chu, Hsuan-Yin Rosemary | Finer, Yoav YF | Anti-degradative Self-etch Adhesive to Preserve Bonded Interfaces | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Objective: Investigate the effect of adding drug-silica co-assembled particles containing Octenidine Dihydrochloride (DSPs) into a commercial self-etch adhesive (SE) on the degradation of resin-dentin interface aged in simulated human salivary esterase (SHSE). Methods: Miniature short rod specimens (mini-SR) were fabricated from human dentin bonded to composite using unmodified commercial SE (negative control), SE+10%w/w calcined particles without drug (CDSP-SE) (positive control) or SE+10% w/w DSPs (DSP-SE) (experimental). Specimens were tested for interfacial fracture toughness (FT) and fracture mode after incubation for 0, 30, or 180-days in SHSE. Media were analyzed for presence of resin degradation by-product 2,2-Bis[4(2,3-hydroxypropoxy)phenyl]propane (BisHPPP). Results: FT among all specimens and periods were similar (p>0.05). Fracture plane for all groups moved from dentin to resin layer over time, with the control groups significantly more into resin and with more BisHPPP in their media (p<0.05). Conclusion: The incorporation of DSPs and CDSPs into SE appears to preserve the resin layer of SE interfaces. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Bloomfield, Emma Jocelyn | McMeans, Bailey C | The Effects of Seasonality on Ecological Interactions Between Fishes in Different Thermal Guilds | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | Seasonality may play a crucial, yet understudied, role in structuring species interactions. I used acoustic telemetry, stomach contents, and stable isotopes to determine the seasonal niche overlap of a native cold-water species (lake trout) and a range-expanding warm-water species (smallmouth bass) in two northern temperate lakes. I found that niche overlap between lake trout and smallmouth bass was the highest in the spring, when both species were active and using littoral resources. In contrast, lake trout and smallmouth bass spatially partitioned their niches in the summer. Activity diverged during the winter, with lake trout remaining active with a littoral diet, while smallmouth bass activity was minimal. This thesis demonstrates that both temporal (seasonal activity) and spatial (habitat and diet) niche components structure species interactions and suggests that the impacts of smallmouth bass on lake trout may be greatest in the spring, a season that may lengthen due to climate change. | M.Sc. | water, climate, fish, species, ecolog | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Abu Zanouneh, Basil Jamal | Mills, James K | A Real-time Robotic System for the Continuous Automation of Single Cell Surgery and Embryo Biopsy | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | The success rates of manually performed embryo biopsies in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) are low due to human errors, excessive embryo damage and prolonged surgery times. To increase the procedure the success rate, a robotic system for the biopsy of early-stage 2-cell embryos is proposed. The system consists of robotic manipulators, a camera, sensors, a laser, and set of end-effector tools to perform different procedures on the embryo. The system is comprised of six continuous phases, implemented successively, with neither manual intervention nor software interruption. All six phases are under image-based feedback control and use linear and nonlinear controllers to move micromanipulators with high precision, reject external disturbances, and follow reference trajectories accurately. Significantly, this leads to very rapid processing of embryos. Experimental results on 2-cell and 4-cell cleavage stage embryos validate the effectiveness of the methods proposed. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Moon, Seh Young | Guha, Shion | Towards Better Algorithms for the Public Sector: Developing Computational Narrative Analysis Methodology to Unpack Biases in Child Welfare Systems | Information Studies | 2022-11 | The child welfare sector is an underfunded, understaffed, high-stakes arena where erroneous decisions by caseworkers can lead to child abuse tragedies or traumatic separations between children and their birth parents. To combat these issues, the child welfare sector employs decision-making algorithms using administrative data purportedly to objectively assess a child's maltreatment risk, which have been found to be biased. This research tackles this problem space by conducting computational text analysis on casenotes from a child welfare agency to understand hidden work practices by caseworkers and daily power dynamics that have critical implications in the design of algorithmic systems. Casenotes used in this study are highly contextual, containing rich narrative information on the experiences of frontline caseworkers and their detailed dealings with families involved with child welfare services. The study highlights the need to support sociotechnical systems by accounting for bureaucratic, policy-related constraints and latent power dynamics. | M.I.S. | welfare, worker | 1, 8 |
| Dowling, Kierdra I | Matsuura, Naomi | Biodegradable Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Embolization Microspheres for Osteoarthritis | Materials Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Osteoarthritis, the most common degenerative joint disease, is driven by inflammation caused by abnormal blood vessels. Embolizing these vessels with particulates can reduce the patient’s pain for ~4 years. A limitation in this emerging field is the unpredictable blockage and dangerous off-target effects caused by commercial particulates. To overcome this, the thesis investigates a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel particle as an embolic agent. It has a high enough yield strength to withstand the shear stress in a vessel, a degradation time of 56±4 hours, and the ability to reduce the risk of blood clot formation. Methylene blue as a surrogate drug was encapsulated into the particles at 6.3±1.7 μg/mg of HA, with 99.8±0.3% cumulative release in vitro over 46 hours. This work produced and characterized a HA hydrogel particle for use of an embolic agent for knee osteoarthritis. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Shen, Tianshu | Sanner, Scott SS | Novel Problems and Challenges in Language-based Conversational Recommender Systems | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Language-based Conversational Recommender Systems (CRSs) have attracted growing attention as they allow users to express and interactively refine their preferences in natural language. However, there exist open problems in CRSs relating to the challenges users face when articulating accurate natural language preferences and the underlying technologies required to facilitate language-based interactions. Our first contribution addresses the challenge that users have trouble specifying preferences with the right level of specificity. We propose a clarification-based extension of a critiquing-based interaction workflow for CRSs that outperforms state-of-the-art models. In our second contribution, we explore the novel issue of unintended bias in language model-driven conversational recommendation by proposing novel bias evaluation metrics and performing source of bias analysis. In summary, this thesis investigates novel and important challenges in the deployment of language that can help users express their preferences more accurately and allow the identification and resolution of bias that arises in language-model-driven CRSs. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Heppner, Melissa Haley | Olive, Andrea | The Role of Canadian Bison Producers in Conserving the Plains (Bison bison bison) and Wood (Bison bison athabascae) Bison | Geography | 2022-11 | This project examines the curious tension between conservation and commercial livestock production in a case study of Plains bison (Bison bison bison) and Wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) in Canada. Despite a population of nearly 200,000 individuals, bison in Canada are species of conservation concern as over 90% exist in commercial production rather than for ecological conservation. Where conservation goals for bison include preserving wildness, genetic diversity, and ecological function, ranchers typically prioritize profits through artificial selection and intensive management. However, the Canadian Bison Association (CBA) — an organization committed to protecting the industry — has taken strides to identify with conservation. Interviews with CBA representatives and bison ranchers were conducted to understand the creation of and participation in conservation initiatives, as well as perspectives on the future of bison in Canada. Overall, the results inform bison conservation and contribute to the literature on stakeholder values in cross-jurisdictional wildlife conservation. | M.A. | production, conserv, species, ecolog, wildlife | 12, 14, 15 |
| Yang, Shuying | Plootnikov, Sergey V | Cell-ECM Interaction Regulates Inflammatory Signaling through Tension-Mediated Control of IL-1 Receptor | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Cells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. Recent interests in tissue stiffness has shown that mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. In order to probe their mechanical microenvironment, cells employ many molecular sensors including focal adhesions and the actin cytoskeleton. In this thesis, I show that attachment to the extracellular matrix through focal adhesions upregulates interleukin-1 receptors on the plasma membrane. Such regulation is mediated by increased cytoskeletal tension that controls the local membrane distribution of the receptor. In addition, cells cultured in stiff 3D matrices and those mechanically coupled to neighboring cells display higher amounts of interleukin-1 receptors on the cell surface, suggesting that mechanical properties of the microenvironment can regulate inflammatory pathways at the receptor level. Together, my data reveal the key role of tissue mechanics in regulation of inflammatory signaling and tissue fibrosis. | M.Sc. | environmental | 13 |
| Strafella, Rebecca | Voineskos, Daphne||Blumberger, Daniel | The Neurophysiological Effects of Intermittent Theta-burst Stimulation in Treatment-resistant Depression | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Objective: To investigate the neurophysiological effects of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) when two daily iTBS sessions are delivered separated versus contiguous, and between responders versus non-responders. Methods: Transcranial magnetic stimulation- electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) was recorded at baseline and post-iTBS from a triple-blind trial 1:1 randomized separated: contiguous iTBS schedule. TMS-evoked potential components (N45, N100, P60, area under curve) were analyzed. Results: N100 amplitude decreased from baseline regardless of treatment schedule (F(1, 106.02=5.20, p=0.02). iTBS responders showed decreased N100 amplitude from baseline (F(1,102.13)=11.30, p=0.001, pcorrected=0.0004), and higher post-iTBS N45 amplitude (F(1, 94.14)=4.11, p=0.045, pcorrected=0.016). Conclusions: Our results provide evidence of iTBS effects on TMS-EEG measures in TRD. These findings uncover potential neurophysiological mechanisms suggesting that iTBS may enact antidepressant effects in part by restoring the balance between cortical inhibition and excitation. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Mahetaji, Kaushar | Nieborg, David | The Platformization of TikTok: Examining TikTok’s Boundary Resources | Information Studies | 2022-11 | A fast-growing international success, ByteDance’s short video platform TikTok is an exceptional case study for examining how digital platforms expand infrastructurally and accumulate power. Unlike most leading social media companies, TikTok is a mobile-first platform (i.e., its web services are auxiliary to its mobile application), and it is not owned by an American or Chinese tech titan—Google, Apple, Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, and Microsoft (GAFAM) or Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT) (Kaye, Chen, and Zeng 2021). Yet it has achieved popularity comparable to major players in the social media ecosystem, and now grapples with balancing the interests of end-users with those of ‘platform-dependent’ institutional actors, including cultural producers. With this thesis, I interrogate how TikTok manages this challenge by studying the platform’s evolution through its boundary resources—i.e., the technical tools and informational resources and regulations that facilitate the creation of apps and services in relation to the platform (Eaton et al. 2015). This work serves as a response to calls from media scholars to view platforms as processes and to further social media historiography (Poell, Nieborg, and van Dijck 2019; Helmond and van der Vlist 2019). More specifically, this thesis contributes to the literature on platform studies because it focuses on an understudied aspect of platform power: boundary resources. | M.I.S. | ecosystem, institut | 14, 15, 16 |
| Vasoff, Catherine Colleen | Davies, Robert S||Dhuey, Elizabeth A | Ontario English-language Student Achievement and Growth in Math: Examining the Gap between Students with and without Disabilities | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | This study analyzes the gaps in math achievement and growth between Ontario English-language students classified with and without disabilities. Some research suggests that early identification and intervention for math difficulty can reduce math gaps. Data come from merged Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and Early Development Instrument (EDI) datasets for the EDI 2005, 2006, and 2008 student cohorts. Descriptive and longitudinal multilevel model analyses indicate that students with disabilities show increasing math gaps between Grade 3 and Grade 6 and decreasing gaps between Grade 6 and Grade 9. The EQAO math score theta values used in this study are not vertically scaled scores but can reveal gaps in students’ capacity to meet provincial math curriculum expectations. The study’s findings demonstrate the importance of examining math gaps between students with and without disabilities to explain the overall decline in Ontario student math achievement between Grade 3 and Grade 6. | M.A. | disabilit | 3 |
| Wu, Yuchen | Barfoot, Timothy D. | VT Generalizing the Teach and Repeat Navigation Framework | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Visual Teach & Repeat (VT&R) achieves long-range and long-term autonomous path following through visual topometric mapping and localization. The system requires only a stereo camera for sensing, making it well-suited for many mobile robot applications involving GPS-denied environments. In this thesis, we present VT&R3, a new version of VT&R that generalizes its underlying teach and repeat navigation framework to work with lidar, radar, and possibly any rich sensor. We develop lidar and radar topometric mapping and localization pipelines that enable lidar/radar-based teach and repeat. We further extend the lidar pipeline with the ability to detect obstacles in changing environments, making obstacle avoidance during path following possible. We validate our pipelines through extensive evaluation using real-world datasets, including runtime analysis showing their online operation capability. Our results demonstrate surprising accuracy and robustness of lidar localization across varying weather and seasonal conditions, while radar localization remains competitive and has advantages in computation and storage requirements. | M.A.S. | weather | 13 |
| Walker, Madison Elizabeth | Cusimano, Michael D | The Impact of Recreational Cannabis Legalization and COVID-19 on Injury-related Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations in Canada | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Background: The effects of recreational cannabis legalization (RCL) in Canada and the COVID-19 pandemic on the rates of injuries in the Canadian population are largely unknown.Methods: An interrupted time series analysis using population-based data from 2010 to 2021 was used to assess the population-level effect of RCL and COVID-19 on rates of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for injury. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to estimate weighted odds ratios for injury-related ED visits after RCL only. Results: There were no notable changes in rates of ED visits or hospitalizations for injury after RCL; however, after lockdowns due to COVID-19 began there was an immediate decrease in ED visits for most injury types followed by gradual increases over time. Conclusions: These results have implications for Canadian and international public health policies, health planning, and injury prevention and mitigation measures. | M.Sc. | public health | 3 |
| Leung, Emily | Maclaren, Virginia | Exploring Policy-mandated Building Design Requirements as an Intervention for Waste Diversion in Multi-residential Buildings: A Case Study of the City of Toronto | Geography | 2022-11 | This research seeks to review a City of Toronto policy which specifies which waste sorting systems must be implemented into multi-residential building designs. The study draws on socio-technical systems and technological fix as theoretical frameworks to gauge how effective the required waste collection systems actually are and how well the users interact with the systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine property managers with different chute systems to gauge effectiveness. To expand the policy context, interviews with policy makers of design standards of chute designs in five municipalities were also conducted to explore the rationale behind their requirements. Findings show that some municipalities are starting to move away from technological waste chute systems. The technological chute systems were found to be regularly malfunctioning and needing maintenance and were also used incorrectly by residents—all of which led to more contamination. Efforts to increase waste diversion at MRBs through design will need the expertise of occupants and would benefit from more operational standards to understand diversion technology design flaws. | M.A. | contamination, buildings, waste | 6, 9, 12 |
| Sedig, Kimia | Dainty, Katie N | Exploring System Resilience within the North York Toronto Health Partners North York Community Access to Resources Enabling Support Program (NYCARES): A Pragmatic Case Study | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) were implemented in 2019 as a model of health system organization to improve integration of care across Ontario. Health system integration and health system resilience are closely intertwined. North York CARES (NYCARES) is an OHT program developed to support patients with complex care needs transitioning from hospital to home. This thesis used NYCARES to study the OHT model’s integrative characteristics in practice, and its ability to respond to large scale crises, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment. An interpretive qualitative approach was used to explore program partners’ individual and collective program experiences. The results of this thesis highlight the complexity of Ontario’s healthcare systems and the necessity of approaching healthcare programs with a Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) lens. Further research must be done to extend the application of CAS theory to healthcare contexts, with both system integration and system resilience in mind. | M.Sc. | healthcare, resilien, transit, resilience | 3, 11, 13, 15 |
| Raies, Nasem | Chen, Robert | Effects of Theta Burst Stimulation of the Cerebellum on Tremor and Working Memory in Parkinson’s Disease | Medical Science | 2022-11 | The cerebellum is involved in working memory and postural tremor. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) can modulate neural activity. We expect cerebellar intermittent TBS (iTBS) to reduce postural tremor amplitude and improve working memory in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. We also expect cerebellar continuous TBS (cTBS) to impair working memory in PD patients and controls. Five patients with PD and nine healthy controls received cerebellar iTBS, cTBS, and sham iTBS. After TBS, subjects performed four working memory tasks. Postural and rest tremor was measured before and after stimulation in each session. Cerebellar cTBS significantly impaired subjects’ performance only in the digit span backward task compared to sham. Tremor data was insufficient to investigate the effects of TBS on tremor as only one patient had tremor. The findings support the hypothesis that the cerebellum is involved in working memory, and this contribution may be disrupted by cerebellar cTBS but not iTBS. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Parzei, Natalka | Montandon, Gaspard | Chemogenetic Activation of a Glutamatergic Ventrolateral Medulla Circuit Alters Breathing | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Breathing is generated by complex respiratory circuits spanning many regions within the brain. The main drivers of the respiratory cycle are found within ventrolateral medulla. Inspiratory pattern is generated by a small region of the medulla known as the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), which contains a population of glutamatergic neurons. Glutamatergic neurons can be identified through the expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2). We investigated whether chemogenetics, which employs designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs), could be used to activate (hM3Dq) or inhibit (hM4Di) VGLUT2-expressing neurons within the preBötC to manipulate respiration. We found that unilateral excitation of VGLUT2-expressing neurons using hM3Dq increased respiratory rate, while diaphragm and genioglossus amplitudes, inspiratory duration, and expiratory duration decreased. No changes in respiration were seen when inhibiting neurons using hM4Di. Our data suggest that chemogenetics can be used to manipulate respiration through excitation of VGLUT2-expressing preBötC neurons. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Abdelrehim, Mona Mohamed Gad | Quiñonez, Carlos||Singhal, Sonica | Trends in Self-reported Cost Barriers to Dental Care in Ontario | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Background: The affordability of dental care continues to receive attention in Canada. Since most dental care is privately financed, the use of dental care is largely influenced by insurance coverage and out-of-pocket spending. Objectives: To explore trends in self-reported cost barriers to dental care in Ontario. Methods: Secondary data analysis of five cycles (2003, 2005, 2009/10, 2013/14 and 2017/18) of the Canadian Community Health Survey, a cross-sectional survey that collects information on health status, health care utilization, and health determinants for the Canadian population. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to determine the characteristics of Ontarians who reported cost barriers to dental care. Poisson regression was used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios to determine predictors of reporting cost barriers to care. Results: Self-reported cost barriers to dental care have generally increased in Ontario but more so for those with no insurance, low income, and aged 20-39 years. | M.Sc. | low income, affordab, health care, health determinants, income | 1, 10, 3 |
| Qiu, Barry | Mercan, Oya | Investigation On the Composite Action Of Various Connections In CLT-Glulam T-Sections | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | In recent years, there has been much investigation into various timber products and ways to enhance structural behaviour. This research looks into investigating more efficient and compact sections, specifically by means of considering composite action in CLT-Glulam T-sections. Pine wood was selected to be studied for its material properties alongside a combination of four different mechanical and adhesive connections. By using these material and connection properties, a finite element model was constructed and calibrated in Abaqus. The finite element model was used to predict the behaviour of different full-scale CLT-Glulam sections. The Abaqus results show that an adhesive connection with perfect composite action can reduce deflections by 50% and increase maximum span length by 30%. A mechanical connection depends on its spacing and stiffness. For the particular connection in this study, the deflection reduction and span length increase were 30% and 15%, respectively. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Srinivasan, Aparna | Rost, Hannes||Gingras, Anne-Claude | Investigating Ion Mobility Separation of Phosphopeptide Isomers using Tapped Ion Mobility and Mass Spectrometry | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | The addition of phosphorylation to serine, threonine and tyrosine residues on proteins in eukaryotic organisms is an integral mechanism of cellular signaling. However, identification of phosphopeptide isomers, i.e. phosphopeptides with identical amino acid sequences and phosphate modifications on different residues, by mass spectrometry is challenging due to the lack of separation of such species by m/z and liquid chromatography. In this work, I investigated the separation of a library of 1497 synthetic phosphopeptide isomers using trapped ion mobility spectrometry combined with Data Independent Acquisition mass spectrometry. There are some examples of complete separation of co-eluting phosphopeptide isomer pairs by ion mobility, but the majority of phosphopeptide isomer pairs are not baseline resolved. Overall the results of this study suggest that utilizing trapped ion mobility in conjunction with mass spectrometry can completely separate some pairs of phosphopeptide isomers, and may be particularly useful when implemented as a dimension in data analysis. | M.Sc. | invest, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Chai, Yuan | Manion, Carly | High-school Principals’ Experiences of Building Positive Relationships with Students in Beijing, China | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | This qualitative study explores school principals’ experiences of building principal-student relationships (PSRs) in high schools in Beijing, China. Four aspects of relationship-building, namely, the meanings of PSR, the strategies of PSR construction, the facilitators, and the barriers of PSR-building are investigated. Many researchers have demonstrated that effective schooling is attributed to strong and positive relationships initiated by school administrators with their surroundings. In China, the national reform of education has given principals pressing missions of initiating and maintaining closer relationships with students. However, the phenomenon of PSR in Chinese schools remains unexplored. Accordingly, this research collected interview data from five Chinese high school principals who earned recognitions from principals in other schools, media news reports, and/or local educational authorities for their achievements in building and sustaining positive PSRs and identified meaningful themes through thematical analysis. Results of the analysis were organized into a conceptual framework of PSR-building in Chinese schools. | M.A. | invest | 9 |
| Doheny, Kevin | Sztepanacz, Jacqueline | Evolvability of Sexual Dimorphism in Drosophila suzukii | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | The evolvability of sexual dimorphism is determined, in part, by the amount of sexually antagonistic genetic variation available to selection. Here I investigate genetic constraints to the evolution of sexual dimorphism in wing-shape in the invasive spotted wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. I find 8.04 times the genetic variation in trait combinations that can respond to concordant selection than can respond to antagonistic selection. I propose that patterns of stabilizing selection due to a well-adapted wing generate these patterns of genetic variation I observe. Finally, this work shows that concordant evolvability is high for this species and argue that this could allow the population to respond quickly in the future to sexually concordant selection which may make management of this species even more problematic. | M.Sc. | invest, species | 9, 14, 15 |
| Fang, Cuilian | Evans, Greg J | Metal Characterization Oxidative Potential of Non-Tailpipe Vehicle Emissions | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Non-tailpipe traffic emissions are an increasing health concern to communities residing in dense urban landscapes surrounded by high volumes of traffic. To understand potential negative health effects, approximately 170 non-tailpipe emission samples were collected across the City of Toronto in the form of resuspended road dust, brake dust, and tire dust. The samples were analysed using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) to detect the presence of trace metals. Trace metals associated with road dust, brake and tire wear were prominent in collected samples, including Ba, Cu, Fe, K, Ti, and Zn. Samples were analyzed for the oxidative potential (OP), a health relevant metric to quantify the toxicity of particulate matter (PM). Three in vitro assays were used: ascorbate (AA), glutathione (GSH), and dithiothreitol (DTT). Results showed OP in all three assays to be higher than ambient results. Real-time sampling of roadside PM revealed a potential need for better road dust cleaning tools. | M.A.S. | emission, urban, emissions, land | 7, 11, 13, 15 |
| Frost, Ryan Shadan | Agrawal, Aneil F | The Impact of a Male Selected Chromosome on Fitness and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | Different phenotypes may optimize fitness in each sex; a unique evolutionary challenge because much of the genome is shared. To investigate the extent to which this conflict has been resolved, six populations of Drosophila melanogaster were maintained such that a pool of marked 2nd chromosomes were transmitted exclusively through males. Eliminating selection in females should cause phenotypes associated with the marked chromosome to shift closer to male specific fitness optima, assuming conflict is ongoing. Male mating success was significantly improved in males with marked chromosomes compared to those without. An Allele Specific Expression analysis identified several hundred genes with cis-regulatory differences between these two marked chromosomes. Under the hypothesis that sex-biased genes have been unable to diverge between the sexes as much as would be optimal, male-selected marked chromosomes should evolve under this experimental evolution regime to be “masculinized”. However, we detected no such pattern. | M.Sc. | female, sexes, invest | 5, 9 |
| Patel, Medhavi | Howe, Jane||Perovic, Doug | Imaging of Non-conducting Beam Sensitive Materials using Scanning Electron Microscopy: Practical Applications of ESEM and LVSEM | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Non-conducting and beam sensitive materials like polymers are utilized extensively in modern industry. With growing interest in leveraging the capabilities of these materials by optimizing their morphological and structural characteristics, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is becoming an increasingly important tool. Despite the advancement of SEM and advent of high caliber instrumentation, numerous challenges impede the imaging and study of beam sensitive materials using SEM. This thesis focuses on Environmental SEM and Low Voltage SEM and attempts to showcase their characterization capabilities through practical examples of respirators/facemasks, and microplastics. A set of characterization protocols for evaluating the structure, chemistry, moisture retention, and wetting properties of face masks and respirators are presented in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 presents efforts undertaken for capturing and compiling SEM images to form the first open-source SEM datasets for microplastics segmentation through deep learning methods. The promising result facilitates automatic quantification and classification of microplastics. | M.A.S. | learning, environmental | 4, 13 |
| Kant, Tuana | Kennedy, James L. JLK | Developmental Trajectory of the Association between Monoamine Oxidase A and Catecholamine-O-Methyltransferase Genes, and Youth Externalizing Behaviours | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Youth externalizing behaviours are serious public health concerns, with significant negative outcomes. These disruptive behaviours exhibit high heritability, with putative influences from the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and catecholamine-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genes. Literature points to a variable effect of genes on externalizing behaviours through development. This study aimed to examine the influence of development on the association between the genetic variants regulating the MAOA and COMT genes and externalizing behaviours in youth. Results from the cross-sectional (n=278-337) sample demonstrated that both MAOA-uVNTR and COMT Val158Met exhibit a significant change in the risk variant between childhood and adolescence for males, but not in females. Conversely, there was no significant interaction effect between Val158Met and assessment time on externalizing behaviours in the larger longitudinal ABCD (n=2363) sample. While replications with longer longitudinal studies are necessary, these results underscore the importance of considering the developmental stages when analyzing genetic risk of externalizing behaviours. | M.Sc. | public health, female | 3, 5 |
| Kelly, Spencer | Thomson, Murray J. | Development and Implementation of a Simple Carbon Formation Mechanism for Methane Pyrolysis in Computational Fluid Dynamics | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Methane pyrolysis is a technology that can produce hydrogen with low GHG emissions. In a methane pyrolysis jet, chemical reactions occur simultaneously with mixing, and a large amount of solid carbon is produced. Our current modeling of methane pyrolysis uses complex carbon formation mechanisms, ignoring fluid dynamics. Current CFD models typically use a post-processing technique for carbon formation which is only valid for low sooting flames. There is a need for a model which can accurately model fluid dynamic mixing, gas-phase chemical reactions, and carbon formation. This work develops and implements a simple carbon formation mechanism into a CFD model of a methane pyrolysis jet. The mechanism is based on the Moss-Brooke’s reaction rates using acetylene concentrations as the precursor for nucleation and surface growth. The CFD implementation provides spatial information about the formation of carbon and other gas-phase species during methane pyrolysis, which has been overlooked in previous work. | M.A.S. | emission, emissions, methane, species | 7, 13, 14, 15 |
| Malekoltojari, Ainaz | Krause, Henry | Identification of Novel Gut Microbiome Constitutive Androstane Receptor Ligands using an Untargeted Affinity Purification-Mass Spectrometry Approach | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | The Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR) is a member of the Nuclear Receptor (NR) family of transcription factors and a key regulator of xenobiotic metabolism. Identification of high affinity CAR ligands has remained elusive. This has been exacerbated by limitations in traditional screening methods due to CAR’s constitutive activity and its potential for indirect activation in cells. This thesis describes the identification of a group of structurally related CAR ligands present in the human gut microbiome using an affinity purification-mass spectrometry-based direct-interaction screen. These ligands share a di-indoyl core and are derivatives of 3,3-diindolylmethane. Characterization of the ligands using cellular and biophysical assays revealed that they bind and stabilize the CAR ligand binding domain. They are potent agonists, and one of the compounds, 3,3-diindolylethane, has a sub micromolar effective concentration and dissociation constant, making it a promising candidate for CAR drug development. | M.Sc. | methane | 13 |
| Ho, Janhu (Natisha) Yen | Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard | Exploration of the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Novel Disulfide and Diselenide-containing Peptide Gels | Chemistry | 2022-11 | Peptide gels have gained large attraction for their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-immunogenicity. Within living organisms, an important component that plays a role in signalling pathways and chemical reactions are diselenides and disulfides. Herein, two novel peptide conjugates – Boc-Phe-Phe-Cys-Cys-Phe-Phe-Boc and Boc-Phe-Phe-Se-Se-Phe-Phe-Boc – and their gelation has been investigated. These conjugates have been fully characterized using mass spectrometry, one dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Successful gelation of the conjugates has been reported as well. Strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds link nearby amide and carboxyl groups, pi-pi stacking interactions for aromatic rings, and hydrogen bonding between water molecules assist in the self-assembly of the gelator molecules to form solid organogel upon dissolution in toluene or acetonitrile, or hydrogels upon dissolution in MOPS or monosodium phosphate buffer. These gels exhibit redox active properties due to the diselenide and disulfide moieties. Preliminary studies have been conducted to characterize these conjugates to support further redox and drug-loading experiments. | M.Sc. | water, invest | 6, 9 |
| Gupta, Rashi Pankaj | Wither, Joan E | Investigation of the Balance of Pro-inflammatory Immune Cells to T Regulatory Cells and the Role of Antigen-specific T cells in the Development of Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases | Immunology | 2022-11 | Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (SARDs) are characterized by the production of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs). ANAs are also seen in healthy individuals and can be detected years before disease onset in SARD. However, the immunological changes that facilitate the development of SARD in non-symptomatic ANA+ (ANA+ NS) individuals remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that in ANA+ NS individuals, there are significant increases in regulatory immune subsets, whereas inflammatory subsets are increased in SARD patients. Additionally, ANA+ individuals without SARD who progress clinically have increased lymphocyte activation and increased markers of regulation compared to non-progressors. Collectively, our findings suggest that active immunoregulation prevents clinical autoimmunity in ANA+ NS individuals, which, when impaired, may result in an increasingly inflammatory environment that promotes SARD development. | M.Sc. | invest, production | 9, 12 |
| Agarwal, Anurag Ajay | Simpson-Porco, John W||Pavel, Lacra | Robust Feedback-based Nash Equilibrium Seeking | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | We consider the problem of distributed Nash equilibrium seeking over networks. Each agent desires to play a game while constraining a system output generated by a process affected by the agents' control actions as well as some unknown, exogenous disturbances. Each self-interested agent seeks to minimize their cost function within this game, while ensuring that the output obeys the given constraints. We outline the limitations of forecasting the output and the relevant external disturbances, which motivates our feedback-based approach, using measurements to lift the forecasting requirements. We then develop two algorithms: one that makes a nominal, constant approximation of the system's input-output sensitivities a priori, and another that estimates sensitivities in a model-free manner. We exploit operator-theoretic properties to show our algorithms' convergence robust to model uncertainty and unknown disturbances. We then test the developed techniques using academic and real-world examples, validating and outlining the convergence properties of our algorithm. | M.A.S. | urban | 11 |
| Savalanpour, Cyrus Adam | Nodwell, Justin R | Development Towards a CRISPR-Cas3 Genome Editing System for Streptomyces | Biochemistry | 2022-11 | Streptomyces sp. have unusual linear chromosomes that are large compared to those of most other bacteria and archaea. However genetic research of this bacterial genus is hampered by the lack of effective gene editing tools that are capable of producing large, undefined, targeted deletions. The Bondy-Denomy lab has shown that CRISPR-Cas3 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is capable of creating large, undefined, targeted deletions. The aim of this thesis was to generate a map of putative essential and dispensable regions in a Streptomycete chromosome and work towards adapting CRISPR-Cas3 from P. aeruginosa for use in Streptomyces venezuelae. The plan was to delete the whiE gene, which generates a visibly apparent spore pigment as a proof of concept. Despite successful expression of CRISPR-Cas3 in S. venezuelae, whiE was not successfully deleted. However, data in this thesis highlights the similarities in Streptomyces species which should support the possibility of a CRISRP-Cas3 system that is compatible with all Streptomyces. Recent research has shown that S. avermitilis has a functional CRISPR-Cas3 system and can be adapted for gene editing in Streptomyces. | M.Sc. | species | 14, 15 |
| Zhou, Xueyang | Husain, Mansoor MH | The Role of B Cells and Immunoglobulin A in Blood Pressure Regulation | Physiology | 2022-11 | Blood pressure regulation has conventionally been attributed to the cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and renal systems, with water and sodium handling by the kidneys being essential for systemic fluid balance and long-term blood pressure homeostasis. Recently, the immune system has emerged as an important contributor to blood pressure control and hypertension pathophysiology. This Dissertation examines B cells and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in murine blood pressure regulation through alterations in renal water and sodium handling: causal roles of B cells in blood pressure control were studied using an inducible model of B cell depletion, and contributions of IgA to blood pressure and hypertension were examined in an IgA-deficient model. Chronic B cell ablation had a blood pressure-lowering effect in male mice, while IgA-deficient mice exhibited reduced blood pressures and blunted responses to experimental hypertension. This Dissertation highlights contributions of B cells and IgA to blood pressure regulation through mechanisms of renal fluid balance. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Gordillo Sampedro, Sara | Ellis, James | Defining the miRNAome in Stem Cell derived Human Astrocytes and their Secreted Extracellular Vesicles | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the regulation of developmental processes like astrogliogenesis. Astrocytes, the main glial cell type in the brain, act as communication hubs and interact with neurons during the establishment and maturation of functional networks, which are disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorder Rett Syndrome. Astrocytes communicate with neurons by secreting extracellular vesicles (EVs) that contain miRNAs able to regulate transcription in the target cell. Astrocyte released factors are thought to drive non-cell autonomous effects in RTT neurons. I established a fast differentiation protocol to generate functional human astrocytes from NPCs and found similar RTT phenotypical features as described in literature, and preliminary indications of the involvement of astrocyte released factors in RTT neuron phenotype. Using smallRNAseq I investigated the miRNAome of astrocytes and astrocyte EVs. I found EV enriched miRNAs that could be actively sorted into EVs via RBP sequence dependent mechanism, and astrocyte miRNAs reported in peripheral samples, suggestive of biomarker potential. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Murphy, Aisling Rose | Carter, Jill | On Genealogy: Inheriting Fault Lines in Canadian Theatre Criticism | Drama | 2022-11 | This thesis offers case studies from Canada’s journalistic theatre criticism since the advent of the National Arts Centre in 1967. These case studies, emblemized by 1960s productions of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe and post-Y2K productions of bug and Kamloopa, are complemented and complicated by autoethnographic commentary as an early-career theatre critic since 2019. Drawing from my own training as a critic and selected case studies from Ontario’s existing canon of theatre criticism, I place my training and experiences in dialogue with events of the past and present, calling on Kim Senklip Harvey’s notion of “inheriting the past which came before” as a blueprint for empathetic theatre criticism. Citing essays by critics, artists, and scholars alike, I bolster this dialogue with proposed alternatives to Western reviewing practices, using Indigenous performances of the early 2020s and their resulting controversies as a point of departure for future reform within Canadian theatre criticism. | M.A. | indigenous, production | 10, 16, 12 |
| Wilson, Collin | Lee, Chi-Guhn | KL Divergence Based Change-point Detection and Modulation of Reinforcement Learning Parameters | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | While reinforcement learning algorithms have demonstrated success and even super-human performance on certain tasks, most of the current algorithms are not ready to deal with non-stationary environments. As environments of real-world applications are hardly stationary, we need robust algorithms that can maintain the quality of policies by quickly detecting shifts and resume the training of once-optimal policy in the new environment. In this paper, we propose a generic detector based on KL divergence to detect shift in dynamics as well as task and demonstrate its robustness using soft Q-learning as an example among many other algorithms. In addition, we also highlight the natural advantage of soft RL over the standard framework under perturbations and explain how the framework can be modified to detect perturbations and how policy parameters can be modified to maximize post-perturbation performance. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Vafaeikia, Partoo | Khalvati, Farzad | Deep Learning Methods for Pediatric Brain Tumour Diagnosis | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Brain tumour segmentation in MRI is important for diagnosis, growth rate prediction, tumour volume measurements, and treatment planning. Eliminating the need for manually segmenting tumours can reduce the strain on neuroradiologists and improve patient care. In this work, we provide an end-to-end deep learning-based model for segmenting pediatric low-grade gliomas in MRI. To evaluate the segmentation results, we have created radiomics-based genetic marker classifiers using automatic and manual segmentation masks, demonstrating that the automated segmentation model produces comparable classification results to manually segmented tumour masks. In addition, the reliability of automated segmentation findings was evaluated by measuring the correlation between the resulting volume size of automatically and manually formed tumour masks. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Davtyan, Abel | Widdifield, Jessica | Evaluating the Effects of Continuity of Rheumatology Care on Patient Outcomes for Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2020-06 | Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that requires ongoing management with rheumatologists to minimize disease activity, disability, and morbidity. This thesis examined whether continuity of rheumatology care influences survival, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations. Among a population-based inception RA cohort, patients were categorized into three rheumatology care continuity groups (high, intermediate, and not retained in rheumatology care) and patient outcomes (rates) were compared, adjusting for covariates. Incident RA patients receiving early and more frequent rheumatologist visits in the first year of diagnosis, followed by at least an annual rheumatology visit during the following four years had better long-term outcomes (lower rates) for ED visitations, hospitalizations, and mortality compared to those that do not receive early contact with a rheumatologist and had fewer rheumatology visits during follow-up (intermediate group). These findings provide evidence to support the value of early access and continuous rheumatology care for improving long-term outcomes. | M.Sc. | disabilit | 3 |
| Alavi Naeini, Saeid | Taati, Babak BT | Automatic Temporal Segmentation of Orofacial Assessment in Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurological disease that causes degeneration of lower and upper motor neurons in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. Objective assessments of bulbar ALS include acoustic (audio) and kinematic (video) methods; the outcomes that are extracted as a result of these assessments are essential for improving early disease detection, and monitoring disease progression. There has been a rapid growth in the automatic - acoustic and kinematic - methods of speech assessment in ALS. Temporal segmentation (parsing) of orofacial assessment data is an important step underlying these assessments. Current clinical diagnosis obtain parsing either manually or in a semi-automatic manner which is time-consuming and labour-intensive. This thesis delivers insight into whether modern machine learning techniques can be applied to automatically and accurately parse ALS orofacial assessment data and lays the ground for automated and objective assessment tools for use in clinical and home settings. | M.A.S. | learning, labour, consum | 4, 8, 12 |
| Li, Mingyi | Reid, Mary MR | Perceptions of the West by Chinese International Graduate Students before and after Arriving in Canada | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | It is evident that China has undergone significant changes over the past few decades because of its reform and opening door policy since the late 1970s. Chinese citizens born in the 1990s grew up in an era of significant historical change. This study examined how has western influence affected the 1990s generation of Chinese students’ understanding of the West before they came to Canada, and how have participants’ understandings about the West been changed by their learning and living experiences in Canada.The findings of this study suggest that participants were unaware of their racialized location when settling in Canada due to the lack of critical discourses of race in their home country. It also reveals that the racism against Chinese students during the Covid-19 pandemic have forced participants to re-evaluate their career trajectories. Another significant finding was that not all Chinese/Asian parents expected their children to be the top student in school as common stereotypes have illustrated; rather, the parents of the selected participants sent and supported their children to study in western countries because they wished their children to have more opportunities and more autonomy in terms of their own career and passions. | M.A. | learning, racism, citizen | 4 |
| Emtage, Jaec Abbott | Corbit, Laura H | The Role of Dorsomedial Striatum adenosine A2a Receptors in the Loss of Goal-directed Behaviour | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) in the dorsal striatum have been implicated in goal-directed behaviour. We confirm a role for A2A receptors in goal-directed responding and evaluate additional behavioural aspects of goal-directed control. Male rats were trained to lever-press for food reward. The A2AR agonist CGS-21680 was infused into the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) either before an outcome devaluation test, prior to training with two distinct response-outcome associations, or prior to a test of discriminative stimulus control over instrumental performance. To explore a possible source of endogenous adenosine, ATP was infused to the DMS before an outcome devaluation test. CGS-21680 impairs the ability to modulate responding based on recent changes to outcome value, an effect not accounted for by impairments in behavioural inhibition, discrimination, encoding the specific outcome of a response or the effectiveness of specific satiety. 10mM extracellular ATP in the DMS produced no impairment, possibly explained by insufficient adenosine production. | M.Sc. | production | 12 |
