Fabrication And Modification Of Titania Nanotube Arrays For Harvesting Solar Energy And Drug Delivery Applications, Ahmed El Ruby Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The fast diminishing of fossil fuels in the near future, as well as the global warming caused by increasing greenhouse gases have motivated the urgent quest to develop advanced materials as cost-effective photoanodes for solar light harvesting and many other photocatalytic applications. Recently, titania nanotube arrays (TNTAs) fabricated by anodization process has attracted great interest due to their excellent properties such as: high surface area, vertically oriented, highly organized, one-dimensional, nanotubular structure, photoactivity, chemical stability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of excellent properties makes TNTAs an excellent photoanode for solar light harvesting. However, the relatively wide band gap energy of …

Carbohydrates And Fungal Toxin Exposure Influence The Vaginal Microbiota, Metabolome, And Reproductive Health Of Women, Stephanie L. Collins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The reproductive health of women is influenced by microorganisms and their metabolites, namely those representing the vaginal microbiota and those producing toxins that are ingested. To manipulate the vaginal microbiota toward a health-associated, Lactobacillusdominant state, an approach adopting prebiotic lactulose was taken. Using batch culture, lactulose supported Lactobacillus maintenance and positively altered metabolites, while not disrupting indigenous L. crispatus epithelial adherence. The vagina also harbours abundant glycogen, but initial assumptions that lactobacilli utilize it were incorrect. I have now shown that glycogen selectively stimulates organisms associated with dysbiosis and L. iners in a self-limiting manner. Other compounds such as environmental …

Effects Of Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure On Adrenal Gland Development And Steroidogenic Function, Samantha Medwid

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Developmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous endocrine disrupting chemical, is associated with organ dysfunction and diseases in adulthood. However, little is known about its effects on the adrenal glands. Therefore, this thesis addresses this important question using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. BPA at environmentally relevant doses was administrated via diet to pregnant mice from embryonic day 7.5 to birth, following which mice were switched to a standard chow. At two months postnatally, adrenal glands and blood samples were collected from adult mouse offspring for structural and functional analysis. I found that: (a) BPA increased adrenal …

Crispr Screen For Identification Of Kinases That Mediate Prostate Cancer Cell Invasion, Hamad Aldhafeeri

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients. Inhibition of proteins that are involved in the regulation of metastasis are expected to suppress metastasis and represent treatment targets. Our focus is on prostate cancer metastasis and we have developed a novel high-throughput means of performing in vitro screens for regulators of prostate cancer metastasis. We propose to use a focused CRISPR library screen that will “knock out” all human kinases to determine which ones are responsible for prostate cancer metastasis. CRISPR is a potent genetic editing tool and was used to silence all kinases in prostate cells (BPH …

Identification And Characterization Of Farr And Fare As A Regulator And Effector Of Fatty Acid Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus, Heba Alnaseri

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although Staphylococcus aureus is exposed to antimicrobial fatty acids on the skin, in nasal secretions and in abscesses, specific mechanisms for regulating gene expression and intrinsic resistance in response to these fatty acids have not been reported. Through in vitro selection for increased resistance of S. aureus to linoleic acid, I identified fatty acid resistant clone FAR7, where a single nucleotide polymorphism caused a His₁₂₁Tyr substitution in an uncharacterized member of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators, which is divergently transcribed from a gene encoding a member of the resistance-nodulation-division superfamily of multi-drug efflux pumps. I named these …

Reversible Cooling-Induced Deactivations To Study Cortical Contributions To Obstacle Memory In The Walking Cat, Carmen Wong, Stephen G. Lomber

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

On complex, naturalistic terrain, sensory information about an environmental obstacle can be used to rapidly adjust locomotor movements for avoidance. For example, in the cat, visual information about an impending obstacle can modulate stepping for avoidance. Locomotor adaptation can also occur independent of vision, as sudden tactile inputs to the leg by an expected obstacle can modify the stepping of all four legs for avoidance. Such complex locomotor coordination involves supraspinal structures, such as the parietal cortex. This protocol describes the use of reversible, cooling-induced cortical deactivation to assess parietal cortex contributions to memory-guided obstacle locomotion in the cat. Small …

