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2018 — Optimization of Blood Supply Chain Under UncertaintyAbstract
Blood supply chain is the resources used to provide patients with blood products during blood transfusing process at medical centers. The chain consists of blood donors at one end, blood collection stations to collect and produce blood products, storage equipment, transportation and patients who are in need for blood products on the other end. The demand in blood supply chain is random with a stochastic nature as it is the case in different products supply chain, however, the supply in this chain is also random and stochastic as blood donation process is a completely voluntary process. Meeting the random demand … Read more
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2018 — What is the Experience of Teachers Who Go On Stress Leave and Then Return to Work?Abstract
This study gathered the stories of four teachers who have experienced stress to a level of burnout and have had to take a temporary leave from work. Through journaling and subsequent interviews, three themes emerged from the stories: efficacy, value, and support. Participants who felt that they were effective at their jobs, were valued by others, and were supported by education stakeholders were less likely to take a stress leave, even in stressful teaching situations. Participants who did not feel effective, valued, and supported felt a sense of displacement. The consequences of displacement were taking a mental health leave from … Read more
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2018 — High School Students' Sexual Health Education - A Retrospective Appreciative Study With University Students in SaskatchewanAbstract
The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore first year university students experiences in relation to their sexual health education they received through high school in Saskatchewan, Canada. Using the appreciative inquiry method, my intent was to uncover participants positive experiences, paying little attention to negative ones, creating an environment where participants could build an image of an ideal future for sexual health education [SHE] in high schools. Research in Saskatchewan is limited on the subject, but Saskatchewan has some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted infection rates in the country (Public Health Agency of … Read more
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2018 — Performance Evaluation of Condiments as Environmentally Friendly Corrosion Inhibitors for Amine-Based Carbon Dioxide Absorption ProcessAbstract
Corrosion of process equipment and piping in the amine-based carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption process causes considerable expenditures for maintenance and repair. The addition of effective corrosion inhibitors to the amine solutions is a common practice for corrosion mitigation. Despite their inhibition effectiveness, those corrosion inhibitors used in the amine-based CO2 absorption process are not environmentally friendly and require costly waste handling and disposal. To reduce such cost and prepare for more stringent environmental regulations for chemical uses and disposal, this work investigated the feasibility of using condiments as environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors in the amine-based CO2 absorption process. In this … Read more
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2018 — Japanese Photographic Documentation of Jewish Refugees in Kobe in 1941 in the Context of 1930s Social Documentary PhotographyAbstract
The photo-reportage ‘Displaced Jews’ (1941) is a rare representation of Japanese views on Jewish refugees at a time of great historical change. The project was carried out by six members of the Osaka-based Tampei Shashin Kurabu (Tampei Photography Club), led by Yasui Nakaji. My thesis addresses how these photographs can be read in the context of 1930’s social documentary photography and how they are innovative in terms of the representation of refugees. It explores these matters through comparison of ‘Displaced Jews’ with other period photos of refugees, in particular early 20th century photojournalistic depictions of European refugees, U.S. Farm Security … Read more
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2018 — Organ Donation Regulation and Reimbursement Programming Through A Policy Coherence PerspectiveAbstract
There is a substantial unmet need for donor organs for transplantation purposes throughout Canada (Blood, Organ and Tissue Donation 2016). Each of the provinces and territories has legislation governing organ donation, and each of these pieces of legislation contains a prohibition on the exchange of organs for what is officially termed ‘valuable consideration’. These prohibitions operate alongside public programs intended to encourage organ donation through the use of incentives. Programs reimbursing costs associated with being an organ donor are a common type of incentive to donate. The common prohibition on the exchange of organs for valuable consideration draws attention for … Read more
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2018 — Identifying Pantoea Genetic Factors Involved in Host Association by Integrating Comparative Genomics with a Dictyostelium discoideum Grazing Resistance ModelAbstract
Pantoea is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria within the Enterobacterales. Much of what is known about Pantoea has been determined through studies focused on its phytopathogenicity and epiphytic associations. Limited research has been conducted on Pantoea to characterize its capacity for opportunism in humans, despite numerous reports of clinical infections. This thesis aims to identify genetic factors that could contribute to host association and thus, opportunistic infections by Pantoea. Chapter 1 provides a broad literature review of Pantoea, opportunism and virulence, model systems to assess virulence, and the field of genomics. Chapter 2 describes the adaptation of a model system … Read more