| Gallucci, Julia | Hawco, Colin | Individual Variability of Functional Brain Activity during Working Memory Performance in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) exhibit pronounced variability between and within-subjects. To better understand neurobiological heterogeneity within SSD, variability was examined in functional brain activity, quantified through a novel metric, during a working memory task. SSD had greater individual variability in functional activity compared to controls.At the group level, a case-control comparison suggested SSD had reduced activity in task-positive and task-negative networks. However, when SSD were divided into high and low variability subgroups, low variability patients showed ‘typical’ brain activity and task performance, despite diagnosis. To further improve the ability to understand idiosyncratic brain function within Schizophrenia as a function of disease progression, the influence of age and illness duration on variability was explored. Findings suggested a natural toll of aging on brain function independent of diagnosis; however, the greater individual variability observed specifically within Schizophrenia may be a result of biologically worsening effects associated with longer illness duration. | M.Sc. | illness | 3 |
| Vallazza-Margl, Armin | George, Susan R | The Role of Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine D1-D2 Receptor Heteromer in the Phosphorylation of Cyclic-AMP Response Element-binding Protein | Pharmacology | 2022-11 | Cocaine addiction is characterized by uncontrollable cocaine-craving, compulsive drug-seeking,and use despite devastating consequences to self and others. However, the neurobiological components underlying this disorder have not been fully elucidated. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated existence of dopamine D1-D2 receptor heteromers (D1-D2) in Nucleus Accumbens neurons capable of suppressing reinforcing effects of cocaine. Here we demonstrated that D1-D2 activation in a cell line or striatal neurons, with the agonist SKF83959, produced enhanced cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation at the activating Ser133 residue. This effect was attenuated by blockade of intracellular Ca2+release, calcium calmodulin kinase II activation, or D1-D2 heteromer function. These findings demonstrate that D1-D2 activation is sufficient for inducing CREB Ser133 phosphorylation, which could be responsible for D1-D2-mediated reward attenuation through mediators further downstream, such as dynorphin. Overall, this study implicates CREB as an effector of D1-D2 activation, expanding our understanding of D1-D2 functional regulation and highlighting this signaling pathway as a potential target for treating cocaine addiction. | M.Sc. | labor | 8 |
| Torres Sanchez, Enrique | Moshovos, Andreas A | BitChop: A Heuristic Approach to Memory Footprint Reduction in AI Training | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | AI training costs have been greatly increasing in recent years, with bigger neural networks that require increased computational capabilities and memory storage. AI training is greatly limited by memory access time. We introduce BitChop, a heuristic-based lossy compression method that reduces the amount of memory that is being loaded and stored during training. BitChop dynamically adjusts the precision and format of the floating-point containers of the network's activations. BitChop adjusts the bit-lengths of mantissas based on different heuristics that observe changes in the loss function of the network. Across the tested heuristics, BitChop reduces the total mantissa footprint to 25% of baseline when applied over FP32, and to 19% when applied over BFloat16. Moreover, BitChop reduces the total footprint of the networks to an average of 46% over FP32 and to an average of 40% over BFloat16. These reductions in footprint result in 2x performance and 3.5x energy efficiency improvements. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Yuan, Zhaocong | Schoellig, Angela P. | Benchmarking Reinforcement Learning for Safe Robotics: Constraints, Robustness and Transfer | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Safe learning in robotics aims to deploy robots in real life with complex tasks and safety requirements. To push the agenda of safe learning, a crucial step is establishing common benchmarks that facilitate both reliable evaluations and research development. In this work, we contribute towards this goal by surveying the safe learning literature and proposing a versatile safe learning benchmark suite, safe-control-gym. The benchmark implements a variety of safe learning algorithms spanning control to reinforcement learning, it also implements critical features to support safety-relevant evaluations and algorithm development. With safe-control-gym, we conduct careful benchmarking on model-free reinforcement learning methods with respect to three metrics of safety: constraint satisfaction, robustness, and transfer performance. We envision safe-control-gym to provide a framework that brings various research together, and most importantly to accelerate the progress of safe learning in robotics. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Liu, Si Wen | Wong, Andy Kin On AKW | The Relationship between Periarticular Muscle Properties and Knee Pain in Non-overweight Postmenopausal Females | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Lower muscle and greater fat infiltration in the lower limbs have been associated with pain and functional limitation in older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). It is unknown how muscle content and fat infiltration immediately around the knee (periarticular) associate with these knee OA outcomes. Thigh and calf muscle and fat infiltration quantified from magnetic resonance images were each related to knee pain and functional outcomes in non-overweight postmenopausal females (non-OW PMF). Greater fat infiltration and lower muscle content was generally associated with worse knee pain and function, with more significant associations observed for the calf. Thus, fat infiltration in periarticular muscles may be a risk factor for knee pain and worse function in non-OW PMF. Muscle and fat infiltration in different regions along the periarticular thigh and calf also had stronger associations with knee pain/worse function than in others, although future larger studies are needed to confirm these findings. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Han , Julie | Buckley, Michelle | Glitches on the Gound: Investigating the Discursive Limits and Social Impacts of Uber’s Embedded Finance Experiments in Hyderabad, India | Geography | 2022-11 | In 2018, Uber launched three embedded finance experiments in India, Brazil, and Peru. Among these three sites, Uber Care in India was the most extensive and well-documented experiment, providing an extensive array of social and financial assistance programs. This research project investigates Uber Care as an effort to merge fintech schemes and corporate welfare for Uber’s workers through three empirical chapters: (1) a critical review of corporate documents that outline similar fintech integration into online gig work platforms; (2) a critical analysis of Uber Care’s promotional materials; and (3) a critical analysis of semi-structured interviews with ten labour organizers in Telangana state. I situate my findings within critical scholarship on two platform economies: gig work and fintech. I highlight the gulf between Uber’s claims about and labour organizer’s experiences with and observations of Uber Care, and I raise troubling questions about the ways in which these embedded finance experiments offer fintech firms opportunities to enclose precarious incomes, particularly in the context of digitally mediated gig work. | M.A. | welfare, precarious, labour, worker, invest, income | 1, 8, 9, 10 |
| Chum, Samantha | Touchie, Marianne F | Advancing Novel Methods for Interzonal Air Leakage Measurement in Multi-unit Residential Buildings | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Effective airflow control is an important aspect of building performance that contributes to ventilation energy efficiency, occupant comfort and safety. However, the lack of accessible interzonal airtightness measurement methods inhibits the implementation of meaningful compartmentalization standards in multi-unit residential buildings. The feasibility of two novel approaches were investigated. Using sound transmission loss as an indicator of air leakage rate across suite partition walls, the estimate accuracy of 0.59 L/s/m2 remains inadequate for compliance verification at 1.53 L/s/m2, but it could be a feasible approach for screening air leakage rates between similar partitions. Correlation models specific to typical wall assemblies could be developed in the future to improve this accuracy. When MEMS absolute pressure sensors were used to monitor air pressure differentials, after applying calibration and noise removal techniques, sensors with ±3 Pa rating produced pressure differential estimates of ≤10 Pa accuracy, which appeared adequate for selective operational airflow monitoring applications. | M.A.S. | ABS, energy, buildings, invest, accessib | 2, 7, 9, 11 |
| Reda, Anas | Zovkic, Iva | Acetylation as a Modifier of H2A.Z Function in Memory | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | DNA is packaged into the nucleus by wrapping around an octamer of histone proteins that form nucleosomes, which regulate DNA accessibility to transcriptional activators and repressors. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone proteins are key regulators of transcription, with different PTMs producing unique effects on gene activity. Histone variants are a category of functionally unique histones that replace canonical histones in chromatin, yet PTMs are rarely considered in studies of histone variants. Our laboratory showed that the histone variant H2A.Z suppresses memory, but that its acetylation (H2A.Zac) is lastingly increased by learning, suggesting that H2A.Z may have a positive role in memory when it is acetylated. Indeed, acetylation of other histone types is positively linked with memory, which contrasts the suppressive effect of H2A.Z on memory when PTMs are not considered. Thus, the goal of my thesis was to investigate how acetylation alters the role of H2A.Z in memory. Rather than targeting acetylation writers and erasers using drugs, which influence modifications across different histone types, we selectively manipulated the acetylation profile of H2A.Z by overexpressing mutant constructs that either mimic or block H2A.Z acetylation. We found that H2A.Z acetylation has sex- and task-specific effects on memory; specifically, blocking H2A.Z acetylation in males significantly inhibits fear-memory without affecting object location memory. In females, mimicking H2A.Z acetylation enhances object location memory whereas blocking acetylation impairs this type of spatial memory, but neither manipulation impacted fear memory in female mice. This targeted gene-editing approach is a major leap in studies of histone PTMs in the brain as it provides the first direct investigation of acetylation’s function in H2A.Z-regulated memory and demonstrates H2A.Z’s unique sex-specific effects on aversive and non-aversive memories. | M.Sc. | learning, female, labor, invest, accessib | 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 |
| Nejatimoharrami, Foad | Chignell, Mark | SilverFace: Automated Authentication of Older Adults using Face Recognition | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Recent interest in exergaming, and ambient activity technologies in long term care, is creating a need for better methods of authenticating older people that do not require things to be remembered (passwords) or objects to be carried around (e.g., badges and RFID tags). Face recognition is a promising form of automated authentication that doesn’t require any effort or input on the part of the users. Using existing deep learning algorithms, with data trained on older faces, two face recognition authentication prototypes were developed on inexpensive single board computers running a customized Ubuntu version of Linux. The second prototype ("SilverFace") used a more powerful computer that avoided overheating problems found with the first prototype. SilverFace was integrated with the 2RaceWithMe exergaming system installed at the York Care Centre long term care home in Fredericton. Results from the York Care Centre trial, and from an evaluation by Ambient Activity Technology (AAT) are reported. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Atkins, Samuel | Gulak, Glenn | Homomorphically Trained Neural Networks | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | This thesis has two main contributions. Firstly, we present Cryptograd: an autograd-compatible homomorphically encrypted training and inference library built in Python. Using this library, we successfully train a fully encrypted model using fully encrypted training data on the QSAR Andogen receptor dataset. We obtain an accuracy value of 90% and a total training time of 670s on an Intel Core i7-11700K @ 3.60GHz using 12 cores. Secondly, we introduce a modified privacy-preserving federated learning scheme. At the core of this scheme is DRMSprop: a decentralized optimizer that utilizes a global gradient vector to improve convergence, stability, and performance. This modified scheme yielded an accuracy increase of 1.7% relative to other optimizers on the census income prediction dataset. Furthermore, it lags behind the optimal insecure model by only 2.3%. | M.A.S. | learning, income | 4, 10 |
| Yin, Jiahao | Kwon, Oh-Sung||Bentz, Evan C | Long-term Stiffness and Shrinkage Strain Monitoring of Reinforced Concrete Elements | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | It is important to accurately evaluate the initial uncracked stiffness in critical buildings such as nuclear power plants to determine their serviceability, natural periods, and dynamic response. Based on a literature review, the initial stiffnesses of RC elements are less than the stiffnesses estimated from plain concrete properties. This one-year experimental program showed that the initial compressive stiffnesses of plain and reinforced normal strength concrete decreases over time in an indoor environment. Based on the reduction rate correlation with reinforcement ratio and drying age, it is necessary to further investigate the stiffness trends regarding the shrinkage to draw a general conclusion. In addition to the topic, a new strain gauge and shrinkage monitoring system are proposed and tested for future large-scale and long-term deployments. The results from thermal characteristics, gauge factors, and the average measurement across concrete cracks proved the potential of the system and the validity of testing methodologies. | M.A.S. | buildings, invest | 9 |
| Khodadadi, Ali | Amon, Cristina | Multilayer C3N/Blue Phosphorene Heterostructures as Effective Anode Materials for Potassium-ion Batteries | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures outperform conventional anode materials for post-lithium ion batteries in terms of mechanical, thermal, electrical, and electrochemical properties. This study systematically investigates the performance of multilayer C3N/Blue Phosphorene (C3N/BP) heterostructures as anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) using first-principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations. We demonstrate that the electronic, mechanical, and electrochemical properties of multilayer C3N/BP heterostructures are markedly superior to those of their monolayer counterparts. Most prominently, a two-layer heterostructure (C3N/BP) effectively reduces the bandgap of the BP monolayer (1.98 eV) to 0.02 eV, whereas three-layer heterostructures (bilayer-C3N/BP and C3N/bilayer-BP) exhibit metallic behavior with no bandgap. Additionally, the theoretical capacity of the proposed heterostructures ranges from 636.7 mAh.g-1 to 755.5 mAh.g-1, considerably higher than the theoretical capacity of other 2D heterostructures for KIBs, ranging from 209.8 mAh.g-1 to 727.6 mAh.g-1. Overall, our findings indicate that C3N/BP heterostructures can function as high-performance anode materials for KIBs. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Won, David Taehyoan | Iscove, Norman N | Identifying the Hematopoietic Cells Immortalized by HOXB4 | Medical Biophysics | 2022-11 | Self-renewal is the ability of a cell to produce identical daughter cells upon division. Multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) permanently self-renew whereas more differentiated cells have only transient self-renewal capacities or none at all. Despite the importance of self- renewal in sustaining blood cell populations, the molecular mechanisms that regulate it is unclear. Hoxb4, a member of the Homeobox family of transcription factors, has been implicated in self-renewal regulation due to evidence suggesting that exogenous HOXB4 seems to sustain the self-renewal capacity of oligopotent progenitors (OPPs). However, the specific cells susceptible to this immortalization remains unknown. The purpose of my thesis is to identify these cells so that they can be purified and analyzed which will uncover the regulatory underpinnings of self- renewal. I have identified a potential cell population that exhibits permanent self-renewal given HOXB4. These cells are not as primitive as multipotent HSCs nor as differentiated as certain OPP subsets. | M.Sc. | cities | 11 |
| Georgis-Yap, Zakary Tien Ching | Popovic, Milos R||Khan, Shehroz S | Supervised and Unsupervised Deep Learning Seizure Prediction using EEG | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the world’s most prevalent neurological diseases. The main symptom of epilepsy is seizures, which occur abruptly and can cause serious injury or death. The ability to predict the occurrence of an epileptic seizure could alleviate many risks and stresses people with epilepsy face. We have taken several approaches to predict the occurrence of a seizure using deep learning. Firstly, we developed a supervised model to identify pre-seizure EEG from normal EEG. Then, we developed an unsupervised approach where the model is trained on just the normal EEG, and pre-seizure EEG is identified as an anomalous event indicating the onset of a seizure. These models were trained and evaluated on two public EEG databases. We have found that both supervised and unsupervised approaches are feasible; however, their performance varies depending on the patient and the approach and architecture. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Kumar, Paul Krishan | Dutta, Tilak | Design and Evaluation of a Hand Hygiene Prompting System for Private Residences | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Hand hygiene can prevent the spread of infection, but it is often overlooked in the community. The objective of this project was to develop and evaluate a hand hygiene prompting system for use at the entrance of private residences. The system included passive infrared sensors, a buzzer, and a light emitting diode connected to a microcontroller that was programed to prompt individuals to wash their hands using an attached alcohol gel dispenser as they entered their residences. The system was evaluated over 4 weeks in 20 households (10 control and 10 intervention). There was an increase in hand hygiene adherence (41.7% to 92.5%, p < 0.0001) for the intervention group in Week 2 when prompting was activated, followed by a decrease in Week 3 after prompting was deactivated (92.5% to 44.8%, p < 0.0001) while no change was seen for the control group (p = 0.789). Key words: Hand hygiene, prompting, infection control, smart home, biometrics | M.A.S. | hygien | 6 |
| Crook, Rachel | Tamminen, Katherine | Exploring the Emotional Climate and Emotion Norms in Female Competitive Sport | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-11 | This study explored the development of emotion norms within a competitive female volleyball team, specifically examining how athlete leaders and coaches influence the development of emotion norms and the emotional climate of the team. Twelve athletes and three coaches from one competitive female varsity team participated in two semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interview data suggested coaches and leaders play key roles in generating and reinforcing appropriate emotional experiences and behaviours through their own emotional expressions, and their attempts to regulate athletes’ emotions. Further analyses suggest leaders’ and coaches’ emotional expressions could uniquely influence the team’s emotional climate and performance, depending on athletes’ perceived appropriateness of the coach and leader emotions in the given context. These results provide valuable insight into the emotional experiences of athletes and demonstrates how coaches and leaders can improve the emotional climate of a team to maximize team performance. | M.Sc. | female, climate | 5, 13 |
| Giannoulis, Stavroula Voula | Gonçalves, Vanessa||Kennedy, James L | Examination of Mitochondrial Genetic Variation in Reported Autism Spectrum Disorder | Medical Science | 2022-11 | The knowledge surrounding the neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains limited. Mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be involved in the etiology of ASD, given evidence indicating disrupted oxidative phosphorylation and increased oxidative stress in ASD. Therefore, variation within mitochondrial genes may contribute to ASD. The objective of this study is to examine whether mitochondrial genetic variation is associated with ASD risk. N = 172 reported autism cases and 9854 controls ages 9-10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were selected for analysis. Tractor software was used to conduct an ancestry-aware logistic regression for reported autism diagnosis and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial SNPs. Next, a meta-analysis using the ABCD European sub-sample, and the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium ASD sample was conducted using METAL. Finally, mtDNA haplogroups were analyzed for association with reported ASD diagnosis using the Chi-squared test. No nuclear-encoded mitochondrial SNPs or mtDNA haplogroups were significantly associated with reported ASD diagnosis. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 4 |
| Kavelaars, RuthAnne | Coyte, Peter C | Labour Supply Outcomes of Informal Home-based Palliative Caregivers | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-11 | Introduction: Informal palliative caregivers provide ongoing care and support to patients and are at increased risk to reduce their labour supply and to modify their labour market behaviours. Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to assess the relationship between the supply of informal palliative caregiving and labour supply outcomes over the care trajectory. Methods: This study used prospective longitudinal cohort data of palliative care caregivers in Ontario from 2014-2017 obtained through interviews with informal caregivers. Regression models were used to estimate the effects of informal caregiving on labour supply outcomes. Results: There is a negative association between informal palliative caregiving and labour supply intensity and propensity. Caregivers providing more than 58 hours of care bi-weekly experienced the steepest decline in labour force participation. Conclusion: Support and workplace legislation that encourages flexibility for caregiving-labour arrangements may improve economic outcomes for families and employers. | M.Sc. | labour | 8 |
| Wang, Jiahui | Moshovos, Andreas AM | Gecko: Hardware Support for Deep Learning Training Acceleration by Dynamic Adaption of Floating Point Value Encoding | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | We introduce an improved hardware approach to reduce memory traffic and footprint during training with floating-point. This paper proposes a new exponent encoding method which reduces the bits needed to represent the number. The total exponent bitlength can be reduced up to 63.1\% compared with the 32-bit floating point baseline. We implemented hardware encoders/decoders that transparently perform the compression and decompression process when transferring to/from off-chip memory. The hardware module helped increase energy efficiency and reduce training time while preventing the modification of existing training code. | M.A.S. | learning, energy | 4, 7 |
| Koo, Ji Hong | Montenegro-Burke, Rafael | Development of Strategies to Map out Metabolic Pathways using Copper-catalyzed Azide/alkyne Cycloaddition Reaction | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | LC-MS-based metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool to study biochemical fluxes indicative of biological and environmental perturbations, which can provide novel insights into previously unknown biological processes. However, challenges in LC-MS-based metabolomics, such as the matrix effect and inability to detect low-abundance metabolites, serves as an obstacle to comprehensively profile all metabolites involved in a specific pathway of interest. Click chemistry has emerged as a powerful tool to overcome some of the challenges associated with LC-MS-based metabolomics. More specifically, click chemistry allows tagging and enrichment of metabolites from specific pathway of interest, which reduces matrix effect and simplifies data analysis. Through a series of experiments testing different reaction conditions, we optimized two click chemistry protocols to maximize the click reaction between biotin azide with alkyne-functionalized metabolites of varying physiochemical properties. Additionally, we demonstrated unexpected side reactions in both protocols. These side reactions are caused partly by production of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxy radicals, which leads to oxidation of metabolites | M.Sc. | production, environmental | 12, 13 |
| Peng, Michael Si-Jin | Agur, Anne MR | Distribution, Course, and Spatial Relationships of the Saphenous Nerve: A 3D Neuroanatomical Map for Nerve Stimulation | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Saphenous nerve (SN) stimulation is a novel therapeutic approach that offers a non-pharmacologic alternative to treating overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome. Although precise anatomical knowledge of SN is required to optimize electrode placement protocols, there are no 3D studies of the subcutaneous distribution of SN nerve branches in the leg. The purpose of this thesis is to document and model in 3D the course of the branches of SN relative to bony and soft tissue landmarks using serial dissection, digitization, laser scanning, and 3D modelling. The course of the main branches, number of collateral branches, and relationship of SN to the great saphenous vein (GSV) were defined in 3D. Further, bony landmarks were identified and measurements were taken to quantify their spatial relationships to SN. The results enable us to identify potential electrode placement sites and implement highly realistic computational models that can be used to simulate various forms of SN stimulation. | M.Sc. | knowledge, land | 4, 15 |
| Vlahos, Maria Ritsa | McDougall, Douglas | Intermediate to Secondary School Transition: Teachers' Perceptions on Factors Affecting Student Transition to Grade 9 Mathematics | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | This study investigates how current Grade 9 mathematics teachers perceive the transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9 mathematics following the release of the new de-streamed curriculum. Based on the evidence found in this study, the transition to Grade 9 does influence students academically and socially. There were three major findings: (1) a student’s previous experiences in mathematics classrooms has the ability to influence their current progress as a Grade 9 math student; (2) how the teacher integrates lessons and engages their students with the new curriculum is a predictive factor of successful transition and student achievement; and (3) the way in which the teacher gets to know their students and responds to their needs impacts a student’s success in transition to Grade 9 mathematics. Suggestions for future teacher practices in the Grade 9 math classroom are discussed in order to continue supporting students during this critical period of transition. | M.A. | invest, transit | 9, 11 |
| Liu, Yongxin L | Voinigescu, Sorin | Active Radar Tag Arrays in 22nm FDSOI CMOS | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | This thesis explores the system specification and partitioning, building block topologies, and the transistor-level implementation of an active repeater tag array for 76 – 81 GHz OFDM radar signals, which has been designed and fabricated in the 22nm FDSOI CMOS technology. To the author’s knowledge, the active tag array is the first IC to integrate this new function. This also marks the first published work to utilize a passive, CMOS pass gate single-sideband modulator at W-band, whose linearity was optimized the handle OFDM radar signals. The array includes 4 separate lanes, each consuming 25 mA from an 800mV supply, for a total power consumption of 80 mW. The individual lanes in the active tag array achieve a conversion gain of 10 – 20.5 dB, better than 50 dB image rejection, and a peak SFDR and SNDR of more than 40 dB and 29 dB, respectively, sufficient for the intended application. | M.A.S. | knowledge, consum | 4, 12 |
| Rizarri, Kaitlin Ashley-Linda | Sumner, Jennifer | Exploring the Possibilities of Settler Filipino Food Sovereignty in Toronto: Theory, Filipino Farmers, and Accountability to Indigenous Sovereignty | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | This thesis aims to understand the possibilities of settler Filipino food sovereignty in right relation to Indigenous sovereignty in Toronto. On the surface, food sovereignty for a settler community seems incompatible with Indigenous sovereignty due to on-going settler colonialism. Through interviews with six Toronto-based Filipino farmers, literature and personal experience, this thesis highlights how farming, gardening, seed keeping, and food sovereignty activities is as a portal of relationship building with Indigenous Peoples and with the land as diasporic people. Further, through farming, farmers are preserving and promoting Philippine foodways amongst their communities in Toronto, and with this tangible land-based work invokes transformative responsibilities that ultimately challenge ongoing-settler colonialist paradigms in Toronto and surrounding areas. This thesis thus, positions growing food and land relationality as a crucial tool in Indigenous-Filipino relationship building and in building decolonial food systems. | M.A. | food system, food sovereignty, decolonial, settler, indigenous, land, sovereignty | 2, 4, 10, 16, 15 |
| Du, XiaoWei | Marzolini, Susan||Brooks, Dina | Sex Differences and Predictors of Post-stroke Depressive Symptoms and Achieving Recommended Physical Activity Target Levels | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Post-stroke depressive symptoms (PSDS) and low physical activity (PA) levels are common sequelae of stroke, with some evidence that PSDS influences PA. Yet, there is limited research on sex differences and sex-specific predictors of these stroke sequelae. The objectives were to determine sex differences and predictors of PSDS at entry to cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) through a retrospective database analysis and develop a study protocol of sex differences and predictors of achieving PA recommendations post-stroke. Studies included multivariate analyses to determine predictors in all patients, and women and men separately. Retrospective study findings revealed women were disproportionately affected by PSDS in bivariate and multivariate analyses, indicating timely screening and management of PSDS is needed, especially for women. There were mostly unique predictors of PSDS between women and men, indicating tailored interventions are needed. Lower cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇O2peak) predicted PSDS, indicating sex differences and predictors of PSDS may influence achieving PA recommendations. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Amog , Krystle Anne Florence | Kastner, Monika | A Qualitative Study to Understand the Lived Experience of Socially Frail Older Adults | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Background: Social frailty is an important public health priority among older adults, but its risks and challenges are not well understood. This study sought to understand the lived experience of socially frail older adults. Methods: A qualitative description study was conducted with 17 socially frail or at-risk older adults. A “Life Map” approach that considers six areas of a person’s life was used to explore the social frailty experience. Thematic analysis (qualitative data) and descriptive statistics (quantitative data) were performed. Results: Participants perceived their lived experience of social frailty as: (1) a life event that triggered their social frailty state, (2) leading to consequences and challenges, which (3) prompted the use of a range of coping strategies and supports to overcome challenges. Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of how older adults experience social frailty. Results can be used to create an intervention to reduce, prevent, or reverse social frailty. | M.Sc. | public health | 3 |
| Saha, Aninda Dibya | Konvalinka, Ana | The Discovery and Investigation of the Role of Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 alpha in Controlling the Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cell Metabolism | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment for end-stage kidney disease. Normothermic ex-vivo kidney perfusion (NEVKP), a method of kidney storage prior to transplantation, results in superior graft function in porcine auto-transplantation models. We determined that key mitochondrial proteins were preserved following NEVKP. We predicted these proteins to be regulated by Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4-alpha (HNF4α), a transcription factor expressed in the proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) of the kidney. We sought to determine the effect of HNF4α inhibition on PTEC gene expression, viability, and metabolic function. We demonstrated that inhibition of HNF4α with a pharmacological inhibitor resulted in increased cytotoxicity and an altered expression of HNF4α gene targets. HNF4A knockdown resulted in decreased oxygen consumption rate and glycolysis, measured using Seahorse, and the effects were more pronounced over time. These data suggest that inhibition of HNF4α changes the expression of metabolic proteins and influences metabolic function and cell viability. | M.Sc. | invest, consum | 9, 12 |
| Lee, Sabrina | Miller, Fiona | Comparing Scope of Practice Policies in Intrauterine Device Insertion and Removal to Analyze Task Sharing Conditions in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | This case-based comparative policy analysis investigated task sharing in family planning by comparing scope of practice policies in intrauterine device (IUD) insertion and removal in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Informed by the “3I+N” conceptual framework and modified Donabedian model, I analyzed legislation, policy documents, and key informant interviews across regulatory bodies, professional associations, and governmental agencies involved in determining scope of practice for physicians, nurses, and midwives. Jurisdictions delegating scope of practice policymaking to specialized, centralized, and interdisciplinary authorities enabled task sharing the most in IUD services. Institutional structures surrounding legislation, funding models, and accreditation processes influenced the possibility for and impact of multidisciplinary approaches to IUD services. Uptake of task sharing policies at local levels with accompanying cultural shifts away from physician-dominated hierarchies was essential to task sharing, regardless of institutional structures. Task sharing was an important contributor to system equity, particularly in rural and remote areas. | M.Sc. | family planning, equity, invest, equit, rural, institut | 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16 |
| Kaur, Loveleen | Manion, Caroline | Exploring the Experiences and Perceptions of Early Childhood Educators in Ontario's Full-day Kindergarten Program | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten (FDK) educator team consists of an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) and an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT). While the Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) describes this partnership as collaborative (e.g., Becker & Mastrangelo, 2017; OME, 2016; OME, 2022), others problematize the hierarchy and power dynamics in this relationship (e.g., Abawi, 2021a; Langford et al., 2016). This study uses intersectionality, gender, and critical race theories to explore how five ECEs’ identities shape their experiences in FDK. Findings suggest that a hierarchical dynamic exists, and cannot be considered in isolation of ECEs’ gender, race/ethnicity, and age. Hegemonic perceptions about Ontario ECEs are observed across six mediating spaces (kindergarten teacher, students, parents/caregivers, school community, administration, and board/ministry) that influence ECEs’ experiences. For students to benefit from the ECE-OCT union, educators, administrators, and policymakers must engage in self-reflective practice to become cognizant of their roles in influencing the challenges experienced by ECEs. | M.A. | gender, labor | 5, 8 |
| Liu, Tianyi (Tina) | Phu, Thy | Shared Affects: Chinese Canadian Engagement and Community Building in Subtle Asian Traits | Information Studies | 2022-11 | This study investigates the participation of Chinese Canadian youth in the Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits and how meaning is derived from humourous posts, such as memes, shared in the group. There are three sections to this study: a survey, a semi-structured interview, and content analysis of material shared to the group. A survey was first circulated across 19 Chinese Canadian community organizations with the goal of seeking respondents who fit the criteria of being a Chinese Canadian youth aged 18-30 in the group Subtle Asian Traits who would be open to being interviewed. Six respondents volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews and were asked to bring between 1-10 memes they found memorable. The results of this study provide a framework for understanding digital community-building amongst Asian diasporic youth, as well as identifying key themes in contemporary Asian North American discourses online. | M.I.S. | invest | 9 |
| Jaber, Khodr | Sullivan, Pierre | Simulation of a Three-dimensional Lid-driven Cavity at High Reynolds Number with the Lattice Boltzmann Method | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | There has been recent success in combining Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) for simulating turbulent incompressible flow. Limitations in computational resources which can make simulation of flows at high Reynolds numbers infeasible (due to inaccuracy resulting from insufficient grid refinement) can be overcome with GPU-based parallelization of the LBM. A multi-node multi-GPU strategy for parallelization of the LES-LBM is developed for simulation on SciNet’s Mist GPU-cluster. An in-house C++ code is constructed implementing the scheme in a CUDA-aware MPI framework using up to sixteen GPUs on the cluster distributed over four nodes. Simulations of the 3D lid-driven cavity are performed up to a Reynolds number of $10^5$ using single and multiple-relaxation collision operators for comparison. Coherent structures in the generated flow fields are visualized with isosurface plots of various vortex identification criteria and ranges of energy scales are illustrated with power spectral density plots. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Mannan, Emma | Martin, Loren J | The Role of Dynorphin and Kappa Opioid Receptors in Chronic Pain-associated Memory Impairment in Mice | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | The endogenous opioid peptide, dynorphin A, is upregulated throughout the central nervous system in chronic pain conditions. It also induces memory deficits when exogenously infused in the rodent hippocampus. However, whether the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system is involved in chronic pain-related memory impairment remains unknown. I used the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of chronic neuropathic pain in mice to investigate memory deficits using the 8-arm radial maze and the novel object recognition tasks. Short-term memory (STM) was impaired in SNI mice while long-term memory (LTM) was not. STM impairment correlated with increased expression of dynorphin A and KORs in the hippocampus of SNI mice. One systemic or bilateral intrahippocampal injection of nor-binaltorphimine, a KOR blocker, reversed the SNI-induced STM deficit for at least 2 weeks. These results suggest that the upregulation of dynorphin/KOR system in the hippocampus may contribute to memory deficits in chronic neuropathic pain patients. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Cheung, Chi-Hong | Goldenberg, Andrew | Pillow Placement during Robotic Bed-Making using Classical and Learning-based Methods | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Bed-making is a common chore completed in various living environments to promote user comfort, hygiene, and well-being. Unfortunately, the physical and tedious nature of the act makes it challenging to complete, and thus the opportunity arises to develop robots to automate the task. However, despite the opportunity's importance and positive impact, there is very little research on developing robotic bed-making systems. The aim of this thesis is to start addressing this gap by proposing methods to accomplish pillow placement, a major part of the bed-making task. This thesis proposes a pillow placement process that uses both classical and learning-based methods. The robot was able to place pillows at desired poses fully successfully in 89\% of the runs. The results of this thesis serve as a foundation for future work, where the methods could be tested in more complex environments. | M.A.S. | well-being, learning, hygien | 3, 4, 6 |
| Cassidy, Noah Peter | Touchie, Marianne | Using Passive Cooling to Improve Thermal Resilience: Evaluation of a First Nations Housing Prototype Design | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | There is a need for new culturally-appropriate housing for First Nations communities. Passive cooling technologies may be well suited to this new form of housing as it can align well with the First Nations’ traditional holistic ways of knowing and may be able to address the risk of overheating, which is already apparent through the 2021 heat waves in BC and only increasing under climate change. Thermal resilience performance via passive cooling through operable windows was examined for a prototype housing design created for ʔaq’am First Nation, a community in southeastern BC. Passive cooling improved thermal resilience, although active cooling was still required to meet the BC step code thresholds for overheating hours. Future consideration is needed to improve thermal resilience practices in high performance development, and more research and discussion is required to integrate First Nations thinking into the design of mechanical systems installed in First Nations communities. | M.A.S. | wind, resilien, housing, climate, resilience | 7, 11, 13, 15 |
| Campisi, Emma Stefanie | Agur, Anne M | Three Dimensional Musculoaponeurotic Architecture and Innervation of the Human Flexor Digitorum Superficialis and Flexor Digitorum Profundus: Functional Implications | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Stroke is a leading cause of disability in Canada. Up to 80% of stroke survivors develop post stroke spasticity that results in pain, stiffness and joint contractures that negatively impacts quality of life. Botulinum toxin injection into the target muscle is essential for effective and safe treatment of muscle spasticity. Flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscles are commonly affected, however, the recommended sites of injection vary. The aim was to construct a volumetric 3D model of the contractile and connective tissue elements of the digital bellies FDS and FDP to determine their functional characteristics and optimal botulinum toxin injection sites. The musculoaponeurotic architecture of FDS and FDP, and intramuscular innervation of FDP, were defined in 3D space. This thesis elucidates the morphology, relative functional capabilities, and optimal botulinum toxin injection sites of the digital bellies of FDS and FDP. | M.Sc. | disabilit | 3 |
| Khorshid, Niyousha | Kadis, Darren S | Characterizing Topological and Topographical Resilience in Structural Networks Supporting Language in Childhood | Physiology | 2022-11 | Language networks undergo robust changes through childhood. Language is first supported by an extensive network spanning both hemispheres and becomes focal and left-lateralized through development. Here, we assessed language network resilience using diffusion imaging and in silico attacks. We acquired multi-shell diffusion-weighted images of 50 typically-developing children, ages 5-18 years. Automated parcellation was combined with constrained-spherical deconvolution and anatomically-constrained tractography to estimate connectomes. We assayed network resiliency using multiple targeted attacks. Interestingly, resiliency increased with age (p < 0.05); however, spatial extent of nodes removed prior to failure decreased with age (p < 0.05). Also, left-lateralization of nodes increased with age (p < 0.05). From a wiring perspective, adolescents’ language networks are more resilient than those of children. However, critical hubs are more diffuse in younger children, and become increasingly left-lateralized and focal with age. Findings suggest that diffuse representation underlies the paediatric advantage for language outcomes following (focal) injury. | M.Sc. | resilien, resilience | 11, 13, 15 |
| Sloan, Arthur Douglas | Thorpe, Steven J | Cu-P and Cu-La-P Alloys as Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysts | Materials Science and Engineering | 2011-11 | The recent development of anion exchange membranes has renewed interest in alkaline water electrolysis as a means of converting renewable energy to storable H2. New electrocatalysts are required to take advantage of the additional performance offered by anion exchange membrane water electrolysers. Cu-P-based alloys are interesting as hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts due to a combination of good intrinsic activity and stability. Novel Cu-La-P alloys were prepared using mechanical alloying via cryomilling and evaluated as electrocatalysts to elucidate the role of a rare earth, La, on the electrocatalytic behaviour. A thermodynamic model was used to guide alloy design, and X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphology and phase composition. A secondary ball milling process was used to prepare nanopowders. Tafel slope and exchange current density data demonstrate spillover effects occurring on multiphase Cu3P/Cu19La5P12 surface structures. These results suggest that Cu-La-P alloys are promising catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen production. | M.A.S. | water, energy, renewabl, production | 6, 7, 12 |
| Calabria-Yaworski, Julia LK | Bayoumi, Ahmed M||Raboud, Janet M | Retention in Care for People Living with HIV in Ontario | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Our objectives were to determine how frequently people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ontario experience a non-retention episode, and associated individual, provider, and healthcare system factors. Using administrative, population-level data, we followed PLHIV from their first visit with an HIV-experienced provider until first non-retention episode (365 days without HIV care), death, or loss-to-follow-up. Kaplan-Meier curves, logrank tests, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate time-to-first non-retention episode. 15,242 PLHIV entered care between 2000 and 2018. The probability of non-retention at 3, 6 and 10 years was 21%, 41% and 58%, respectively. Non-retention was less likely for individuals who had previously accessed mental healthcare or public drug insurance, were an immigrant or refugee, or initiated care with an HIV-experienced or primary care provider. Many PLHIV in Ontario have not received care within recommended timeframes. Practice and policy improvements should focus on PLHIV with characteristics associated with non-retention. | M.Sc. | mental health, healthcare, refugee | 3, 10 |
| Vargas Niño, Emerson | Zee, Robert E | Microsatellite Development, Testing and On-orbit Operation | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | A recent rise in the number of small spacecraft has motivated the development of the DEFIANT microsatellite platform at the Space Flight Laboratory. This thesis details the development of multiple spacecraft subsystems for the DEFIANT platform, including the guidance, navigation and control, propulsion and deployable solar panel subsystems. The testing process for spacecraft hardware is presented and used in the qualification and acceptance of several subsystems for the DEFIANT platform. Finally, developments in the on-orbit operation of the guidance, navigation and control subsystem are detailed and used in the commissioning of several spacecraft. The work outlined in this thesis was used in the design, analysis, testing, and commissioning of over 20 spacecraft for the Space Flight Laboratory, supporting its competitive advantage in the microsatellite world market. | M.A.S. | solar, labor | 7, 8 |
| Kharaghani, Amin | Felsky, Daniel||Sun, Lei | Association of Whole-person Eigen-polygenic Risk Scores with Alzheimer’s Disease | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-11 | Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD) is a heterogeneous disorder with complex etiology and high heritability. We used Pan-UK Biobank Consortium GWAS sum- mary statistics to calculate polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for 2,218 heritable traits in a sample of 2,044 elderly with clinical and post-mortem autopsy data. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify discrete correlated clusters of PRSs. Module memberships varied across different α-value SNP selection thresholds. Few modules were strongly conserved across multiple α-value thresholds. Several Eigen-PRSs (ePRSs), the first principal component of PRSs in each cluster, were derived from the modules significantly associated with LOAD-related pheno- types and improved predictive model performance over the LOAD PRS alone. The ePRS representing clusters of traits related to cholesterol levels improved variance ex- plained in a model of brain-wide beta-amyloid burden by 1.7% (likelihood ratio test p = 9.02 × 10−7). In addition to improving existing single-PRS approaches, WGCNA will aid in developing new etiological hypotheses. | M.Sc. | conserv | 14, 15 |
| Kehtari, Tarlan | McLaurin, JoAnne | In Vivo Direct Reprogramming of Reactive Astrocytes into Neurons in a Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide and remains without a cure. The buildup of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) result in gliosis and inflammatory signals that contribute to and exacerbate neuronal loss and AD symptoms. As AD progresses, numerous factors can complicate treatment. Directlineage reprogramming is a technique that can restore disease-lost neurons by transiently expressing transcription factors with a viral vector. Using 14-month-old TgF344 AD rats, we unilaterally injected an AAV with a GFAP promoter and 1 of 3 transcription factors (Ascl1/Ascl1-SA6/Neurod1), to target astrocytes and promote transdifferentiation into GABAergic or glutamatergic neurons. We show that direct lineage reprogramming can beneficially affect numerous aspects of AD pathology, including Aβ load, neurodegeneration and inflammation. This study is the first to demonstrate the advantages of direct lineage reprogramming in the robust TgF344 rat model as well as investigate the off-target effects of astrocyte-to-neuron conversion. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Weber, Jacob | Gulder, Omer L | Soot and Flow Field in Turbulent Swirl-stabilized Spray Flames of Jet A-1 with Downstream Air Injection in a Model Gas Turbine Combustor | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Influence of downstream oxidation air injection in swirl-stabilized Jet A-1 spray flames was investigated in a model combustor with 94 mm X 94 mm cross-section and 188 mm length. Fuel flow rate and global equivalence ratio were held constant while the fraction of oxidation air injection was varied up to 30%. Flow field measurements were carried out using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. Fuel spray droplet size distributions were determined through the Fraunhofer diffraction technique. Spatially-resolved soot volume fraction and mean primary particle size were measured using auto-compensating laser-induced incandescence. Measurable differences in spray and flow field characteristics were observed between flames with and without oxidation air injection. Soot was observed in wider spatial ranges in the flames with oxidation air injection compared to the flames without. The overall quantity of soot present in all configurations of flames with oxidation air injections is greater than the flames with no oxidation air injection. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Moke, Benjamin-Israel | Corbit, Laura H | Investigating the Role of Astrocytes in Mediating the Loss of Goal-directed Behavior Induced by a High fat, High Sugar Diet | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Obesity is a growing concern in modern society, as despite weight loss attempts many people have difficulty maintaining weight loss. In animal studies, high fat, high sugar diets, like the sweetened condensed milk (SCM) diet, disrupt goal-directed behavior, impairing the ability of animals to adjust lever pressing following changes in the value of outcomes. Studies have indicated a disruption of glutamate transmission in the dorsal medial striatum (DMS), which is the region mainly involved in the acquisition and expression of goal-directed behavior. We investigated whether changes to astrocytes might explain changes in the expression of goal-directed behavior after exposing animals to the SCM diet for 6 weeks. We administered ceftriaxone, which is known to induce changes in astrocytes that improve the clearance of glutamate at synapses by restoring an astrocytic glutamate transporter, GLT-1, and by restoring physical contacts of astrocytes and synapses. We found that ceftriaxone robustly restored goal-directed behavior in animals following long-term exposure to SCM. While we did not observe changes in the expression of GLT-1 in the DMS, we observed that SCM induced changes in the morphology of astrocytes in the DMS, and that ceftriaxone mitigated these changes. These results indicate a mechanism whereby the SCM diet impairs goal-directed behavior while also altering the morphology of astrocytes in the DMS. Furthermore, these results suggest that ceftriaxone administration is sufficient to reverse the impairment of goal-directed behavior following long-term exposure to high fat, high sugar diets. | M.Sc. | invest, animal | 9, 14, 15 |