The Constitutionality Of Restrictions On Recreational Cannabis Advertising: Balancing Public Health And Freedom Of Expression, Melanie L. Mcphail

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

On April 20, 2016, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced that legislation legalizing recreational marijuana would be introduced in Spring 2017, with the goal of keeping marijuana out of the hands of children and profit out of the hands of criminals. Bill C-45, An Act Respecting Cannabis passed the second reading in the House of Commons, and contains restrictions on advertising cannabis, with a few exceptions. Advertising is recognized as a protected form of expression under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, so if the government infringes on this right, they must be able to prove that it is justified in …

Improving Transitions In Care For People With Dementia: The Cared Tool, Yuwen Deng, Jamie Bisset, Silk Lim, Maryssa Edwards

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

Transitions in Care are challenging for people with dementia due to impairments in communication and disorientation from being in a foreign environment. Transitions in care have lead to incidents of unnecessary physical and chemical restraints of this vulnerable population. To investigate how to optimize care transitions, qualitative descriptive information was collected through three personal interviews to gain a broader understanding of mechanisms of care transitions in London, ON. After conducting interviews and literature review, the CARED Tool was developed. The CARED Tool promotes social inclusion of patients with dementia through recognizing that people with dementia have complex needs, thereby allowing …

Treatment With Aicar Inhibits Blastocyst Development, Trophectodermdifferentiation And Tight Junction Formation And Function In Mice, Michele D. Calder, Nicole A. Edwards, Dean H. Betts, Andrew J. Watson

Paediatrics Publications

STUDY QUESTION: What is the impact of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation on blastocyst formation, gene expression, and tight junction formation and function? SUMMARY ANSWER: AMPK activity must be tightly controlled for normal preimplantation development and blastocyst formation to occur. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: AMPK isoforms are detectable in oocytes, cumulus cells and preimplantation embryos. Cultured embryos are subject to many stresses that can activate AMPK. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Two primary experiments were carried out to determine the effect of AICAR treatment on embryo development and maintenance of the blastocoel cavity. Embryos were recovered from superovulated mice. First, …

Friction Testing Of Contemporary Self-Ligating Appliance Systems, Michael Greene

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Resistance to tooth movement is multifactorial, with friction (FR) one of many important components. There is limited data comparing contemporary Passive and Active self-ligating bracket (SLB) systems in terms of FR created by archwire engagement. Aim: To compare classical FR in contemporary SLB systems and traditional twin brackets in vitro, and to identify the point of initiation of bracket-archwire engagement. Materials & Methods: Nine bracket systems of .022-in slot size were FR tested: Victory Series (3M Unitek) with elastic ligature (control); Passive SLB systems Damon Q (Ormco), Carriere SLX (Henry Schein), H4 (Ortho Classic), Altitude …

Binding Of Salivary Proteins To Orthodontic Brackets, Maria Pia Canales

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different orthodontic materials on the formation of the protein pellicle on the bracket surface.

Materials and Methods: We used X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze the atomic composition of orthodontic metallic and ceramic brackets. Following XPS, the brackets were immersed in human whole saliva supernatant for 2-hour incubation at 37°C. Hydroxyapatite (HA) discs were used as control. Acquired pellicle was harvested with sonication for each group, and liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry was used for protein identification.

Results: Differences reported by XPS and mass spectrometry were noted …

Effect On Pellicle Proteome Upon Adsorption Of Salivary Peptide On Hydroxyapatite And Their Effects On Enamel Demineralization, Rajesh Kr. Gupta

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

According to WHO, oral health is an important indicator of overall health. Poor oral health cause serious health problems (cardiovascular, stroke, diabetes, liver, and respiratory related), in different age groups, costing billions of dollars. So, proper oral health care management has assumed top priority. Salivary antimicrobial peptides (histatin and statherin), are part of enamel pellicle, required for the oral homeostasis. Current work focused to study the demineralization protection and pellicle proteome modulation capabilities of novel peptide constructs (single and tandem duplicate histatin constructs DR9, DR9-DR9 and histatin-statherin hybrid construct DR9-RR14). For the first time, we provided evidence that, these peptide …