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2018 — Attuning to the Quantum Leap: New Materialism and Field Experience in Teacher EducationAbstract
While practicum experience is considered foundational to most teacher education programs, its methods of analyses often perpetuate humanist behaviorism. This is problematic in a world increasingly understood as dynamic and agential outside of categories of human determination, including those of subjectivity. Specifically, this dissertation addresses methods, in practica experience, as apparatuses which include practical exercises for reassembling subjectivities of participants in ways that extend awareness of a broader social regime. I ask what more the practicum might offer after the insight that observation and experience are inseparable from social and theoretical assumptions and where the field experience’s intra-activity changes and … Read more
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2018 — WĀPIKWANĪN What It Means To Have Culture Represented In Schools: Photos and Conversations With StudentsAbstract
The current research initiative was informed by Anihšināpēk and Nēhiyawē teachings and it involved working with students who were enrolled in a Native Studies course at an urban high school as efforts of Indigenization have been ongoing at this school. Students were provided with time and space to share where and when they have their cultures represented in school and if having their cultures represented in school matters to them. Methods including modified photovoice, conversation method, mental mapping and a sharing circle were used to gather the voices from the students; however, the students continued to help analyze the information … Read more
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2018 — "Cimmerian Steppes: Chasing Shadows"Abstract
My creative thesis is an immersive historical fantasy novella. As a novella, my work primarily focuses on character development. Novellas are uncommon to the genre, yet Patrick Rothfuss and Mercedes Lackey have standalone and supplemental novellas. My novella challenges pre-existing genre conventions by introducing the ideas such as the hero’s journey, only dash them. My manuscript is set in an alternate world, and features characters exploring liminal spaces where they struggle with the ever-present tension between monstrosity and humanity. My work is influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, Guy Gavriel Kay, and George R. R. Martin. Kay’s harkening to ages … Read more
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2018 — Semi-Analytical Modeling of Fluid Flow in and Formation Evaluation of Unconventional Reservoir Using Boundary Integration StrategiesAbstract
Tight oil/gas has been increasingly playing a more and more important role in petroleum industry around the globe for the past two decades and accounting for more share of total production of oil/gas each year. Fractured vertical or horizontal wells contribute most of the tight oil/gas production. Understanding and analyzing fluid flow in the process of fracturing, therefore, become crucial in tight formation production. However, the resulting complexity of fracture propagation from fracture injection test in tight formation, which currently is one the most heated topics for unconventional reservoirs, and heterogeneity problems of tight oil/gas reservoir with non-uniform distribution of … Read more
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2018 — Intimate Partner Abuse and Older Women: Exploring the Connection Between Abuse, Ageing and HealthAbstract
Intimate Partner Abuse (IPA) has been shown to negatively affect health in ageing women (McGarry et al., 2010). As the population in Canada matures, understanding how IPA affects and intersects with health and ageing becomes important for women, our health care system and governments. This research explores perspectives of women over 65, who have experienced IPA in an earlier stage of their lives, and how this experience intersects and affects with their health and ageing. The experiences of ten women who have lived through IPA relationships are investigated using the qualitative method of grounded theory. The significance of this research … Read more
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2018 — Analysis of the Differentiation of Adult Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells Post Treatment with the ASH1 Transcription FactorAbstract
Adult neural stem and progenitor cells hold the potential to regenerate lost tissue following injury or disease to the central nervous system. Before these cells can be used to regenerate tissue, they must be instructed to differentiate into the appropriate cell type. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate the differentiation induced from the proneural transcription factor ASH1 with an intracellular delivery mechanism in adult neural stem and progenitor cells cultured in vitro and to develop an in-house biosensor capable of detecting the neurotransmitter glutamate from non-myelinated axons. It was demonstrated that the addition of the cell permeable ASH1 … Read more
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2018 — Palaeoenvironments and Palaeoclimates During The Late Holocene in Lake Siscunsi (Colombia), A Multiproxy PerspectiveAbstract
This thesis provides a palaeolimnological and environmental reconstruction of the last ~2,800 years of Lake Siscunsí, located in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. This study is mainly based on a high-resolution diatom record in combination with Chlorophyll 𝑎 and other analyses previously done in this lake, which include grain size, C/N, δ15N, δ13C, TOM, total carbonates and magnetic susceptibility. It consists of a review of the mid and late Holocene climates in Colombia, then it summarizes the most important findings in the palaeorecords of the three Colombian cordilleras and it briefly mentions the most significative periods of human effects. It … Read more