| Robinson, Shawn Michael | Glogauer, Michael||Lipton, Jeff | Oral Innate Immune System Recovery in HSCT Patients | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a common therapy for patients with different hematopoietic disorders, both malignant and non-malignant.[35] The patient will undergo a conditioning therapy to reduce the hematopoietic cells to the point of nadir (the time of lowest white blood cell count) before transplantation. After HSCT, there will be hematologic recovery when the cells, including neutrophils, will begin to increase in number. Oral mucositis is one of the most common oral complications seen in the early stages following HSCT.[37-39] Multiple studies have reported a difference of the oral microbiome in patients who experience oral mucositis and those who do not.[40-43] The human mouth has a constant bacterial presence that is kept under control in part by a constant influx of neutrophils from surrounding periodontal tissues.[51] Neutrophils are a major component of the innate host response, and the outcome of the interaction between the oral microbiota and neutrophils is a key determinant of oral health status. The oral rinse assay enables a non-invasive assessment of neutrophil tissue delivery by measuring the level of neutrophils in oral tissues in patients recovering from HSCT.[53,54] Adult patients were screened and recruited on the bone marrow transplant floor at PMH. Oral rinse samples were obtained and analyzed by flow cytometry, as previously described.[72,73] Mucositis scoring was completed using the WHO Oral Mucositis Grading Scale.[74,75] The participant population was divided into groups based on their recovery from HSCT therapy, either experiencing mucositis (OM) or not experiencing mucositis (NM). Those participants that did not experience mucositis (NM) showed a statistically significant difference in activation levels of certain CD markers (CD14, CD18, CD66a) on oral PMNs as compared to those who did experience mucositis (OM) at the 6-month post-HSCT period. This phenomenon is still being investigated and the significance is not yet known. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Park, Sarah | Kotsopoulos, Joanne | Circulating Osteoprotegerin in Women with a BRCA1 Mutation | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-11 | Emerging evidence implicates the dysregulation of progesterone-mediated receptor activator of nuclear factor κB (RANK)-signalling in the pathogenesis of BRCA1-associated breast cancer. Low levels of circulating osteoprotegerin (OPG), a decoy receptor of RANK-ligand, were observed among BRCA1 mutation carriers, suggesting OPG as a potential biomarker of cancer risk. This study evaluated the association between reproductive, hormonal, lifestyle, and genetic factors and OPG among BRCA1 mutation carriers using generalized linear models. Age, current smoking, and coffee consumption were significantly associated with OPG; however, overall, OPG was minimally affected by non-genetic factors. Additionally, we investigated the relationship between OPG and estimated risk of breast cancer using the CanRisk tool. OPG was weakly, albeit significantly inversely associated with estimated risk of breast cancer. These findings suggest that incorporating OPG may improve upon the current risk prediction models, stratifying women at higher risk of developing breast cancer who may be targets for anti-RANKL chemoprevention. | M.Sc. | women, invest, consum | 5, 9, 12 |
| Sahel-Gozin, Nora | O'Brien, Kelly KO | Exploring Experiences with Exercise from the Perspectives of Women Living with HIV: A Qualitative Study | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-11 | Introduction: Despite the benefits of exercise, experiences with exercise among women living with HIV is limited.Purpose: To explore experiences engaging in exercise among women living with HIV, specifically i) nature and extent of exercise, ii) components that characterize exercise experiences, iii) facilitators and barriers, and iv) strategies for uptake. Methods: Qualitative descriptive study involving online semi-structured interviews with women living with HIV who may or may not engage in exercise, followed by a demographic questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used. Results: Ten women characterized their exercise experiences with six intersecting components: culture, gender, HIV-related stigma, episodic nature of HIV, sense of belonging, and perceptions of exercise. Women also discussed motivators and barriers to exercise along with strategies for uptake. Conclusions: Experiences with exercise were characterized by intersecting personal and environmental contextual components. Results may help to inform tailored implementation ofexercise as a rehabilitation strategy among women living with HIV. | M.Sc. | gender, women, environmental | 5, 13 |
| Juan Ding, Kun Yi Antonio | Saville, Bradley BAS||MacLean, Heather HLM | Fischer-Tropsch Sustainable Aviation Fuel: An Assessment of Pioneer Plants and Canadian Supply | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Aviation aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from biomass via gasification and Fischer-Tropsch processes could make a large contribution to this goal. This thesis assesses (1) the production costs and GHG emissions of SAF from pioneer biomass gasification and Fischer-Tropsch projects and (2) the supply, costs, and GHG abatement potential of gasification and Fischer-Tropsch SAF from forest residues in Canada. Natural gas use in the conversion process of pioneer projects could lower SAF production costs by improving yields and reducing capital expenses but significantly lowers SAF GHG reduction benefits (from 91% to up to -17%) unless process emissions are captured and permanently stored. SAF from forest residues could meet up to 27% of Canada’s projected aviation fuel demand in 2050, requiring an investment of ~15.7 billion USD in SAF facilities, and could abate up to 47% of Canada’s projected emissions from aviation in 2050. | M.A.S. | emission, capital, invest, production, emissions, net-zero, forest | 7, 9, 12, 13, 15 |
| Nedadur, Rashmi | Wang, Bo | Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Mixed Aortic Valve Disease Patients using Machine Learning | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Echocardiography is the gold standard cardiac imaging modality in valvular heart disease. Artificial Intelligence has potential to advance echocardiography by improving image acquisition, automate measurements or directly diagnose disease. While automation has been attempted in direct valvular assessment, there is accruing evidence that a “full-heart” approach could be more predictive. Mixed Aortic Valve Disease (MAVD) poses a unique challenge in automation and a method that does not involve valvular grading could have clinical benefit and eases automation. In this thesis, Machine Learning was used tos stratify MAVD patients based on non-valvular measurements. There are different adaptive changes that take place in response to MAVD and these changes do not correspond to the valvular grading. Classifications based on cardiac adaptation could be more clinically informative to guide assessment, management, and response to intervention. Broadly, our findings make automation more accessible, with implications for disease screening, test access and generalizability. | M.Sc. | learning, accessib | 4, 11 |
| Chau, Sandy Wan Shan | Muise, Aleixo A.M. | Establishing a Cell-based Assay to Target Hyperactive Spleen Tyrosine Kinase for High-throughput Drug Screen | Biochemistry | 2022-11 | Recently, five gain-of-function variants in Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (SYK) were identified in patients with immune dysregulation and systemic inflammation. SYK is a cytoplasmic, non-receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a pivotal role in multiple processes such as cytokine and chemokine production, fungal sensing, and inflammasome formation. Normally, SYK kinase activity is tightly regulated; however, patients with GOF SYK variants presented abnormal baseline phosphorylation at the activation loop (Tyr525/526) in their peripheral mononuclear cells. Patient-derived SYK mutations also exhibited hyperactivity when expressed in in vitro cell-based models and in vivo heterozygous human-equivalent knock-in mice. There are no standard treatments for GOF SYK disease; therefore, this study aims to establish a cell-based assay for high-throughput screening to select FDA-approved drugs that can diminish kinase activity and hopefully, induce clinical remission. | M.Sc. | emission, production | 7, 12 |
| Arbiv, Itai | Andrews, Robert C||Almuhtaram, Husein | Comparison of Pipe Loop and Pipe Section Reactor Methods for Estimating Chloramine Decay in Distribution Systems | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Despite their relative stability compared to free chlorine, chloramines are known to decay in distribution systems via surface-catalyzed reactions including ferrous oxidation and microbial nitrification. As such, the prediction of in-situ chloramine demand represents an important issue for drinking water utilities. This study compared the use of continuous-flow pipe loops and batch Pipe Section Reactors (PSRs) to assess chloramine decay using materials and flow conditions typical of distribution systems in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario. Pipe material was observed to be the greatest determinant of chloramine decay using both PSR and pipe loop methodologies. First-order decay coefficients obtained using pipe loops were statistically similar to those for PSR trials when considering harvested lined and unlined iron piping. Overall results suggest that pipe section reactors may serve as a viable and cost-effective alternative to pipe loops for estimating the impact of operational variables on disinfectant decay in distribution systems. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Al-hashimi, Nawfal | Ganss, Bernhard | Investigating the Effect of the Amelogenin Peptide C11 on Differentiation of Stem Cells of the Apical Papilla (SCAP) toward an Odontoblastic Phenotype: A Pilot Study in Regenerative Endodontics | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Regenerative endodontic is an alternative procedure to preserve and stimulate stem cells from the apical papilla to regenerate the pulp-dentin complex using various growth factors. Objective: To investigate the effect of amelogenin C11 peptide on proliferation and differentiation of stem cells of the apical papilla toward an odontoblast cells. Materials and Methods: SCAP STRO-1 enriched, and depleted cells were cultured and treated with amelogenin C11 peptide and TGF-β1. Cell proliferation was evaluated using MTS assay. Immunohistochemistry was used to verify protein expression of three odontogenic markers DMP1, DSP and NES. Results: viable cells increased significantly (P <0.05), in SCAP STRO-1 enriched cells treated with C11 peptide in a dose dependent manner. It also showed increased expression of DSPP, DMP1, and. No expression was noted in control. Conclusion: Amelogenin C11 peptide induced SCAP proliferation and expression of (DMP1, DSP and NES) indicating potential use in regenerative endodontic. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Abdulnoor, Mariana | Gubbay, Jonathan||Allen, Upton | Public Health Applications of Genomic Epidemiology during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the power of genomic epidemiology to the forefront. Harnessing the information stored in genomic sequences supplemented with traditional epidemiological data important questions about the drivers of transmission can be elucidated. In this thesis, we used genomic epidemiological methods for surveillance, understanding transmission in outbreaks, and to create tools to help monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. We identified potential introductions through returning travellers and characterized the genetic diversity and circulating lineages within the first three months of the pandemic in Ontario. Genomic epidemiology allowed us to discern whether farm outbreaks were seeded by multiple introductions and provided support to suggest that infections in farm outbreaks were acquired locally. Finally, understanding the genomic landscape of the variants of concern (VOC) lineages allowed us to develop an assay that allows for fast identification of VOCs, which is a useful tool in monitoring their spread. The results from each of these investigations can lead to policy changes or new measures to help prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. | M.Sc. | public health, invest, land | 3, 9, 15 |
| Lee, Archie | Waslander, Steven L | Constrained, Curiosity-driven Trajectory Optimization for Learned Quadrotor Control | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Quadrotors have become widely used robotic platforms in recent years, but developing controllers can be challenging for difficult-to-model scenarios such as wind or ground effect. Simultaneously, model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) has been applied to many robot platforms due to the ability to quickly learn a dynamics model and use the model for planning and control via data-driven methods. MBRL has been augmented with probabilistic modelling in order to address model bias concerns. Recent methods have used the variance from model predictions to drive exploration during learning, inspired by curiosity. In this thesis, we show that directly applying these methods to control quadrotors via thrust and rotation rate inputs can lead to stability concerns. We propose using ideas from safety-critical control to alleviate these stability concerns. Our method applies control barrier function (CBF) constraints during planning using an augmented Lagrangian approach. The resulting algorithm restricts exploration to areas of the state space where predictive model uncertainty is within tolerable limits, so predictions are more trustworthy. However, we identify some practical issues which affect optimization feasibility. We propose additional measures to alleviate these issues to enable stable, curiosity-driven exploration for quadrotors. | M.A.S. | learning, wind | 4, 7 |
| Gamvrelis, Tyler | Adve, Raviraj S. | 5G Resource Allocation with Interference and Scarcity: Market Design for Spectrum and Beyond | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Spectrum scarcity is a growing concern that has attracted attention from researchers, industry players, and regulators on a global scale. The ability to address it is fundamentally limited by interference, which constrains its occupancy, and the lack of utilization insights available to those who determine long-term allocations for it. This thesis investigates how the advent of network slicing in 5G networks interacts with this problem of spectrum scarcity. After reviewing the problem domain, we develop a competitive resource allocation mechanism that considers interference management and pricing jointly, analyze its economic properties, and show that it improves communication performance. We also show that it can be used to improve fairness. Next, we attack the scarcity problem by developing a market for virtual resources based on a common ownership self-assessed tax. We propose a utilization-based penalty mechanism and analyze the resulting market behaviour under various scenarios. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Sino, Sara | Kadis, Darren | Characterizing Critical Language Sites Within the Distributed Pediatric Language Network Using MEG and rTMS | Physiology | 2022-11 | The primary objective was to compare MEG connectivity and centrality-based language maps to language rTMS findings. 49 subjects, ages 5-19, completed MEG (story listening), 26 of which completed both MEG and rTMS (object naming). MEG data was used to compute connectivity (COH, ABSIMAG, PLV, WPLI), and centrality (Eigencentrality, Betweenness) within canonical frequency bands. 33 rTMS sites were studied per hemisphere, regularly distributed over the lateral cortex. rTMS sessions were reviewed by two independent raters for language errors, and sites deemed critical based on agreement. MEG and rTMS results were assessed in a common anatomical framework and compared using ROC analyses. Combinations yielding maximal AUC and optimal threshold level were identified. Eigencentrality on coherence in beta band was in maximal agreement with rTMS. Retaining the top 45% of nodes yielded optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity. Thus, sites showing high Eigencentrality are useful for mapping critical language sites in development. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2 |
| Perlman, George | Swardfager, Walter | Depression Interacts with Allostatic Load to Predict Cognitive Decline in Middle Age | Pharmacology | 2022-11 | Allostatic load (AL) indicates the cumulative impact of stress on homeostatic mechanisms. Depression and AL have been associated with cognitive deficits, but it is unclear if they do so independently.Using data from middle-aged participants in the observational Midlife in the United States study (n=704, 57.5% female, 63.8±10.6 years old in 2014), we assessed whether the effect of prior depression in 1995 on cognitive decline (via the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone) between 2004 and 2013 was moderated by AL Z-scores in 2004 (calculated from blood, urine, and electrocardiography biomarkers). A significant depression × AL interaction predicted a decline in a composite cognitive (β=-0.066, SE=0.029, p=0.024) and executive function (β=-0.068, SE=0.025, p=0.007) scores. Depression predicted a decline in composite cognition among those with AL Z-scores above -0.055. Among AL subdomains, inflammation was the strongest moderator. Here we present evidence that depression and high AL predict cognitive decline interactively. | M.Sc. | female | 5 |
| Pezzutti, Olivia | MacParland, Sonya A | Exogenous IL-4 and IL-10 Improve the Viability of Primary Hepatocyte Cultures | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Most classical culture models fail to recapitulate the liver microenvironment, lacking the immune cell and factor interactions linked to regeneration in-vivo. We hypothesize that immunoregulatory cytokines IL-10, IL-4, and IL-22, secreted by hepatic macrophages and other liver cells, will maintain hepatocyte viability in primary hepatocyte monolayer culture by better mimicking the healthy in-vivo microenvironment. To assess this contribution, we determined a baseline measure of monolayer viability and function. Once established, we supplemented cells in culture with single cytokines at varying concentrations, or with a cytokine cocktail. Without cytokine supplementation, viability of hepatocyte cultures decreased significantly after 4 days, as measured via ATP secretion from metabolically active cells. We found that IL-4 supplementation at 50 ng/mL and the cytokine cocktail (IL-10, IL-4, and IL-22, 10 ng/mL each) prolonged hepatocyte viability to day 7. Optimizing these monolayer cultures using mouse livers will provide a framework for adapting this system to human liver tissue with the goal of guiding interventions that will promote human liver regeneration. | M.Sc. | regeneration | 15 |
| Peck, Serena Stephanie | Thavendiranathan, Paaladinesh | Factors Associated with End of Treatment Quality of Life, Cardiac Function and Cardiorespiratory Fitness and the Effect of Exercise in Women with Breast Cancer | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Women with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD mortality, reductions in cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life due to pre-existing CVD risk factors, cardiotoxic cancer therapies and lifestyle habits. Risk factors associated with lower cardiac function and cardiorespiratory fitness at end of treatment and strategies to mitigate this decline remain unclear. The goals of this thesis were to explore (1) pre-treatment and during treatment clinical and imaging factors that are associated with end of treatment cardiac function and cardiorespiratory fitness; (2) the effects of physical activity on cardiovascular outcomes, and quality of life during and at the end of treatment and cardiorespiratory fitness at end of treatment and; (3) the quality of evidence for cardiac rehabilitation in cancer survivors to improve cardiovascular outcomes. | M.Sc. | women | 5 |
| Wu, Nancy J | Drake, James||Diller, Eric | Eddy Current Damping of Magnetically Actuated Neurosurgical Instruments | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-06 | Magnetically actuated minimally invasive neurosurgical tools tend to oscillate for an extended period of time due to lack of avenues for energy removal from the system. After determining target damping coefficients ($4.31*10^{-9} $ Ns m$^{-1}$ for a 2% settling time less than 0.3 s and $2.01* 10^{-6} $ Ns m$^{-1}$ for critical damping), a feasibility study was conducted by approximating the damping coefficient using adapted equations from Hahn, Donoso, Mehrtash, and Sodano et al. This resulted in 0.11 Ns m$^{-1}$, 2.75*10$^{-5}$ Ns m$^{-1}$, 2.02*10$^{-4} $Ns m$^{-1}$, 0.01 Ns m$^{-1}$ respectively. An experimental study was then performed to validate the values and relationships from the feasibility study. Six measurements were taken at gap sizes (between the magnet and conductor) of $0 \mu$m, $100 \mu$m, $200 \mu$m, $300 \mu$m, $400 \mu$m, $500 \mu$m, $750 \mu$m, $1000 \mu$m, $1500 \mu$m, and $2000 \mu$m with copper conductors of thicknesses 0.005” to 0.025” in 0.005” increments. While it was determined that sufficient damping could be generated experimentally (maximum damping documented is $1.24*10^{-6}$ Ns m$^{-1}$), concrete relationships between each variable with the damping coefficient were inconclusive. | M.A.S. | energy | 7 |
| Alam, Aqsa Shoaib | Moses, Alan | A Knowledge-based Feature Representation to Discover the Function of Non-coding Sequences | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Understanding how non-coding regions of DNA determine gene expression is an important challenge in genome analysis. Deep-learning approaches have aimed to “represent” DNA sequences as high-dimensional vectors, which can be used to predict gene expression. We wondered whether a high-dimensional representation using evolutionary conservation of known binding motifs could predict patterns of gene expression. By taking advantage of publicly available databases of binding motifs and by obtaining large numbers of orthologous non-coding regulatory sequences, we could group genes with similar expression patterns or functional annotations together based only on DNA sequences. Our representation could predict new function for Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoters and rediscover known regulatory function for human promoters. We used this approach to create a representation of 3’UTR sequences of S. cerevisiae using RNA binding motifs and found strong association for sub-cellular localization of mRNA. Our results suggest that global, high-dimensional views are essential to understand the cis-regulatory code. | M.Sc. | knowledge, learning, conserv | 4, 14, 15 |
| Yee, Katherine | Daigle, Michelle | Indigenous Resurgence in Colonial Urban Parks: Possibilities and Potential for Urban Indigenous Land-based Practices | Geography | 2022-11 | This thesis is an exploration of colonial dispossession within cities and specifically urban parks recognizing all parks in so-called Canada exist on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples. Within this thesis I utilize mixed methods, first conceptual analysis is used to discuss the structural-materialist emergence of urban parks as colonial spaces. Secondly, drawing from my own embodied experience earthworking with Two-Spirit Indigiqueer community in High Park, Tkaronto, I engage with land-based theoretical frameworks including land as pedagogy, kincentric ecologies, and reciprocal restoration to story ongoing Indigenous resurgence and futurities. This research considers the colonization of urban parks, and the possibilities and need for improved access for urban Indigenous peoples to engage in land-based practices. I argue, Indigenous inclusion within urban parks, at various levels, is required for the future ecological sustainability of parks and to create safe and accessible spaces for urban Indigenous peoples to enact land-based cultural practices. | M.A. | pedagogy, queer, two-spirit, indigenous, cities, urban, accessib, ecolog, land | 4, 5, 10, 16, 11, 15 |
| Ding, Peisheng | Poon, Joyce KS | Light-sheet Light-field Fluorescence Brain Imaging Enabled by Implantable Neural Probes | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Deep brain fluorescence imaging for freely-behaving animals allows researchers to better understand the function of neural circuitry; however, miniature microscopes capable of high spatial resolution use implantable lenses that cause irreversible tissue damage. To reach the goal of simultaneously achieving high-resolution imaging and less invasive measurements, we developed an implantable lens-less imaging system for volumetric fluorescence brain imaging. The imaging system consists of an implantable light-sheet neural probe integrated with an image fiber bundle to realize light-sheet light-field microscopy for high-contrast, cellular resolution volumetric imaging. Our imaging system shows great promise for in vivo brain experiments and may also have clinical uses in visualizing regions of the body that are difficult to reach. | M.A.S. | animal | 14, 15 |
| Moskalewicz, Alexandra | Nathan, Paul C.||Gupta, Sumit | Projecting the Future Prevalence of Childhood Cancer In Ontario using Microsimulation Modeling | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Children diagnosed with cancer have lifelong health care needs. The prevalence of childhood cancer has been steadily increasing in Ontario, though no prevalence projections exist to anticipate future health care system demands. A population-based, open-cohort microsimulation model was constructed to project the limited-duration prevalence of childhood cancer in Ontario, by cancer type, for years 2020-2040. Model inputs were derived from health administrative databases, provincial population data sources, and external literature. Beginning with 1970, the model population was updated annually with births, deaths, net migration, and incident cases of childhood cancer. Fifty Monte Carlo simulations were run to vary model inputs and generate median health outcomes with 95% credible intervals (CI). Between 2020 and 2040, annual incidence counts are projected to increase by 33%. In 2040, 25171 (95% CI: 24267-26975) individuals are projected to reside in Ontario who were diagnosed in 1970 or later, 87% of which will be 5-year survivors. | M.Sc. | health care | 3 |
| Camus, Dylan Patrick Eusebe | Carter, Michael MC | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Schedule Optimization at JDMI | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | The Joint Department of Medical Imaging (JDMI) is the largest academic medical imaging department in Canada. Long Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) wait times for lower priority patients remain a critical issue at JDMI. There is, however, also a particular focus given to the wait time equity and MRI access discrepancies between patient sub-populations. An MRI scheduling framework is therefore proposed to: 1) maximize machine utilization through efficient shift scheduling using Branch-and-Price (B&P); and 2) ensure clinical MRI machine capacity remains aligned with incoming ordered scan demand, maximizing patient wait time equity. Schedule flexibility is successfully captured using the proposed B&P shift scheduling model through staff configuration scenarios. Additionally, the number of different scan types performed by MRI technologists across a week is considered during MRI capacity re-alignment. We demonstrate an average 22% improvement in exposure to different scan types per technologist compared to current MRI capacity allocation. | M.A.S. | equity, equit | 4, 10 |
| Rasiah, Saisujani | Sgro, Michael | School Based Health Care: A Model for Improving Educational Achievement for Children in Underserved Communities in Toronto, Canada. | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Even though Canada is a developed country with universal health care, there are still populations in Canada who are at risk for health disorders that may go undetected and/or untreated due to challenges to health care access. This can harm a child's academic achievement and long-term well-being. School Based Health Centres (SBHCs) were established in Canada to address health-care access concerns. However, no quantitative study examining the impact of SBHCs on educational achievement has been undertaken in Canada. In my thesis, I examine the benefits of early intervention and management, especially for children at-risk for developmental disorders. I describe the health-care systems in Canada and the United States, the challenges to health-care access and the SBHC model that was developed to address these challenges. I also share a study I conducted examining whether having access to SBHCs improves academic achievement and wait time for accessing physician’s assessments. | M.Sc. | well-being, health care, underserved | 3, 10 |
| Stewart, Megan | Levine, Joel | Investigating the Neural Circuitry of the Social Brain | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-11 | Drosophila melanogaster is a proven and robust model organism for investigating social behaviour and its underlying neural circuitry. The mushroom body (MB) is well-defined as the site of sensory integration and involves learning and memory in the adult Drosophila brain. More recently, the γ lobes of the mushroom body and populations of mushroom body output neurons have been implicated in modulating social behaviour. This project reviews the literature on the role of the MB in social behaviour and replicate published expression patterns of reported split-Gal4 driver lines used to manipulate MB expression. Five split-Gal4 lines with expression in intrinsic MB neuron populations and five split-Gal4 lines with expression in MB output neuron populations were anatomically described using immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging. The images produced had expression patterns replicable and consistent with previously reported expression patterns for these lines. These lines will be helpful in future studies on the role of the MB in regulating social behaviour. | M.Sc. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Vu, Liona | Li, Yun | Studying Human Outer Radial Glia Development in Pluripotent Stem Cells-derived Neural Cultures | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | The human neocortex is highly expanded and distinct from other species. Outer radial glia (oRG), a type of neural precursor (NPs), are thought to be responsible for the expansion of the human neocortex. Challenges remain in investigating oRG because they cannot be adequately studied in mouse models due to their rarity, and human fetal brain samples are inaccessible. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and in vitro pluripotent stem cell (hPSCs) derived oRG and neural cultures were established to determine the types of cells oRG generate and to investigate HOPX, a highly enriched gene in oRG. Further neuronal differentiation of in vitro oRG suggest that they may generate more upper-layer neurons than deep-layer neurons. Preliminary phenotypic analyses reveal that HOPX KO reduces NP proliferation. Together, this provides a valuable platform to study human oRG in vitro and will allow future in-depth investigations into oRG development and regulation. | M.Sc. | invest, accessib, species | 9, 11, 14, 15 |
| Liu, Jia Lin | De Souza, Grace GDS||Tam, Laura LT | Effect of Artificial Aging Protocols on Bond Strength Between Orthodontic Metallic Brackets and Human Enamel | Dentistry | 2022-11 | Background: Limited studies compare artificial aging methods simulating oral environment on orthodontic brackets. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of in vitro aging protocols on bond strength between bracket and enamel, and to evaluate enamel loss as a function of aging. Methods: Sixty upper premolars with bonded metallic brackets were divided into 4 groups (n=15): Control (CO) - distilled water storage for 21 days; Thermocycling (TC) - 20,000 thermocycles; Mechanical cycling (MC) - 10,000 chewing cycles; Thermo-mechanical cycling (TMC) - TC+MC and subjected to shear bond strength testing (SBS). Adhesive remnant on enamel was assessed with stereomicroscope. Presence of calcium and phosphorus on the bracket was examined with scanning electron microscopy. Results: SBS values of TC and TMC were lower than CO (p<0.05). There was no difference for percentage of adhesive remnant (p>0.05) and enamel loss. Conclusion: Artificial aging protocols with TC or TMC decreased SBS of metallic brackets to enamel. | M.Sc. | water | 6 |
| Rong, Marlene | Andrade, Danielle M | Adult Outcomes of Pediatric-onset CHD2 and SYNGAP1-associated Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are rare, infantile-onset conditions of genetic etiology, particularly CHD2 and SYNGAP1 variants. While pediatric phenotypes are well described, there is a lack of understanding regarding adult outcomes, which may lead to misdiagnoses and barriers to treatment. This thesis aimed to characterize the clinical features, communication skills and adaptive behavioural abilities of adult patients (18 years and older). We determined that features such as delayed pain processing, sleep disturbances and autism spectrum disorder are prevalent in adult patients with SYNGAP1 and CHD2 variants. We also found that patients are highly reliant on caregivers, and that various factors such as behavioural issues can affect caregiver impressions. Overall, these findings contribute to a more holistic understanding of the natural history of DEEs, guiding the diagnoses of adult patients and informing considerations for improving the quality of life of both patients and their families. | M.Sc. | urban | 11 |
| Austin, Martin | Carter, Jill | Choreographing Epistemic Justice for a New Dance Future | Drama | 2022-11 | The multiple reports of misconduct across ballet, modern, and contemporary dance between 2018 and 2022 have confirmed that abusive practices are systemic across the form. This new difficult knowledge challenges academia to reevaluate how it perceives Western dance practice. To achieve a safer dance future, this thesis analyzes multiple instances of misconduct across dance performance to archive the profound scope of these injustices. It identifies the archive as a powerful potential platform for the validation of dance survival stories, a tool for the dance studies field to advocate for dancers’ rights to bodily autonomy and fair wages. It critiques gaps in how academia and print journalism have collected and disseminated knowledge on dance work realities. And from these inquiries, it proposes new methods for dance studies to support community advocacy for the creation of a better world for the dancers of tomorrow. | M.A. | knowledge, wage, injustice | 4, 8, 16 |
| Patel, Raj Gaurangbhai | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Efficient Deep Learning Methods for Solving High-dimensional Partial Differential Equations for Applications in Option Pricing | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) are used to model a variety of dynamical systems around us. Recent advances in deep learning have enabled us to solve these PDEs in higher dimensions by addressing the Curse of Dimensionality (COD). However, these approaches are constrained by training time and memory. To tackle these shortcomings, we introduce three approaches starting with Multi-Level Dense Neural Networks (ML-DNN). ML-DNN draws inspiration from Multi-Level Monte-Carlo to efficiently sample and perform hierarchical learning thereby providing substantial time savings compared to the classical Dense Neural Network (DNN). Next, we implement Tensor Neural Networks, a quantum-inspired architecture that provides significant parameter savings and faster convergence while attaining the same accuracy as compared to a DNN. Finally, we introduce a model-based Reinforcement Learning algorithm which addresses the COD and is independent of the PDE family. We benchmark these models on parabolic PDEs, empirically showing their advantages over the current state-of-the-art models. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Butkovic, Nicole C. | Bentz, Evan C | Investigation into the Shear Strength of Deep Reinforced Concrete Beams Subjected to Uniform Load | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Two reinforced concrete specimens were designed in likeness to past experiments conducted on three identical uniformly loaded deep beams, all of which failed below their expected capacity. The purpose of this study was to explain the low strengths of these beams by analyzing past data and performing new experiments. An investigation into the progression of reinforcement strains demonstrated that there is not necessarily a sudden transition between the two shear carrying mechanisms, but that the mechanisms can be engaged simultaneously along the span. Additionally, it was found that strut formation can be gradual, and that struts can change shape and direction as loads increase. Preliminary methods for capturing the proportion of shear attributed to each mechanism and the movement of the strut profile are presented. It is recommended that these methods be applied to numerous specimens to identify the key variables affecting the relative contribution of the shear carrying mechanisms. | M.A.S. | invest, transit | 9, 11 |
| Crawford, Daire Siobhan | Carter, Michael | Machine Learning Methods of Risk Evaluation for Community-acquired Clostridioides difficile Infection in Ontario | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Canada. Typically it is seen as a hospital-acquired infection, but growing numbers of community-acquired CDI and a high risk of recurrent infections has many researchers shifting their focus to the analysis of risk factors associated with community-acquired CDI. However, many of these studies only apply logistic regression for risk prediction techniques despite evidence that other machine learning methods, such as gradient boosted trees, can effectively predict risk of communicable diseases. This study focuses on the applications of three modeling techniques — logistic regression models, mixed effects models, and a gradient boosted tree model — in an effort to evaluate different risk factors associated with community-acquired CDI. Results indicate that taking multiple antibiotics concurrently, particularly if at least one of those antibiotics is classified as high-risk, is likely to significantly increase one’s probability of developing CDI. Additionally, results of the gradient boosted tree indicate that there are important temporal factors associated with risk of CDI. Going forward, the information obtained about the different risk factors associated with community-acquired CDI should be utilized by physicians to lower the risk of infection. | M.A.S. | communicable disease, learning | 3, 4 |
| O'Brien, Liam | Jacobs, Ira | An Examination of the Effects of Localized Ischemic Preconditioning on Anaerobic Arm Cycling Performance in Water Sport Athletes | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-11 | This study investigated the effects of brief repeated episodes of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) on arm cycling performance in upper body trained athletes. Nine (n = 5 male; n = 4 female) competitive watersport athletes underwent a familiarization trial followed by three experimental conditions: (i) no IPC (CON), (ii) IPC, and (iii) placebo (PLA). Participants completed a 45 s all-out sprint on a mechanically braked arm cycle ergometer. Muscle oxygenation, cardiorespiratory, and blood lactate responses were measured to assess the influence of treatments on performance. IPC increased mean power and peak blood lactate concentrations compared to CON and PLA and increased peak heart rate compared to CON but not PLA. Both IPC and PLA augmented the change in tissue saturation of the dominant arm compared to CON. While IPC improved MPO compared to other conditions, physiological measurements in this study provide little mechanistic explanation for the ergogenic effect. | M.Sc. | female, water, invest | 5, 6, 9 |
| Qaiyum, Zoya | Coyte, Peter C||Inman, Robert D | Exploration of a Non-linear Relationship Between Diagnostic Delay and Axial Spondyloarthritis Quality-of-Life Measures | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Background: Literature is unclear how delays in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) impacts patient quality-of-life (QoL). Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study of Canadian axSpA patients visiting a hospital-based clinic from 2003-2020 was conducted. Three regression analyses were performed: one-stage linear mixed effects, two-stage instrumental variables, and two-stage propensity score matching. Results: A non-linear relationship exists between diagnostic delay and QoL. Each diagnostic delay year before 36 years was associated with 0.088 points decline in physical health, which worsened by 1.843 points for each year of delay thereafter. Each diagnostic delay year before 18 years added 0.269 points to mental health scores, which in turn fell abruptly by 10.428 points at 18 years of delay. Conclusions: Longer diagnostic delays are significantly linked with poor physical health and reduced mental health at the threshold. These findings necessitate obtaining a faster axSpA diagnosis through improved referral strategies and crosstalk between primary clinics and hospitals. | M.Sc. | mental health | 3 |
| Dent, Anglin Julia | Diamandis, Phedias | HAVOC: Mapping of Cancer Biodiversity using Deep Neural Networks | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Spatially distinct areas of tumor biodiversity wreak havoc on current precision medicinestrategies. To address this challenge, I developed a pipeline that leverages unsupervised clustering of regional neural network-defined histomorphologic signatures to generate Histomic Atlases of Variation Of Cancers (HAVOC). Using spatially resolved mass-spectrometry-based proteomic and immunohistochemical readouts of characteristically heterogeneous glioma specimens, I demonstrated how these personalized atlases of histomic variation capture regional tumoral populations with distinct molecular signatures and biologic programs. I further validated HAVOC on existing spatial DNA copy number and transcriptomic datasets and assigned distinct histologic differences downstream of these genetically distinct subclones. Finally, I extended HAVOC to large tumor resection specimens to demonstrate its utility in automating the topographic organization of cancer biodiversity across multiple centimeters. Together, these findings establish HAVOC as a versatile tool capable of generating small-scale heterogeneity maps and guiding regional deployment of limited molecular resources to relevant and biodiverse tumor niches. | M.Sc. | biodivers | 14, 15 |
| Matz, Robert | Chen, Julie Y | Art and Affect, the Emotional Labor of the Instagram Follower | Information Studies | 2022-11 | On Instagram, does pressing the like button constitute an act of labor? This thesis seeks to answer this question from the perspective of the ordinary art and design follower by investigating the immateriality of emotional labor. Using semi-structured interviews, emotional labor is defined through the cognitively intensive experiences of follower’s practices in navigating social events. Emotional labor is organized into three categories, each of which demonstrates a degree of work and emphasizes a nuanced consumption and production of use and exchange-values. Results implicate the platformization of emotional labor within a sense of precarity that complicates the boundaries between social and professional living, generating an asymmetrical relationship between Instagram followers and its multi-sided partners. | M.I.S. | precarity, labor, invest, consum, production | 1, 8, 9, 12 |
| Whitehead, Hannah | Jasinska, Kaja K | Variability in the Age of Schooling Contributes to the Link between Literacy and Numeracy in Côte d’Ivoire | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | We explored the predictors of literacy and numeracy, and their covariance (overlap between the two skills) in rural Côte d’Ivoire. Ivorian children are often old for their grade due to late enrollment and grade repetition, leading to variation in age-for-grade (i.e., how far a child’s age differs from policy age for a given grade). Structural equation models were constructed to understand how cognitive components and individual-level factors predict literacy and numeracy covariance. Phonological awareness, numerical magnitude, ordinality, working memory, and visual attention were cognitive predictors of covariance. Additionally, age was positively related to covariance and age-for-grade was negatively related to covariance. Post-hoc multi-group modelling revealed literacy and numeracy covariance was significant for the on-time group (students in the correct grade based on policy age) but not the late group (students in a lower grade). Our results suggest that literacy and numeracy covariance depend on the maturity of underlying cognitive components. | M.A. | rural | 11 |
| LaForge, Jeff D | Ryan, James | Leadership For The Development Of Positive Culture: How Leaders Foster Positive Cultures In Single-gendered Independent Schools | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2022-11 | While significant research has been done in the area of school culture, a focus on independent schools and the barriers to positive culture as well as the strategies employed to overcome said barriers have not been sufficiently examined. This paper delves into the intricacies of culture creation and maintenance in single-gendered independent schools in Canada. This paper argues that there are specific strategies that can be employed by leaders in order to foster a positive culture in their schools, as well as markers that point to the existence of toxic cultures within their institutions. It is also important to recognize that there are certain leadership foci that directly contribute to the development of a positive school culture. Rooted in qualitative research collected from a series of semi-structured interviews with current professionals, this paper concludes that there are principles that can provide a foundation for positive culture building in independent schools.Keywords: single-gendered, independent schools, education, toxic culture, positive culture, educational leadership, effective leadership | M.Ed. | gender, institut | 5, 16 |
| Plagiannakos, Christina Galatia | Hansen, Bettina E | An Evaluation of Treatment Response and Clinical Event-free Survival in Autoimmune Hepatitis: A Canadian Multicentre Cohort Analysis | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a rare immune-mediated inflammatory liver disease, that if left untreated, can progress to liver decompensation, liver transplantation, or death. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a surrogate marker of treatment response and serves as an indicator of disease activity. The first study examined the prognostic factors that were associated with ALT improvements during the first 18 months of treatment. This study found that older age was associated with improvement in ALT at 6 and 12 months, whereas baseline biochemistry, cirrhosis status, and medication dose did not significantly impact ALT over time. The second study investigated the association of dynamic biochemical patterns overtime on the risk of experiencing a liver-related clinical event. This study showed that continuous elevations in liver transaminase, but not immunoglobulin G, were associated with an increased risk of experiencing a liver decompensation event, liver transplantation, or death. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Chan, Matthew TC | Meyer, David | Quantifying Diarrheal Characteristics: A Computer Vision Approach for Global Health | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Diarrheal diseases have been responsible for millions of deaths annually and need to be combatted with better health surveillance. Advances in diarrhea surveillance are obstructed by the lack of knowledge about how diarrhea exits the body. Therefore, a method was created to use calibrated optical flow velocimetry data to measure diarrheal properties from videos. The results show diarrhea’s erratic behaviour, including spray angles, velocity progression, and widths. Velocities of diarrhea averaged 1.31 m/s with an observed maximum of around 8 m/s. Spray widths typically ranged 2 – 5 cm. The angle that diarrhea exits the body varied from the vertical by a standard deviation of 7 degrees. The created and deployed method of quantifying diarrhea has already advanced our knowledge about diarrhea and has the potential to enable better global health surveillance and ultimately reduce the diarrheal disease burden. | M.A.S. | global health, knowledge, cities | 3, 4, 11 |
| Tanchip, Chelsea | Yunusova, Yana | Validation of Automatic Diadochokinesis Tools for the Assessment of Dysarthria in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis | Rehabilitation Science | 2022-11 | Oral diadochokinesis (DDK) is a dysarthria assessment task. Automatic DDK analysis algorithms have mostly been validated in individuals with no to mild dysarthria and uniform syllable tasks. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of five DDK algorithms across dysarthria severity and syllable type. 282 recordings of /ba/, /pa/, and /ta/ from 145 participants with ALS were analyzed. The recordings were stratified into mild, moderate, or severe dysarthria groups. The number of syllables, DDK rate, and cycle-to-cycle temporal variability (cTV) were extracted. The absolute energy algorithm yielded the strongest agreement with manual analysis across all severity groups, but showed variation for /ta/ tasks. Absolute energy-based algorithms appeared to be the most robust for DDK analysis across dysarthria severity and syllable types, though limited against severe dysarthria and alveolar syllable contexts. This work can inform clinicians and researchers of the best tools to use while conducting DDK analysis. | M.Sc. | ABS, energy | 2, 7 |
| Mekhail , Katrina | Fairn, Greg GF | Investigating the Role of Fatty-acid Synthesis and S-Palmitoylation on Coronavirus Infection | Biochemistry | 2022-11 | The cytosolic domain of Spike contains highly conserved cysteine residues that are potential sites of S-palmitoylation; a PTM mediated by palmitoyl transferases which add palmitate to the target protein. Here, we investigated the cytosolic domain of Spike and its interaction with the palmitoyl transferase ZDHHC5. We found that the Spike protein is palmitoylated and that increased abundance of ZDHHC5 resulted in hyper-palmitoylation of Spike while silencing of ZDHHC5 reduced palmitoylation as well as the ability of the human coronavirus 229E to form viral plaques in cell monolayers. We used a fatty acid synthase inhibitor TVB-3166 to reduce palmitoyl-CoA levels which in turn eliminated palmitoylation of SARS-CoV2 Spike, attenuates the ability of human coronavirus 229E to form plaques and reduced the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in epithelial cells. Thus, inhibition of the Spike protein palmitoylation has the potential to treat SARS-CoV-2 and other coronavirus infections. | M.Sc. | invest, conserv | 9, 14, 15 |