Emerging Leadership Practices For The Implementation Of Professional Practice Standards, Georgia Lampracos-Gionnas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

This qualitative exploratory case study, situated in a Canadian community college, was designed to characterize the leadership practices that have emerged during the implementation of national curriculum standards in a Denturism program. The program has recently adopted the curriculum standards outlined in the National Competency Profile for Denturists (NCPD). This research focused on the implementation of the NCPD standards in the program, with special emphasis on the field placement course. The purpose was to investigate the organizational structures that support the implementation of the NCPD standards, as well as the leadership practices that have emerged, as different stakeholders collaborate …

Disruption Of Hippocampal Multisynaptic Networks By General Anesthetics., Min-Ching Kuo, L Stan Leung

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that synaptic transmission is affected by general anesthetics, but an anesthetic dose response in freely moving animals has not been done. The hippocampus provides a neural network for the evaluation of isoflurane and pentobarbital on multisynaptic transmission that is relevant to memory function.

METHODS: Male Long-Evans rats were implanted with multichannel and single electrodes in the hippocampus. Spontaneous local field potentials and evoked field potentials were recorded in freely behaving rats before (baseline) and after various doses of isoflurane (0.25 to 1.5%) and sodium pentobarbital (10 mg/kg intraperitoneal).

RESULTS: Monosynaptic population excitatory postsynaptic potentials at the …

The Human First Metatarsal In Bioarchaeological Research: New Insights Into Human Variation And Bone Health Research From Kellis 2, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt (50-450ce), Mathew A. Teeter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: This research tests the efficacy of using the human first metatarsal (MT1) in bioarchaeological research, specifically to investigate human variation (nonmetric traits and sexual dimorphism) and skeletal health (Osteo-Volumetric Density and µCT analysis) in antiquity. To date, this bone has had limited applications in bioarchaeology.

Materials and Methods: This study used human remains from the Kellis 2 (K2) cemetery, located in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt (50-450CE). Specifically, 377 MT1s, representing 212 individuals were used to investigate human variation and osteo-volumetric density (OVD) in the K2 skeletal population. Additionally, skeletal health was further assessed in a female sub-sample (n=44) of …

Investigating The Functional Relationships Of Rnd Efflux Pumps In Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Jamie N. Halucha

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The RND superfamily of efflux pumps plays vital roles in the intrinsic defence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens. The staphylococci have two genes encoding RND transporters; farE, which promotes efflux of antimicrobial fatty acids, and an uncharacterized gene we have named femT. Although RND pumps are known to contribute to maintenance of cellular homeostasis and antimicrobial resistance, the function of FemT, and the relationship between FemT and FarE in staphylococci have not been identified. Using established assays, we have tested the phenotype of a femT deletion mutant. Here, we show that this mutant is more susceptible to lysostaphin, vancomycin …

The Richness Of Food: A Zooarchaeological Analysis Of Huaca Santa Clara And Huaca Gallinazo, North Coast Of Peru, Arwen M. Johns

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a zooarchaeological study examining the entangled nature of human-animal relations within processes of food production, preparation, and consumption at Huaca Santa Clara and Huaca Gallinazo in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru. It assesses how the consumption of animal products influenced social differentiation and identities during early state development in the Early Intermediate Period (200B.C.E – 800 C.E.). This thesis takes a social zooarchaeological approach and utilizes the framework of relational ontology to emphasize the social and symbolic roles of animals. Faunal remains suggest that individuals at Huaca Santa Clara had comparatively equal access to animal …

Improving Adult Learners’ Experience With Continuing Professional Education: A Transformational Path To Andragogy, Sylvain Gagne

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The topic of this organizational improvement plan is to improve the learning satisfaction of adult learners in professional programs who return to universities to attend formal academic courses or programmes in class while pursuing their employment. Its purpose is to promote and support the teaching faculty involved in such courses and programmes in adopting andragogical methods to support those adult learners and improve their learning experience. The research is informed organizational leadership, organizational change, and by andragogic theories. This study will impact adult learners, teaching faculty, administrators, and organizational culture as it relates to Continuing Professional Education (CPE), with particular …