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2018 — Simulation Study of a High Resolution PET Detector Module with Depth of Interaction InformationAbstract
This work focuses on the simulated performance of a high-resolution, depth-of-interaction (DOI) capable PET detector module with a single-ended readout. I propose the use of a monolithic scintillator up to several centimetres thick directly coupled to a 2D array of Silicon Photomultipliers. High resolution of reconstructed energy and 3D position of gamma rays interacting with the detector is achieved through the implementation of Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of said parameters. A notable difference in the implementation of MLE described herein is the direct estimation of the interacting gamma-ray energy. Additionally, a performance evaluation of two prominent event windowing techniques used … Read more
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2018 — An Investigation of the Associations Between Intolerance of Uncertainty, Attentional Network Functioning, and Attentional Bias for UncertaintyAbstract
Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to fear the unknown and is a transdiagnostic dispositional vulnerability and maintenance factor for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders (Carleton, 2016). Researchers have suggested that IU may be associated with altered attentional network functioning, which may lead individuals with elevated IU to be more aware of potential sources of uncertainty, thereby increasing anxiety (Fergus et al., 2013; Fergus & Carleton, 2016; Norwood, 2014). The few studies that have examined attentional network functioning and attentional biases related to IU have produced conflicting results, possibly due to the methods used and a failure to control for … Read more
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2018 — Body Roll Differences in Freestyle Swimming Between Swimmers With and Without Shoulder PainAbstract
Shoulder pain is the most common complaint for swimmers of any level, the prevalence of which is reported to be between 40% and 91%. The term ‘‘swimmer’s shoulder’’ covers a spectrum of coexisting pathologies, with rotator cuff–related pain being the most common finding. Among many other variables, body roll has been proposed as a potential variable affecting shoulder pain, due to its potential to modify hand path and upper limb kinematics. This study aimed to identify potential differences in body roll between swimmers with and without shoulder pain. 24 competitive swimmers (21.5±4.8 years old) were recruited from several teams in … Read more
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2018 — Optimizing Rough Set Flow Graph InferenceAbstract
Bayesian networks (BNs) are a tool for managing uncertainty. A BN consists of a directed acyclic graph (DAG) and a corresponding set of conditional probability tables (CPTs). The probabilistic conditional independencies encoded in the DAG indicate that the product of the CPTs is a joint probability distribution. A central step in probabilistic inference is to eliminate variables. More specifically, every variable in the BN, but not appearing in a given query, must necessarily be eliminated. Eliminating these variables in any order will yield a correct result. It is well-known, however, that the order in which these variables are eliminated can … Read more
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2018 — Becoming Deaf in the Posthuman Era: Posthumanism, Arts-Based Research and Deaf EducationAbstract
In this dissertation, I explore posthumanism as a possible paradigm shift for deaf education which is presently mired in binarized thinking concerning language choices. The ontologies, epistemologies, research methodologies and pedagogy associated with posthumanism propose a radical shift in thinking about what it means to educate deaf adolescents who struggle to acquire English as an additional language whom I teach in a small resource room program contained within a high school in a midwestern Canadian city. Posthumanist onto-epistemology proposes a shift from anthropocentrism to a posthumanism that emphasizes multiple and shifting relationships between animals, plants, humans, and the earth. Here, … Read more
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2018 — Inside Game: Embodying Resilience and Resistance through CapoeiraAbstract
This critical support paper outlines a background, as well as the theoretical and methodological considerations for my thesis performance, Inside Game. The title is taken from a common phrase used in capoeira as a creative, Brazilian martial art, and resistance form: one needs to have a good "inside game" by not backing away from one’s opponent, but instead by staying as physically close to them as possible. I borrowed this phrase to represent a capoeira value along with a reference to the 'inside game' of my own thoughts and personal history represented in this project. Capoeira provides the movement, musical, … Read more
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2018 — Outliers Detection of Temporal Gene Expressions Under Multiple ConditionsAbstract
Temporal gene expression data have been studied and applied in biological, biomedical studies and early cancer detection. A set of temporal gene expression data in bacteria shows that the gene expression has different patterns under different biological conditions. The datasets are treated as functional data in this study, and the goal of my search is to detect outliers based on functional data theory. Then, we can identify the biological conditions that produce outliers and provide valuable information for biologists to find treatment to the bacteria. The datasets with 21 genes in P. Aeruginosa expressed in 24 biological conditions have been … Read more