| Halabieh, Sarah | Shu, L H | Engineering Approaches to Encourage Various Pro-Social Behaviours | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | To meet sustainability targets, more interventions that lead to behaviour changes are needed, towards more sustainable habits. In part 1, a blocked-sink intervention is studied across three experiments to reduce water consumption. In an online study, participants reduced water use by 14%. A preliminary in-person study found the intervention did motivate participants to reduce water use in some conditions and could potentially lead to water-use behaviour change. Applying this outflow-limiting strategy is discussed with respect to other resource-consuming scenarios. As the number of children being diagnosed with autism increases, more diverse social-skills interventions are needed. In part 2, I explore a novel intervention to help autistic children improve social-communication skills, while learning how to computer program. Students are asked to program a chatbot that can mimic a human, while implicitly learn socialization skills. A feasibility study found social validity for this program. Next steps to improve student social-skill acquisition through the program are discussed. | M.A.S. | learning, water, consum | 4, 6, 12 |
| Gordon, Madeleine | Sinyor, Mark | An Analysis of Emergency Department Self-harm Presentations during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Medical Science | 2022-11 | The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by concerns regarding increased suicides due to exacerbated stressors and the potential impact of SARS-Cov-2 infection and COVID-19 disease. Emergency department (ED) self-harm presentations can be used as a proxy indicator for suicides. Therefore, the current study analyzed the number of self-harm presentations to the three major trauma centres in Toronto, Canada during the pandemic’s first year. A chart review of presenting patients was then conducted to characterize the pandemic’s potential suicidogenic effects and identify at-risk populations. It was hypothesized that ED self-harm presentations would increase and presentation characteristics would change during the pandemic. It was found that while self-harm presentations did not increase, the proportion of medically severe injuries increased, and several suicide-related risk factors were independently associated with pandemic presentations. These results may be informative for suicide prevention strategies targeting vulnerable populations both during the pandemic and beyond. | M.Sc. | vulnerable population | 10 |
| Tarabay, Bassel | MacLean, Heather L||Posen, I. Daniel | New Cathodes Now and Recycling Later: Dynamic Scenarios to Reduce Battery Material use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Light-duty Electric Vehicle Adoption in the U.S. | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | Electric vehicles (EV) have an important role in mitigating climate change impacts from personal travel. Increasing the uptake of EVs requires a substantial increase in the production of lithium-ion batteries (LIB), which largely rely on critical metals and contribute to EV life cycle emissions. By using a fleet life cycle assessment model, we evaluated the battery material demand and GHG emissions implications from high EV penetration rates for the US light-duty vehicle (LDV) fleet from 2020-2050. Our findings demonstrated that there are significant supply constraint risks for cobalt, lithium, and nickel, if the US relies primarily on EV deployments to achieve its 2˚C sectoral mitigation target. We also found that increasing recycling, shifting battery chemistry, and adopting renewable energy sources for battery production can avoid 330 million tonnes in cumulative GHG emissions from 2020-2050. This is equivalent to 20% of the US transportation sector’s annual GHG emissions in 2020. | M.A.S. | energy, renewabl, emission, greenhouse, production, recycl, climate, greenhouse gas, emissions | 7, 12, 13 |
| Palechuk, Taylor Raine | Zawertailo, Laurie | Exploring Attentional Bias to Smoking-related Cues in Electronic Cigarette Users | Pharmacology | 2022-11 | The effect of electronic cigarettes (ECs) on selective attention to smoking cues is unknown. Vaping may reduce attentional bias (AB), thereby reducing risk of relapse. Former smokers who have completely (“full switchers”, FS) or partially (“dual users”, DU) switched to ECs (n=41) completed questionnaires and passive eye-tracking to measure AB. Mean relative fixation time (mRFT) to smoking cues was used to compare AB to smokers, non-smoking controls, and between FS and DU. mRFT was greater in EC users compared to controls (p<0.05) but was similar to smokers (p=0.556). No differences in mRFT were observed between FS and DU (p=0.749). EC use did not reduce AB, however, mRFT was positively correlated to cigarette consumption in DU (p=0.021), and smoking craving in FS (p=0.030) and DU (p=0.020). While ECs may be an effective substitute for tobacco smoking, smoking-related AB and craving remain, therefore not altering the risk of smoking relapse. | M.Sc. | consum | 12 |
| Zahid, Ghazala | Gagné, Antoinette | “I don’t like working in a group because criticism is not constructive”: An Exploratory Study of International Female Students’ Perceptions and Experiences of EAP/ESL Collaborative Projects in Canadian Post-secondary Institutions | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | With their steady increase in numbers, international female students remain a significant group in the Canadian post-secondary educational landscape. This qualitative study explored the perceptions and lived experiences of 14 international female students from 10 countries with small group work in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) or English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in several Canadian post-secondary institutions. The data were collected using in-depth individual interviews and a focus group via Zoom and analyzed thematically. Six main themes were identified: (1) the nature of interactions with male group mates; (2) the need for cultural adjustments; (3) the influence of group work on language learning; (4) the psychological effects of group work; (5) notions of group work in Canadian post-secondary classrooms; and (6) personal attitudes towards group work. The findings have implications for different stakeholders in the Canadian higher education context. | M.A. | learning, secondary education, female, labor, land, institut | 4, 5, 8, 15, 16 |
| Peiris, Rachel Grace | Nolan, Robert P. | Impact of Digital Counselling with Social Network Support for Self-care on Health-related Quality of Life in Chronic Kidney Disease | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Self-care behaviours are essential for maintaining and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. ODYSSEE-vCHAT, a digital counselling program with social network support (SNS), targets low self-care adherence. This thesis assessed the link between ODYSSEE-vCHAT engagement and HRQOL at 4 months. High (≥ 33 minutes) versus No Usage of digital counselling was associated with improved mental health. High (≥ 65 minutes) versus No Usage of SNS was linked to reduced symptoms and problems, as well as improved mental health and engagement in activities for living well. High Usage of both digital counselling and SNS (≥ 150 minutes) was positively associated with mental health and engagement in activities for living well compared to No Usage, while Low Usage (> 0 and < 150 minutes) was negatively associated with physical functioning. Findings suggest that the therapeutic impact of digital counselling for CKD self-care is improved through SNS. | M.Sc. | mental health | 3 |
| Orjalo, Marissa Elaine | Carter, Jill | Considering Process: Investigating Practice and Methodology in Filipinx Canadian Theatre Creation | Drama | 2022-11 | Considering Process: Investigating Practice and Methodology in Filipinx Canadian Theatre Creation explores the pre-colonial Filipinx concept of pagkikipagkapwa—being ultimately connected to one another and the world around us—in the processes of Filipinx Canadian artists. Through interviews with research partners, we observe the concept of pagkikipagkapwa in action as it highlights collaboration and joy in the creation of theatre making. Beginning with a brief explanation of pagkikipagkapwa, this project guides readers to find pagkikipagkapwa in the directorial process of Nina Lee Aquino, the collaborative writing processes of Miss Orient(ed), People Power, Through the Bamboo, and Pedestal Pinays, as well as the individual writing processes of Marie Beath Badian, Marie-Leofeli Barlizo, and Leon Aureus. As witnesses to these methodologies, this thesis calls us to consider the present-day processes of racialized artists as adaptations of an ancestral understanding of art making. These processes reflect a pre-colonial understanding of theatre and performance, which ultimately serves as invaluable knowledge in the creation of culture. | M.A. | knowledge, labor, invest | 4, 8, 9 |
| Benarroch, Aden Joseph Bailey | Dallas, Costis||Krmpotich, Cara | Multivocality in the Engagement Zone: A Participatory, Object-based Knowledge Creation Process with the Toronto Moroccan Jewish Community | Information Studies | 2022-11 | This thesis seeks to determine how a participatory object-elicitation approach reveals participants’ connections with heritage objects and provokes knowledge on the meanings of objects in the cultural lives of community members. It outlines the object-centred process that engaged with a plurality of community voices and transferred institutional authority to participants to discuss objects, knowledge, identities and experiences with cultural heritage. The process included a biographical interview, an object-centred conversation and a participatory museological workshop. The object-centred conversations revealed that participants shared knowledge about the affective experiences, cultural expressions and interpersonal relationships that emerge from their interactions with their personal objects. The workshop brought participants together to discuss their objects and craft a museological narrative told through their objects. Through the process, this thesis argues that the object-centered nature of knowledge creation allowed a multiplicity of voices to contribute to an inclusive, community driven narrative about the Moroccan Jewish community. | M.M.St. | knowledge, institut | 4, 16 |
| Anderson, Kara | Mollett, Sharlene | Maya Women, Non-traditional Agriculture and “Care” : Rethinking Feminist Geographies of “Care” from the Guatemalan Highlands | Geography | 2022-11 | To alleviate poverty, the Guatemalan State and USAID facilitated a transition from sustenance to non-traditional export crops in the 1970s. The transition disrupted Maya women’s land management practices by reducing land access. Today, the Highlands is the nation’s leading vegetable exporter, while boasting the highest rates of food insecurity and malnutrition. This thesis demonstrates how the meanings of care work within development discourses imperil and undermine Maya women’s access to, and control over, land. I draw on the concept of cuerpo-territorio (body-land) to highlight how access to land is constitutive of Maya women’s ability to care for communities. I undertake a discourse analysis of export policies, while tracing the movement of the Women’s Association for the Development of Sacatepéquez as they transition back to milpa sustenance farming. My findings demonstrate how territorial dispossession and Indigenous geographies of care are interconnected, revealing a more complicated understandings of care in feminist geography. Para aliviar la pobreza, el Estado guatemalteco y USAID facilitaron una transición de cultivos de sustento a cultivos de exportación no tradicionales en la década de 1970. La transición interrumpió las prácticas de gestión de la tierra de las mujeres mayas al reducir el acceso a la tierra. Hoy, los altiplanos es el principal exportador de vegetales del país, al tiempo que cuenta con las tasas más altas de inseguridad alimentaria y desnutrición. Esta tesis demuestra cómo los significados del trabajo de cuidado dentro de los discursos de desarrollo ponen en peligro y socavan el acceso y el control de las mujeres mayas sobre la tierra. Se basa en el concepto de cuerpo-territorio para resaltar cómo el acceso a la tierra es constitutivo de la capacidad de las mujeres mayas para cuidar de las comunidades. Realizo un análisis del discurso de las políticas de exportación, al mismo tiempo que sigo el movimiento de la Asociación de mujeres para el desarrollo de Sacatepéquez en su transición de regreso a la agricultura de subsistencia de la milpa. Mis hallazgos demuestran cómo el despojo territorial y las geografías indígenas del cuidado están interconectados, revelando una comprensión más complicada del cuidado en la geografía feminista. | M.A. | poverty, agricultur, nutrition, food insecurity, malnutrition, women, feminis, indigenous, transit, land | 1, 2, 5, 10, 16, 11, 15 |
| Chen, Haw | Zee, Robert E | Antenna Pattern Measurement of a Microsatellite Platform with Articulating Solar Arrays and the Commissioning of NewSpace and Microspace Satellites | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2022-11 | Two crucial milestones all satellite missions encounter are antenna pattern characterization and commissioning. The SPARTAN platform, newly developed by the Space Flight Laboratory, is tailored to serve NewSpace businesses’ needs. Unique to the platform are two deployable articulating solar arrays for power-demanding payloads. This thesis explores the effect of the articulating arrays on the platform’s primary antennas. An antenna’s radiation pattern is paramount to satellite communication and is influenced by its surroundings. The pattern measurement methodology, fixture design, analysis, and result comparison with simulation for the new platform are presented. After launch, spacecraft are commissioned, where satellites are methodically brought up to full functionality. Avionics and payload health is confirmed, attitude sensors are tuned, and the platform’s physical properties are estimated. Through the lens of an operator, this thesis discusses the successful commissioning of the maiden SPARTAN mission and NorSat-3, the latest maritime monitoring satellites developed for the Norwegians. | M.A.S. | solar, labor, maritime | 7, 8, 14 |
| Mathew, Sunaal Philip | Biddiss, Elaine | Predicting Functional Use of the Non-Dominant Hand using Machine Learning and Wearable Accelerometers | Biomedical Engineering | 2022-11 | Children with hemiplegia use their affected hand less than expected in spontaneous bimanual activities at home compared to their ability measured in a clinic. Existing home-based assessments for affected hand use at home are often subjective and prone to reporting bias and recall errors. In this thesis project, we propose using wearable accelerometry and machine learning to measure functional hand use in children with hemiplegia and typically developing adults, respectively. The random forest classifier showed better inter-subject performance in typically developing adults (F1: 0.829 ± 0.047) compared to children with hemiplegia (F1: 0.584 ± 0.076). We also found that the machine learning approach outperformed the activity counts approach in correlation and agreement with the video observations. Overall, we expect our work will demonstrate that wearable accelerometry and machine learning can measure functional use of the hemiplegic hand and provide clinicians with a useful tool to understand treatment effectiveness at home. | M.A.S. | learning, forest | 4, 15 |
| Corelli, Charlotte | Dorries, Heather | In the Face of “Climate Colonialism”: A Critical Analysis of the Government of Canada’s First Nation Adapt Program as a Settler Colonial Policy Response to the Climate Crisis in First Nations Communities | Geography | 2022-11 | First Nations communities have been planning adaptively with the environment since time immemorial and are now forced to respond to the colonial climate crisis. First Nation Adapt (FN Adapt), operated by the Government of Canada, provides funding to projects planning for these increasing changes in First Nations communities. However, the program’s position within a settler colonial institution requires interrogating FN Adapt, as such institutions have an ongoing legacy of enclosing Indigenous planning practices. This research provides a consolidated critique of the program by applying a test of enclosure, to see how the program interacts with Indigenous planning practices, outlined through literature on Indigenous Planning Theory, Anti-Colonial Planning Theory, and Indigenous Environmental Justice. Though FN Adapt makes strides towards supporting culturally relevant planning and fills a void in accessing necessary funding, its overarching government structures limit the program’s ability to fully support Indigenous planning, instead enclosing elements of Indigenous planning practices. | M.A. | settler, indigenous, climate, environmental, environmental justice, institut | 4, 10, 16, 13 |
| Tabascio, Alexander | Farber, Steven||Higgins, Christopher | An Equity Evaluation of Bus Prioritization Measures within the Toronto Transit Commission’s 5-year Service Plan 10-year Outlook | Geography | 2022-11 | In December of 2019, the Toronto Transit Commission proposed a new equity service policy to provide improved bus service for low socio-economic neighbourhoods in Toronto. While this policy will provide enhanced service for individuals within these communities, methods and data constraints may exclude equity-seeking riders outside these areas promoting greater barriers to access. With this concern in mind, this thesis aims to thoroughly examine the proposed equity policy using quantitative methods and provide recommendations that remove further barriers to transport poverty and transport-related social exclusion. | M.A. | poverty, socio-economic, equity, equit, transit | 1, 4, 10, 11 |
| Abedini, Mohammad Amin | Miller, Eric J. EJM | A Machine-learning Framework for Clustering and Calibration of Roadway Performance Models with Application in the Large-scale Traffic Assignment | Civil Engineering | 2022-11 | The roadway performance model is one component of travel demand model systems, whose primary purpose is to replicate the congestion effect in traffic assignment. In this sub-model, accurate estimates of roadway travel time (delay), which is sensitive to road traffic volumes, have a principal role in properly assigning trips to various paths through the road network. Historically, one of the main challenges in developing these volume-delay models was the availability of data. Thanks to emerging data sources, the speed and volume for a wide range of roadway segments in the network are available in excellent temporal and spatial resolution. This study proposes a multi-stage machine-learning-based framework to clean, classify and calibrate roadway performance models of various roadway functional classes in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Recurrent spatial and temporal trends of roadway performance are further investigated, and distinctive patterns are observed for road segments with specific physical attributes. | M.A.S. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Ali, Jordan | Farish, Matthew | Empire Online: The US Government's Reterritorialization of Cyberspace after 9/11 | Geography | 2022-11 | The US government, through cybersecurity policy and legislation, reterritorialized cyberspace after 9/11, making territory legible online in ways conducive to cyber war. Before 9/11, cybersecurity had not existed as a formal policy matter in the US. Instead, there had been three decades of disjointed policies that understood the internet primarily through its physical infrastructure. By the end of the 1990s, some policymakers argued that while the internet had radically improved many aspects of life, it also undermined borders and distance and thus posed existential risks to national security. After 9/11, the US formalized cybersecurity as part of “homeland security” and the “war on terror.” Cybersecurity, I argue, was not just a technical project, but a geographical undertaking. It discursively reimagined the cyber in spatial terms that reinscribed borders and distance with meaning. The result was a cyber homeland that could be defended and the reproduction of the American empire online. | M.A. | infrastructure, internet, production, land | 9, 12, 15 |
| Thorburn, Rachel Doreen | Ansloos, Jeffrey P||Goldstein, Abby | The Role of Self-determination in Indigenous Youth Wellness | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2022-11 | Indigenous young people across Turtle Island are demonstrating self-determination by creating wellness for themselves and their communities. This work centers the voices of Indigenous young people to explore how they are defining and enacting self-determination, and how these expressions of self-determination influence the wellness of these young people and their communities. Thematic analysis was used to analyze 15 interviews with Indigenous young people about how they understood spirit and wellness in the context of community work. Interview transcripts were analyzed to understand how young people conceptualized and enacted self-determination and its relationship to wellness, and identify underlying connections to Indigenous self-determination theory. Results indicate that Indigenous young people define and enact self-determination through using Indigenous wellness practices, sharing these practices with others, creating wellness spaces for Indigenous young people, and decolonizing existing colonial spaces. Implications for researchers, policymakers, and care providers who work with Indigenous young people are considered. | M.A. | indigenous, land, self-determination | 10, 16, 15 |
| Maki, Tessa Anneli | Carter, Jill | That Other Side of Our Province: Finding Crisis, Isolation, Rurality and Place in Northwestern Ontarian Theatre | Drama | 2022-11 | In our vast province of Ontario, discourse surrounding theatre making is heavily focused on large southern and eastern cities. With an autoethnographic approach, this work begins the conversation of theatre making in Northwestern Ontario and the isolation that is within and geographically surrounding that place. With a focus on place studies and rurality, this work anchors to the isolated city of Thunder Bay Ontario and how its challenged uniquely in comparison to other cities in the province. By conducting a small survey of professional theatre in Thunder Bay over the last 5 years, this work revealed a call for a new discourse around theatre in Northwestern Ontario and rural cities in light of the mistreatment of racialized, Indigenous and marginalized bodies. In addition, this work heeds suggestions for radical change within theatre making in places with unique specificity and calls into question how to address theatre in isolated places. | M.A. | indigenous, marginalized, cities, rural | 10, 16, 11 |
| Gan, Shu Han | Sage, Rowan | Stomatal Control in C4 Plants with Different Biochemical Sub-pathways | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2022-11 | C4 NAD-ME species occurs in drier regions than C4 NADP-ME species, indicating differences in drought responses; however, a physiological mechanism explaining the geographical discrepancies remain uncertain. This study examined gas exchange patterns that might explain different distributions observed between two subtypes of C4 photosynthesis. We measured the response of leaf gas exchange to vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and CO2 in plants from six distinct C4 clades having closely related NAD-ME and NADP-ME species using a Li-Cor 6400 gas exchange system. We found that NAD-ME exhibited higher reductions in stomatal conductance with increases in VPD than NADP-ME species but no consistent subtype differences in C4 cycle activity, represented by the initial slope of the A response to intercellular CO2 concentration. Based on these results, we hypothesize the greater response of gs to increasing VPD may enable NAD-ME plants to outperform NADP-ME plants in hot, dry environments where VPD is normally high. | M.Sc. | drought, co2, species | 6, 13, 14, 15 |
| Kapoor, Paras | Chung, Frances | Post-operative Functional Disability in Unrecognized Cognitive Impairment (POF) Study: An Observational Cohort Study in Patients Undergoing Non-cardiac Surgery | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Identifying individuals with unrecognized cognitive impairment may facilitate informed decision-making about the benefits and risks of undergoing surgery in these patients, and how underlying cognitive impairment relates to functional ability. Using simple screening tools in older surgical patients at baseline, post-operative 30-, 90-, and 180-days, we determine the prevalence of unrecognized cognitive impairment and its association with postoperative functional ability. Across all four timepoints, we found a prevalence of unrecognized cognitive impairment in 24.5% of participants (n = 53). A repeated-measures ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference in patients with or without cognitive impairment between baseline and 30-days for IADL, F (1, 43) = 0.389, p = 0.536 or for WHODAS, F (1,45) = 1.62, p = 0.210. We found that simple screening tools for cognitive impairment such as single cognitive question or AD8 can identify potential cognitive impairment in older surgical patients. Follow-up for formal diagnosis is needed. | M.Sc. | disabilit | 3 |
| Paciocco, Joshua | Bazylak, Aimy | Semantic Segmentation Models to Analyze Histological Images of Re-endothelialized Lungs | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | The re-endothelialization of an acellular lung scaffold is evaluated through the analysis of histological images, which is an unscalable process due to its time-consuming, work-intensive, and subjective nature. Deep learning methods present a means to accurately automate medical image analysis and in particular, semantic segmentation can be used to evaluate re-endothelialized lungs. In this thesis, we investigated the ability of semantic segmentation to determine key performance metrics in re-endothelialized mouse lungs. The cell seeding coverage, which quantifies the distribution of seeded cells in the lung scaffold, was accurately predicted by our implementation of semantic segmentation. Ruptured and dilated vessels, which deform the lung and signify problems with the recellularization procedure, were segmented with potential for improvement. Through patch-based learning, data augmentation, and transfer learning techniques, we significantly ameliorated model performance. We find that our work provides a proof-of-concept for the standard use of semantic segmentation to analyze recellularized lung images. | M.A.S. | learning, invest, consum | 4, 9, 12 |
| Konstantinidis, Menelaos | Pullenayegum, Eleanor M | Design of an Accelerated Longitudinal Cohort to Estimate Employment Trajectories using Multistate Models in a Population of Young Adults with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2022-11 | Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is the most common form of Lupus. Objectives: To design a prospective accelerated longitudinal cohort (ALC) to study the employment trajectory of young-adult SLE patients. Methods: We analyzed a multicentre retrospective cohort of SLE patients using multi-state models to assess risk factors for unfavourable employment trajectories. Additionally, we conducted a simulation study to design an ALC that optimized the precision and bias for the probability of transitioning between employment states. Results: Due to insufficient data, model convergence in the retrospective cohort and simulation study was poor. Conclusions: ALCs are an attractive design for prospective studies; however, it is not an appropriate study design for the present population. For rare diseases such as SLE, the number of transitions is likely to be small. Future work should focus on expanding the objective to include additional populations who would benefit from interventions on undesirable employment trajectories. | M.Sc. | employment, transit | 8, 11 |
| Uwizeyimana, Iris Doriane | Enright Jerger, Natalie | Tackling Resource Utilization In Deep Neural Network Accelerators | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Good resource utilization plays an important role in maximizing the performance of DNN accelerators. One method to maximize resource utilization is to divide accelerator resources into multiple sub-accelerators. However, there are a couple of design considerations that are essential to the production of efficient multi-accelerator systems. The number of sub-accelerators to use and the distribution of resources are among a few considerations that are important to the design of highly efficient multi- accelerator systems. We present DataflowBay, a framework that helps guide the design of multi-accelerator systems. DataflowBay implements a scheduler that extends the state-of-the-art to map DNN layers on multi-accelerators systems with an average energy-delay product improvement of ∼11.6%. DataflowBay also implements a Bayesian optimization module to automate the fine-grained mapping of DNN layers onto the sub-accelerators and a stochastic greedy search algorithm to decide what hardware resource distribution will lead to the best performance for each sub-accelerator. | M.A.S. | energy, production | 7, 12 |
| Saleh, Imran | Chan, Timothy||Sarhangian, Vahid | Three Essays on Surgical Services Optimization | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | In this thesis, we develop optimization and discrete-event simulation models to assess and improve the operational and financial performance of surgical services provided by hospitals. More specifically, we examine (1) whether optimized use of specific capital intensive strategies, namely utilizing Anesthesia block rooms and modern Insufflation, provide operational and financial benefits that outweigh their costs; and (2) whether optimizing daily surgical schedules can increase the throughput rate and reduce overtime costs. Using simulation experiments populated with real operational and financial data from Canadian hospitals, we show that optimized use of Anesthesia block rooms and modern Insufflation can be cost-saving and overtime costs can be significantly reduced through optimized daily schedules. | M.A.S. | capital | 9 |
| Perkucin, Ivana | Naguib, Hani E||Morshead, Cindi M. | Soft Electronic Materials Inspired by Biologic Derivatives for use in Neural Regenerative Applications | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary field of medicine that develops methodologies to replace damaged or diseased cells. The recent understanding that neural precursor cell (NPC) behaviour is controlled by signaling from their micro-environment has been at the forefront of development for neurological therapies. The application of electric fields has been shown to promote NPC migration and electrodes have been the most used channel by which brain signals have been investigated and manipulated for therapeutic purposes. A challenge facing neural interfacing therapeutics is seamlessly incorporating electrodes that are typically made of rigid and stiff materials with the soft and dynamic nature of the brain where they would be situated. By minimizing this mechanical mismatch, the aim is to attenuate the host’s biological inflammatory response. In this work hydrogel-based materials are explored as potential alternatives to the existing less biocompatible counterparts with the goal of promoting brain repair following injury or disease. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Xu, Meng Nan | Lee, Chi-Guhn | Predictive Quality Assessment for Fused Filament Fabrication | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Additive manufacturing is an emerging class of manufacturing technologies which are particularly suitable for producing complex and custom parts. Fused filament fabrication is a common type of additive manufacturing for producing thermoplastic-based parts. The aim of this study is to support future work towards closed-loop control for fused filament fabrication by integrating and extending in-situ monitoring and process understanding. First, a dataset designed to be useful for closed-loop control is proposed. This dataset features 359 tensile specimens fabricated with in-situ images and tensile property measurements. Based on this dataset, machine learning and computer vision methods were applied to develop a model which can navigate the complex relationships between process parameters, in-situ observations, and strength of the final product. Several variants of the model were proposed and their relative effectiveness was studied. | M.A.S. | learning | 4 |
| Mangat, Bismanpreet Kaur | Chen, Joyce L | Priming the Primary Motor Cortex with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Effect on Learning the Golf Putt | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2022-11 | A history of low post-synaptic activity increases the threshold for long-term potentiation, while a history of high post-synaptic activity decreases this threshold. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the motor cortex prior to motor practice (“priming”) can modulate the history of a neuron's post-synaptic activity. Here, we investigated the effects of tDCS priming on performance on a golf putting task. Participants received anodal (n=12), cathodal (n=12), or sham (n=12) tDCS prior to practicing putting on two consecutive days. Performance was measured using radial error, defined as the shortest distance from the ball to the target. After accounting for baseline performance, there was a main effect of group [p = 0.07]. The cathodal group had a significantly lower radial error than the anodal group [p = 0.02] and the sham group [p = 0.01]. Cathodal priming enhanced retention. Overall, this study demonstrated that priming with tDCS can impact motor learning. | M.Sc. | learning, invest | 4, 9 |
| Richmond, Natasha | Cooper, Karyn||Manion, Caroline | Factors Affecting Orphans and Vulnerable Children Realizing their Right to Education in Mozambique | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2022-11 | Despite notable efforts from countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world, the right to education among orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa is far from realized. Despite an increase in the number of girls in school over the past few decades, we cannot overlook the failures and growing disparities faced by the poorest and most vulnerable children. OVCs continue to suffer and face unfair educational access and opportunities despite initiatives by governments, development agencies, international organizations, NGOs, Education for All, Millennium Development Goals, and their successive Sustainable Development Goals. NGOs play a significant role in the educator sector of most African countries. This thesis focuses on the local response of an NGO in Mozambique and seeks to answer: What factors affect (hinder or enhance) OVCs realizing their right to education with a special focus on the female OVCs among them? | M.A. | girl, female, sustainable development | 5, 8, 11 |
| Posluns, Gilead Wolf | Jeffrey, Mark C | A Speculative Hardware Scheduler Supporting Priority Updates | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2022-11 | Many important algorithms schedule their tasks according to a priority order. While parallel priority schedulerscommonly implement task enqueue and dequeueMin operations, some algorithms need a priority update operation that alters the scheduling metadata for a task, which is not supported by existing hardware. We present Hive, a task-based multicore architecture that extracts fine-grained parallelism from algorithms with priority updates. Like prior hardware systems for ordered parallelism, Hive uses data- and control-dependence speculation and a large speculative window to execute tasks in parallel and out of order. Hive supports updates by identifying the scheduler-carried dependence, and speculating on it with task versioning, distinct from data versioning. Hive enables safe speculative updates to the schedule to better utilize speculation tracking resources and uncover more parallelism. Across nine benchmarks, Hive improves performance at 256 cores by up to 2.8x over the next best hardware solution. | M.A.S. | wind | 7 |
| Sosnowski, Alexandra Jessica | Kozloff, Nicole||Stergiopoulos, Vicky | Service Engagement in Virtually Delivered Psychosis Treatment: A Systematic Review and Mixed Methods Evaluation | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2022-11 | Disengagement remains a significant dilemma within mental healthcare, and among conditions characterized by psychosis specifically. Traditionally delivered in-person, specialized psychosis services, including early psychosis intervention (EPI), have promptly transitioned to virtual delivery amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite limited research on engagement in virtual psychosis care. This thesis consists of a systematic review and mixed methods evaluation; the latter examining rates, predictors, and experiences of (dis)engagement within a virtual EPI program. Electronic health records of a cohort of EPI patients enrolled between April-November 2020 were examined; individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with patients, family members, and clinicians. Approximately 15.5% of the sample formally disengaged by follow-up (15-24 months); 12.3% disengaged within the first 9 months. Disengagement was associated with lack of early use of SEE (HR=.28, 95% CI=.12-.67) and NEET (HR=3.04, 95% CI=1.03-8.98). Qualitative analysis revealed 5 salient themes and service recommendations, with most preferring a hybrid model. | M.Sc. | mental health, healthcare, transit | 3, 11 |
| Escobar, Camilo | Amon, Cristina H | Reduced Order Numerical Modelling of Electric Commuter Vehicle Battery Thermal Management Systems | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Numerical modelling techniques have been used to study the performance of thermal management solutions for electric vehicle applications. However, these numerical methods require specific knowledge of input parameters and need to be designed carefully to balance accuracy and computational effort before they can be applied to real-world scenarios. The work presented in this thesis follows the process of developing and applying a reduced-order numerical model of an electric vehicle battery pack under wide variety of battery architectures and real-world scenarios. It includes characterizing the thermal properties of Li-ion battery cells for the use of application-specific thermal models, developing a computationally efficient thermal model of an electric vehicle battery and thermal management system, and proposing improvements to an existing case-study vehicle. Changes to the pack architecture and thermal management system resulted in reductions of maximum temperature of 8% and improvements in temperature uniformity of over 66%. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| Rivera, Daniel | Woo, Minna | Investigating the Role of JAK2 in Intestinal Homeostasis and Disease | Pharmacology | 2022-11 | Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are critical in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Janus kinase (JAK) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT)-mediated signalling coordinates the cell-cell communication underpinning many homeostatic, inflammatory, and host-defensive responses. Little is known about the role of JAK2 in IECs. To investigate the role of IEC JAK2 in homeostasis, we generated mice deficient in Jak2 using a Cre-loxP system. These mice exhibited increased intestinal barrier permeability, altered gene expression of tight junction proteins, and increases in TH2 and TH17 cytokine gene expression. Further, these mice exhibited greater histological evidence of intestinal inflammation and when subjected to experimental colitis, lost more body weight than control mice. Overall, IEC Jak2 deletion resulted in mild inflammation and impairments to the intestinal barrier, indicating IEC Jak2 may promote intestinal homeostasis. | M.Sc. | invest | 9 |
| Taj, Farzan | Stein, Lincoln D | Drug Response Prediction and Biomarker Discovery using Multimodal Deep Learning | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | Patients with the same cancer type respond differently to the same drugs. This difference is partly due to genetic and other molecular variabilities among patients. Efforts in the pharmacogenomics field are underway to better understand the relationship between the patient’s genomic background and their response to therapy. Advances in molecular profiling approaches have paved the way for the systematic screening of drug effects in cancer cell lines. Numerous computational approaches have been proposed to address the sizeable combinatorial space of testing cell lines and drug pairs. Although deep learning algorithms outperform traditional methods, there are still many challenges in drug response prediction (DRP) that ultimately result in these models’ low generalizability, which hampers their clinical application. I have recognized and addressed some of the shortcomings of DRP methods by combining multiple cell line characterization data, addressing drug response data skewness, and improving chemical compound representation. The result is an open-source, Python-based, command-line program available at: https://github.com/LincolnSteinLab/DRP. | M.Sc. | learning | 4 |
| Mahal, Jushwin Singh | Chandra, Sanjeev | A Flat Plate Heat Exchanger for Waste Heat Recovery | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | A novel flat-plate drain water heat exchanger was developed and tested to reduce the overall energy consumption of household and commercial water heaters by increasing the cold water supply temperature through heat exchange with waste greywater. Characterization of the DWHR prototype unit demonstrated an average effectiveness of 0.401 across the entire operating flowrate range and an increase in effectiveness of approximately 0.031 on the highest-performing comparable DWHR unit. A novel thermally-sprayed resistive sensor was fabricated and tested to detect the relative amount of fouling on heat exchanger surfaces by locally heating the fluid volume around the sensor and measuring the associated cooling rate in a natural convection environment. The sensor demonstrated the ability to detect a decrease in overall heat transfer coefficient with an increase in thermal conductive resistance, using a curve-fitting lumped body transient conduction model, over a thermal conductive resistance range of approximately 0.05 to 0.6 ?.?/?. | M.A.S. | water, energy, consum, waste | 6, 7, 12 |
| Beaulieu, Samuel Oscar | Porter, Trevor J. | Summer Climate Reconstruction using Tree-ring Blue Intensity in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories | Geography | 2022-11 | This thesis uses tree rings from white spruce taken from the Mackenzie Delta to i) explore the potential to extend the region’s current tree-ring record by using subfossil trees buried under lake sediments, and ii) be the first study in the region to use the tree-ring parameter blue intensity.The sample set spanned 1105-2018, adding crucial sample replication prior to 1500 AD. The subfossil wood from lakes did not extend the chronology. However, it yielded samples that were over 800 years old, indicating that lakes in the region could potentially harbor ancient samples to target for future research._x000D_ The blue intensity record was strongly correlated with May-September minimum temperatures (r=0.63), while also proving to be highly effective at capturing extreme interannual temperature variations caused by volcanic eruptions. Findings from the blue intensity reconstruction confirm that the parameter can be used as a robust summer temperature proxy in the region. | M.Sc. | climate | 13 |
| Rogerson, Adam Mitchell | DeMartini, Nikolai | Dynamic Modelling of Process Chemistry in Kraft Pulp Mills | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Efficiency decline in the recovery cycle of Kraft pulp and paper mills can create dynamic conditions that lead to evaporator scaling and poor combustion properties at the recovery boiler. In extreme cases, these dynamic conditions can evolve into production disruptions and mill shutdowns. Currently, operational strategies are often evaluated with steady-state models without the capability to simulate dynamics, leading to misinformed operational decisions. Dynamic modelling offers the opportunity to provide accurate real-time information to operators to pre-emptively manage dynamic conditions before shutdowns are required. To this end, this research project developed a dynamic model of a Canadian softwood/hardwood pulp mill using CADSIM Plus with model calibration from a mill-wide sampling campaign. Time and impact estimates of common dynamic conditions were determined to inform and improve existing operational strategies. Further, linking the model to mill measurements would equip operators with real-time chemistry measurement leading to optimized process control. | M.A.S. | production | 12 |
| Caven, Isabelle | Penner, Melanie | Multi-stakeholder Perspectives on Acceptability of Pediatric Autism Therapies: A Mixed Methods Study | Medical Science | 2022-11 | Exploring perspectives on acceptability of pediatric autism therapies (occupational therapy (OT, speech language pathology (SLP) services, applied behaviour analysis (ABA)-based therapies and physiotherapy (PT)) is critical to ensure services are appropriate and informed by lived experiences. This mixed-method survey study investigated multi-stakeholder (autistic people, parents of autistic children, clinicians) perspectives on acceptability, which reflects the extent to which people delivering or receiving a healthcare intervention consider it to be appropriate. The survey was created with stakeholder feedback. There were 157 completed responses, the majority of which were from clinicians. Results showed individuals across all stakeholder groups to be accepting of OT and SLP services, dependent on aspects of service delivery. Autistic and parent respondents were less accepting of ABA than clinicians, and shared ethical concerns about all therapies, with a focus on ABA. Further work is needed to understand what makes certain aspects of therapies (i.e., external reinforcement) unacceptable. | M.Sc. | healthcare, invest | 3, 9 |
| Lee, Chun Hin Justine | Andritsos, Periklis P.A | VRNNGAN:A Recurrent VAE-GAN Framework for Synthetic Time-Series | Information Studies | 2022-06 | Time-series data generation is a machine learning task growing in popularity, and has been a mod- elling focus of deep generative methods. In this paper, we propose Variational Recurrent Neural Network GAN (VRNNGAN), a novel GAN framework for synthetic time-series generation. VRN- NGAN uses a recurrent Variational Autoencoder (VAE) as the generator and a bidirectional RNN as the discriminator. The recurrent VAE captures temporal dynamics into a learned time-varying latent space while the adversarial training encourages VRNNGAN to generate realistic time-series data. We evaluate VRNNGAN against other relevant deep generative methods on three datasets and perform four evaluations on the generated synthetic data.. We propose a novel metric for evaluating time-series GAN models using the time-step percentiles built from the generated synthetic data. We find that VRNNGAN achieves the best predictive score across all datasets and baseline methods and is competitive with the top-performing alternative in the majority of other experiments. | M.I.S. | learning | 4 |
| Schonewille, Adam John | Diller, Eric | Maximizing Workspace Accessibility in Magnetic Actuation of Tethered Microsurgical Tools using Non-uniform Magnetic Fields | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-03 | Magnetic microsurgical tools may be able to allow minimally invasive surgical techniques to be applied to neurosurgical procedures. However, typical magnetic actuation systems either cannot generate large enough magnetic fields, or surround the patient in a way that obstructs a neurosurgeon from taking over the surgery for certain surgical steps. In this research, we develop a magnetic actuation system with maximal workspace accessibility capable of generating non-uniform magnetic fields up to 38 mT in the x- and y- axes and 47 mT in the z-axis at a working distance of 12 cm, deep enough to deploy these surgical tools in the brain. We demonstrate the advantages of employing a non-uniform field control methodology over the more optimal uniform field control methodology and the limitations of such an approach. Due to its large workspace, this system could be used to control microrobots in a variety of medical applications. | M.A.S. | accessib | 11 |
| Sue, Christopher | Valaee, Shahrokh | Network Coded Information Raining Over IEEE 802.16j | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2010-04-07 | Information raining has been shown to address the problem of delivering Internet access to high-speed rail passengers. However, a wireline repeater or heterogeneous wireless relay design complicates implementation. Recent developments in extending mobile multihop relaying to the IEEE 802.16e standard have made it feasible to deploy an information raining using a common radio and physical layer. Two automatic repeat request techniques and two network coding techniques are proposed. An upper and lower bound on delay is established for a single fully network coded relay system operating in static signal to noise ratio conditions. Simulations involving a physical layer model demonstrate that network coding schemes can attain the maximum downlink capacity. | MAST | internet | 9 |
| Nuta, Elena | Christopoulos, Constantin||Packer, Jeffrey A. | Seismic Analysis of Steel Wind Turbine Towers in the Canadian Environment | Civil Engineering | 2010-04-06 | The seismic response of steel monopole wind turbine towers is investigated and their risk is assessed in the Canadian seismic environment. This topic is of concern as wind turbines are increasingly being installed in seismic areas and design codes do not clearly address this aspect of design. An implicit finite element model of a 1.65MW tower was developed and validated. Incremental dynamic analysis was carried out to evaluate its behaviour under seismic excitation, to define several damage states, and to develop a framework for determining its probability of damage. This framework was implemented in two Canadian locations, where the risk was found to be low for the seismic hazard level prescribed for buildings. However, the design of wind turbine towers is subject to change, as is the design spectrum. Thus, a methodology is outlined to thoroughly investigate the probability of reaching predetermined damage states under seismic loading for future considerations. | MAST | wind, buildings, invest | 7, 9 |
| Bikow, Jennifer | Keating, Armand||Wen, Xiao-Yan | Establishment of Zebrafish Models for Studying Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy for Cardiac Disease | Medical Science | 2010-12-15 | Bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can be induced to express cardiac-specific markers by embryonic cardiomyocytes in vitro. To determine whether this phenomenon occurs in vivo, we have developed a cell transplantation system using zebrafish embryonic recipients. We were unable to isolate expandable zebrafish kidney stromal (ZKS) cells from the kidney, the human BM equivalent; hence, we analyzed the established ZKS1 cell line. We found that ZKS1 expresses stromal genes, but also expresses hematopoietic genes not normally expressed by MSCs. Furthermore, we were unable to differentiate ZKS1 cells into adipocytes, osteoblasts or cardiomyocytes in vitro. We created a transgenic ZKS1(CMV:eGFP) cell line which, after transplantation into zebrafish blastulae, was observed within the host heart, among other tissues. Finally, pT2/S2tnnt2-GM2 and pT2/S2tnnt2-DsRed transposons were generated to mark ZKS1 cardiac differentiation. The zebrafish model established here will be useful for studying the molecular mechanisms of exogenous MSC cardiac differentiation in vivo. | MAST | fish | 14 |
| Author | Advisor | Title | Department | Date Issued | Abstract | Degree | Keyword(s) | SDG(s) Covered |