Determining The Detective Quantum Efficiency (Dqe) Of X-Ray Detectors In Clinical Environments, Terenz R. Escartin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

According to Health Canada, dental and medical radiography accounts for more than 90% of total man-made radiation dose to the general population. Ensuring patients receive the health benefits of diagnostic x-ray imaging without use of higher radiation exposures requires knowledge and understanding of the detective quantum efficiency (DQE). Currently, the DQE is not measured in clinics because it requires specialized instrumentation and specific DQE-expertise to perform an accurate analysis. In this regard, the goals of this thesis were to: 1) address the limitations of measuring the DQE in clinical environments that affects the accuracy of the measurement; 2) develop and …

Immune Responses To Homocitrulline- And Citrulline-Containing Peptides In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Patrick Lac

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Anti-citrulline immune responses contribute to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) development, and are linked with the expression of HLA-DR molecules that encode the Shared Epitope (SE). Immune responses to homocitrulline, a structural analog of citrulline, have been recently detected in RA, but their role in RA is unknown.

The objectives of this study were to examine the specificity of anti-homocitrulline antibodies for RA, the dependence of anti-homocitrulline responses on SE-expression, and the cross-reactivity of responses to homocitrulline and citrulline. These objectives were addressed in RA patients and in SE-expressing DR4tg mice using homocitrulline- and citrulline-rich peptides.

Anti-homocitrulline antibodies occurred specifically in RA. …

Development Of New Methods To Investigate The Role Of The Avian Hippocampus In Memory Formation In Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Madeleine Ir Brodbeck

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The hippocampus is known to participate in a variety of cognitive functions in humans, non-human primates, rodents, and birds. A great deal of previous research on the avian hippocampus has examined its role in spatial memory. A question regarding avian hippocampal function that remains unanswered is, what is its role in encoding, retention, and retrieval of spatial information? To answer this question I, 1) describe spatial and non-spatial versions of a touchscreen task and my attempts to determine if the spatial version of the task is hippocampus dependent, and 2) describe the development of an implantable cryoloop which can be …

Exploring Men's Social Support In The Hockey Fans In Training Weight Loss And Healthy Lifestyle Program, Ryan S. Scott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hockey Fans in Training (Hockey FIT) is a gender-sensitized weight loss and healthy lifestyle program for overweight and obese male hockey fans, consisting of a 12-week active phase followed by a 40-week maintenance phase. Following program completion, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore the social support given and received by the men involved in Hockey FIT. A social cognitive model was used to illustrate how social support arising from group cohesiveness, friendly competition, family, and peers impacted self-esteem (characterized by accepting strengths, gaining a sense of belonging, and gaining a sense of accomplishment), which in turn produced positive …

Prefrontal Cortex Dopamine Transmission Regulates Emotional Memory Processing And Morphine Reward Salience: Implications For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Addiction Comorbidity, Jing Jing Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and addiction are strongly comorbid. However, the underlying neural mechanisms by which traumatic memory recall may increase addiction liability are poorly understood. The inability to suppress memory recall related to either stressful or rewarding, drug-related experiences may be an underlying neuropsychological feature capable of triggering both PTSD or addiction-related behaviours. Our previous research has shown that transmission through dopamine (DA) D₄ and D₁ receptor subtypes (D₄R, D₁R) within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) strongly modulates emotional memory acquisition and recall (Lauzon et al., 2009). Using olfactory fear conditioning and morphine conditioned …

An In Vitro Study Of The Role Of Implant Positioning On Ulnohumeral Articular Contact In Distal Humeral Hemiarthroplasty, Roxanna E. Abhari, Ryan Willing, Graham J.W. King, James A. Johnson

Bone and Joint Institute

© 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand Purpose To investigate the effect of implant positioning on ulnohumeral contact using patient-specific distal humeral (DH) implants. Methods Seven reverse-engineered DH implants were manufactured based on computed tomography scans of their osseous geometry. Native ulnae were paired with corresponding native humeri and custom DH implants in a loading apparatus. The ulna was set at 90° of flexion and the humeral component (either native bone or reverse-engineered implant) was positioned from 5° varus to 5° valgus in 2.5° increments under a 100-N compressive load. Contact with the ulna was measured with both …