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2018 — Physiological and Cellular Responses Used By Lake Whitfish (Coregonus Clupeaformis) in Response to Thermal and Hypoxic Stress at Different Points in DevelopmentAbstract
Early life stages of fish are particularly susceptible to environmental change and even brief exposures to thermal or hypoxic stress can have detrimental effects. Fish may be able to respond to stress, using physiological and cellular mechanisms, to mitigate some of the damaging effects of stressor exposure and maintain homeostasis. I investigated the development of the hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis (HPI-axis) and two key cellular stress responses, the heat shock response (HSR) and hypoxia response, in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) at several life-stages, to understand when these responses could be activated in response to stress. The HSR and HR are mediated by … Read more
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2018 — Effects of Temperature and Heavy Oil Viscosity on Foamy Oil Flow in Porous MediaAbstract
With vast potential reserves of heavy oil, the research on heavy oil has been the hottest topic over the decades. Foamy oil flow occurs in primary production of heavy oil reservoirs with unexpected high oil recovery factor. Studying on foamy oil mechanisms and flow behaviors helps enhancing oil recovery. Lots of experimental researches have been conducted to investigate on improving foamy oil flow efficiency. Pressure depletion rate has been proven to be one of the most significant parameters that affects foamy oil flow. However, the other factors that influence foamy oil such as reservoir temperature, oil viscosity, oil composition, etc. … Read more
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2018 — Characterization of Neuronal Protein Complexes to Identify Molecular Underpinnings of Autism Spectrum DisorderAbstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects brain development, social and communication skills in children and adults, poses a tremendous burden on caregivers and the healthcare system. Although advances in genetics has enabled the discovery of hundreds of ASD-associated genes, the biological context of how these ASD-linked risk genes contribute to the pathophysiology of the disorder remains unclear. The study of protein-protein interactions (PPI) offers a valuable framework for elucidating this biological context, so far only few human proteomics studies were targeted to ASD. Many cell-context-dependent human ASD interactions involved in neuronal processes are unknown. This study … Read more
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2018 — Methane Absorption Characteristics on ShaleAbstract
In order to supply sufficient energy to meet demand, the exploration and development of the relatively rich shale gas reservoirs in China are areas of recent research focus. In the isothermal methane adsorption experiment, we investigated different types of shale from the Yanchang Formation in the Zhangjia Tan area in the southeast Ordos Basin in China for organic shale gas exploration. The results show that the measured total gas adsorption amounts of Samples 5 and 6 linearly increase with pressure increases, and the total adsorption amounts of other samples first rapidly increase and then slowly increase and trend to a … Read more
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2018 — A Comparative Study of Silicified Rock Reservoir in Shunnan 4 well of Tarim Basin with Hydrothermal Chert Reservoir of Parkland Gas Field in Western Canada Sedimentary BasinAbstract
The silicified limestone reservoirs in the Yingshan Formation of Middle Ordovician, discovered from SN4 well in 2013, have made a high yield in Shunnan area which is located in the center of Tarim Basin, northwest China. Comparing to previous work about the silicificaition, much more detailed petrographic descriptions have been carried out in this study. The most important diagenetic features to the silicification are identified including replacement quartz, quartz cement (characterized by 4 textures: equant quartz, bladed quartz, overgrowth and quartz cement in later fractures) and three types of calcite cement (CC1-CC3). Geochemical analysis including Si-O isotope analysis on quartz … Read more
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2018 — Genetic mechanisms contributing to antimicrobial resistance: gene repression in Mycobacterium, gene transfer in Salmonella, and phage sensitivity in EscherichiaAbstract
Bacteria develop resistance to antimicrobial agents through genetic mutation or horizontal acquisition of genetic material from resistant cells. Mycobacterium, Salmonella, and Escherichia are all capable of causing disease, and each demonstrates increasing resistance to conventional antibiotic treatment. Understanding the genetic mechanisms that regulate antibiotic resistance are critical in developing new antimicrobials and improving current treatment regimens. Alternative therapies to antibiotics should also be considered in the fight against multidrug resistant pathogens. Thus, I carried out molecular studies to investigate the regulation of efflux pump expression in Mycobacterium intracellulare, regulation mechanisms of natural competence in Salmonella Typhimurium, and phage therapy of … Read more
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2018 — Cross-Cultural Examination of the Cognitive Theory of Depression Among Individuals of Chinese and Canadian DescentAbstract