| Shishis, Stephanie Susannah | Gerlai, Robert | The First Steps Towards Optimizing Zebrafish Housing Conditions: The Effect of Tank Size, Fish Density and Handling on the Behaviour of Adult Zebrafish | Cell and Systems Biology | 2024-06 | The zebrafish has been employed in several fields of biology due to its translational relevance and its simplicity and ease of maintenance. Current industry standards favor keeping the largest possible number of fish in the smallest possible volume of water to increase efficiency and reduce costs. However, physiological, and psychological stress resulting from such crowding may impact a variety of phenotypes. Surprisingly, little is known about what constitutes an optimal housing environment for the zebrafish despite recent sporadic reports implying negative effects of the standard practice of crowding. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how housing condition dependent changes (tank size, housing density and handling) exert significant effects on the zebrafish. By assessing zebrafish behaviour via a home tank observational procedure, the novel tank test, physiological whole-body cortisol analysis, water parameter analysis and handling experiment, we hope to achieve a greater understanding of stress/anxiety-inducing housing conditions in zebrafish. | M.Sc. | housing, fish | 14 |
| McDowell, Sara G. | Wemigwans, Jennifer | Revitalizing Indigenous Languages in Toronto: The Responsibilities and Potential Roles of non-Indigenous Peoples | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2024-03 | In the place known as Toronto, Indigenous peoples are dedicating themselves to revitalizing and reclaiming their languages. How can the non-Indigenous peoples of this place end the neglect and assault on Indigenous languages and support their goals? I spoke with ten, mostly First Nations, people who are engaged with languages in the Toronto area to ask for guidance. I learned about the different kinds of relationships and responsibilities that hold us together, including wampum belt treaties, reconciliation, our relationship with the land, and for some, common experiences of colonization or language oppression. I learned about the roles that non-Indigenous peoples can play, including supporting Indigenous community-based organizations, political action and land back, raising awareness and visibility, removing barriers, challenging stereotypes and assumptions, and perhaps learning the languages. This research is intended as a foundation for public education to stimulate informed solidarity and action in Indigenous language revitalization. | M.A. | indigenous | 4, 10, 16, 17 |
| Pople, Christopher B | Rabin, Jennifer S||Lipsman, Nir | Oculomotor Biomarkers of Illness and Response to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Major Depression | Medical Science | 2024-03 | Currently, little rationale exists for treatment selection and staging in depression despite the variety of therapies and frequent occurrence of treatment resistance. In this study, patients experiencing a major depressive episode and healthy controls completed an eye-tracking task, the interleaved pro- and anti-saccade task (IPAST), to assess dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) function at baseline, and again at a follow-up visit. Between visits, patients with depression received 4 weeks of daily transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) targeting the dlPFC. Group differences in reaction time (RT), error rates, and speed-accuracy trade-off (SATO) measures, and their association with depressive symptomatology, were tested. At baseline, patients with depression had impaired anti-saccade RT which differed by subsequent treatment response, suggesting both diagnostic and prognostic value. Change in reflexive anti-saccade errors was associated with change in depressive symptoms. Together, this suggests eye-tracking biomarkers may have some utility in selecting candidates for TMS treatment and monitoring treatment response. | M.Sc. | illness | 3 |
| Sim, Malcolm | Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Alan | The Dynamic Orchestration of Self-Driving Laboratories | Chemistry | 2024-03 | Self-Driving Labs (SDLs) combine automated hardware with computational experiment planning tools to reduce the time between experiments and liberate chemists from routine work, allowing them to focus on bigger, more conceptual problems. SDLs thus have the potential to acceleration of chemical research. However, SDLs are often difficult to implement for existing labs. Barriers include financial cost, lack of accessible Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for chemical hardware, and modularity. Another one is orchestration: the administration of the plethora of toolsavailable to the laboratory users. Unfortunately, existing frameworks lack one of the following key elements: modularity, data collection strategies, and a comprehensive real-life implementation. To address these concerns, this research presents a framework for orchestrating chemical labs, and the automation of laboratory instruments. In addition, implementations are presented to demonstrate the implementation of this framework: A campaign for the synthesis of organic laser molecules, as well as an electrochemical optimization experiment. | M.Sc. | labor | 9 |
| Kazi, Intishar | Tyndale, Rachel | Pharmacogenetics of Biochemically Verified Abstinence in an Opioid Agonist Therapy Randomized Clinical Trial of Methadone and Buprenorphine/Naloxone | Pharmacology | 2024-03 | Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a critical public health issue in Canada and the United States. Methadone and buprenorphine/naloxone are opioid agonist therapies for OUD. We aimed to test genetic variation on clinical outcomes in patients receiving opioid agonist therapies. Patients with prescription OUD were randomized to methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone for 24 weeks of daily treatment. Urine was collected every two weeks and tested for non-treatment opioids. Variants in genes involved in methadone metabolism, buprenorphine metabolism, and μ-opioid receptor function were analyzed. In the methadone arm, the OPRM1 rs1799971 AA genotype was associated with greater non-treatment opioid-free urine screens (i.e. abstinence) than the G-genotypes (AG and GG) in both repeated cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, and were additionally associated with greater retention. No other associations were significant. Following replication, the functionally impactful OPRM1 rs1799971 variant may serve as a pharmacogenetic biomarker for clinically optimizing OUD treatment. | M.Sc. | ABS | 3 |
| Pichtikova, Mina | Gillis, Joseph R. | Exploring the Impact of Minority Stress on Trauma and Dissociation Symptoms Among Sexual Orientation Minorities: A Mixed-Methods Study | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2024-03 | The present study utilized a mixed-methods approach to explore the relationship between minority stress and trauma-related symptoms among sexual orientation minorities. The study posits that chronic identity-based stressors encountered by sexual orientation minorities may elicit mental health symptom commonly associated with trauma. The methods include a qualitative interview and quantitative self-report measures of minority stress, trauma symptoms, and dissociation symptoms. The study found a distinct relationship between elevated minority stress scores and an array of trauma-related symptoms endorsed in the qualitative interviews, including hypervigilance, emotion dysregulation, negative self- concept, and dissociation. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that trauma symptoms mediate the relationship between minority stress and dissociation symptoms, providing new insights into the underlying mechanisms that may influence mental health outcomes in this population. This research contributes to the call for innovative trauma frameworks that are inclusive and attuned to the lived experiences of sexual orientation minorities. | M.A. | minorit | 3, 10 |
| Joe, Tyra | Ratcliffe, John | The Incidence and Function of Defensive Sound Production in a Nearctic Tiger Moth Community | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2024-03 | We queried a community of Nearctic tiger moths for defensive sound production (clicks) when exposed to simulated predator stimuli, and measured several parameters of the phonoresponse to better understand how they deter predatory bats. We found that most species produced clicks and, within and between species, more responded to tactile stimulation than to ultrasonic stimuli (high frequency tone or calibrated bat attack sequence). Additionally, we found that most species respond early in the bat attack sequence, although there was a significant difference in when species responded. Using the dogbane tiger moth, Cycnia tenera, we determined when their clicks would arrive at an attacking bat relative to their returning echoes and how loud the clicks would be relative to these same echoes. We also measured click frequency and directionality. We found that the timing, sound level, and frequency point to an aposematic function, and we demonstrate that the clicks are directional. | M.Sc. | production | 15 |
| Tseng-West, Miya | Nitz, Mark | Exploring NahK-mediated Metabolic Oligosaccharide Engineering with N-azidoacetylglucosamine Derivatives in Escherichia coli | Chemistry | 2024-03 | N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), a glycan precursor, has essential roles in bacterial survival. TheGlcNAc analog, N-azidoacetylglucosamine (GlcNAz) is a widely used glycan probe. Metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE) employing NahK GlcNAc-1-kinase enables UDP-GlcNAz production and incorporation into the peptidoglycan of E. coli. In this work, the mechanism of GlcNAz import in E. coli was investigated using knockout mutant screens. Our results lead to a model for GlcNAz import, consisting of GlcNAz-6-phosphate import by the MurP-Crr phosphotransferase system, induction of transcriptional regulator NagC, and upregulation of GlcNAz import by galactose permease GalP. Additionally, the scope of this MOE strategy was explored toward novel GlcNAz derivatives and N-azidoacetylmannosamine (ManNAz). This revealed GlmU as a bottleneck to incorporating bulkier GlcNAz analogs while hinting at unexplored amino sugar metabolic pathways. This work sheds light on the promiscuity of bacterial sugar transporters and can inform the development of novel cell-permeable sugar probes and MOE strategies. | M.Sc. | arid | 3, 9 |
| Hessels, Evan William | Lujan, Nathan K | Assaying Fish Richness and Distribution Using eDNA in the Ecuadorian Amazon | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2024-03 | To protect the Amazon's biodiversity from escalating anthropogenic threats, proactive conservation measures are crucial. Understanding the region's intricate biodiversity is pivotal for effective strategy development. This study introduces the first museum voucher-backed 12S rRNA reference library for fishes of the Ecuadorian Amazon, highlighting the pivotal role of curated libraries and museum collaborations in advancing biodiversity studies. Employing eDNA metabarcoding, this study yielded comparable outcomes to conventional sampling in estimating richness and species distributions, requiring fewer samples and reduced effort. The fusion of a reliable reference library and eDNA metabarcoding emerges as an enhanced tool for mapping species distributions, estimating richness, and monitoring environmental impacts. The study identifies the Napo drainage in Ecuador as exceptionally diverse, underscoring the need for targeted conservation in a region persistently affected by anthropogenic impacts. This study emphasizes the significance of integrating novel techniques and collaborative strategies for effectively identifying biodiversity in the Amazon. | M.Sc. | fish | 14 |
| Routledge, Francis | Hamdani, Yani | Exploring the Self-Diagnosis Experiences of Self-Diagnosed Autistic Women | Rehabilitation Science | 2024-03 | BACKGROUND: Many Autistic women are misdiagnosed, diagnosed as Autistic later in life, or not identified or diagnosed at all. Some women choose to self-diagnose as Autistic, yet their experiences have not been explored in depth in Autism literature. This qualitative study explored the self-diagnosis experiences of Autistic women. METHODS: Seven people living in Ontario were asked about their self-diagnosis experiences through either a virtual interview or an open-ended questionnaire. Drawing on reflexive thematic analysis procedures, data was analyzed using critical Autism studies as a theoretical lens. RESULTS: Self-diagnosis aims were described as a way to find answers through professionals, the internet, and people in their lives. Self-diagnosis processes were described as increasing one’s self-acceptance, allowing one to sense-make life experiences, and make connections to Autistic communities. IMPLICATIONS: This research highlights the need for neurodiversity-affirming training for health professionals and the importance of Autistic communities for the wellbeing of Autistic people. | M.Sc. | women | 3, 5 |
| Seabrook, Mélanie Suzanne Shirley | Pinto, Andrew D.||Allin, Sara | Public Health Financing in British Columbia: A Case Study Investigating Factors Influencing Decision-Making | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2024-03 | To address the gap in research on public health financing in Canada, this study aimed to 1) describe public health budget-setting processes in British Columbia (BC), including roles of stakeholders involved, and 2) identify and analyse the factors influencing decision-making for public health resource allocation. My case study of the BC public health system consisted of a jurisdictional review of academic and grey literature on BC financing processes and trends spanning two decades, and semi-structured interviews with 14 key informants influential in budget-setting for public health. Taking an inductive analytical approach, I constructed a conceptual model of the political, structural, and external factors influencing public health financing decisions based on results from the case study. I conclude by identifying policy directions with potential for promoting stable public health funding, such as including public health experts in financial decision-making, and strengthening partnerships with external public health organizations. Pour répondre au manque de recherche sur le financement de la santé publique au Canada, cette étude a visé à 1) décrire les processus budgétaires de santé publique en Colombie Britannique (CB) en incluant les rôles des parties prenantes, et 2) identifier et analyser les facteurs influant la prise de décisions pour l’allocation de ressources à la santé publique. Mon étude de cas du système de santé publique de la CB a consisté en une revue juridictionnelle des littératures académique et grise sur les processus et tendances de financement en CB au cours des deux dernières décennies, et de 14 entrevues semi-structurées avec des participants clés influant l’élaboration du budget de santé publique. En prenant une approche analytique inductive, j’ai construit un modèle conceptuel des facteurs politiques, structurels, et externes influant les décisions de financement de la santé publique basé sur mes résultats de l’étude de cas. Je conclus en identifiant des options politiques avec le potentiel de promouvoir un financement de santé publique stable, telle qu’inclure les experts en santé publique dans la prise de décisions, et de renforcer les partenariats avec les organisations de santé publique externes. | M.Sc. | public health, invest | 3, 8 |
| Lavoie-Bernstein, Sarah | Diamond, Miriam L||Jantunen, Liisa M | Comparing Sampling Methods for Measuring Atmospheric Microplastics in Rural and Urban Sites, using Laser Direct Infrared Spectroscopy (LDIR) | Earth Sciences | 2024-03 | In recent years, there have been growing concerns regarding atmospheric-related microplastics and anthropogenically sourced particles. Atmospheric transport disperses these particles quickly and worldwide, deposition being an important source to terrestrial and ocean surfaces. Traditional air sampling methods were deployed and compared during this study, to investigate atmospheric-related microplastics and anthropogenically sourced particles using; active-air, bulk deposition, and wet deposition. Samples were deployed in a densely populated urban centre and at a rural site, between February 2022 and February 2023. Number of particles and diversity of polymer type and morphology were higher at the urban site. There was no statistical difference between the sampling methods used at either site. This implies the simple bulk deposition samplers can be confidently used to determine abundance and the diversity in polymer types and morphology in ambient air. The dominant polymer types at both sites were polyester, polypropylene, and anthropogenic cellulose (e.g., denim, cellulose acetate, etc.). | M.A.S. | urban, rural | 3, 11, 13, 15 |
| Soo, Marisa HM | Anderson, Harvey | The Effect of Full-Fat Dairy Consumption on Body Weight, Body Composition, Energy Metabolism, and Blood Lipids | Nutritional Sciences | 2024-03 | The hypothesis was that the addition of full-fat dairy combined with dietary advice based on Canada’s Food Guide would result in greater loss of weight and improved health markers in overweight and obese adults compared to an energy restricted diet. Three daily servings of full-fat dairy of milk, cheese, and yogurt were added to an energy restricted or ab libitum diet without energy restriction and compared to a low-dairy energy restricted diet in 65 healthy males and females. The design was a 12-week, randomized, parallel, multi-site study. Dietary treatments had no effect on body weight, body composition, waist or hip circumference, resting metabolic rate, or blood lipid concentrations, including LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. The results encourage further examination of the effects of full-fat dairy in the context of Canada’s Food Guide. | M.Sc. | energy, consum | 2, 3, 12 |
| Tran, Kenneth | Winnik, Mitchell A | Waterborne 2-Component Polyurethane Coatings Based on Acrylic Polyols with Secondary Alcohols | Chemistry | 2024-03 | While two-component waterborne polyurethane (2K-WB-PUR) coatings offer an environmentally friendly alternative to their solventborne counterparts, their performance is subpar in comparison to solventborne coatings. Characteristics of the components affect the miscibility and the formation of the film in ways which are not well understood. In this thesis, I investigated the film formation of a two-component waterborne polyurethane system comprised of an acrylic polyol with secondary hydroxyl groups (Mn ≈ 5100, 10300 or 12900 g/mol, Ð ≈ 3, Tg ≈ 20 °C) and a hydrophilically modified polyisocyanate (Basonat HW1000). I followed the film formation using spectroscopic techniques and found that higher molecular weight polyols limited the extent of molecular mixing in the film and lead to a higher relative ratio of polyurea to polyurethane in the film. | M.Sc. | water | 12 |
| Mejia Uzeda, Erick | Broucke, Mireille M | On the Use of Control Theory to Understand the Brain: Learning and Forgetting | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-11 | The brain is assigned the arduous task of controlling an ever changing body in a dynamic environment. In order to do so, the brain must be able to learn about both. This thesis investigates the use of control theory as the mathematical foundation to explain the mechanisms by which learning, as well as forgetting, manifest themselves in systems neuroscience. While learning is used to describe many behaviours of the brain, we focus on the process of reflex adaptation, consisting of a transfer of learning from the cerebellum to the site of reflexes. Particularly, we use regulator theory, adaptive control, and averaging theory to model the computations performed in learning appropriate reflex gains of the body. As a result, we develop a control architecture that enables near instantaneous rejection of brief disturbances while maintaining attenuation of persistent disturbances. Then we shift our focus to robustness of learning processes, elucidating the role of forgetting in biological systems. While forgetting is perceived as counter-productive to learning, we show that if incorporated according to the Use it or Lose it Principle, it can endow much needed robustness to train reflexes without interfering in their adaptation. This is accomplished using our newly proposed $\mu$-modification, which achieves robustness of adaptive schemes through the estimation of exciting subspaces and the use of matrix perturbation theory. In turn, this addresses the longstanding open problem in adaptive control of ensuring adaptive systems are robust to noise without compromising on regulation, without any weaker excitation assumptions, and without knowledge about unknown parameters. The developed techniques are combined in a comprehensive model, with simulations illustrating their effectiveness. While the motivations for the thesis stem from systems neuroscience, the presented contributions set the foundation for a new outlook on adaptive regulation. | M.A.S. | learning | 3, 4 |
| Abdelazeem, Omar | Meyer, David D.J. | Keys to Building a Better Hydraulic Model of Intermittent Water Supply: A Critical Review and Comprehensive Guide | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Intermittent Water Supply (IWS) networks – which supply >20% of piped water users globally – infamously distribute water unequally among their users. Unfortunately, IWS networks have distinct and complicated hydraulics that are not readily simulated by standard hydraulic software, hindering the ability of IWS researchers, utility operators and regulators to affordably explore and test potential optimization and improvement solutions. To enable IWS modelers in making modelling choices that representatively predict user demand satisfaction and potential inequalities, this thesis critically reviews the assumptions made by proposed IWS modelling methods in the literature, which disagree with and at times contradict each other, and synthesized them into a set of two key choices: how to represent user behavior and which phases of the IWS cycle: filling, pressurized supply, and/or draining, to model. Specific recommendations on modelling procedures are provided and the relative impacts of modelling choices are quantified. تعمل شبكات إمدادات المياه المتقطعة (IWS) - التي تمد أكثر من 20% من مستخدمي شبكات توزيع المياه على مستوى العالم - على توزيع المياه بشكل غير متساو بين مستخدميها. لسوء الحظ، تحتوي شبكات على مكونات هيدروليكية متميزة ومعقدة لا يمكن محاكاتها بسهولة بواسطة البرامج الهيدروليكية القياسية، مما يعيق قدرة الباحثين في IWS ومشغلي المرافق والمنظمين على استكشاف واختبار حلول التحسين والتحسين المحتملة بتكلفة معقولة. لتمكين مصممي نماذج IWS من اتخاذ خيارات النمذجة التي تتنبأ بشكل تمثيلي برضا طلب المستخدم وعدم المساواة المحتملة، تستعرض هذه الأطروحة بشكل نقدي الافتراضات التي قدمتها أساليب نمذجة IWS المقترحة في الأدبيات، والتي لا تتفق مع بعضها البعض وتتناقض في بعض الأحيان، وتجميعها في مجموعة من خيارين رئيسيين: كيفية تمثيل سلوك المستخدم ومراحل دورة IWS: التعبئة و/أو الإمداد المضغوط و/أو التصريف للنموذج. يتم تقديم توصيات محددة بشأن إجراءات النمذجة ويتم قياس التأثيرات النسبية لخيارات النمذجة. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Cheng, Zian | Mercan, Oya | Investigating the Impact of Different Plan Dimensions on the Flow around Rectangular Buildings through Numerical Simulations | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | With the increasing number of high-rise buildings being constructed, there is a growing emphasis on enhancing their aerodynamic performance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a valuable tool for investigating wind loads around these structures due to its cost-effectiveness and improved spatial resolution. The objective of this study is to assess the capability of CFD methods in capturing mean, fluctuating, and area-averaged pressure coefficients on rectangular high-rise buildings, with specific attention given to ASCE 7-16 provisions. Numerical simulations utilizing two techniques: Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulation (RANS), were conducted on six rectangular high-rise buildings with varying plan dimensions and Angle of Attack (AoA). For accurate LES simulations, a turbulence inlet was generated using a divergence-free synthetic turbulence generator and validated against available Wind Tunnel (WT) data. Velocity streamlines and pressure contours were presented and analyzed as part of the investigation. The results demonstrated that LES exhibited promising outcomes in terms of local mean pressure coefficients, area-averaged mean pressure coefficients, and fluctuating pressure coefficients. On the other hand, RANS results displayed larger errors. Furthermore, the study observed that LES effectively captured the common flow characteristics around high-rise buildings, where the length-to-breadth ratio (L/B) significantly influenced the size of eddies formed behind the structures. | M.A.S. | buildings, invest | 9,11 |
| Li, Feiyu | Aleman, Dionne M | A Machine Learning Framework to Predict IQ Decline Post-treatment in Pediatric Brain Cancer with Consideration of Computational Efficiency | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-11 | Existing models for predicting intelligence quotient (IQ) for pediatric brain cancer patients after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (RT) are derived from statistical linear and nonlinear analysis. While those models are computationally efficient, they use oversimplified representations of a patient's overall brain features. They neglect other important and complex brain structure information, such as image segmentations of healthy tissue and the target to be treated.\\ Therefore, we develop a machine learning (ML) approach to predict post-RT IQ based on 57 pediatric cases. Our data-model pipeline allows us to train over 600 billion parameters. Such high-density processing pipeline requires a novel parallel computing framework for the training and tuning tasks. Our framework can tractably handle these computational requirements by utilizing 1) an extensive grid search fitting-training scheme on individual and ensemble ML models, 2) automated network morphism that optimizes neural network structure efficiently, and 3) hardware configurations for RAM, CPU and GPU environments. This framework is adaptable to most of the ML-RT applications and particularly useful in both high- and low-dimensional datasets shown in many clinical applications. In predicting high or low post-RT IQ deficit, our framework outperforms baseline models, achieving a test accuracy of 75\%, a mean training accuracy of 83.3\% (±13), recall $\geq75\%$, and precision-recall harmonic mean of 0.75 for pre-Treatment-Planning dataset. We also demonstrate that complex models like ensemble stack model and deep neural nets can be practical under certain conditions. | M.Sc. | learning | 3, 4, 9 |
| Cheng, Yu | Andrews, Robert C. | Validation and Optimization of an Effective Oxidation and Digestion Method for Isolating Microplastics from Source and Treated Drinking Water Matrices | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | To-date, no method for isolating microplastics (MPs) from background organic and inorganic particles prior to analysis using Raman spectroscopy has been systematically evaluated for freshwater and treated drinking waters. In this study, seven oxidation and digestion methods which were previously presented in the literature were evaluated to compare performance when isolating MPs (> 2 μm) from tap water. Results showed that Fenton’s reaction followed by digestion using cellulase and trypsin was optimal. Subsequent trials were conducted to optimize this method by varying an acidification step as well as reducing reaction times of the oxidation and digestion steps to minimize overall processing time. Adding H2SO4 prior to commencing the Fenton reaction, instead of following its completion, and reducing the reaction time from 24 to 1 h minimized the formation of Fe(III)-organic precipitate. The optimized method was then evaluated using three different source waters to confirm its applicability and reproducibility. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Yoo, Yehyeon | Chmielewski, Anna K | Social Inequalities in Student Occupational Expectations in Canada, England, and the United States | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | As student occupational expectations have been found to predict adult occupational outcomes, the disproportionately low rates of occupational attainment among low SES and minoritized groups raise concern. This research compares the levels of social inequality in student occupational expectations in Canada, England, and the United States of America. Using the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment, the outcome is measured by students expected occupational status, and the key independent variable used to measure SES is parental occupational status. This study has found that the correlation between student occupational expectations and parental occupational status vary in strength across the three countries. Canada shows a stronger relationship than England and the United States, after controlling for other independent variables, including parental education, home possessions, gender, immigration status, and academic achievement. The study intends to investigate the influences of such correlation and explain away the outcomes in a country-specific context. | M.A. | equalit, land | 4, 8, 10 |
| Nower, Noshin | Franklin, Meredith MF | Satellite-Based Exposure Model for Predicting Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) to Assess its Role on the Incidence of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections (ALRI) in Infants of Rural Bangladesh | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been shown to increase the risk of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections (ALRI), the burden for which is much higher in children of low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Bangladesh where poor air quality is a significant public health concern. One challenge in assessing health effects associated with PM2.5 in LMICs is quantifying exposures for affected populations as measurement data are sparse. To address this issue, spatiotemporal regression and machine learning models that leveraged satellite observations of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and meteorology to predict daily PM2.5 exposures between 2017 and 2021 at the georeferenced residential locations of children that were part of the Bangladesh Cook Stove Pregnancy Cohort Study (BCSPCS) were developed. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) Machine Learning Model showed superior predictive performance in validation tests. Predicted exposures linked to the BCSPCS revealed that children having ALRI were exposed to statistically significantly higher PM2.5 than those without ALRI. This thesis demonstrates the feasibility of using satellite-AOD derived PM2.5 exposures to study health effects in LMICs and shows that poor air quality is a significant risk factor for the development of childhood ALRI. | MES | rural | 3, 11, 13 |
| Hogg, Jordan | Classens, Michael | Barriers to Entry for Equity-Deserving Farmers in Ontario | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | The Canadian Agricultural industry is on the brink of a major transformation. Canadian farmers on average, are aging out, and very few have a succession plan in place. Young people are abandoning their careers in the sector in favour of job security in urban centers. Farmers in general, experience a number of challenges associated with owning and operating a farm. However, structural barriers further complicate the ways in which ‘Equity-deserving’ farmers experience and navigate these challenges. There has been limited formal study interrogating how systemic marginalization has impacted the ability for 2SLGBTQ+, women, young and racialized farmers to participate and thrive in the agricultural industry. This thesis focused on equity-deserving farmers living and working in rural and peri-urban regions in Ontario, Canada. The data gathered from qualitative interviews and a demographic survey reveals four major areas of interest: (1) Training and Education Opportunities, (2) Land Access, (3) Identity, and (4) Strength in Community. This thesis offers policy suggestions and highlights the need for collaboration in order to effectively address these ongoing challenges. | M.A. | equity, equit | 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15 |
| Frutuoso, Victor | Sleep, Brent E | Groundwater Flow and Transport Model of Chloroanilines, Chlorobenzenes, and Dichloronitrobenzenes at an Industrial Site in Brazil. | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Groundwater contamination is a widespread problem across many industrial areas. The application of modelling tools that can improve the understanding of how contaminations behave can offer great help for remediation activities. The project constructed a tri-dimensional finite difference groundwater model to simulate groundwater flow and contaminant transport using MODFLOW and RT3D250, respectively. Groundwater flow was modelled to understand the general flow direction and potential water transfer between layers. Multiple aquifer scenarios were simulated to assess how concentrations of Chlorobenzenes, Chloroanilines and Dichloronitrobenzenes would behave. Contaminant migration was found to be significantly affected by increasing the aquifer’s distribution coefficient and the contaminant’s decay rates. Source decay plays an important role in how plume concentrations evolve. Multiple limitations were observed during the model development and were mainly caused by the lack of data available for key parameters, such as boundaries, groundwater elevations and contaminant concentrations. The conclusion is that it was possible to develop an applicable groundwater flow and transport model. However, relevant data gaps must be addressed to enhance the model’s capabilities. | M.A.S. | water | 6 |
| Yu, Anton | Higgins, Christopher | Exploring the 15-minute City: Access Sufficiency, Travel Behaviour, and Perceptions of Accessibility in the City of Toronto | Geography | 2023-11 | The populations of cities have been increasing, so ensuring that cities provide a high quality of life for their residents has become an increasingly important goal in urban planning. Compact cities are considered the most sustainable urban form which has led to the recent popularity of the 15-minute City concept. Using the City of Toronto as a case study, this thesis explores different aspects of the 15-minute City to determine the relationship between 15-minute accessibility and travel behaviour in a North American context. The results suggest that residents of Toronto tend to use slower more sustainable modes of transport if they provide complete sufficient 15-minute access to destinations. Additionally, perceptions of accessibility improve as 15-minute access becomes more complete. However, several issues, notably Toronto’s current urban form, prevent the 15-minute City from being realized in all parts of the city. | M.Sc. | accessib | 11 |
| Wildeboer, Marika | Todorova, Miglena S | Examining the Sexual Violence Prevention Approaches of Toronto Universities: Focus on Varsity Athletic Programs and Sports | Social Justice Education | 2023-11 | Sexual violence is an ongoing issue that plagues Canadian Universities. This research explores the relationship between university athletics and how this impacts a culture of sexual violence. Student athletes disproportionately represent sexual violence offenders on university campuses; despite this, athletes continue to play an active and public role within university communities (Beaver, 2019). This research explores the sexual violence policies of three predominant universities within the city of Toronto Ontario, Canada. Uncovering through archival analysis and policy review, the lack of preventative intervention available to students. This highlights the ongoing issue of reactive policy that does little to protect students and proactively address the pattern of violence against women as pertains to athletics and sports. Addressing an overrepresented group of perpetrators allows insights into the interconnection between sports and the student athlete within the context of sexual violence which can lead to positive prevention initiatives. | M.A. | violence | 5, 16 |
| Quan, Yiwei Patricia | Sakamoto, Izumi | Anti-Asian Racism on Campus and Chinese International Students’ Resistance in Canada: Social Media Discourse, Advocacy, and Coping Strategies | Social Work | 2023-11 | The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified anti-Asian racism (AAR) in Canada, leading many Chinese Canadians (CC) to engage in resistance efforts (e.g., Balintec, 2022; Dao, 2021). However, Chinese international students (CIS) are often depicted as passive recipients of racism who prefer non-confrontational coping strategies (e.g., Ji & Chen, 2022). This thesis aims to challenge the dominant narrative by positioning CIS as agents of change who actively shape their campus experience. Using a case study of CIS-led and engaged in community organizing to resist a racist incident on a university campus, this study reports on conventional content analysis (CCA) of social media comments in both Chinese- and English-speaking platforms, and a 90-minute focused group discussion was held with seven CIS student activists to explore the social media discourse surrounding student advocacy, their experiences during resistance, and the impacts of social media comments on them. In addition, as a member of the group, journal entries I recorded during the period of resistance (i.e., February 1st to 14th, 2022) were included to triangulate the analysis.The findings reveal multiple narratives across the two platforms, including initial shock, surprise, anger, or hurt, and generalizations of negative impressions onto specific populations such as Canadians, CIS/CC, or all "foreigners." The online commenters divided into two sides: (1) supporting the students, believing that this incident reflects systemic problems such as racism and White supremacy, and educating others about the seriousness of this issue; and (2) blaming the students, minimizing their experience, framing them as ungrateful, or even using Chinese traditional values to discourage their resistance. An important discovery of the Chinese-speaking social media discourse is that some people in China also hold discriminatory attitudes towards CIS and other Asian populations. Through the focus group with the student activists, this thesis found that social media comments made both within Canada and China negatively impacted the CIS activists in this study, especially the disapproval and discrimination on Chinese-speaking platforms, leading them to feel "委屈 (Wei Qu)" (i.e., feeling wronged, aggrieved). Moreover, the student activists expressed a strong need for online anonymity. Despite the challenges, they continued engaging in community organizing efforts. They developed a critical consciousness around the incident thanks to their academic background and the initial reporting email setting the stage. They utilized predominantly informal support while such critical consciousness also supported them to feel like they were doing the right thing. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to a better understanding of the experiences and perspectives of CIS engaging in a resistance effort against anti-Asian racism (AAR) in Canada. It also provides policy and practice suggestions to address and support international students' activism in a Canadian setting. | M.S.W. | racism | 4, 10, 16 |
| Mohseni, Sana | Shafiee, Mohammad MS | Relationship Between Admission Body Mass Index (BMI), Nutritional-Inflammatory Biomarkers, and In-Hospital Outcomes among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Background: COVID-19 continues to present challenges, as certain patients require hospitalization due to pre-existing risk factors or the severity of the illness, possibly leading to adverse clinical outcomes. This thesis aims to investigate the association between BMI categories, biomarkers and in-hospital outcomes.Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 241 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from March 2020 to May 2022 to examine the association of patient characteristics, including BMI categories and patient outcomes. Results: Obesity was independently associated with decreased in-hospital mortality after adjusting for potential confounders. Obese patients were predominantly female, younger in age, with elevated admission levels of albumin. Moreover, a higher decrease in albumin level in COVID-19 patients was linked to prolonged hospital stays. Also, deceased patients showed significantly elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio. Conclusion: BMI, along with albumin at admission and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, might serve as indicative factors for assessing the prognosis and morbidity of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 3 |
| Pereira, Sofia Christina | McMeans, Bailey C | Exploring Seasonal Variation of Liver and Muscle Mercury in a Freshwater Sport Fish, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-11 | Mercury (Hg) is a contaminant that reaches elevated concentrations in fish, posing a threat to human health. Hg in fish varies widely among populations and species; however, the influence of seasonal dynamics in temperate fish feeding ecology, behaviour, and physiology on their Hg concentrations is unexplored. We investigated whether liver and muscle Hg varied seasonally in a freshwater sportfish, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), in two lakes and two consecutive years. We foundthat Hg varied seasonally in muscle, but liver Hg was variable and did not display consistent seasonal patterns. Fork length, liver C: N and, in some models, δ15N (trophic position), were predictors of liver Hg, but not sex or δ13C (habitat use). 44% of fish captured had muscle Hg that exceeded Health Canada commercial consumption guidelines. Our findings shed light on temporal dynamics of fish Hg and suggest that consumption advisories should consider seasonal variability of Hg concentrations in temperate freshwater fishes. | M.Sc. | water, fish | 3, 6, 14 |
| McFarland, Abbey | Rourke, Sean B | HIV-Related Stigmas, Health Care Empowerment, and Self- Rated Health Among People Living with HIV in Ontario | Medical Science | 2023-11 | HIV-related stigma negatively impacts the health of people living with HIV; however, uncertainty remains around the mechanisms through which this occurs. Health care empowerment, which is defined as being engaged and committed to one’s care, and resilient to setbacks in health, may be a significant factor. As such, this study examined if health care empowerment mediated the relationship between HIV-related stigmas and self-rated health and how demographics may play a role, using the 2018 Ontario People Living with HIV Stigma Index Study. Results using ANOVA/Students t-tests and multiple linear regression/mediation showed that internalized, enacted, and anticipated stigma were all significantly elevated and related to self-rated health. Additionally, health care empowerment mediated internalized stigma and self-rated health’s association and was significantly lower for those who were younger, living with HIV for 10 or less years, heterosexual, and had less than high school education. Findings suggest the potential benefits of focused interventions. | M.Sc. | health care | 3 |
| Rabindranath, Madhumitha | Bhat, Mamatha | Automated Diagnosis of Liver Allograft Fibrosis using Machine Learning Approaches | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Purpose: To determine if machine learning can be leveraged to develop non-invasive diagnostic tools for liver graft fibrosis.Methods: Using 1,804 ultrasound (US) studies from 1,131 patients with a nested 10-fold cross-validation approach, we trained artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine models on demographic, clinical, and serum data to predict significant fibrosis. US images was used to train a residual network 18 (ResNet18) model to non-invasively diagnose advanced fibrosis. Results: The ANN model’s performance was superior with the best models’ validation AUCs ranging from 0.74-0.77 and test set AUC range of 0.77-0.81. The ResNet18 model was unable to diagnose advanced graft fibrosis using US images, leading to the training AUCs range from 0.89-0.97, while the validation and testing AUCs were between 0.43-0.63. Conclusion: This study determined machine learning may be leveraged to non-invasively diagnose graft fibrosis using demographic, clinical, and serum data but not with US imaging. | M.Sc. | learning | 3 |
| Pachai, Aashna | Besco, Laurel | Mitigating Aviation’s Climate Change Impact: An Analysis of Post-Pandemic State Action Plans | Geography | 2023-11 | The international aviation industry is a contributor to climate change because of its large and growing release of greenhouse gas emissions. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) encourages its member states to develop strategies aimed at tackling climate change impacts from the industry, which are known as State Action Plans (SAPs). As the industry returns to growth following the Covid-19 pandemic, many are thinking of ways to decarbonize. Through the analysis of 61 SAPs, this research aims to identify the mitigation measures undertaken by states to limit emissions from the aviation industry, and importantly also looks for any evidence of policy transfer or lesson drawing between states, and between states and ICAO. Findings demonstrate that the actions undertaken by most countries are minimal and will not lead to sufficient decarbonization for the industry. Additionally, policy transfer and lesson drawing are found to be evident amongst the SAPs but not extensive. | M.A. | climate | 9, 13, 17 |
| Pei, Ziyuan | Masani, Kei KM | Investigating the Orthotic and Acute Therapeutic Effects of a Novel Upright Balance Therapy for Individuals with iSCI and Developing a New Clinical Version | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-11 | Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) experience an increased rate of falls due to decreased sensorimotor function. We demonstrated in a prior longitudinal pilot study that a therapeutic system using functional electrical stimulation and visual feedback balance training (FES+VFBT), produced therapeutic effects in individuals with iSCI. However, the exact role and mechanism FES in the system is not understood. Additionally, hardware and software limitations make clinical application of the system difficult. In this thesis, I determined the orthotic and acute therapeutic effect of FES in the FES+VFBT system and developed a new clinical version of the system. The FES demonstrated an orthotic effect by increasing ankle stiffness and an acute therapeutic effect by increasing corticospinal excitability. A new clinical version of the system was successfully recreated using the Wii Balance Board and Unity game engine and was proven to perform at least on par with the lab-based system. | M.A.S. | invest | 3, 9 |
| Gariepy, Zachary | Singh, Chandra Veer | Design of Multi-component Alloy Catalysts Aided by Density Functional Theory and Machine Learning | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | Catalysts are a key pillar in countless industrial processes and represent key components to some of the worlds most important solutions regarding climate change. As a result, increasingly complex systems such as Binary and High Entropy Alloys are being studied to improve performance. For these systems, the large configurational spaces require high throughput techniques such as machine learning to properly study but current methods are not perfect. This thesis presents four advancements in scientific insight and methodologies to accelerate computational catalyst design. Firstly, a bottom up approach utilizing simpler catalysts systems to design increasingly complex electrocatalysts is presented. Secondly, a novel Machine Learning technique is proposed to elucidate mechanistic insight for these increasingly complex alloy systems. Thirdly, a techno-economic pipeline is designed to optimize the alloy electrocatalysts. Lastly, an improved graph representation technique is presented that allows for more universal ML frameworks with improved catalyst discovery capabilities. | M.A.S. | learning | 7, 9, 13 |
| Razavi, Mohammad Reza Hedayatzadeh | Gülder, Ömer L. | A Micro Flow Reactor for Studying Pollutant Formation | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | Soot formation from combustion of hydrocarbons is a key contributor to the environmental impact of energy use. Conventional research burners for combustion studies provide great insight into flame sooting behaviour, but are not able to discern the early phases of pollutant formation due to the interdependence of the flow fields and flame conditions. Micro flow reactors isolate the flow field effects and present a controlled chemical and physical environment, thus being ideally suited to study pollutant formation at flame conditions in a tractable setting. In this thesis the design and evaluation of a novel micro flow reactor is presented. This reactor is operable with liquid fuels up to 1350 K, and provides optical and physical access for a variety of diagnostics. Implemented diagnostics include soot measurement by gravimetric and optical methods, and gas composition analysis through gas-chromatography--mass-spectrometry. The reactor was evaluated using 4 liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the C_7 range with different chemical features. This was done under near flame conditions, and the expected behaviour from these evaluation fuels was observed, showing a high sensitivity in studying polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon and soot formation processes. The micro flow reactor is found to be a promising tool for future pollutant formation studies. | M.A.S. | pollut | 7, 9, 13 |
| Dojnov, Aleksandra | Yoo, Paul B||Masani, Kei | Investigating Non-invasive Saphenous Nerve Activity by various Electrode Configuration Recordings at the Ankle during Non-invasive Saphenous Nerve Stimulation | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-11 | Saphenous nerve stimulation is an emerging therapy that can potentially be used as a treatment in patients with overactive bladder (OAB). One of the challenges is the inability to determine whether the nerve is electrically activated. This thesis investigated the feasibility of non-invasively recording neural activity evoked by saphenous nerve stimulation. In 16 human subjects, four different recording electrode configurations (monopolar, bipolar, tripolar, and tetrapolar) were used to measure compound nerve action potentials (CNAP) and subsequently compare the peak-to-peak amplitude of the neural signal (Vpp) produced by recording electrodes. The tetrapolar recording configurations yielded the largest Vpp that was at least twice that of the other configurations. This configuration also enabled CNAP detection at lower stimulation amplitudes compared to monopolar configurations overall and one bipolar configuration (Bi4-5). This non-invasive recording technique provides the first-in-human data that shows the feasibility of using a tetrapolar recording configuration for measuring saphenous nerve signals in humans. Further clinical study is required to assess feasibility in OAB patients. | M.A.S. | invest | 3 |
| Godoy-Galvez, Boris | Bozec, Laurent | Enhancement of a Collagen Membrane for Bone Regeneration | Dentistry | 2023-11 | Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) is a technique used to restore deficiencies in bone architecture that have resulted from disease, loss of function or trauma. It involves applying a barrier membrane to cover a bone defect and exclude the migration of epithelial cells and fibroblasts that would interfere with bone formation, allowing osteogenesis to occur. This exploratory study aimed to enhance the properties of a membrane through in situ induced biomineralization and cross-linking, using a commercially-available, dual-layer collagen membrane as a model: Bio-Gide®. Many of the membranes are prepared from xenogeneic collagen and differ in strength, malleability, and rates of degradation, so a consistent model is necessary. Biomineralization was promoted by the addition of amelotin and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles onto the porous side of the membrane, while cross-linking to prolong collagen degradation was done using methylglyoxal. Preliminary results were encouraging but will require further study to evaluate future clinical relevance. | M.Sc. | regeneration | 3 |
| Lex, Johnathan Robert | Whyne, Cari M||Ravi, Bheeshma | Machine Learning to Predict and Optimize Lower Extremity Arthroplasty Resource Utilization | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-11 | Total knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA and THA, respectively) are common and resource intensive procedures contributing to significant burden on healthcare systems. The overall aim of this thesis project is to identify and develop strategies to improve elective surgical scheduling for TKA and THA. Machine learning and optimization to predict resource utilization-related outcomes such as duration of surgery and length of stay for arthroplasty patients were identified. A predict-then-optimize approach utilizing neural network models and linear programming was compared to historic scheduling strategies. Data sources for this work include the administrative National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and an institutional database from the Holland Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The most important features of the neural network models for outcome prediction were identified and compared between databases. Together, these findings are the foundation upon which to develop a “smart” surgical scheduling system and improve the efficiency of operating room utilization. | M.A.S. | learning | 3, 9 |
| McGee, Sarah Caitlin | Stirling, Ashley | Psychological Maltreatment and Retired, Competitive, Women Athletes' Conformity to Sport Ethic Norms | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-11 | The sport environment has the potential to be very advantageous to one’s development and wellbeing; however, the culture of sport is plagued with excessive pressures and extreme expectations which enhances athletes’ susceptibility to experiencing harm. The purpose of this thesis was to qualitatively examine women athletes’ conformity to the sport ethic and their experiences of psychological maltreatment during their time in sport. A total of thirteen retired, competitive, women athletes from various sports participated and engaged in a one-to-two-hour semi-structured interview, which were analyzed thematically. Three major themes were generated: development of conformity to the sport ethic; cycle of conformity and psychological maltreatment; and long-term consequences of conformity. Findings are interpreted to suggest that athletes’ uncritical adherence to the sport ethic is learned through observing and modelling peers within their sport environment. As well, conformity to the sport ethic and experiences of psychological maltreatment are interrelated with one another. | M.Sc. | women | 3, 5 |
| Mitchell, Andrea | Hibbard, Glenn | The MSE Knowledge Engine | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | Due to the vast range of content in the undergraduate MSE curriculum, there is reason to investigate whether students are successfully encoding curriculum knowledge long-term. Studies in memory research suggest that the retention of university course content significantly declines in the months after the course is taken. This project involves the creation of a curriculum database to cultivate a strong conceptual organization of knowledge, as a way to enhance students’ retention of content. Previous research supports the use of knowledge maps and ontologies to synthesize curriculum content into an organizational road map. This paper presents an ontological framework which holds a database of approximately 2,000 second-year MSE curriculum concepts. The database is implemented in the format of a customized software platform, specific for displaying the ontology dynamically. An emphasis is placed on the user interface design, and a user experience study is performed to evaluate the final product. | M.A.S. | knowledge | 4 |
| de Leon, Margaret Constance | Corral, Daniel | Balancing Act: Exploring the Impact of Student Employment on First-Year Persistence in Postsecondary Education | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | This study examines the influence of student employment on the persistence of first-year undergraduate students in postsecondary education. Using a mixed-methods approach, I explore the experiences and perspectives of employed first-year students at the University of Toronto through semi-structured interviews with nine full-time employed first-year students and a follow-up survey capturing both qualitative and quantitative information at the conclusion of their first year. I used deductive and inductive thematic data analysis to identify key themes and patterns related to employment, academic performance, institutional belonging, time management, and engagement. This study reveals that participants persisted towards their second year, but each reported unique experiences balancing work and school. The findings highlight the importance of considering students’ lived experiences balancing work and school within the broader context of their educational journey to inform institutional policies and practices aimed at enhancing the overall academic experience and rates of persistence for undergraduate students. | M.A. | secondary education, employment | 4, 8 |
| Brambate Junior, Edson Ricardo | Cypel, Marcelo | Novel Strategies to Extend In Situ Lung Preservation In An Uncontrolled DCD Large Animal Model | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Clinical series reported successful transplantation of uDCD lungs preserved by pulmonary inflation up to 3h postmortem. We investigated the additive effects of in situ intrapleural cooling and sevoflurane perconditioning on lung grafts in a porcine uDCD model. After uDCD induction, donors were allocated to: (1) control, (2) topical cooling, or (3) sevoflurane group. Lungs were preserved for 6h, then assessed on EVLP. The group with best performance was evaluated by allotransplantation in a second phase. Intrathoracic temperature <15°C was achieved within 1h in intervention groups. All lungs in group 1 failed on EVLP. Group 3 outperformed group 2 during 6h-EVLP and presented lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Post-transplant graft assessment in group 3 showed excellent oxygenation. Preservation of uDCD lungs with sevoflurane, static lung inflation and intrapleural cooling maintains good function up to 6h postmortem, with excellent early post-transplant performance. These interventions could potentially expand clinical utilization of uDCD lungs. | M.Sc. | animal | 3 |
| Amato, Elizabeth Kate | Chen, Charles P | Exploring the Experiences of Racialized Lawyers Within Law Firms and Their Impact on Career Wellbeing | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-11 | The upward mobility of racialized lawyers within Canadian law firms continues to lag behind that of their White counterparts. Available data suggests that the underrepresentation of racialized lawyers within the highest echelons of firm leadership may be closely linked to rate of attrition. This study used semi-structured interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the subjective experiences of racialized lawyers working within Canadian law firms. These experiences were examined under the lens of theories about career wellbeing and the existence and persistence of racial inequity within organizations to understand their affect on racialized lawyers’ career wellbeing and, therefore, shed light on why racialized lawyers may be more likely to leave law firms than their White counterparts. This analysis suggested that experiences unique to or more common amongst racialized lawyers within Canadian law firms can negatively affect their career wellbeing, which can in turn lead to decreased organizational commitment and overall wellbeing. | M.A. | wellbeing | 8, 10 |
| McCurdy, Gavin Payne | Murphy, Jennifer G | Evaluation of Land-Atmosphere Nitrogen Cycling in CLASSIC at the Single-Site Level | Chemistry | 2023-11 | The objective of this study was to evaluate Canadian Land Surface Scheme Including Biogeochemical Cycles (CLASSIC) simulations following the implementation of the nitrogen (N) cycle and compare these model outputs with observations of fluxes of reactive N (Nr) species in preparation for future coupling with the atmospheric component of the Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM). The model was forced using two deposition data sets, one observation-based (NADP) and the other model-based (TRENDY), at two FLUXNET towers, US-Ha1 and US- UMB. Elevated N deposition led to higher Nr emissions, and this was emphasized for N deposited as NO3-. Observations of NO and N2O fluxes at each site and other locations across the globe showed variability depending on forest type, which CLASSIC could not represent. Volatilization to ammonia is a significant contributor to gaseous N loss from the land and its description in CLASSIC is sensitive to soil pH. | M.Sc. | land | 13, 15 |
| Geng, Hongxiang | Leon-Garcia, Alberto ALG | Leveraging Cellular and Bluetooth Sensor Data for Enhanced Urban Travel Time Predictions | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-11 | As urban areas continue to expand, the integration of smart city technologies and robust traffic control systems become essential in creating sustainable and safe living environments for all citizens. Efficient traffic management and advanced city planning are crucial for transforming urban centers into smart cities, ensuring smooth mobility and heightened safety for their residents. Many researchers have explored the domain of travel time prediction, with the majority focusing on trajectory tracking, often neglecting the broader perspective at the city level. While there are a few who shift their attention to city-wide travel time, they typically rely on individual GPS signals to learn and formulate predictions. Predicting at the city level presents a couple of challenges: firstly, the vast area to be covered, and secondly, ensuring accuracy in predictions while maintaining user privacy. Our research introduces two cutting-edge machine-learning models for city-level travel time prediction: the Network Insight Model and the Integrated Mobility Model. The former operates based on the count of unique cellular devices within a cell site to formulate its predictions. In contrast, the latter draws from both Bluetooth sensor data and network cellular count data to generate its estimates. The primary aim of these models is not just to offer precise insights into travel time patterns but also to ensure the flexibility of model deployment in varied situations. By integrating city-wide information, our models not only provide a detailed analysis of specific areas but also capture the broader context of the entire urban landscape. This approach further enables the models to identify and analyze correlations between various road intersections. Leveraging our innovative methods ensures that city travel becomes significantly convenient as the travel times are predicted accurately under varying circumstances. Our approach not only empowers city planners with essential data but also offers a comprehensive view of city dynamics. By identifying which road networks face higher traffic volumes, planners can design road development plans to reduce commute time, ultimately creating a city that is both comfortable and safe for its residents. | M.A.S. | urban | 9, 11, 13 |
| Chanen, Cassandra | Soden, Robert | Climate Data Practices in Toronto's Municipal Government | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | Since the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019, the City of Toronto has placed an increased focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. In the effort to combat climate change, municipal policymakers utilize various forms of data ranging from greenhouse inventories to resident testimonies in order to define targets, monitor progress and communicate results. This project draws on research in environmental justice, data justice and human-computer interactions to explore uses of climate data within the City from a practice-theory perspective and to describe five climate data practices. Reflexive thematic analysis of data collected through interviews with policymakers as well as a document analysis of City reports are used to illustrate four aporias created in the pursuit of data driven climate governance that span these practices. To help overcome these contradictions we propose three alternative strategies for future design and research. | MES | climate | 11, 13, 16, 17 |
| Samara, Razan | Tuck, Eve||Wemigwans, Jennifer | Exploring Narratives of Solidarity Between Palestinian and Indigenous Activists on Turtle Island | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | Palestinian and Indigenous anti-colonial movements have long understood that their struggles are inextricably linked. At the same time as Indigenous peoples are re-writing and re-righting history, there has been an increased interest in scholarly contributions that have made a compelling case for anti-colonial and anti-capitalist Indigenous resurgence and liberation rooted in transnational solidarity. Expanding upon this work in the fields of Indigenous and Palestine/ian Studies, this study engages grey literature materials to consider how Palestinian and Indigenous activists on Turtle Island (North America) define, build, and enact solidarity with one another. This analysis maps narratives of relationship building to contribute to a claiming back of our shared histories, and further our understanding of how Palestinian and Indigenous activists can deepen relations and imagine collective liberatory futures. | M.A. | indigenous, land | 10, 16 |
| Neema, Paragi | Andrews, Susan Dr. | Interactions of Trihalomethanes (THMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAAs) with PVC and PE Microplastics in Water | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Microplastics (MPs) remaining after water treatment, along with those that are released from water distribution pipes, can interact with potentially toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formed during chlorination and act as vectors, increasing the likelihood of their transport into the human body via consumption. In this study, lab-scale adsorption trials were conducted to evaluate the interactions of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) with virgin and weathered forms of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) MPs (125-250 µm) in three water matrices. The findings reveal that THMs tend to chemically adsorb onto PVC (up to 18 µg/g). Preliminary experiments showed little evidence for the adsorption of HAAs onto MPs, likely due to their hydrophilicity. For THMs, the Freundlich isotherm model provided the best fit indicating multilayer adsorption onto PVC; however, PE exhibited minimal adsorption. Overall, the adsorption behavior varied with the polymer type, degree of weathering, and water matrix. | M.A.S. | water, methane | 3, 6 |
| Bennett, Jillian | Rink, Alexandra | Optimization of Catheter Placement for Transperineal Interstitial Gynecological Brachytherapy with Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation | Medical Biophysics | 2023-11 | Brachytherapy (BT) is an essential pillar in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. One method of gynecological interstitial (IS) BT uses a Syed Neblett transperineal catheter-guiding template with an intrauterine applicator. Using pre-BT imaging to plan catheter positions can lead to suboptimal tumour coverage, and often unused catheters, which contribute to increased implantation time and risk of bleeds. Using images taken after placement of the Template and APPlicator (post-TAPP) with catheter placement optimization may result in fewer unused catheters and better or equivalent dosimetry.A processing pipeline including Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation (CVT)-based catheter optimization was used to retrospectively simulate optimized catheters on post-TAPP images in cervix IS BT cases. Treatment plans were then manually generated with the optimized and clinical catheters. Plan quality was evaluated via compliance with the EMBRACE-II dosimetric limits. This feasibility study supports the hypothesis that CVT optimization on post-TAPP imaging can achieve clinically acceptable dosimetry, while decreasing insertion of extraneous catheters and potentially decreasing implantation time by limiting the need for repeat imaging. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 3, 9 |
| Flawn, Lillian Elizabeth | Soden, Robert | The Data Practices of Grassroots Climate Justice Groups in Toronto: Exploring Data-Driven Tools for Organizing | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | This thesis examines data practices within Toronto-based climate justice groups. In this context, data practices refer to strategies involving interaction with, or (co)production of data to support climate justice organizing. The central research question is: in what ways do Toronto-based grassroots climate justice groups engage with data practices to further their goals? A theoretical framework of environmental data justice is employed to guide this project. A qualitative research design rooted in reflexive thematic analysis is utilized for this project, with methods including an analysis of digital content produced by grassroots climate justice groups and a series of semi-structured interviews. The findings of this research project determine that there are multiple ways that groups engage with data practices to support their organizing efforts. The purpose of this project is to understand how data practices are applicable to grassroots climate justice organizers and the barriers they face when engaging with climate data. | M.Sc. | climate, climate justice | 13, 16 |
| Yang, Ziwei | Dolatabadi, Ali | Towards Learning the Mesh-based Droplet Spreading Simulation by Graph Neural Networks | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-11 | Many industrial applications involve droplet impact and spreading phenomena, such as spray coat- ing, anti-icing surface design, and inkjet printing. However, modeling the interfacial flow is often prohibitively expensive, because the target droplet size is in the micron to millimeter range and often a hundred computational cells per droplet diameter are required to capture the details so that the traditional numerical models have to solve for the solution iteratively over many computational cells. The thesis uses a Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) model to make the predictions as good as the simulation results. In particular, 2D isothermal droplet impact simulations with different impact conditions were generated and used as the ground truth data for both training and testing the model. The trained model was able to predict the future droplet dynamics from the impact up to the droplet maximum spreading characterized by βmax. The thesis included a comprehensive study of the model’s performance in terms of noise injection with the generalization capabilities, and showed a quantitative analysis of β from the model’s predictions and benchmarking. | M.A.S. | learning | 9, 12 |
| Alvarez Salinas, Laura Alejandra | Brown, Laura C | Investigating Climate Characteristics And Their Influence On Heat Flow Through Temperate Region Lake Ice | Geography | 2023-11 | This study uses in situ data to determine the heat flow through temperate region lake ice from 2017 to 2022. The study sites, MacDonald Lake and Clear Lake are located in Central Ontario and represent typical lakes in the region. Climate and ice observations were recorded weekly, while ice decay/growth was determined using a Shallow Water Ice Profiler and manual measurements. Results found that there was an increase in slushing events from 2018 to 2022. When slush was present on ice, the temperature gradient through the ice was nonexistent – resulting in an isothermal ice column and no heat flow. Ice thickness and temperatures at the ice-atmosphere interface were the main drivers of heat loss, most notably a maximum heat loss of 0.5 Wm-2, showing less heat loss than through Arctic ice. Finally, there was local-scale variation throughout climate and ice observations, driven by differing site conditions and snow redistribution. | M.Sc. | invest, climate | 13 |
| Gonul, Merve | Pysklywec, Russell | Lithology Prediction from Well Log Data Using Machine Learning Techniques in the Athabasca Oil Sands Basin | Earth Sciences | 2023-11 | Borehole geophysical log data of basins are essential in mining and hydrocarbon exploration as a relatively low-cost and accurate method for subsurface lithological examination. For example, they can provide estimates on the extent and quality of deep mineral resources, including the coal deposits of a basin. The lithology is interpreted from well log data based on various petrophysical properties such as density, acoustic, conductivity, gamma-ray, and neutron density. In this study, we train machine learning estimator models for lithology identification using well log and core data. This new method is expected to provide better, faster, and more reliable predictions than traditional analyses. The study uses the geophysical well log measurements of open-source data of the Athabasca oil sands basin with coal deposits as our primary target for identification. Our initial estimations are based on 22 well logs using density, neutron, gamma-ray, caliper and resistivity as features and their corresponding core data as class labels in the machine learning algorithms. The models developed using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm successfully predicted lithology labels with an average accuracy of 80% on unseen test data (well log records). | M.A.S. | learning | 9 |
| Diatlov, Daniel | Licht, Christoph | Investigating the Role of Complement in Sickle Cell Disease | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an understudied life-threatening genetic disorder affecting around 300,000 infants yearly with severely limited treatment options. Recent research suggests the complement system, a part of innate immunity, may be involved in SCD and present a potential treatment target. This study aimed to evaluate complement activity in children with SCD during both vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) and steady state. Results showed that SCD crisis patients had significantly lower hemoglobin levels compared to steady state, and elevated heme concentrations both during VOC and steady state. Heme was found to drive complement activation on endothelial cells (ECs). Complement protein deposition was significantly greater in early crisis patients, indicating complement activation during early crisis. Lectin and alternative pathway activity was potentially driving complement activity. The study concludes that complement activity is elevated in SCD early crisis patients, suggesting its role in SCD pathology. Future work will have to explore the functional consequences of activation and potential rescue using complement blockade. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Yau, Enoch | Inman, Robert D | Investigating the Role of Integrins in Spondyloarthritis Using the SKG Mouse Model | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Spondyloarthritis (SpA) describes a group of diseases characterized by chronic inflammation in the spine and joints. Gut-derived immune cells have been identified in the joints of SpA patients and entry of these cells into joints may be mediated by integrins which bind to specific ligands expressed by both gut and joint endothelial cells. Using the curdlan-treated SKG mouse model, the role of integrins in SpA was investigated. Starting at selected time points, curdlan-treated mice were injected with anti-α4β7 or anti-β7 antibodies twice a week until endpoint. Mice treated with integrin blockade showed decreased disease severity, with greater benefit observed in mice treated with anti-β7 antibodies. Disease scores were comparable between treatment initiation times. Integrin blocking therapies have proved to be effective in inflammatory bowel disease. While this approach has not been studied in arthritis to date, my findings indicate that integrin-blocking strategies may have unrecognized therapeutic potential in SpA. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Lora, Shamantha Jahan | Boileau, Isabelle I | Investigating Tauopathy in Military Blast Exposure: A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Study with the Tau Tracer [F-18] T807 | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Background: Long-term chronic traumatic encephalopathy is suspected to occur due to repetitive exposure to low-level military blast (LLMB). This dissertation tested the hypothesis that greater exposure to LLMB in Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members would be associated with greater tau aggregation. Methods: CAF members (n=25 males) exposed to blast overpressure completed a positron emission tomography (PET) scan using the radiotracer [F-18] T807 to quantitate tau levels, clinical questionnaires and a battery of neurocognitive tests. Results: [F-18] T807 SUVr in the temporal and whole brain cortices were positively correlated to years of breaching; taken as a measure of blast exposure. [F-18] T807 SUVr in whole brain cortices was related to depressive and post-concussive symptoms. Lastly, there was no significant association found between [F-18] T807 SUVr and cognitive function. Conclusion: Overall, findings indicate that brain tau-PET deposition in temporal and whole brain cortices are associated with dose-dependent exposure to LLMB, suggesting risk of tauopathy in individuals with high exposure. | M.Sc. | emission, invest | 3 |
| Kucanin, Erna | Slotta, James | A Design-based Implementation Study on Virtual Reality Learning Environments in English Language Learning Instruction | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2023-11 | This thesis explores a design-based implementation research (DBIR) study documenting my experiences of implementing VRLEs as an additional tool for eLearning in response to the growing concerns stemming from COVID- 19s’ sudden shift to online learning in higher education online English Language Learning (ELL) programs. Informed by the theories of embodied cognition and situated learning and inspired by the Knowledge Community Inquiry (KCI) approach, the study examines learners’ and practitioners’ overall concerns of VRLEs and identifies aspects of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (EDIAB). It presents three iterative cycles of various collective inquiry activities explored in Spatial, Engage VR, and the Virbela Open Campus. Through the lens of EDIAB, from both the educators' and learners' perspectives, discrete qualitative and quantitative findings document the potential and challenges of implementing VRLEs in eLearning and inform of design decisions and forms of learning well suited to a VRLE. | M.A. | learning | 4, 10 |
| Laurin, Madison | Sumner, Jennifer | Toward Global Critical Consciousness for Liberatory Pedagogy in the West | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | In this thesis, I introduce the idea of “global critical consciousness” as a lens through which young adults in the West can view their shared reality of structural oppression across the globe, while also recognizing their capacity to make change within that reality and recognize their capacity to transform these realities. Global critical consciousness in this context is distinct from a Freirean conceptualization of critical consciousness as a popular ideal of liberatory pedagogy in the Global South in four ways; it primarily considers the consciousness of those in the West; it is experienced from a distinctly global perspective; the primary focus is on the responsibility of those in the West to move from critical reflection to critical action; and it focuses on the pedagogical experiences and exposures which have led young adults in the West towards a global critical consciousness. This analysis will be illustrated through data from four life history conversations with globally engaged young adults. | M.A. | pedagogy | 4, 10, 16 |
| Rumball, Dominique | Mandrak, Nicholas E. | Evaluating the Effectiveness of Restoration Activities for Freshwater Species at Risk in Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-11 | Restoration is the act of returning ecosystems to their historical trajectories to maximize ecosystem biodiversity, structure, and function. However, the effectiveness of aquatic restoration is often unknown due to gaps in knowledge associated with evaluating restoration. To overcome these gaps, evaluating the effectiveness of restoration for aquatic Species at Risk (SAR) using robust datasets and standardized monitoring are required. To assess whether the Canadian Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) for the stewardship of aquatic SAR was effectively targeting aquatic SAR and to determine whether projects were achieving measurable conservation benefits, I analyzed 98 projects funded through the HSP in Ontario, 2006-2017. Although HSP-funded projects targeted areas of high SAR richness, many species-rich watersheds and widely distributed aquatic SAR were left untargeted. Lack of monitoring data prevented the evaluation of the effectiveness of these restoration projects. I addressed these shortcomings for one restoration project, habitat creation for spawning Spotted Gar in Rondeau Bay, Ontario, by monitoring and analyzing the fish assemblage – environment relationship of pre-monitoring data conducted for a Before-After-Control-Impact study evaluating the effectiveness of the project. | M.Sc. | water, species | 14 |
| Persaud, Simran Navita | Adams, Matthew | Deposition Patterns of Non-Exhaust Emissions on Taraxacum Officinale as a Potential Urban Biomonitor | Geography | 2023-11 | This study explores the potential of the common dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, to function as a biomonitor for non-exhaust emissions from brake pads and tire wear across 43 city parks in Mississauga, Ontario. The main objectives are to analyze the relationship between the length of different road classes (local, major and express) in a 1km buffer around each sampling site. As well as, explore the relationship between the distance to the closest road class from each study site and their relation to the deposition of trace metals on the surrounding flowers and seeds of the collected dandelions. To achieve these objectives, a trace metal analysis is conducted to determine the elemental concentrations on the dandelion samples in micrograms per gram of collected plant material. The mean trace metal concentrations are calculated for Zn, As, Se, Sr, Cd and Pb and their mean concentrations are 31.84 μg/g, 0.05 μg/g, 0.15 μg/g, 17.47 μg/g, 0.05 μg/g, and 0.27 μg/g, respectively. There is a statistically significant relationship between Zn and Pb concentrations on the seed samples for the length of local, major and express roads within a 1km buffer around each study site. The relationship between Sr on seed samples and Zn on flower samples with the closest local, major, and express roads is also statistically significant. However, the remaining relationships do not present a statistically significant association as there is not sufficient and consistent evidence to validate the effective use of dandelions as biomonitors for trace metals in Mississauga, Ontario. | M.Sc. | emission, urban, emissions | 3, 11, 15 |
| Dao, Amy | McMeans, Bailey C | Exploring the Effects of Seasonality on the Gut of a Top Predator Fish, Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-11 | The gut is a dynamic organ that is important for obtaining nutrients for growth. Due to the high energetic costs associated with maintaining the gut, it may be expected that fish in temporal environments change their gut size to deal with seasonal changes like temperature, light and prey availability. Using intestine length as a unit of measure for the gut, we investigated if lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) varied the size of their intestine seasonally, across two lakes with different food webs. We found that lake trout in the lake without pelagic forage fish displayed seasonal changes in their intestine length, while lake trout in the lake with pelagic forage fish had relatively consistent size intestine lengths seasonally. Our findings deepen our understanding of how lake trout intestines respond to seasonal changes, which will be important in the future due to shifts in seasonal lengths (i.e. an earlier spring) caused by warming global temperatures. | M.Sc. | fish | 13, 14 |
| Belman Martínez, Aaron | MacLean, Heather L.||Posen, I. Daniel | Evolving Electric Vehicle Charging Profiles: A Crucial Consideration for Energy System Models | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | The imminent widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) presents new challenges for the electricity sector, requiring careful analysis practices for the design of the future power plant infrastructure. However, previous studies have failed to capture the inter-period evolving nature of EV charging demand, resulting in inaccurate estimations. To address this, a dynamic framework is presented. It involves developing evolving EV charging profiles that consider projections in charging infrastructure accessibility, diffusion of charger types, technical features of EVs, EV adoption trends, and charging strategy adoption. These profiles are then used in an Energy System Optimization Model (ESOM) for analysis. By applying this framework, insights into the future energy sector of the United States by 2050 under a deep light-duty vehicle fleet electrification scenario are gained. The findings reveal considerable differences compared to conventional modeling practices, emphasizing the importance of using evolving EV charging profile assumptions for future energy modeling. | M.A.S. | energy | 7, 9 |
| Henderson, Kailyn | Chignell, Mark | Applying Human Factors to Reduce Healthcare- Associated Infections Caused by Face Touching | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-11 | Canada is currently facing a critical healthcare worker (HCW) shortage, in part resulting from absenteeism due to healthcare-associated infection. Face touching is a behaviour that HCWs engage in frequently and is one way for HCWs to infect themselves. While personal protective equipment has been found to decrease face touching, current solutions are insufficient and the behaviour still occurs. I conducted a literature review and full-scale interview study with emergency room, intensive care unit, and operating room nurses to investigate how human factors can be applied to create solutions to reduce face touching behaviours among HCWs. Interviews were analyzed thematically and revealed HCWs’ perceptions, needs, desires, constraints, attitudes, and beliefs surrounding face touching and related solutions and key differences between the participant groups. Key considerations for the design of face touching solutions were identified, along with potential strategies for reducing the likelihood of face touching by HCWs. | M.A.S. | healthcare | 3 |
| Aydogdu, Fatma | Chmielewski, Anna Katyn | The Relationship between Compulsory Schooling Policy, Educational Equity and Student Achievement in Turkey and Portugal | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | AbstractCompulsory schooling laws are used as a policy tool for promoting educational equity and access to education, especially for disadvantaged students. However, the evidence regarding the impact of these laws on decreasing inequalities is not consistent. This paper uses PISA data from 2009 and 2015—before and after compulsory schooling policy changes in Turkey and Portugal in 2012—to examine changes in the math achievement of students with low and high socioeconomic status (SES). The results suggest the impact of compulsory schooling laws can vary depending on the context as SES achievement gaps decline in Turkey but do not change in Portugal. As there is little previous quantitative research conducted about these reforms in Turkey and Portugal, this study will contribute to the comparative literature by providing recent evidence about the role of compulsory schooling policy change on socioeconomic inequalities in middle-income countries with their unique challenges and opportunities. | M.A. | equity, equit | 4, 10 |
| Sanborn-Hum, Kaela | Buckley, Michelle | Roofstock and the Millennial Remote Landlord: A Case Study of Post-crisis, Platform-mediated Retail Investment in Single-family Rental Housing | Geography | 2023-11 | Millennials are the generation of “forever renters”: a cohort of aspiring homeowners facing exorbitant housing prices and stagnant wages. With homeownership out of reach for many, millennial consumers are being targeted to become investors in the single-family rental (SFR) market. Digital property technologies – online platforms for real estate investment known as “PropTech” – are creating bespoke marketplaces for young, first-time investors to become digital landlords in lieu of personal homeownership. This research focuses on one firm, Roofstock, an Oakland-based PropTech startup recently valued at $1.9 billion, which is incorporating young, inexperienced investors into the SFR market with retail consumer products. I explore the platform business model in structuring digital rentier relations for remote landlords and tenants and the significance of platform technologies naturalizing high-risk digitally-mediated investments. Finally, I discuss the implications for a growing class of millennial remote landlords in leveraging market power and building housing wealth through alternative investing pathways. | M.A. | invest, housing, land | 8, 9, 11 |
| Rogers, Andrew | Benhabib, Beno||Nejat, Goldie | Occupancy Grid Mapping via Resource-Constrained Robotic Swarms: A Collaborative Exploration Strategy | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-11 | This Thesis considers the use of robotic swarms with limited exteroceptive and inter-robot sensing capabilities for exploring and mapping unknown environments. It presents a novel collaborative exploration strategy that directs the resource-constrained swarm toward unexplored areas in the environment by dividing the swarm into two teams: landmark robots and mapper robots, respectively. The former directs the latter toward ‘promising’ frontiers in the environment enabling efficient frontier-based exploration. The landmark robots are optimally positioned to maximize new information added to the map while also adhering to connectivity constraints. The mapper robots are decentralized and use random motion to explore the local area surrounding the landmark robots. Through this decoupling of the swarm into two separate teams, directing the swarm to new areas of the environment can be addressed separately from exploring and mapping that new area. The performance of the exploration and mapping strategy has been validated through extensive simulations. | M.A.S. | labor | 9， 11 |
| Siddall, Thomas Elias | Boland, Alana||Oswin, Natalie | Queer Visual Practices and Cross-strait Gallery Space | Geography | 2023-11 | This thesis posits that queer visual practices in mainland China and Taiwan offer not just a mode of critique but a mode of collective resistance across the Taiwan Strait that can enact queer ways of living. The current framework for understanding queer visual practices in the region is built around a representational critique of political and cultural institutions. While this critique offers a lens onto the institutions that can make queer lives unlivable, there is still a need for alternative frameworks that consider the complexity of queer experiences in the region. My thesis addresses this gap by starting with the understanding that cultural and political institutions are deeply engrained in the political and economic flows that cross the Taiwan Strait. By pulling together an archive of exhibitions, documentaries, landscapes, and autoethnographic data, this thesis reads queer visual practices across mainland China and Taiwan as a practice beyond “art” with the potential to imagine alternatives to the contemporary cold war political and capitalist economic structures of violence. | M.A. | queer, land | 5, 10, 16 |
| Zahid, Adeena | Jackson, Donald | The Dynamics of Ecology, Demography, Dispersal, Habitat Selection, and Life History in a Crayfish Cambarus bartonii Population in Ontario | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-11 | A fundamental goal in ecology is to understand how organisms operate and organize in ecosystems. Yet, there is much to be gleaned about the underlying drivers of these ecological mechanisms. I used mark-recapture methodology to study a Cambarus bartonii population in Ontario. I examined ecology, demography, dispersal, habitat selection, their underlying drivers and temporal patterns, and their ecological implications for this population. I identified patterns encompassing capture frequency, size classes, length-weight relationships, life history, and population size estimates. I documented considerable crayfish dispersal within a short period of time, uncovered patterns relating dispersal and life-history traits, and habitat selection and its underlying processes, which helps our understanding of how organisms disperse and choose habitats. My research has implications for understanding population dynamics and resource selection in a changing world, given that crayfish are characterized as keystone species, and they are of particular concern as both invasive and endangered species globally. | M.Sc. | fish, ecolog | 11, 14, 15 |
| Bleasdale-Pollowy, Aaron Richard | Gu, Frank FXG | Preventing Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from Water Bodies Using Buoyant Photocatalysts | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-11 | This work highlights an emerging issue in environmental engineering: mitigating gaseous emissions from water bodies. Anthropological waters like oilsands tailings ponds are responsible for large gaseous fluxes. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as methane and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursors. While source control is the best mitigation technique to reduce future emissions, in-situ technologies for already-emitting waters are desired. Accordingly, application of buoyant photocatalysts (BPCs) to reduce VOC emissions from oil sands tailings ponds was investigated. The passive BPC technology forms a floating layer, slowing diffusion of VOCs from water to atmosphere, while oxidizing them in water via solar power. Under 2 days of mock sunlight, 89% of SOA precursor emissions were prevented, while oxidizing 84% of aqueous parent compounds in water. This project’s success provides pathways for further research such as BPC design, modeling, long-term studies, and application to other waters. | M.A.S. | water, emission, emissions | 6, 9, 12, 13 |
| Gorospe, Kristyna Anatalia | Gilbert, Penney | Investigating the Role of the LINC Complex on Skeletal Muscle Stem and Progenitor Cell Expansion | Cell and Systems Biology | 2023-11 | Muscle stem cells, or satellite cells (SCs), are required for skeletal muscle regeneration. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD), a debilitating muscle disorder, is associated with LINC complex mutations, a series of nuclear envelope proteins, including Nesprins, connecting the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton. Despite being expressed in SCs, the LINC complex’s influence on SC fate during regeneration remains unclear. We generated transgenic mice with SC-specific LINC disruption and observed regeneration defects characterized by diminished myofibre diameter. In vitro studies suggested these defects were likely caused by inadequate SC progeny amplification and myogenic progression. EDMD patient-derived myoblasts with a Nesprin-1 mutation and primary human myoblasts with Nesprin-2 knockdown exhibited delayed proliferation and disrupted myogenic progression. LINC-disrupted EDMD myoblasts had altered cell cycle-related genes, including PAI-1, MYOD, and CCNA2, hinting toward potential proliferation-related molecular mechanisms. This study highlights the LINC complex’s role in myoblast proliferation and muscle regeneration, paving the groundwork for SC-targeting EDMD therapeutics. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Poluga, Claudia | Boileau, Isabelle | Investigating Endocannabinoid Metabolism in Cannabis Use Disorder: A PET Study Measuring Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase During Cannabis Withdrawal | Pharmacology | 2023-11 | Abstract Introduction: Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is low during overnight abstinence from cannabis. We investigated FAAH in cannabis users at overnight abstinence (T1); after 3-to-7-days of abstinence (T2). Methods: [11C]CURB scans were conducted at T1 (n = 13) and T2 (n = 10). Measures of craving, withdrawal, mood were collected. Primary analysis utilized Repeated Measures Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) across whole brain in 12 regions of interest (ROIs). Results: Two participants (n = 2) had levels of cannabigerol (CBG) at T2 suggesting failure to abstain. We found no main effect of time (n = 8), (F(1,6) = 2.840, p = 0.143); pairwise comparison suggested higher FAAH at T2 across ROIs (p = 0.09 – 0.23). Craving-expectancy correlated with changes in FAAH in amygdala (n = 8; r = 0.654, p = 0.040). Discussion: These data suggest nominal increases in brain FAAH at T2 in cannabis users. Future studies may assess longer abstinence. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Haughton, Mistelle Isis Juji Perdebaeva | Hofmann, Ron | Innovations in UV Disinfection for Rainwater Treatment: System Design, Disinfection Efficiency, Pathogen Detection and Solar (PV) Power | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Harvested rainwater (HRW) is an alternative source of potable water used internationally to meet the world's growing water demand gaps. HRW has increased in popularity, with some resource-poor countries encouraging its use to increase water resilience. However, due to potentially poor microbial quality, disinfection may be required to make it suitable for consumption. While chlorine is a widely used and successful disinfectant, there is an aversion to its taste and smell, and households often need regular maintenance and technical awareness for proper disinfection year-round. Alternatively, UV treatment has emerged as a potential alternative, providing a chemical-free alternative to conventional disinfection methods for water treatment. This systematic review explored the use of UV disinfection for rainwater treatment, examining their past implementations and identifying the challenges encountered during their integration. This study employs a semi-qualitative approach to explore the relationship between the efficacy of UV disinfection and the factors shaping its performance. These factors include initial water quality, pretreatment stages, system specifications, and ongoing maintenance protocols. However, while analysis of that water quality determined that most of the UV systems installed had post-treatment concentrations of microbial indicators that met guideline values, a few studies had microbial concentrations exceeding the threshold. Additionally, there is inconsistent reporting of critical UV parameters, including ultraviolet transmittance (UVT) and operational UV dose. This disparity must be revised to provide a comprehensive overview of the influencing factors. Furthermore, a handful of UV systems encountered operational failures primarily due to deficient system management and inadequate maintenance practices. Consequently, this study advocates for establishing a minimum set of monitoring and reporting requisites for the UV system and water quality. This will give researchers and operators minimum reporting guidelines to monitor UV lamps' operation effectively. | M.A.S. | water, solar | 3, 6, 9 |
| Purohit, Anuja | Scharper, Stephen B.||Appolloni, Simon | Law Reform through Deep Ecology: A Critical Review of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | The single most important piece of legislation in Canadian environmental law, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) proposed its set of amendments under Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act. This project is a qualitative study, using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to review the amendments in Bill S-5 against the philosophy of deep ecology which argues that nature has inherent worth. Overall, Bill S-5 does not display evidence of deep ecology principles. I argue that if the Act is amended to include stricter principles inspired by deep ecology, it can enhance sustainable development. By examining the Bill’s language and the law’s sociocultural contexts, CDA provides insights into the potential implications and effects if the Act indeed displayed a case for biocentric equality. Deep ecology at times underplays the capacity of the role of humans, therefore Canadian Indigenous knowledge systems will be discussed to address this gap. | M.Sc. | environmental, ecolog | 13, 15, 16 |
| Feghali, Cedric | Najm, Farid N | Power Grid Safety under Electromigration | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-11 | Electromigration is a reliability concern that affects chip power grids carrying high current over the course of several years. Power grid safety is an important issue that can be addressed in several ways. In this work, we present two different ways of guaranteeing grid safety from electromigration. First, for safety of the chip from void nucleations due to electromigration, a set of current constraints can be generated as guidelines or constraints for chip design. The proposed procedure efficiently generates approximate constraints by projecting the system onto a smaller subspace, based on an Arnoldi scheme for model-order reduction. It then leverages several properties of the matrices at hand to efficiently perform the required computations in the reduced subspace, before projecting the results back to the original space. Second, for safety of the chip from electromigration-related voltage failures, we developed a procedure which widens some metal lines in order to prolong the lifetime of the chip. This work improves on a previous iterative method for grid fixing by the use of a faster and more accurate electromigration simulator. | M.A.S. | arid | 7, 9, 12 |
| Chen, Yuxuan | Barfoot, Timothy | Deep Learning for Long-Term Metric Visual Localization | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | Visual localization is the task of estimating camera pose in a known scene, which is an essential problem in robotics and computer vision. However, long-term visual localization is still a challenge due to the environmental appearance changes caused by lighting and seasons. While experience-based localization methods bridge the appearance gap by relying on intermediate experiences, they require collecting ex- periences continuously to capture the incremental appearance changes, and cannot directly generalize to a new path. In this thesis, we tackle long-term localization using deep learning methods with- out relying on intermediate experiences. We first show that we can learn appearance- invariant sparse visual features using self-supervised learning that can be used in closed-loop path following across a full range of lighting change while preserving generalizability. We further explore deep image-to-image translation as a mean of improving long-term metric localization. We show that by transforming input images captured from different lighting conditions into a common target domain prior to feature matching substantially improves upon localization accuracy. | M.A.S. | learning | 9 |
| Yang, Mu | Felsky, Daniel | Biopsychosocial Characterization of Cognitive Decline and Late-Life Depression Trajectories Using Bayesian Consensus Clustering and Machine Learning | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2023-11 | Cognitive decline and late-life depression (LLD) often co-occur and impact elderly’s wellbeing. However, their intersection and antecedents are understudied. We analyzed 2,992 participants from the Religious Orders Study and Memory and Aging Project, integrating symptoms and diagnostic records with Bayesian consensus clustering to define latent sub-trajectories of cognitive decline and LLD. Logistic regression, elastic-net regression and XGBoost were used to build models of these trajectories including n=57 biopsychosocial predictors. Associations of subgroups with postmortem neuropathologies were assessed for 1,721 deceased participants. Three subgroups were identified for cognitive decline and two for LLD, which overlapped significantly (chi-square p=8.1x10-26). Elastic-net regression performed best overall, while XGBoost excelled at predicting moderate subgroups. High neuroticism and low physical health at baseline predicted unhealthy subgroups for both cognition and LLD. There were no neuropathologies associated with LLD trajectories. Our results suggest potential values of targeting neuroticism and physical health for healthy aging and patient screening. | M.Sc. | learning | 3 |
| Hutt, Kirsten | Tamminen, Katherine | Exploring the Effect of Social Support from Sport Medicine Staff on Injured Female Athletes’ Well-Being During Rehabilitation | Kinesiology and Physical Education | 2023-11 | This study explored female athlete experiences with sport medicine staff while they navigated injury rehabilitation, specifically exploring the ways in which social support from sport medicine staff influenced well-being during this process. Eleven injured athletes completed two semi-structured interviews and six audio diary entries. Thematic analysis of the collected data suggested that athletes perceived sport medicine staff as supportive if they made athletes feel that they mattered. Further analysis demonstrated that sport medicine staff showed athletes they mattered by providing clear information about rehabilitation, demonstrating competency in delivering treatment, and developing a personal connection with athletes. These findings provide valuable insight into how female athletes experience social support from sport medicine staff during injury rehabilitation. Additionally, it provides applied suggestions for sport medicine staff who work with injured female athletes. | M.Sc. | well-being, female | 3, 5 |