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or major depression is a debilitating condition affecting members of all cultures around the world. The cognitive theory of depression is one of the most researched theories of the disorder worldwide; however, the theory’s cross-cultural applicability has not been extensively studied, especially among Chinese participants. According to the cognitive theory of depression, symptoms of major depression are hypothesized to strongly associate with negatively distorted cognitions about the self, world, and future. The present investigation examined five descriptive hypotheses (e.g., negativity hypothesis, exclusivity hypothesis, severity/persistence hypothesis, schema activation hypothesis, and selective processing hypothesis) derived from the cognitive … Read more
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2018 — Effects of Temperature and Thyroid Hormone on Oxidative and Lipid Metabolism in Juvenile Lake Whitefish (Coregonus Clupeaformis)Abstract
Nearly every aspect of biological function is influenced by temperature, including metabolism. Factors such as seasonal change and climate change both contribute to environmental temperature variability. While many eurythermal fish species can acclimate to varying environmental conditions by adjusting metabolic processes, the cellular mechanisms and endocrine control of these shifts have not been fully elucidated. I examined the interactions between elevated temperature exposure and hyperthyroidism on various metabolic markers in the cool-water teleost, lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). Juveniles were exposed to 13 (control), 17 or 21 ºC for 4, 8 or 24 days. Widespread changes in the abundance of mRNA … Read more
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2018 — Cyclic Hot Solvent Injection Method to Enhance Heavy Oil Recovery Based on Experimental StudyAbstract
In the solvent-based heavy oil recovery methods, the cyclic solvent injection (CSI) method has been acknowledged as an effective method with high oil production rate. Oil recovery in pure solvent CSI study is as high as over 70%. However, injection pressure in the pure solvent CSI is limited by the low dew point pressure of hydrocarbon at laboratory ambient temperature condition. In the mixture gas CSI method, although the solvent dew point pressure can be raised at the ambient temperature condition, recovery factor of this method is much lower than that of pure solvent CSI method. Therefore, it is necessary … Read more
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2018 — Prediction Equations for Maximum Scour Depth At Culvert Outlets and Culvert Flow Simulation by OpenfoamAbstract
Scour is one of the most common reasons for infrastructure failure. Local scour around bridge piers and bridge abutments had been extensively addressed in the past. However, the research on local scour around culverts is still very limited. To fill in this gap, different existing prediction equations are compared in estimating maximum scour depth around different shapes of culverts. It is found that for rectangular culvert culverts, Valentin’s equation (1967) and Kerenyi’s equations (2007) can give the best prediction in the range of the present study. While for circular culverts, Liriano’s equation (1999) and Azamathulla’s equation (2012) can provide better … Read more
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2018 — Game Theoretic Approaches to Three-Way DecisionsAbstract
Uncertainty and imprecision are intrinsic features of available data about the real world. An object is uncertain if we cannot make sure decisions about if the object belongs to a target concept. Three-way decisions provide three options, i.e., accept, reject, and non-commitment, in the face of uncertainty. All objects are divided into three regions according to which option is selected for each object. The determination of three-way decisions is a key issue of analyzing uncertain data. When multiple evaluation measures are involved, determining three-way decisions from a tradeoff perspective is a challenging process. The thesis focuses on determining three-way decisions … Read more
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2018 — Investigate Influence of Anthropogenic Temperature Increase on Climate Extremes Through A Dynamical Downscaling Approach - A Chinese Case StudyAbstract
The study presented in this thesis investigated the relationships between climate change and extreme events in China through high-resolution climate projections, and examination of the compound effects of temperature, among multiple climatic variables, at regional scales. The Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) relation was used to investigate the relationship between temperature increases and precipitation extremes. The likely changes in precipitation and precipitation extremes across the country were also evaluated to help in understanding the local climatic response to global warming. The relationship between temperature increases and changes in high-temperature extremes, and simulations of the compound effects of relative humidity and high-temperature extremes, were … Read more
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2018 — Membrane Filtration System for Produced Water Treatment: Experimental and Modeling AnalysesAbstract
Oily wastewaters are produced in large quantities by many different industries with the main contributor being the petrochemical sector. Problematic to treat, these waste streams create substantial environmental dangers. Mandated treatment for environmental compliance can be costly and generate a large financial burden on producing companies. Membrane filtration technology targeting oily water separation has emerged as a solution to the wastewater problem. Despite the advancement of the membrane technology, membrane fouling remains a major concern and drawback from the largescale implementation of this technology. Finding ways to optimize membrane function and to mitigate fouling will prove invaluable to the ability … Read more