| Rankin, Keagan Hudson | Saxe, Shoshanna | Material Efficiency Strategies for Building More Housing with Less Embodied Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Embodied emissions from construction are accounting for a large and growing share of global emissions due to increasing demand for housing and related infrastructure. Strategies are urgently needed to find ways of building the infrastructure required for social and economic good while staying committed to emission reductions. This thesis uses detailed data to look at the role of form, design, and materials in reducing embodied emissions of residential buildings and related infrastructure. The 2nd chapter presents an analysis of 102 bottom-up building material quantifications. The analysis highlights the most materially efficient forms of housing and identifies strategies for reducing embodied emissions within all forms. The 3rd chapter introduces a new model for forecasting embodied emissions in houses, roads, and water infrastructure. Through a Canadian case study, the model reveals drivers of embodied emissions at a neighbourhood level and the time-dependent effectiveness of different reduction strategies. | M.A.S. | emission, greenhouse, housing, greenhouse gas, emissions | 7, 9, 11, 12, 13 |
| Quintanilla-Riviere, Marco Antonio | Batey, Robert A | Investigations on an Alternative Approach to Fmoc Deprotection and Diversification of the Alumino-Mannich Reaction | Chemistry | 2023-11 | The Fmoc group is widely used for amine protection, but the classical deprotection approach, piperidine in DMF, has drawbacks due to toxicity and cost. Previous research explored alternative conditions using diethylamine and Lewis acids. This thesis outlines the synthesis of Fmoc-protected dipeptides and alternative deprotection conditions: classical, diethylamine alone, and diethylamine with Lewis acids (Ca(TFA)2, CaCl2, BF3•Et2O). NMR analysis reveals that CaCl2 and BF3•Et2O only slightly accelerate deprotection, making this an impractical alternative in peptide chemistry and amine protection.Chapter 2 broadens the substrate and product range of an asymmetric “alumino-Mannich” reaction using a range of sulfinyl imine and alkenylaluminum reagents for homochiral allylamine synthesis. Factors including temperature, steric bulk, and electronic effects are studied. Steric bulk of alkenylaluminum reagents dominates selectivity; electronic effects within sulfinyl aldimines dominates the yield, and electron deficiency is crucial at cryogenic temperatures. Surprisingly, high yields and selectivities were achieved at room temperature. | M.Sc. | invest | 9, 12 |
| Beida, Lidiya | Abizaid, Christian | Women’s Artisan Livelihoods, Networks of Care and Multi-sitedness among the Shipibo-Konibo in the Ucayali, Peruvian Amazon | Geography | 2023-11 | In response to the growing interest on the links between Indigenous cultural continuity and biodiversity protection, this research explores how Shipibo-Konibo female artisans create and adapt their livelihoods by deploying a variety of material and non-material assets in the Peruvian Amazon. Handicraft production, rooted in Indigenous material culture, represents a meaningful livelihood activity that can potentially deliver an array of material and non-material benefits to artisans, their kin and communities. This research draws upon livelihood and photographic surveys, as well as semi-structured interviews (n=30) conducted during fieldwork in Peru’s Department of Ucayali, in the capital city of Pucallpa and three rural communities. The research findings indicate that artisan women play an important role in the management and movement of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) used for handicraft production across the forest-city ecological gradient, which has implications for the continuity and preservation of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK). Moreover, the social networks of solidarity of Shipibo-Konibo artisans that span rural communities and the city help women and their households cope through adversity and livelihood shocks, pointing to the importance of considering women’s triple role as breadwinners, caretakers and the custodians of ILK to better understand how Indigenous livelihoods in the Peruvian Amazon and structured and maintained. En respuesta al creciente interés en los vínculos entre la continuidad cultural indígena y la protección de la biodiversidad, esta investigación explora cómo las artesanas Shipibo-Konibo crean y adaptan sus medios de vida mediante el uso de una variedad de activos materiales y no materiales en la Amazonía peruana. La producción de artesanías, arraigada en la cultura material indígena, representa una actividad de subsistencia significativa que potencialmente puede brindar una serie de beneficios materiales y no materiales a las artesanas, sus familias y comunidades. Esta investigación se basa en encuestas de medios de vida y fotográficas, así como en entrevistas semiestructuradas (n=30) realizadas durante el trabajo de campo en el Departamento de Ucayali en Perú, en la ciudad capital de Pucallpa y tres comunidades rurales. Los hallazgos de la investigación indican que las mujeres artesanas desempeñan un papel importante en la gestión y el movimiento de productos forestales no maderables (PFNM) utilizados en la producción de artesanías a lo largo del gradiente ecológico que abarca desde el bosque hasta la ciudad, lo que tiene implicaciones para la continuidad y preservación de los conocimientos indígenas y locales (CIL). Además, las redes sociales de solidaridad de las artesanas Shipibo-Konibo, que abarcan comunidades rurales y la ciudad, ayudan a las mujeres y sus familias a enfrentar adversidades y choques en sus medios de vida, lo que señala la importancia de considerar el triple papel de las mujeres como proveedoras, cuidadoras y custodias de los CIL para comprender mejor cómo se estructuran y mantienen los medios de vida indígenas en la Amazonía peruana. | M.A. | women | 5, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16 |
| Xiao, Ke Bin | Sloan, Matthew | Cannabis Self-Administration in the Human Laboratory: A Scoping Review of Ad Libitum Studies | Pharmacology | 2023-11 | Cannabis self-administration studies may be helpful for identifying factors that influence cannabis consumption and subjective response to cannabis. Additionally, these paradigms could be useful for testing novel pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder. This scoping review aims to summarize the findings from existing ad libitum cannabis self-administration studies to determine what has been learned from these studies as well as their limitations. We reviewed cannabis smoking studies, focusing on subjective response and self-administration behavior (e.g., smoking topography). A systematic search was conducted using PubMed and Embase from inception to October 22, 2022. Our search strategy identified 26 studies (Total N = 662, 79% male) that met our eligibility criteria. We found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration significantly affected subjective response to cannabis in some but not all studies. In general, cannabis self-administration tended to be most intense at the beginning of the session and decreased in later parts of the session. There were limited data on cannabis self-administration in adults older than 55. Data on external validity and test-retest reliability were also limited. Addressing these limitations in future ad libitum cannabis self-administration studies could lead to more valid and generalizable paradigms, which in turn could be used to improve our understanding of cannabis use patterns and to help guide medication development for cannabis use disorder. | M.Sc. | labor | 3 |
| Latimer, Cassidy Jade | Keilty, Patrick||Mihalache, Irina D. | Telling the History of Female Sexuality in Greco-Roman Exhibitions by Synthesizing Curatorial Dreaming and Critical Fabulation | Museum Studies | 2023-11 | This thesis will critically engage with the absence of female sexuality within Greco-Roman history exhibitions. Throughout this study, a methodological axiom will synthesize Shelly Ruth Butler and Erica Lehrer’s methodology of "curatorial dreaming" with Saidiya Hartman's "critical fabulation" to provide an example of how museums can adopt alternative techniques of displaying underrepresented histories to tell impossible stories from the past. By ushering in a way to explore the history of women's sexuality in Greco-Roman antiquity, this thesis will highlight how museums can engage with the societal perceptions of female eroticism in the past so that it may become better understood in the present. Therefore, this thesis will develop Hartman's method of critical fabulation in a theoretical museum context to demonstrate its use of expanding the contemporary understanding of available historical evidence by fabulating the history of sexuality within Greco-Roman exhibitions to encompass a greater female perspective. | M.M.St. | female | 5, 10 |
| Formusa, Victoria A | McPherson, Amy C | Exploring the Utilization of a Wellness Framework for Children and Young People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities within Adaptive Sports Programs | Rehabilitation Science | 2023-11 | Introduction: Children and young people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have unique abilities and challenges that affect their health and wellness. Adaptive sports programs offer important opportunities to support their wellness. Objective: To explore the integration of a Wellness Framework into adaptive sports programs tailored for children and young people with IDD. Methods: 1) A rapid scoping review using Wellness Framework principles to provide a summary of sports coaching strategies to support the wellness of children and young people with IDD in a sports setting. 2) An explanatory sequential mixed-method study using non-participant observation to describe if and how the Wellness Framework principles were integrated into real-world adaptive sports programs run by Special Olympics. Results: The Wellness Framework was both supported in the literature and real-world sports programs and has been demonstrated to be a useful tool to help children and young people with IDD live their most meaningful lives. The summarized list of strategies to support the wellness of children and young people with IDD may be helpful for supporting their overall wellness if implemented by sports staff. Discussion: Sports coaches and health promotion staff have opportunities to purposefully integrate the strategies identified through both the scoping review and observational study to support the wellness of children and young people with IDD. | M.Sc. | disabilit | 3, 10 |
| Mascarenhas, Melanie Ann | Zakzanis, Konstantine K||Segal, Zindel V | The Relationship between Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological, Cognitive, and Functional Outcomes following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury | Psychological Clinical Science | 2023-11 | Most individuals who sustain a mild uncomplicated Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) recover within 1-3 months. However, a significant proportion consistently report ongoing cognitive, psychological, and somatic sequelae, which can be functionally disabling and hinder active participation in society. This study examined dispositional mindfulness as a targetable protective factor as it pertains to psychological, cognitive, and functional outcomes in the post-acute stage. 45 litigating individuals with persistent symptoms in the post-acute stage following mTBI completed a neuropsychological assessment, including current and retrospective, pre-injury ratings of the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Mindfulness was significantly associated with depression and anxiety but not with attention or working memory. Lower mindfulness was observed in individuals who had returned to work compared to those who had not. Pre-injury mindfulness significantly predicted scores on the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale, with higher Observing scores predicting worse functioning. Future research employing experimental and longitudinal designs can further elucidate these relationships. | M.A. | mindfulness | 3, 8 |
| Mistry, Shona | Cunningham, Todd||Iwenofu, Linda | Beyond Feelings: The Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Learning Challenges on Youth Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-11 | This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence, learning challenges, and treatment outcomes in youth receiving substance abuse treatment. It investigated the extent to which different aspects of emotional intelligence were associated with treatment outcomes in youth with and without learning challenges. These treatment outcomes were measured by internalizing problems. The findings indicated that emotional intelligence played a significant role in reducing internalizing problems for youth without learning challenges, while this effect was moderate for youth with only a learning challenge. Notably, the study highlighted youth with a learning challenge and comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were particularly vulnerable, as they had the highest risk of reverting to pre-treatment levels of internalizing problems after six months. To validate the findings from this study, future research should replicate the results in non-residential care setting to determine if similar patterns emerge. | M.A. | substance abuse, learning | 3, 4 |
| Ng, Mitchell | Hazrati, Lili-Naz | Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Women: Neuropathological Features and Neuroinflammatory Gene Expression Profile | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2023-11 | Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) impacts millions annually, producing debilitating neurological sequelae that potentially persist long-term. It is commonly held that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the neuropathology of repetitive mTBI, being well-studied in male professional athletes and service members. However, there are known sex differences in mTBI outcomes, and CTE is virtually unstudied in women, bringing into question whether CTE is the overarching pathology of mTBI in all demographics. This is the first large post-mortem cohort study to assess CTE in the brains of women with a history of mTBI sustained through intimate partner violence. To search for novel markers of mTBI, this study also performed gene expression profiling on human brain tissue to assess neuroinflammatory gene expression, finding evidence of DNA damage and cellular senescence. Altogether, this study demonstrated that the effects of mTBI can be observed in women’s brains, even in the absence of CTE. | M.Sc. | women | 3, 5 |
| Talukder, Labeeb Shahriar | Uludag, Kamil | Cross-Subject Transfer Learning for Visual Processing in the Human Brain | Medical Biophysics | 2023-11 | In this work, we analyze cross-subject transfer learning (CSTL) for predicting fMRI-measured brain activity in a target subject, using perceptual features of visual processing learned from source subjects. We demonstrate transferability of perceptual feature spaces derived from deep learning networks across different performance metrics. We show perceptual feature spaces outperform baseline and current state-of-the-art functional alignment approaches, such as neural code converters and hyperalignment, at small training sizes for overlapping sets of stimuli between subjects. Additionally, we show inter-individual encoding approaches perform better for lowerorder vs. higher-order visual cortices (LVC and HVC, respectively). Transferability of perceptual feature spaces is more pronounced in the LVC, and less significant in the HVC. Moreover, we show perceptual features generated using latent representations of BOLD signals exhibit better CSTL properties compared to those generated using BOLD signals in voxel space. While shown for overlapping stimuli, this was particularly evident for sets of disjoint stimuli. | M.Sc. | learning | 3 |
| Conway, Margaret | Wemigwans, Jennifer||Campbell, Carol | A Critical Discourse Analysis and Evaluation of Education Policy and Curricula Regarding Reconciliation in Ontario and British Columbia | Leadership, Higher and Adult Education | 2023-11 | In 2015 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action to begin the process of Reconciliation for the atrocities committed during the era of Indian Residential Schools. My research focuses on recommendations 62.i and 63.ii of the TRC’s Calls to Action through a textual and critical discourse analysis of policy and curricular documents from British Columbia and Ontario. I use the Indian Control of Indian Education and First Nations Control of First Nations Education documents to establish a possible Indigenous response to my analysis. My research engages Lorde’s question, “can the master’s tools ever dismantle the master’s house?” | M.A. | reconciliation | 4, 10, 16 |
| McCallum, Emma | Bialystok, Lauren | “Why do you have to be a drag?”: An Exploration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Sudents’ Experiences of EmotionalLlabour in Ontario Public Schools | Social Justice Education | 2023-11 | This thesis explores 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ experiences of emotional labour in the Ontario public school system. Building on Arlie R. Hochschild’s (1983) concepts of “emotional labour” and “feeling rules” I explore the complex ways power and emotion shape school landscapes. I ask, 1. How do politics of emotions within Ontario public schools impact 2SLGBTQIA+ students?; and 2. What are 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ in Ontario schools experiences of emotional labour? Using a secondary data set from Tara Goldstein et al.’s LGBTQ Families Speak Out Project video interview archive (2014-2018), I analyze the impact of pervasive cis-heteronormativity, and hegemonic intersecting power broadly, on the emotional landscape and expectations in Ontario public schools. Further, I use the secondary data subset to examine various ways 2SLGBTQIA+ students engage in emotional labour, namely, withholding authenticity and explaining, and educating about queerness, while also recognizing the complex relationship between resistance and/as emotional labour. My analysis of the LGBTQ Families Speak Out Project data subset provides a snapshot into 2SLGBTQIA+ students in Ontario public schools experiences of emotional labour. This thesis seeks to deepen understanding around politics of emotion in schools in hopes of nuancing discourses on 2SLGBTQIA+ students’ emotional safety in schools. | M.A. | lgbtq, labour | 4, 5, 10, 16 |
| Yoo, Jay Jaewon | Khalvati, Farzad | Investigating ROI-independent Segmentation and Classification of Glioma in MR Images and of Liver Fibrosis Detection in CT Images | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Segmentation and classification of anomalies is a critical problem in medical imaging. Machine learning has demonstrated potential in automating this problem but generally relies on manually annotated segmentations or regions of interest to train the machine learning models. Acquiring the manual annotations demands extensive time and resources from radiologists, and hinders the development and deployment of machine learning solutions for medical imaging problems without fully annotated datasets. This thesis presents a novel approach to brain tumor segmentation in magnetic resonance images that uses generative adversarial networks to remove the need for manual annotations. These segmentations can be successfully applied to downstream clinical tasks such as genetic marker prediction and pathology prediction. This thesis also presents the optimal approach to liver fibrosis detection in computed tomography images using Radiomics and insights into how to develop liver fibrosis detection solutions without the need for manually annotated regions of interest. | M.Sc. | invest | 3, 9 |
| Buck, Alexander Daniel | Enright Jerger, Natalie | Approximation for Flash Memory to Reduce Energy and Increase Lifetime | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-11 | Flash memory is commonly used in IoT devices for both data and code storage. Relative to the overall device, flash consumes a significant fraction of energy. This is problematic because IoT devices are energy constrained due to reliance on batteries or energy harvesting. To reduce this energy consumption, we exploit a significant asymmetry; notably, flash operations take unequal amounts of energy depending on if we are flipping a 1→0 versus a 0→1. We propose FlipBit, a hardware-software approximation approach that limits costly 0→1 transitions in flash. Instead of performing an exact write, we write an approximated value that avoids any costly 0→1 bit flips. On machine learning models, we reduce energy by an average of 39% and up to 71% with only a 1% accuracy loss. Additionally, by reducing the number of program-erase cycles, we increase the flash lifetime by 68%. | M.A.S. | energy | 7, 9 |
| Fulton IV, Joseph Hawkins | Nelson, Michelle L A | Inclusive Accessible or Culturally Relevant? Two Perspectives on Accounting for Culture in Community-based Stroke Physical Activity Programs | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-11 | With the growing prevalence of stroke, recognition of health disparities experienced by ethnically marginalized communities, and growing cultural diversity across Canada, community-based organizations have a distinct opportunity to address the unique barriers and cultural needs of culturally diverse individuals with stroke. This thesis explores how eight program leaders within Canadian community-based organizations account for ethnicity and culture in the development of stroke physical activity programs. Three themes were identified based on interviews with program leaders: (1) multiple definitions of culturally relevant programs, (2) inclusive & accessible and culturally relevant program attributes, and (3) inclusive & accessible mindset versus culturally relevant mindset. The findings of this thesis highlight the variability of program leaders’ perspectives when defining culturally relevant and their approaches to designing and delivering programs for ethnically and culturally diverse people with stroke, including whether or how they integrate cultural needs into programs, which they describe is often a decision made by program leaders rather than a requirement of programs or organizations. | M.Sc. | accessib | 3, 10, 16 |
| Shi, Sammy Shun Wai | Pausova, Zdenka | Environmental Modulations of Microglia in Mouse Brain | Physiology | 2023-11 | Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, can adopt pro- or anti- inflammatory states in response to different stimuli. Utilizing advanced techniques such as two-photon serial tomography and deep learning, we examined the effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and diet induced obesity (DIO) on microglial density and soma size across both male and female mice. Our findings reveal that THC led to lower levels in microglial density and soma size in females, aligning with its anti-inflammatory properties. Conversely, LPS increased density and soma size in both sexes, indicative of its pro-inflammatory role. DIO showed no significant impact, although a trend suggested potential male-specific pro-inflammatory effects or female-specific protective effects. Our study extends previous research on microglia reactivity and morphological changes, shedding light on potential sex-specific responses and enrich our understanding of microglia response to different environmental stimuli. | M.Sc. | environmental | 3 |
| Neuert, Mitchell | Mak, Susanna | Cardiovascular Physiology During Orthostasis in Healthy Older Women | Medical Science | 2023-11 | The ability to sustain an upright posture is a common daily stressor for humans and requires integrated cardiovascular and autonomic adjustments to adequately compensate for the increased gravitational load that accompanies standing. This thesis examined the normal circulatory response to a 10-minute active stand in a group of self-reported healthy older women. Concurrent right heart catheterization and arterial line monitoring were used to describe changes in hemodynamic variables between supine and standing positions. Standing was associated with an increase in heart rate (8±5 to 14±6 bpm) which was maintained above supine levels over the duration of the 10-minute stand. Blood pressure did not change significantly with standing. Cardiac filling pressures tended to fall, while stroke volume (-31±6%) and mixed venous oxygen saturation (-10±4%) decreased persistently in all participants. In summary, the physiologic response to a 10-minute active stand test in healthy older women involves a complex cardiovascular and circulatory response. | M.Sc. | women | 3 |
| Buckley, Chelsea Nicole | Beal, Deryk S | An Investigation and Exploration into the Use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as an Intervention for Promoting Positive Self-Regulatory Behavior in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Rehabilitation Science | 2023-11 | Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with impairments in social, educational, and occupational settings. Impairments in these settings may be caused by deficits in self-regulation and can lead to unwanted behaviors. Thus, interventions targeted toward self-regulation are needed.Objectives: (1) To identify how repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may improve symptoms of ASD; and (2) to assess the feasibility of rTMS as an intervention technique for children with ASD. Methods: (1) Systematic review methodology was used to synthesize literature on rTMS in pediatric ASD. (2) A double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to explore the feasibility and tolerability of rTMS. Results: (1) Further investigation is needed to determine the most efficacious rTMS metrics. (2) rTMS shows therapeutic potential for ASD, but barriers to feasibility must be addressed. Conclusion: This dissertation will inform future clinical trials exploring the feasibility of therapeutic interventions for pediatric ASD. | M.Sc. | invest | 3, 4, 8, 10 |
| Momin, Hafsa | Drake, Jennifer||Oswald, Claire | Influence of Stormwater Management Ponds on Chloride Transport to Urban Headwater Streams | Civil Engineering | 2023-11 | Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the most common de-icing agent used on roads and parking lots in North America. During the winter and spring, chloride (Cl-) is readily transported from paved surfaces to stormwater management facilities in a matter of hours to days. According to earlier studies, densimetric stratification in end-of-pipe stormwater management facilities such as wet ponds can result in latencies in Cl- transfer. As a result, wet ponds may generate Cl- pulses in streams that exceed thresholds of acute toxicity to aquatic biota. This study identified the prevalence of this phenomenon at five headwater streams receiving discharge from wet stormwater ponds within the Greater Toronto Area over two years. Results suggest that pulses exceeding acute toxicity thresholds are not ubiquitous and are limited to late winter and spring months. | M.A.S. | water, stormwater management, urban | 6, 11, 14 |
| Singh, Srisht Fateh | Veneris, Andreas||Long, Fan | Sustainable State Sharding and Token Liquidity Provision for the Blockchain Ecosystem | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 2023-11 | With the increasing adoption of blockchain technology, certain challenges must be tackled for a sustainable future. One such challenge is the ever-growing size of a blockchain ledger which increases the stress on and cost of mining hardware equipment. This thesis provides a solution to the above problem via atomic state sharding of account-based state blockchains. Our solution reduces the disk requirement of each participating miner linearly with respect to the number of shards while maintaining low bandwidth requirements. A second challenge investigated here is the increased cost of liquidity provisions for tokens with low trading volume. Lower liquidity makes the price of a token more vulnerable to manipulation. This thesis presents a design for a decentralized exchange that enhances liquidity for low trading volume tokens via liquidity sharing. Experiments show that our solution enhances liquidity by over 2.6 − 5.9×. | M.A.S. | ecosystem | 9, 12 |
| Huang, Weimin | Khalil, Elias EK||Saxe, Shoshanna SS | Image-Based Prediction of Building Attributes with Deep Learning | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-11 | Construction material use causes about 11% of global GHG emissions and is an accelerating driver of global warming. In this research, we use image-based machine learning to predict the floor area and age of buildings which are strongly correlated with embodied GHG emissions. The ability to automatically estimate building attributes from street view images can enable large-scale analysis of the built environment and provide better differentiability compared to patch-wise or pixel-wiseestimation from satellite images. A ResNet-18 model is used for feature extraction, and area and age predictions are formulated as a regression problem and a classification problem, respectively. On area prediction, our model achieves a Mean Absolute Percentage Error of 22.32%. On age prediction, our model achieves a Balanced Accuracy (BA) of 78.05% and Accuracy of 79.05% when there are 3 age classes, but the BA and Accuracy drop to 61.94% and 63.53%, respectively when there are 6classes. | M.A.S. | learning | 9, 11, 13 |
| Fleshner, Lauren Sydney | Tran, William T||Gandhi, Sonal | Identifying Oncology Patients at High-risk for Potentially Preventable Emergency Department Visits (PPEDs) at a Single Institution in Toronto, Canada | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Background: Reducing potentially preventable emergency department visits (PPEDs) is important. This study aims to define and describe oncology-related PPEDs at a single institution and use machine learning (ML) to help identify oncology patients at highest risk for PPEDs. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among five databases. ED visits by oncology patients between April 1st, 2019 – April 1st, 2021 from a single institution were collected. Trends in PPEDs were evaluated using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and ML modelling.Results: 6,689 oncology patients visited the ED (n=13,415 visits) during the study period. 62.1% were classified as PPEDs. High-risk groups for PPEDs included stage 1-3 breast cancer patients and adjuvant systemic therapy patients. The highest-performing ML model scored an AUC = 0.819. Conclusions: High-risk groups for PPEDs include stage 1-3 breast cancer patients undergoing systemic therapy. Our novel definition of PPEDs at this stage appears reasonable. Future research to validate this work can be impactful. | M.Sc. | institut | 3, 9 |
| Arciniegas, Santiago Eduardo | Knight, Andrea M||Ibrahim, George M | Identifying Potential Imaging Biomarkers of Neuropsychiatric Lupus in Children using Deep Learning | Biomedical Engineering | 2023-11 | Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is characterised by a high frequency of nervous system involvement, termed neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE). Biomarkers for this disease are lacking, current diagnostic processes are suboptimal, and treatments can be toxic. Deep learning (DL) network applications in medical imaging have seen recent success in identifying nervous system diseases. This thesis aimed to discover features of T1-weighted brain images useful for cSLE vs. non-cSLE classification. Using 163 cSLE and 163 non-cSLE images, we trained four different DL classifiers. We explored transfer learning from pre-trained 2-dimensional models to this 3-dimensional task. During performance testing, 79% of cSLE samples and 89% of NPSLE subsamples were correctly classified by the best model. The visual features of periventricular white matter, intraventricular regions, and the right superior longitudinal fasciculus seemed to guide these predictions. Further study is needed to characterise the mechanisms linking these brain image features to the presence of NPSLE. | M.A.S. | learning | 3, 9 |
| Auhammud, Mohammad Shabbirr | Farmer, Diane | Universities’ Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: An Analysis of how Universities Prepare Pre-service Teachers to Integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives in French-language Schools in Ontario | Social Justice Education | 2023-11 | This thesis explores how French-language universities in Ontario prepare pre-service teachers to engage with the colonial history of residential schools and its ongoing impacts and to integrate Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in their teaching methods. The study used the document analysis technique to review the website of the universities and gather data on i) the courses provided to pre-services teachers, ii) how they engaged the local indigenous community to support learning and iii) how they provided institutional leadership from a governance perspective in terms of refocusing their activities towards to be more Indigenous focused. The results demonstrated a limited offering of French-language courses pertaining to the history of residential schools and the ongoing impact of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples as well as a lack of activities and resources on campus that would support pre-service teachers in gaining a deeper understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. This thesis provided some suggestions to universities to better prepare pre-service teachers by providing a focus on the repatriation of lands and the legacy of residential schools within teacher education programs, as well as to the government to leverage the Strategic Mandate Agreement to provide more explicit guidelines on teaching Indigenous knowledge and perspectives within teacher education programs. Moreover, the research included a jurisdictional scan analysis of French-language teacher education programs in Western Canada. The results suggested firstly to revise the practicum component to include time spent reflecting on Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, secondly to include a dedicated time in teacher education programs classes to discuss the role of francophones in colonialism and thirdly to welcome Indigenous Elders and knowledge keepers in the classroom to provide pre-service teachers with stories and resources. Cette thèse explore la manière dont les universités francophones de l'Ontario préparent les enseignants en formation à s'engager dans l'histoire coloniale des pensionnats et ses impacts continus, et à intégrer les perspectives et les connaissances autochtones dans leurs méthodes d'enseignement. L'étude a utilisé la technique de l'analyse documentaire pour examiner le site web des universités et recueillir des données sur i) les cours proposés aux enseignants en formation initiale, ii) la manière dont elles ont impliqué la communauté autochtone locale pour soutenir l'apprentissage et iii) la manière dont elles ont assuré un leadership institutionnel du point de vue de la gouvernance en termes de réorientation de leurs activités pour qu'elles soient davantage axées sur les Premières Nations, Métis et Inuits. Les résultats ont montré que l'offre de cours en français portant sur l'histoire des pensionnats et l'impact continu du colonialisme sur les peuples autochtones était limitée et que le campus manquait d'activités et de ressources susceptibles d'aider les enseignants en formation à mieux comprendre les connaissances et les points de vue autochtones. Cette thèse propose aux universités de mieux préparer les enseignants en formation initiale en mettant l'accent sur le rapatriement des terres et l'héritage des pensionnats dans les programmes de formation des enseignants, ainsi qu'au gouvernement de tirer parti de l'accord sur le mandat stratégique pour fournir des lignes directrices plus explicites sur l'enseignement des connaissances et des perspectives autochtones dans les programmes de formation des enseignants. En outre, la recherche comprenait une analyse des programmes de formation des enseignants de langue française dans l'ouest du Canada. Les résultats ont suggéré, premièrement, de réviser la composante stage pour y inclure un temps de réflexion sur les connaissances et les perspectives autochtones, deuxièmement, d'inclure dans les cours des programmes de formation des enseignants un temps consacré à la discussion du rôle des francophones dans le colonialisme et, troisièmement, d'accueillir les aînés autochtones et les gardiens du savoir dans la salle de classe pour fournir aux enseignants en formation des récits et des ressources. | M.A. | knowledge, indigenous, reconciliation, truth and reconciliation | 4, 10, 16 |
| Chen, Xiao | Lui, Michelle | Promoting Online Learning in Primary Schools in Rural China | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2023-11 | In response to the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, China introduced a national online education program catering to students in both urban and rural areas. The abrupt transition from traditional in-person education to online learning has posed numerous challenges, especially concerning the quality of learner-instructor interactions. This study explored the role of instructional design in enhancing these interactions and, consequently, improving the online learning experience for rural primary school students. Additionally, the research investigated the specific challenges rural primary school students and their instructors face while adapting to online education. By providing insights into how instructional design can be harnessed to address these challenges, this study contributed to the field of online education, particularly for rural primary schools. The findings offered guidance to policymakers, educators, and instructional designers working to enhance online learning experiences in similar contexts. | M.A. | learning, rural | 4, 9, 10 |
| Madoc-Jones, Ruth Eluned | Eacho, Douglas | Locating the Political and Spiritual in Three Plays by Métis/Dene Playwright Marie Clements: the Unnatural and Accidental Women, Copper Thunderbird, and Tombs of the Vanishing Indian | Drama | 2023-11 | This work examines the dramaturgical relationship between the political and spiritual layers of three of Marie Clements’ plays: the Unnatural and Accidental Women, Copper Thunderbird, and Tombs of the Vanishing Indian. I introduce the playwright and the three plays, my relationship to the plays, Clements’s craft and Indigenous dramaturgy, Indigenous spirituality as it pertains to the play, and my political approach, which includes Marxist-influenced feminist materialism. I then separate the three plays into the spiritual and political narratives for a close and individual reading of each. I argue that by bringing the spirit world directly onstage and weaving together both traditional and material worlds, Clements provides her characters with a timeless connection to the wisdom of ancestors and history with which to confront the consequences of colonialism and settler capitalism on their lives. In doing so, she alleviates her characters’ isolation and dislocation, allowing them (and the audience) to transcend their circumstances and (re) imagine an Indigenous futurity. | M.A. | women | 4, 5, 10, 16 |
| Mohamed Tageldein, Maha | Harding, Shane M. | Investigating Heterogeneity in the Long-term Maintenance of Cellular Phenotype Following Ionizing Radiation | Medical Biophysics | 2023-11 | Ionizing radiation (IR) is commonly used to kill cancer cells by causing DNA damage. Cells initiate DNA repair pathways and cell cycle arrests to suppress cell death, and the differential activation of these pathways can lead to several distinct fates in neighbouring irradiated cells. Some cells die rapidly by apoptosis, some proliferate indefinitely, while others activate another mode of cell death or permanently exit the cell cycle into senescence. We established scRNA-seq data analysis pipelines for tracing transcriptionally heterogeneous fates in vitro, and my preliminary data demonstrate separable gene expression when a homogeneous cell population (MCF10A cells) is irradiated. My work is focused on establishing a long-term live-cell imaging assay for tracing the diverse fates of irradiated cells at the single-cell level. Using this system, the timepoint, frequency, and state of cell divisions can be observed in normal and pharmacologically modified conditions, and we traced fate outcomes in cells irradiated during different cell cycle phases as DNA damage burden increases, as classical DNA damage response kinases are inhibited, and when cell fate is artificially directed towards different modes of death. Through fate mapping of single-cells, I envision this system as an aid to establishing novel deterministic features of IR-induced cell fate outcomes, identifying candidate pathways associated with fate emergence for further investigation, and guiding novel avenues for rationally shaping heterogeneity in fate following IR. This will provide a deeper understanding of why some cells are responsive to treatment, activating favorable modes of cell death, while others are left behind to repopulate a tumor and drive local cancer recurrence after treatment. | M.Sc. | invest | 3, 9 |
| Dela Cruz, Gil Angela | George, Tony | The FORWomen Qualitative Study: Substance Use Treatment Experiences of Forensic and Non-Forensic Women | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Biopsychosocial factors influence women’s substance use (SU), like sex differences, higher rates of concurrent mental illnesses, and sociocultural expectations affecting treatment engagement, resulting in a more vulnerable profile compared to men. Furthermore, women involved with the criminal justice system (CJS) experience more complex trauma, leading to higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and other challenges. This project aims to identify barriers to treatment-seeking, useful/inconvenient components of treatment, perspectives on women-only group settings, and other opinions on treatment. Forensic and non-forensic women from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada were interviewed using qualitative semi-structured interviews. Ten overarching themes were identified: (1) SU history; (2) Barriers to help-seeking; (3) Facilitators for treatment initiation; (4) Knowledge on SU and mental health; (5) Addressing practical difficulties to attendance; (6) Intervention components; (7) Peers and group settings; (8) Influence of staffing; (9) Gender-specific concerns, and; (10) Supporting long-term recovery. | M.Sc. | women | 3, 5 |
| Rjaibi, Saifedine Ti-Ho | McGuigan, Alison P||Gilbert, Penney M | Cryopreservation of Myoblasts in Paper-based Scaffolds for Inter-laboratory Studies of Skeletal Muscle Health | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-11 | Three-dimensional tissue-engineered models are poised to facilitate progress in understanding skeletal muscle pathophysiology and identify novel therapeutic agents to improve muscle health. Yet, barriers to widespread adoption of such models include: methodology complexity, limited throughput, and requirement of cell culture expertise and/or specialized instruments, reagents, or software. To alleviate these barriers, our group engineered a 24-well model to study muscle endogenous repair (MEndR) that can be easily imaged and integrates with semi-automated image analysis pipelines. However, MEndR still requires user seeding experience and a high number of cells, reducing its throughput. Therefore, I first demonstrate our work scaling MEndR to a 96-well footprint (mini-MEndR), augmenting its ease-of-use and throughput. Second, I develop a standard operating procedure for the cryopreservation of muscle cell progenitors in mini-MEndR and validate that it preserves cell viability, differentiation, and function. Taken together, cryopreservation in mini-MEndR offers researchers an “off-the-shelf” platform for studying skeletal muscle health. | M.A.S. | labor | 3, 9 |
| Hoxha, Klesta | Essue, Beverley BE||Nauenberg, Eric EN | Investigating Maternal, New-born, and Child Health Indicators toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in nine sub-Saharan African Countries | Health Policy, Management and Evaluation | 2023-11 | This is a preliminary study that evaluates the statistical association of the SDGs on MNCH indicators in nine countries in sub-Saharan African. An Interrupted Time Series model is used to evaluate this association using six indicators from the Demographic and Health Survey. ARIMA modelling is used to forecast trends to 2030. 63% (34/54) of observations were significant, and 50% (17/34) of the indicators suggested the SDGs are associated with improving MNCH indicators. Of the MNCH indicators evaluated in this study, preliminary results of the ARIMA forecasting suggest 31% (17/54) of the observations signal progress towards the 2030 targets. Future directions suggest (1) using more recent data to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the indicator progress, (2) re-evaluating country progress more frequently and within income quintiles, and (3) investigating how to make the SDGs more equitable to promote progress not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but globally. | M.Sc. | child health, sustainable development, invest | 3, 8, 16, 17 |
| Yi, Sang Bum | Erb, Uwe||Howe, Jane | Microstructural Characterization of Copper Materials of Importance to the Development of Canada’s Nuclear Waste Container | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | The Deep Geological Repository (DGR) is a long-term solution proposed for the permanent disposal of Canada’s nuclear waste. In DGR, Used Fuel Containers (UFCs) isolate nuclear waste inside their carbon-steel cylindrical body which has a 3mm-thick copper coating on the outer surface for corrosion resistance. The thickness of the copper coating is based on a theoretical estimation of uniform corrosion attack, as opposed to “localized” corrosion attack that tends to be deeper and narrower. However, certain microstructural characteristics of copper are known to induce more localized corrosion. Therefore, the microstructure of four prototypes of copper coatings currently under consideration for UFC have been characterized using the Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique and compared with previous prototypes regarding those microstructural characteristics. It was shown that copper produced from pyrophosphate electrolyte is the most suitable. A similar analysis was conducted on native copper, which is a reference model for copper coatings under DGR conditions. | M.A.S. | waste | 9, 12, 13 |
| Chowdhury, Mushfika | Ansloos, Jeffrey P | The Consequences of Police Involvement in Mental Health Emergencies: From the Perspectives of Mental Health Professionals and Racialized Children, Youth, and Families | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-11 | Current literature evaluating crisis interventions is primarily police-informed and is lacking the perspectives of service users and mental health professionals. The aim of this study is to explore the consequences of policing in mental health emergencies for racialized children, youth, and families. Focus groups were conducted for two groups of participants: 11 racialized service users and 13 mental health professionals. Four themes were developed from the service user data: Incongruity of involving police in mental health crisis response, Intersectional biases of police, Criminalization of children and youth, and Responding to mental health crisis without cops. Five themes were generated from the mental health professional data: Uncertainties around mandated reporting and crisis response, Inappropriateness of involving officers in psychiatric emergencies, Racial bias in mental health care service provision, Power imbalance between cops and clinicians, and Working around police. Both groups showcase how having police respond to mental health crises is unhelpful and unethical. Implications for researchers, policymakers, and service providers who work with racialized children, youth, and families are considered. | M.A. | mental health | 3, 10, 16 |
| Elhadi, Asciea | Le Pichon-Vorstman, Emmanuelle | Collaborative Translation and Meaning Making: Using English Language Learners’ First Language as a Resource for Language Learning and Academic Achievement in the Classroom | Curriculum, Teaching and Learning | 2023-11 | This MA thesis explores integrating home languages, collaborative translation, and AI-based online tools to enhance language learning and academic performance for English Language Learners (ELLs) in various subjects. The findings from this qualitative research with Arabic-speaking teachers and ELL students highlights positive impacts on vocabulary, writing, speaking, and reading. Collaborative translation boosts language transfer, metalinguistic awareness, and appears to improve speaking skills by encouraging students to freely express themselves in the target language. Translating into the first language aids comprehension, especially in math and science. Utilizing digital translation tools effectively utilizes existing linguistic knowledge, fostering better engagement and collaboration. The study underscores the transformative potential of incorporating native languages and translation tools, providing practical guidance for educators and valuable insights for diverse ELL classrooms. The goal is to bridge the linguistic gap between students' home language and English, equipping educators with powerful tools for proficiency and comprehension. | M.A. | learning, labor | 4, 10 |
| Scharper, Nolan | Yoreh, Tanhum | How to Restore Ravines: Ecological Restoration and the Toronto Ravine System | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | This paper addresses the following research question: what does ecological restoration mean to stakeholders engaged in restoring Toronto’s ravine system? Building on the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration, this proposal critically examines the relevance of two of its guiding principles. The discussion then shifts to an analysis of the Toronto Ravine Strategy and relevant literature on the Toronto ravine system. After this, a grounded theory-informed methodology is outlined, detailing interviews with 10 participants and visits to 3 sites. A section on findings follows, as well as concluding thoughts. | MES | ecolog, ecological restoration | 15, 17 |
| Corvinelli, Sara Elisabetta | Lee, Jacques S | Investigating the Relationship Between Delirium Severity and Motor Subtypes in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Delirium is a medical emergency associated with adverse outcomes in older (> 65 years) patients and is categorized into two main motor subtypes, hyperactive and hypoactive. The objective of study one was to prospectively assess measurement differences within and between two delirium severity scales, the Confusion Assessment Method – Severity Scale (CAM-S) and Delirium Index (DI), using case vignettes of delirium motor subtypes and severity, rated by emergency department staff. We found the CAM-S and DI scales both rated hypoactive as more severe than hyperactive (Δ3%). The second study was a systematic review of studies that reported delirium subtype, severity and outcomes to investigate measurement differences between motor subtypes. The relationship between delirium subtype, severity and outcomes was largely confounded by inconsistent delirium measurement tools used between reviewed studies. This thesis identifies systematic measurement errors in delirium motor subtype severity using the CAM-S and DI, and potential implications of these differences. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Lepir, Djordje | Zee, Robert | Attitude Determination and Control Hardware Testing and System Level Testing for Maritime Monitoring MicroSatellite | Aerospace Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | This thesis presents the hardware testing for the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) and the contributions to the automation of system level testing of NorSat-4, a maritime monitoring microsatellite mission. Due to the success of the previous NorSat missions, Space Flight Laboratory has been asked to design and build NorSat-4, a new microsatellite with the goal to monitor Norwegian maritime resources through an Automatic Identification System (AIS) and to demonstrate the capabilities of a Low Light Imager (LLI) and Nanocrypto Unit (NCU). The first focus of the thesis is the hardware testing and analysis required for an accurate attitude determination and control system. The second focus of this thesis is the development of automated testing software for effective testing of the two new payloads. | M.A.S. | maritime | 9, 14 |
| Akbar, Lamia | Tsuji, Leonard JS||Zuk, Aleksandra M | Health and Wellness Impacts of Being on the Land for Indigenous Peoples in North America | Physical and Environmental Sciences | 2023-11 | Indigenous people globally face disparate chronic health outcomes when compared to non-Indigenous counterparts. In Canada, First Nations people experience higher rates of obesity and associated conditions. The causes behind this are multifactorial and include colonialism alongside various social determinants of health. Being on the land (traditional lifestyle) can have numerous benefits, including an attenuating effect on obesity associated conditions. This thesis explored being on the land in two prongs. Chapter 2 is a systematic review conducted to explore the diverse health experiences related to traditional physical activities for Indigenous youth worldwide. Overall, the literature described numerous emotional, mental and spiritual benefits of traditional physical activity, including familial and communal relationships. This research shows the importance of including traditional physical activity in future programs. Chapter 3 examined the association between selected morphometry measures and body burdens of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic metals in seven communities of Eeyou Istchee. Results indicated a negative association between cadmium with various obesity measures in both males and females. Null associations were found between POPs and morphometry. | M.Sc. | indigenous, land | 2, 3, 10, 16 |
| Halpren, Ethan Abraham | Singh, Chandra V | Machine Learning-Assisted Computational Exploration of High Entropy Materials for Hydrogen Energy | Materials Science and Engineering | 2023-11 | Hydrogen fuel can be generated cleanly and used to store and transport energy. Challenges remain regarding the generation and storage of hydrogen, wherein low-cost materials with superior performance represent the final frontier towards ubiquitous adoption of this technology. Multi-principal element materials provide unlimited opportunity for tuning material properties to achieve desired performance goals. This thesis leverages density functional theory simulations and machine learning to both investigate previously synthesized materials and search for new, optimal compositions. Mechanisms of the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions were studied by analyzing the stability of intermediates on the active sites. Strategies for exploiting the varying local chemical environments within high-entropy surfaces are presented. Bayesian optimization was applied towards the accelerated discovery of high entropy alloys for hydrogen storage. Fundamental understanding of metal hydride stability was uncovered, and new alloy compositions were proposed. | M.A.S. | learning, energy | 7, 9, 12 |
| Ryoo, Si Won | Swardfager, Walter | Investigating the Relationship Between Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Cognition in Normoglycemia, Prediabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus | Pharmacology | 2023-11 | The relationship between insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and cognition has not been studied extensively with regards to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined the association between IGF-1 and cognition across different diabetes status using the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Normoglycemia, prediabetes, and T2DM was defined using a self-report of diabetes diagnosis, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and antidiabetic medication use. Among 583 normoglycemic (48.4% female, 51.0±12.2 years old), 512 prediabetes (58.4% female, 57.3±11.8 years old), and 305 T2DM participants (53.8% female, 57.6±11.5 years old), IGF-1 concentrations were associated with better executive performance in individuals with prediabetes (β=0.115 [0.028, 0.202], p=0.010), particularly in males (β=0.251 [0.123, 0.380], p<0.001), but not in normoglycemia or T2DM. No associations were seen between IGF-1 and memory. The results suggest that peripheral IGF-1 concentrations may be related to executive function, and that the relationship may be sex-specific and dependent on diabetes status. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Ma, Yuxin | Robinson, John JR | A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Household Organic Waste Diversion in Toronto, Canada | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | Improving waste diversion is identified as one of the important strategies for municipalities to reduce carbon emissions. Toronto has developed a set of climate goals and one goal aims to reach higher residential diversion rates. However, it has not yet reached the target in the single-family homes and multi-residential buildings sectors. However, the current organic waste diversion situation indicates that there is potential to reach those targets. Considering that there will be a growing population and the low diversion rate in this sector, an analysis that focuses on improving household organic waste diversion in both sectors was conducted. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the research evaluated the carbon emissions of Toronto's household organic waste, identified effective strategies to increase household organics diversion, explored their applicability in Toronto, and recommended six strategies to help Toronto reach its climate targets, increase organic waste diversion, and facilitate low-carbon transition. | M.Sc. | waste | 11, 12, 13 |
| Finegold, Katherine | Wade, Mark | Cognitive and Emotional Well-being of Preschool Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Canadian Birth Cohort | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-11 | The current study examines the association between pandemic exposure and child neurocognitive and socioemotional development at 24 months (N =718) and 54 months (N =703). Participants were recruited as part of the Ontario Birth Study (OBS), a prospective pregnancy cohort in Canada. Neurodevelopment was measured using the ASQ-3 and MCHAT-R at 24 months. The NIH Toolbox was used to assess neurocognitive and socioemotional function at 54 months. Analyses included logistic or linear regression with covariate adjustment. At 24 months, pandemic-exposed children had higher problem-solving and fine motor skills, but lower personal-social skills, compared to non-exposed children. At 54 months, pandemic-exposed children had significantly higher receptive vocabulary, visual memory, and overall cognitive performance compared to non-exposed children, with no differences found for socioemotional development. In this relatively advantaged and somewhat homogenous Canadian sample, evidence for both positive and negative associations between pandemic exposure and preschool children’s cognitive and emotional well-being were observed. | M.A. | well-being | 3, 4 , 10 |
| Lacroix, Claudia Nicole | Rollinson, Njal||Davy, Christina M | It’s time to go: Ecological and Social Drivers of Nest Emergence in Turtles | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-11 | At the hatchling life stage, turtles are hypothesized to coordinate digging activity to synchronize nest emergence and adapt to unpredictable environmental conditions. However, as the social life history of non-avian reptiles remains relatively incomplete, understanding the social and ecological mechanisms behind this behavior is crucial. In this study, we investigated whether acoustic communication facilitates nest emergence in hatchling snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina). Through in-situ field experiments spanning two summers, we monitored subterranean nest behavior using acoustic recorders and emergence behavior with wildlife cameras. We found that snapping turtles showed some evidence of within-nest emergence synchrony but did not show evidence of among-nest emergence synchrony. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that hatchling vocalizations, temperature, and time of day primarily influenced movement within the nest. These findings offer evidence that hatchling turtles synchronize their behaviors with above-ground conditions, with vocalizations potentially playing a role in cueing synchronized nest emergence. | M.Sc. | ecolog | 15 |
| Rico Thirion, Marco Antonio | Jakubiec, Alstan | Pedestrian-Oriented Communities: Regenerating Critical Neighborhoods using GIS, Multi-Objective Optimization Design, and Simulation Tools to increase Social and Environmental Sustainability Performance | School of the Environment | 2023-11 | With cities generating 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and struggling to effectively manage population growth, housing affordability, social equity, and environmental justice, this thesis seeks to assess the capacity data-driven and climate-responsive urban renovations have to address climate change challenges and inequity present in Toronto neighborhoods when implementing green infrastructure and setting transit and pedestrian mobility targets. With the use of multi-objective optimization design algorithms and subsequent digital simulation tools, the intent of this thesis is to virtually simulate the effects of site redevelopment and to discuss the ways in which the domains of civil engineering, urban planning, and architecture are limited in addressing inequity while reflecting on the roles of monetary systems, upfront carbon, social structures, policy, and governance. The outcome is the generation of a decision-making process designed to support GHG emission reduction targets for a neighborhood while promoting its sustainable development. | MES | environmental | 11, 13, 16 |
| Nguyen, Alexandre | hampton, rosalind | Social (Media) Justice Education: The Neoliberal Limitations of a Popular Feminist Instagram Account | Social Justice Education | 2023-11 | This study looks at the changes of popular social justice-oriented Instagram account @feminist between January 2020 and May 2022, with regard to the ways the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the Atlanta Spa shooting on March 15, 2021, may have influenced these changes. Informed by critical race feminisms and anticolonialism (among other frameworks), this critical discourse analysis examines the content, language, frameworks and posting patterns of @feminist to discern whether the apparent changes in public discourse since the summer of 2020 have led to meaningful shifts towards more critical and radical social justice frameworks. Findings from this study demonstrate shifts in the subject matter and the format of @feminist’s content. Originally reposting more memes and artwork, @feminist began gradually including more informative slideshows and infographics on anti-racism in their content following the civil unrest of Spring 2020 and eventually shifted to include intersectional feminisms and broader social justice topics by the start of 2021, following an administrative change. However, despite these shifts in subject matter, analysis shows a continued neoliberal framework in @feminist’s content across the two years examined that point towards a reliance on individualism and social media activism that does not advocate for community and that does not incite more radical action for systemic change. This study brings into perspective a critique of the current state of social media activism and the limitations of social justice advocacy on Instagram. | M.A. | feminis | 5, 10, 16 |
| Jaffe, Rachael | Witiw, Christopher | Impact of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury on Income and Employment Status in a National Canadian Cohort | Dalla Lana School of Public Health | 2023-11 | Background: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) causes drastic changes to an individual’s health that can affect returning to work. Objective: To use national administrative health and tax databases to estimate the impact of SCI on income and employment. Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of adults who were hospitalized with SCI in Canada between January 2005 and December 2017. Main outcomes: The first outcome was the change in individual annual earnings up to 5 years postinjury. The second outcome was the changes in employment status up to 5 years postinjury. Results: The mean annual decline in earnings in the 5 years postinjury was -$21,435 (95% CI, −$26,028 to −$16,841). Five years postinjury 50% of injured individuals were employed, a decrease of -18 (95% CI, -22, to -17) percentage points. Conclusions: SCI had a significant association with a decrease in employment and earnings postinjury for adults aged 18 to 64 in Canada. | M.Sc. | employment, income | 3, 8, 10 |
| Braddon, Kate Elizabeth | Birken, Catherine S | The Association Between Maternal Preconception BMI and Early Childhood Nutrition | Nutritional Sciences | 2023-11 | Background: It is unknown if maternal preconception BMI is associated with nutritional risk factors in early childhood and whether total breastfeeding duration plays a mediating role. Methods: Children ages 18 months to 5 years were recruited from TARGet Kids!, a primary care practice-based research network in Canada. Linear mixed effects models were fitted to analyze associations between maternal preconception BMI and child nutritional risk (measured through the NutriSTEP®), and mediation analyses were completed to investigate if total breastfeeding duration played a mediating role. Results: This study included 4733 children with 8611 observations. Each 1 unit increase in maternal preconception BMI was associated with a 0.09 increase in nutritional risk (95% CI 0.05, 0.12, p= <0.001), where 13.2% (95% CI: 7.1, 21.2) of the association was mediated through total breastfeeding duration. Conclusion: Higher maternal preconception BMI was associated with higher child nutritional risk, which was partially mediated by total breastfeeding duration. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2, 3 |
| Argo, Madison Bailey | McCrindle, Brian W||Barron, David J | Bilateral Pulmonary Artery Banding ± Ductal Stenting (Hybrid Palliation) for Infants with Critical Left Heart Obstruction: A Multi-Institutional Outcomes Analysis | Medical Science | 2023-11 | Bilateral pulmonary artery banding ± ductal stenting (hybrid palliation) is an established initial management option for infants with critical left heart obstruction. We determined patient/procedural characteristics, subsequent outcomes, and associated factors for 214 infants who underwent hybrid palliation from 2005-2019 across 24 institutions. Parametric multivariable hazard modeling with competing risk methodology was performed to determine risk and factors associated with the various endpoints. At 5 years, 9% had biventricular repair, 36% had Fontan, 12% had transplantation, 35% died, and 8% were alive without an endpoint. High-risk patient characteristics and anatomic factors relevant to critical left heart obstruction were associated with mortality and/or achieved surgical pathway. Procedural and interstage mortality are high after initial hybrid palliation. Nonetheless, hybrid palliation may be used as a strategy both to facilitate biventricular repair for some infants, and for others, as stabilization for intended functional univentricular palliation or primary transplantation. | M.Sc. | institut | 3 |
| Watson, Kelly | Roth, Daniel | Using Height-age as a Child linear Growth Outcome Measure in Randomized Controlled Trials in Low- and Middle-income Countries | Nutritional Sciences | 2023-11 | Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) are a promising intervention to improve child growth in low- and middle-income countries, yet the effect of SQ-LNS on growth has been considered modest when randomized controlled trial (RCT) results were expressed using length-for-age z-scores (LAZ). We investigated height-age (HA) as an alternative to LAZ to assess the extent which SQ-LNS achieves children’s optimal linear growth potential using the novel ‘proportion of maximal benefit’ (PMB) metric. Published results from 15 RCTs of SQ- LNS were re-expressed using HA and the PMB, and pooled using an inverse variance fixed effect model. On average, SQ-LNS increased mean HA by 12 days, corresponding to a 0.15 increase in mean LAZ. Use of HA conveyed new information that SQ-LNS achieves, on average, 11% of children’s optimal growth potential (95% CI: 9.0, 12; n=19946). Future studies are needed to determine the broader acceptability and interpretability of HA-based methods to assess RCTs. | M.Sc. | income | 2, 3, 10 |
| Ghazal, Ebtehal | Kulkarni, Gajanan | Knowledge of Molar Incisor Hypomineralization among Physicians and Dentists | Dentistry | 2023-11 | Objectives: To assess the knowledge of physicians and dentists on Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) and its association with antibiotic exposure during early childhood. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was utilized. The study was electronically advertised through professional organizations with a hyperlink provided to the questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to compare differences in levels of knowledge between the study groups. Results: There were 335 participants in the study; general physicians (n=79), pediatricians (n=98) and dentists (n=158). A significantly lower proportion of general physicians (19%) and pediatricians (18%) had knowledge of molar incisor hypomineralization compared to dentists (82%, P<0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the association between antibiotics prescribed during the first years of life and MIH development (P=0.07). Conclusions: Physicians lacked knowledge about the MIH dental condition. Most study respondents did not know the potential association between MIH and frequent antibiotic intake during early childhood. | M.Sc. | knowledge | 3 |
| Zaccour, Juliette | Guha, Shion | Towards a Human-Centered Approach to Data Science in Healthcare: An Exploration of Methods | Information Studies | 2023-11 | Data science has become pervasive in healthcare, where it has both the potential to improve health outcomes and the risk of leaving some people on the sidelines. In this thesis, we adopt human-centered data science as a theoretical lens to explore how context and granularity in data can be leveraged in healthcare research. Through three exploratory studies, we demonstrate how categorization methods can add a nuanced layer to results and interpretations, thereby advancing our understanding of complex healthcare issues. Specifically, we use demographic segmentation, persona development and unsupervised clustering to nuance pre-existing assumptions, with the objective of supporting personalization of care. This thesis contributes to human-centered data science methodology and its application in healthcare, presenting significant opportunities for future work. | M.I.S. | healthcare | 3, 9 |
| Jacobson, Gabrielle | Subbarao, Padmaja | Preschool Diet and Child Health Outcomes: The CHILD Cohort Study | Physiology | 2023-11 | Obesity and asthma are on the rise and have origins in childhood, with overlapping risk factors. Asthma is one of the most common childhood diseases and one of the leading causes of pediatric hospitalization. Obesity and asthma can lead to increased risk for long-term health issues and resulting burden of cost to the healthcare system in Canada. These outcomes may be minimized by understanding important modifiable risk factors, such as diet in early life. This thesis aims to understand the association between dietary patterns and obesity and asthma in preschool-aged children, and the impact of sex on these outcomes, drawing data from the Canadian CHILD Cohort Study. The results of this thesis may spark further research directions, which may improve dietary recommendations for preschool aged children and improve long term health and disease prevention. | M.Sc. | child health | 2, 3 |
| Chui, Victoria | Guha, Shion | Towards Human-Centered Models in Healthcare: Development of Practical Applications for Surgical Wards | Information Studies | 2023-11 | Data science solutions in healthcare are becoming increasingly prevalent, with clinicians becoming more aware of their potential across several departments in hospital facilities. Often, streamlining technical solutions is prioritized over the specific needs of stakeholders, leaving patients at a disadvantage and further vulnerable to potential bias. This work investigates past data science implementations in the healthcare field and employs a human-centered motivation towards the development of decision-making models across a healthcare facility’s surgical wards. The need for contextual information is emphasized, with strategies for human-centered models in healthcare explored, using these projects as case studies. This thesis outlines the process of implementing a human-centered design through model development, comparing results of these models to those previously seen in the literature. Important factors to consider are reviewed alongside the specific models that allow these factors to be implemented. | M.I.S. | healthcare | 3, 9 |
| Hu, Christopher | Behdinan, Kamran | Dynamic Analysis of a Pacemaker Lead Wire for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Applications | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2023-06 | Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) for cardiac pacemakers typically use animal models to assess the performance of the PEH. However, if considering multiple designs, the use of animal models and prototyping increases costs and time. This study investigates the motion of a pacemaker lead wire in vivo to quantify the position and displacements as a function of time. Patient specific fluoroscopy imaging data was used, and image processing allowed for wire motion to be captured as discretized nodes. Simulations with an energy harvesting circuit using the nodal position and displacement data shows that a PEH integrated in the pacemaker lead wire can generate a direct current voltage of 1.12 V and power output of 0.125 μW, potentially extending the battery life of pacemakers by 1-1.25 years. The results show that fluoroscopy imaging data can be effective in evaluating designs before use in animal models, saving time and costs. | M.A.S. | energy | 3, 7, 9, 12 |
| Schuster, Madeline | Murray, Rosalind L | The Effect of Salinity Pollution on Mosquito Colonization in Urban Environments | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2023-06 | Salinity pollution from road de-icing salt is a major threat to freshwater ecosystems. It can alter aquatic communities by eliminating salt-intolerant species and changing competitive interactions and predator effects in salt-tolerant species. Because mosquito larvae generally display high salinity tolerance, salinized urban wetlands could be advantageous habitats for them due to a reduction in salt-intolerant competitors and predators. I aimed to determine how salinity influences patterns of mosquito colonization and community structure. I found that predator presence had a stronger influence on mosquito larvae abundance than salt. However, I did not find that female mosquitoes were avoiding oviposition in habitats containing predators. Mosquito larvae did show a significant decrease in risk-taking behaviour in the presence of water-borne predation cues. These results demonstrate the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems with diverse predators to control mosquito populations in cities. | M.Sc. | pollution, urban, pollut | 3, 11, 15 |
| Welton, Jessica-Lynne | Cox, Brian J. | Investigating the Role of HDAC inhibition on Cell Fate Determination | Physiology | 2023-06 | As Waddington proposed, fate determination is maintained not only by a network of transcription factors but the superimposed epigenetic landscape. This epigenetic landscape governing and maintaining the earliest cell fate decisions post-fertilization remains elusive. Here I focus on epigenetic manipulation of murine blastocyst-derived stem cell lines (ESCs mainly, as well as TSCs), focusing on histone deacetylases (HDACs) and their associated complexes and their role in establishing repression of cell states after fertilization, with a specific focus on the totipotent-like state. Chemical inhibitors of HDAC isoforms are first assessed and their capacity to relieve repression on restricted blastocyst lineages in stem cell models. Class I HDAC1-3 inhibition of both ESCs and TSCs enable access to their restricted trophectoderm and epiblast lineages, respectively, after 6 days of treatment. HDAC1-3 inhibited cells replated at day 6 in optimized media and 3D non-adherent culture have the capacity to also self-assemble into blastocyst-like structures. Prior to turning on alternative lineage transcripts, around 3 days in 2D culture, totipotent-like transcripts (Zscan4, Dux and Muervl) are also expressed, suggestive of possible reprogramming through a totipotent-like state prior to restricted lineage access. I subsequently dive further into this mechanism of totipotent-specific transcript alleviation with HDAC 1-3 inhibition. Since HDAC1 through 3 do not act in isolation and are associated with four main complexes (NuRD, CoREST, Sin3a, and SMRT), chemical inhibitors specific to these complexes were tested using a Zscan4-Emerald mouse ESC line. Broad and narrow range general HDAC inhibitors were also tested alongside. HDAC 1 and 3 and associated complexes CoREST and SMRT, respectively, show most significant increase in Zscan4 endogenous protein after full treatment duration as well as most significant increase in key totipotent transcripts (Zscan4, Muervl and Dux). Therefore, results cumulatively suggest that HDAC 1 and 3 and associated complexes CoREST and SMRT are key players of the totipotency network, epigenetically. | M.Sc. | invest | 3, 9 |
| Xiang, Hang | Lawryshyn, Yuri | Climate Risk Modeling and Quarterly Sales Forecasting for North American Retail Companies | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2023-06 | This thesis introduces a method for quantifying the impact of extreme weather on retail companies. The method uses four machine learning models to label extreme weather during a given time period, and then uses a Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model (SARIMA) to predict a company's quarterly sales revenue and sales momentum. In our study of six retail companies located in Canada and the United States, this method demonstrated up to a 40.98% improvement in sales revenue forecasting compared to a general model that did not consider climate risk, and up to an 18.75% improvement in predicting sales momentum. This approach can predict a company's sales before it releases its quarterly report by using existing weather information, greatly improving investors' understanding of a company's climate risk exposure and helping them better predict its financial situation while effectively hedging climate risk in their investment portfolios. | M.A.S. | climate | 13 |
| Fatehi, Amatullah Khuzaima | Rogers, Ian IR | Efficient Generation of Pancreatic Progenitor Cells from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived from a Non-Invasive and Accessible Tissue Source – The Plucked Hair Follicle | Physiology | 2023-06 | The development of induced pluripotent stem cell technology has revolutionized regenerative medicine by providing innovative approaches for disease modeling, drug testing, and cell replacement therapies. Patient-specific, stem cell-based therapies offer the advantage of reducing the risk of adverse reactions due to immune rejection. However, the manufacturing of autologous therapies is still expensive and complex, making them commercially unviable. The use of hair follicle-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (HF-iPS), which can be obtained non-invasively and transported via regular mail, makes them an ideal starting material for an autologous biobank. In this study, cryopreserved HF-iPS lines were generated using integration-free vectors from a diverse group of participants, and their therapeutic potential was confirmed through direct differentiation towards the pancreatic cell lineage. | M.Sc. | accessib | 3 |
| Abuosbeh, Zein | Chen, Xi | The Impact of Online Learning on Language Development in French Immersion. | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2023-06 | This study investigated the impact of online learning during the pandemic on language and reading development among French Immersion (FI) students. The in-person cohort consisted of 72 students, 51 students in grade 1 (M= 80.32 months, 28 males) and 21 students in grade 2 (M= 92.86 months, 9 males). The online cohort consisted of 65 students, 18 students in grade 1 (M= 82.56 months, 18 males) and 47 students in grade 2 (M= 91.93 months, 15 males). ANCOVAs were carried out to assess the effect of cohort and grade on vocabulary knowledge, word reading accuracy, word reading fluency and phonological awareness in English and French, with guardian education as a covariate. Students in the in-person cohort performed significantly better on French vocabulary than students online. Grade 2 students significantly outperformed grade 1 students in word reading. This study shows that online learning negatively impacted bilingual children’s L2 vocabulary development. | M.A. | learning | 4 |
| Rizehbandi, Aref | grasselli, giovanni GG | Investigating the Effect of Bedding Planes and In-situ Stress on Hydraulic Fracturing of Finely Laminated Rock Formations | Civil Engineering | 2023-01 | Unconventional hydrocarbon development has witnessed increased activities in recent years. Unconventional target formations are composed of marine layered silts, shales, and carbonates and are characterized by ultra-low permeability. All these “shale” plays have also strongly layered anisotropic heterogeneity due to their depositional environment in anoxic, low energy, marine settings. Hydraulic fracturing is the process used to create and enhance permeability in such formations. Rock fabric and other directional-dependent (anisotropy) properties of shale rocks affect their failure modes and hydraulic fracturing (HF) propagation. In this work, the effect of anisotropy on the failure mechanism and strength of Montney siltstone was investigated by performing non-destructive wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) experiments on samples with different bedding plane orientations. The experimental results suggested the significance of bedding orientation on the strength, dynamic and static elastic moduli, failure mode, and wave velocity of the Montney siltstone. Also, the effect of differential in-situ stress on the HF propagation of two types of Montney siltstone rocks, namely "Middle" and "Lower" Montney, was evaluated by performing Finite Discrete Element Method (FDEM) simulations in the Irazu software. The numerical results showed that the direction, complexity, and failure mode of the fluid-induced fractures are highly dependent on the direction of the maximum principal stresses, as well as the differential in-situ stresses. Higher differential stress proved to induce offset shear-dominated fractures, while single tensile-dominated fractures were associated to lower differential stress conditions. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Nasirzadeh, Negar | Brill, Julie | Sperm Head Formation: A Conserved Process Requiring Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate | Molecular Genetics | 2022-11 | Successful sperm development in flies and mammals requires proper attachment of the basal body (BB) to the nuclear envelope (NE) and formation of microtubule (MT) arrays that promote nuclear elongation to form the mature sperm head. Previous studies have determined that proper localization of centrosomal proteins and pericentriolar material along the length of the BB is essential for BB-NE coupling. Here, I found the lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is essential for male fertility in flies and is required for proper sperm head formation. In PIP2-depleted spermatids, the BB initially associates with the NE. However, this attachment is lost as the nuclei elongate, leading to a block in further elongation. Reduced levels of PIP2 cause formation of shorter BBs, disruption in the recruitment and localization of centrosomal proteins to the BB, and sperm decapitation. My results will shed light on roles of PIP2 in sperm head formation and male fertility that are conserved from flies to humans. | M.Sc. | conserv | 3, 15 |
| Rashid, Roomina | Kraatz, Heinz-Bernhard | Peptide Aerogel Composites for the Capture and Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 | Chemistry | 2022-11 | Global warming and rapid climate change caused by excessive CO2 released due to fossil fuel combustion is of serious concern. Removal and re-utilization of these high CO2 amounts remains a key challenge in today’s world. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 is an efficient method to mitigate rising CO2 levels by capturing and converting CO2 to value added chemicals. Nobel metals are known to play a crucial role as catalysts for CO2 reduction. Here we report a myristic acid-Phe-Phe (MA-FF) peptide aerogel with graphene oxide (Gox) and Ag to capture and reduce CO2 to CO. These co-gels have been optimized by modulating Gox/Ag ratio for optimal CO2RR. The MA-FF + Ag aerogel exhibits a faradaic efficiency of 46% at a high overpotential of -0.8 V vs RHE. Incorporation of Gox in the aerogel enhances this faradaic efficiency to 88% in MA-FF + Gox+ Ag (2:1) aerogels at a low overpotential of -0.7 V vs RHE. Using peptide aerogels with Gox in addition to metal active center provides an enhanced and new method for CO2 capture and conversion using low environmental impact bio-based aerogels. | M.Sc. | co2 | 7, 9, 12, 13 |
| Luy, Nicolas Daniel | Gu, Frank | Harnessing the Power of the Evanescent Wave in Optical Fibers for Photocatalytic Remediation | Chemical Engineering Applied Chemistry | 2022-11 | Photocatalytic optical fibers can act both as light carriers for energy transfer and as substrates for catalyst immobilization, showcasing their potential to create solar-powered, energy-efficient and low-cost systems for contaminated water treatment. However, despite a half-century of promising research, more efficient photon transfer and utilization remains a necessary precursor prior to the upscaling of this technology. To this end, this research investigates a quantum mechanism termed frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) which addresses these issues by means of harnessing the evanescent wave. A novel FTIR-promoting fiber achieved a 35% and a 67% increase in degradation capability and quantum efficiency, respectively, as compared to the baseline. These improvements were attributed to reduced recombination of electron-hole pairs and more uniform distribution of light intensity along the fiber. This work outlines a simple method with wide applicability to various waveguide photocatalytic systems, presenting a mechanism that may bring this technology closer to industrialization. | M.A.S. | remediation | 6, 7, 9, 12 |
| Guo, Puwaner | Bilton, Amy | Development and Evaluations of a Polydimethylsiloxane Polyurethane Surface Engineered Sponge for Enhanced Emulsified Crude Oil Removal from Water | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | Oil spills are environmentally hazardous because of the toxicity of chemical constituents. Cleaning emulsified crude oil has always been challenging. Adsorbent materials can be implemented to remove oil and toxins from oily water to reach Canadian standards before discharging to the environment. This work develops and evaluates a surface-engineered sponge (SEnS) with a PDMS-PU polymer blend coating. The PDMS concentration in the coating is optimized to reduce cost, and the highest single pass oil removal efficiency attained was 62%. Toxicology tests of Artemia brine shrimp provide researchers with a foundation of the decanting standard. The mortality rate decreased from 86% in starting emulsion to 13% in filtered water and down to 0% when diluted by 90% seawater. The operating environment was also investigated by modeling two diffusion models. The efficiency of PDMS-PU coating in removing oil droplets and toxins provides the potential for implementing SEnS into an oil-water-separation system. | M.A.S. | water | 6, 12, 14, 15 |
| Leir-Taha, Galen | Bilton, Amy | Ocean Current Energy Conversion for Powering Distributed Sensors | Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | 2022-11 | This thesis examines the concept of harvesting energy from the environment surrounding distributed ocean sensors to overcome the limitations of battery power. Our research was focused on demonstrating the feasibility of a device that can be installed with moored sensors and harvest energy from ocean currents. We first confirmed the thermodynamic feasibility of this concept, and then proceeded to design an ocean current energy conversion device. We developed a theoretical model of the performance of the device, and also built a full-scale prototype. We tested the prototype in a tow tank and were able to confirm both that the device is functional and that its actual performance aligns with the modelled performance. Highlighted performance includes producing at least 1 W of electrical power from water speeds of ≥0.27 m/s (~1 km/h). The results of our research give a very positive indication for the feasibility of this concept and continued development is recommended. | M.A.S. | energy, ocean | 7, 9, 13, 14 |
| DeWeerd, Megan Christina | Rottapel, Robert | Investigation of Stress Adaptation as a Vulnerability in Ovarian Cancer | Medical Biophysics | 2022-11 | High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most prevalent and lethal ovarian cancer subtype. HGSOC cells experience many stressors—including genotoxic, metabolic, and hypoxic stress—generating a cancer-specific stress state. The conserved integrated stress response pathway is activated by four stress kinases, including general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2), inducing a transcriptional program driven by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). GCN2 and ATF4 are elevated in many cancers and associated with poor prognosis and chemotherapeutic resistance. I hypothesized that HGSOC cells rely on GCN2 to adapt to unique stress conditions. I demonstrated that the GCN2-ATF4 pathway was functional in HGSOC cell lines. Downstream signalling was inhibited using novel GCN2 inhibitors, and GCN2 knockout clones confirmed their specificity. Novel GCN2 inhibitors reduced viability of HGSOC cell lines and patient-derived organoids upon stress induction by L-asparaginase (ASNase). Combining GCN2 inhibitors and ASNase may be a promising therapeutic strategy to improve HGSOC survival outcomes. | M.Sc. | vulnerability, invest | 3 |
| Koussiouris, John | Chandran, Vinod | Investigating Lipid Metabolites in the Serum of Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Using Solid Phase Microextraction – Liquid Chromatography – High-resolution Mass Spectrometry | Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology | 2022-11 | Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis affecting approximately a quarter of psoriasis patients. PsA is a heterogeneous disease and therefore accurate assessment of disease activity is difficult. Metabolomics – the study of all metabolites in a system – is an emerging branch of systems biology. Previous metabolomics studies have identified lipid candidate markers for PsA disease activity that require further evaluation. Liquid chromatography paired with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is a commonly used analytical technique in metabolomics due to its high throughput and good coverage of metabolites. Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) is an extraction technique via free concentration that significantly reduces matrix effects. This thesis presents the development of an LC-HRMS method, in conjunction with SPME to investigate serum lipid metabolites associated with PsA disease activity. Several lipids identified as fatty amides, fatty acids and acylcarnitines, when combined in various classifying models could predict disease activity. | M.Sc. | invest | 3 |
| Caron, Marie-Eve | Hadjigeorgiou, John | Challenges in Data Collection for Rockburst Investigations | Civil Engineering | 2022-06 | A rockburst is a seismic event which causes violent and significant damage to a mining excavation. There are valuable lessons to be gained by documenting and analyzing the performance of installed ground support under seismic loads. These data are subsequently used to identify the cause(s) of ground support failure and/or to establish performance trends using statistical techniques. These approaches inherently assume that an operation has access to high quality data. This thesis critically assessed the completeness and quality of data typically used to undertake rockburst investigations and statistical treatment from multiple rockbursts. Three case studies were selected from a deep and high stress underground mine that employs what is considered best practice in seismic risk management. This involved collecting all available design, implementation, monitoring and performance data to construct a timeline for each rockburst. The quality and significance of each source of information, to the undertaken rockburst investigations, were evaluated and data limitations were identified. Practical recommendations were developed to improve the data collection process prioritizing areas that would provide greater value in subsequent rockburst investigations. These findings will result in greater confidence in the results of rockbursts investigations at seismically active mines. | M.A.S. | invest | 9 |
| Yang, Yahan | L'Abbé, Mary M | Assessing the Nutritional Quality of Menu Items in Canadian Chain Restaurants in 2020 | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-06 | While research has shown poor nutritional quality of restaurant foods, the prevalence of restaurant food consumption is high among Canadians. There have been limited nutritional interventions in the restaurant sector, except for the trans-fat ban and menu labelling regulations in Ontario. This thesis examined the nutrition information reporting and nutritional quality of Canadian restaurant foods. Analyzing 18,760 menu items from 141 Canadian chain restaurants, our results showed that there is a lack of nutrition information reporting standardization and restaurant foods overall were high in energy and nutrients of public health concern. However, menu items from restaurants that were subject to menu labelling were lower in energy and nutrients of public health concern compared to those from restaurants that were not regulated, suggesting potential positive downstream impacts of the regulation. This highlights the need for more stringent labelling regulations and legislative strategies to improve the nutritional quality of Canadian restaurant foods. | M.Sc. | nutrition | 2, 3 |
| Maksimovic, Katarina | Park, Jeehye | Investigating how the ALS-linked S85C Mutation in Matrin-3 Causes Neurodegeneration | Molecular Genetics | 2022-06 | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with muscle weakness and paralysis. The S85C mutation in the gene Matr3 has been linked to familial ALS, but how this mutation causes ALS remains to be determined. Our lab generated MATR3 S85C knock-in mice that recapitulate key ALS features including Purkinje cell degeneration, neuromuscular junction (NMJ) denervation, and reduced MATR3 staining in degenerating neurons. The course of early disease process and progression remained undetermined. I found that Purkinje cells begin to degenerate as early as 20 weeks old, while NMJ defects present as early as 30 weeks. Intriguingly, MATR3 loss begins as early as 3 weeks in Purkinje cells and 5 weeks in the α-motor neurons. These results suggest that loss of MATR3 may be a key initiating event driving neurodegeneration. This mouse model would be useful for understanding the early disease process and for the development of early therapeutic interventions. | M.Sc. | invest | 3, 9 |
| Nguyen, Frederik Duy-Anh | Nambara, Eiji | Characterization of Abscisic Acid Transport in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus | Cell and Systems Biology | 2022-03 | The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in regulating numerous plant processes such as seed maturation, seed dormancy, and stress responses. These regulations require the long-distance movement of ABA in plants, which has been documented and requires a proper network of ABA transporters. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in planta allows a real-time and non-destructive method for studying the movement of small molecules using a radiotracer. We show that 3’-F-ABA displayed similar bioactivity as ABA via ABA-responsive β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, the destructive phytochemical analysis of Brassica napus plants co-applied 3’-F-ABA and deuterium-labeled ABA (d6-ABA) showed a similar distribution pattern. Arabidopsis transporter mutants (abcg25, abcg40, ait1) showed delayed GUS expression in shoots which suggests that ABCG25, ABCG40, and AIT1 are required for the quick transport of ABA from root to shoot. Lastly, several ABA analogs were found to be candidates for ABA transport inhibitors. | M.Sc. | ABS | 15 |
| Thind, Mehakpreet Kaur | Bandsma, Robert||Farooqui, Amber | Neutrophil Development and Function in a Murine Model of Severe Acute Malnutrition | Nutritional Sciences | 2022-03 | Severe malnutrition is associated with life-threatening complications and underlies morbidity and mortality in children under five. Immune dysregulations, especially of innate immunity, underlies these adverse outcomes. I used a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged protein restriction mouse model to investigate the impact of malnutrition and acute inflammation on neutrophil biology, the first responders of innate immunity that remain understudied in malnutrition. Following LPS, the malnourished mice were more susceptible to disease and mortality. Neutrophils (Ly6G+ cells) were expanded in the lungs of malnourished mice. However, neutrophil-mediated ROS production was reduced. Gene expression of transcription factors was also reduced in the bone marrow of these mice. These transcription factors control the gain of neutrophil effector functions throughout development. Therefore, this evidence points to changes in the neutrophil-intrinsic program driving increased susceptibility of the malnourished mice to mortality following acute inflammation. Overall, this study provides a novel understanding of neutrophil responses in malnutrition and inflammation. | M.Sc. | nutrition, malnutrition | 2, 3 |
| Loncar, Nicole | Scott, Katreena L | "The Average Counsellor Wouldn't Know": Exploring How General Health Practitioners Understand and Respond to Domestic Violence | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11 | Individuals experiencing and perpetrating domestic violence are frequently in contact with general health and mental health services, which must be prepared to respond. Through interviews with general service providers (n=17), including psychologists and nurses, the present study uncovered ways in which domestic violence-related risks are, and are not, recognized and responded to within general health and mental health practice. Qualitative analysis revealed that service providers possess basic knowledge of risk factors but frequently lack the organizational direction required for effective follow-up. Implications for future research and practice include further examination of system-level practices and ensuring the fundamental organizational conditions to allow providers to address domestic violence confidently and effectively. | M.A. | violence | 3, 5, 16 |
| You, Zi Ting | Page-Gould, Elizabeth | Reaching across the Aisle: An Investigation of Inter-political Group Contact | Psychology | 2021-11 | According to the contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954), social interactions and relationships between members of opposing groups can reduce prejudice. This project explores contact between political groups with a meta-analysis of the contact effect on affective polarization and a survey study that examines intergroup anxiety as a barrier to inter-political group contact. Compiling 21 effects from 15 samples, the meta-analysis found a significant but small negative relationship between contact and prejudice towards the political outgroup (r = -.16, p | M.A. | invest | 3, 10, 16 |
| Jegatheeswaran, Calpanaa | Perlman, Michal | Influence of Parenting Cognitions on Child Mental Health and Educational Experiences at Home During COVID-19 | Applied Psychology and Human Development | 2021-11 | Suboptimal parenting characterized by low self-efficacy and perceived impact, is associated with poor child mental health and academic outcomes, especially for at-risk families. This study capitalized on a longitudinal design conducted prior to and after the COVID-19 pandemic to test how prior parenting quality and environmental risk factors predict mental health and educational challenges faced by children during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic parenting and environmental risk data are available for a sample of 252 low-income mother-child dyads in Toronto, Canada. Mothers with higher educational attainment felt less efficacious in their maternal role prior to COVID-19. Mothers who had higher perceived parental impact prior to COVID-19 reported that their children faced higher levels of educational challenges during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic parental self-efficacy reduced children’s conduct problems and increased their prosocial behaviour. Parents with specific profiles of parenting cognitions may need additional supports to help their children cope during the pandemic. | M.A. | mental health | 1, 3, 4, 5 |
| Viththiyapaskaran , Senthuri | Dowling , James | Using Zebrafish to Study Multi-Exon Skipping as a Potential Therapy for Nemaline Myopathy | Molecular Genetics | 2021-11 | Nemaline Myopathy (NM) is one of the most common forms of congenital myopathy. There are currently no therapies. Mutations in the gene nebulin (NEB) accounts for at least 50% of all cases of NM. The majority of nebulin consists of repetitive domains called super repeats. A potential therapeutic strategy for NEB related NM is to delete the super repeats that harbor pathogenic mutations to express a truncated but functional protein. In order to test this strategy, I successfully generated a stable Super Repeat-knock Out zebrafish line (nebySRKO△4Ex/11bp-/-). This line showed no structural or functional phenotypes in the muscle. In contrast, neb△4Ex/5bp-/-, a model which I made with an incomplete super repeat deletion, showed the absence of striated expression of nebulin, Z-disk thickening, and impaired muscle performance, thus recapitulating NM muscle phenotypes. In all, these data provide strong evidence supporting CRISPR-mediated multi-exon skipping as a therapeutic approach for NM. | M.Sc. | fish | 3, 14 |
| Farrell, Colleen Cristita | O'Connor, Deborah L | Mechanisms Involved in Colonic Folate Absorption and Metabolism in Humans and the Impact of Folic Acid Supplementation | Nutritional Sciences | 2021-11 | The colon may play a significant role in the absorption of dietary and bacterially synthesized folate; however, the exact mechanisms involved in colonic folate absorption and the impact of folic acid supplementation are unclear. A 16-week open-labelled randomized clinical trial was conducted where healthy adults recruited from a colonoscopy waiting list received daily a multivitamin plus a 400 μg folic acid supplement (n =12) or no supplement (n=12). At colonoscopy, tissue biopsies were collected from various sections of the colon. mRNA and protein expression of the folate influx transporter, reduced folate carrier (RFC), was markedly higher compared to proton-coupled folate transporter in colon biopsies samples, suggesting RFC may play a dominant role in colonic folate absorption. Folic acid supplementation of 400 μg did not appear to affect the regulation of various folate influx and efflux transporters. These findings may help to inform future revisions of dietary and supplemental folate intake recommendations. | M.Sc. | ABS | 2, 3 |
| Sidat, Hibah | Zine, Jasmin | Unveiling the Mental Health Impacts of Gendered Islamophobic Violence on Canadian Muslim Women | Social Justice Education | 2021-09 | This study examines the challenge of negative mental health outcomes for Canadian Muslim women as a result of gendered Islamophobic violence. This research draws data from semi-structured interviews with service providers working on the frontlines of therapy and counselling with Canadian Muslim women. With the application of intersectionality, psychoanalysis, and a community trauma framework, this study finds a myriad of ways in which Canadian Muslim women routinely face Islamophobic discrimination based on their intersectional identities which in turn creates a host of negative mental health outcomes, all characterized by internal struggle rather outward aggression. Responses to discrimination include affected women channelling their own agency and spirituality, as well as seeking community support. Multiple limitations to care from service providers and the broader mental healthcare system also emerge. This study finds that gendered Islamophobic violence is implicated in white nationalism/terror and that a community trauma informed approach is recommended for healing. | M.A. | mental health, gender, women, violence | 3, 5, 10, 16 |