Minimizing The Impact Of Disease While Maximizing Quality Of Life: An Exploration Of Resilience In Head And Neck Cancer Survivors, Chelsea A. Macdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Introduction: Individuals with head and neck cancer (HNCa) face myriad biopsychosocial challenges. Even after treatment completion, these challenges may continue to cause diminished quality of life (QoL). Resilience may serve to minimize the impact of HNCa and, thus, maximize QoL. The purpose of this study was to identify resilience in HNCa survivors and explore its potential relationship with QoL.

Methods: Thirty-one HNCa survivors completed three validated, self-report questionnaires pertaining to the collection of resilience and QoL data. Descriptive, correlational, and observational analyses were performed.

Results: Resilience was identified in the HNCa survivors and a positive correlation was found between resilience …

The Role Of Adverse Childhood Experiences As Determinants Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among Children And Adolescents Referred To Community And Inpatient Mental Health Settings, Philip Baiden, Shannon L. Stewart, Barbara Fallon

Paediatrics Publications

The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence of, and determine the effect of adverse childhood experiences on non-suicidal self-injury among children and adolescents referred to community and inpatient mental health settings. Data for this study were obtained from the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health dataset. A total of 2038 children and adolescents aged 8–18 years (M = 12.49; SD = 2.88, 61.1% males) were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was fitted to identify predictors of non-suicidal self-injury as a function of adverse childhood experiences, depression, and social support while simultaneously controlling for age, gender, type of patient, …

Perceived Patient-Pharmacist Communication And Diabetes Management: Assessing Medication Adherence Among Older Patients, Cecilia Flores Sandoval

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With 50% of patients in North America not taking their medications as they should (Brown & Bussell, 2011), a better understanding of medication adherence among older patients could be helpful to health professionals and service providers. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the perceived pharmacist-patient quality of communication is associated with diabetes medication adherence. Eighty-four older adults from the Primary Care Diabetes Support Program were recruited. Diabetes medication adherence and pharmacist-patient quality of communication were measured using self-report questionnaires. No significant correlation was found between medication adherence and perceived pharmacist-patient quality of communication. Results indicated a significant …

Sol-Gel Derived Silica-Titania Porous Coating For The Surface Modification Of Dental Implants, Yili Cheng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A series of sol-gel derived silica-titania hybrid coatings for dental implants were prepared in this research project to improve the implants’ bioactivities. Rosin was used as a space-occupying material to create a porous surface layer with increased roughness. The proper formulation of mixed sols and the parameters for the spin coating procedure were first tested on glass and aluminum substrates. Subsequently the most promising techniques were applied to titanium. SEM analysis was conducted to demonstrate the morphology of the coated specimens. The hardness, adhesion and abrasion resistance of the coated titanium substrates were tested out. Bioactivities of the hybrid coatings …

Characterizing The Interaction Between Human Adenovirus E1a And The Transcriptional Repressor Bs69, Ali Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Protein products of the Early Region 1A (E1A) gene in human adenovirus 5 (HAdV-5) are the first viral proteins expressed upon adenovirus infection. E1A disrupts many cellular physiological events by binding to and regulating an impressive number of host factors. Of particular interest is BS69, a repressor of E1A transactivation. Due to the strong interaction observed between E1A and BS69, I hypothesize that these two proteins function together to disrupt gene expression within an infected cell.

Using in silico modelling and a series of yeast two-hybrid assays, I determined that residues 112-119 of HAdV-5 E1A is the minimal interacting region …

Translating Continuing Professional Development Education To Nursing Practice In Rwanda: Enhancing Maternal And Newborn Health, Yvonne Kasine

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Neonatal asphyxia is the leading cause of neonatal deaths in Rwanda. The Helping Babies Breathe (HBB^©) course was initiated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2010 to help in reducing neonatal mortality in resource limited areas. Little is known about nurses’ experiences of applying the knowledge and skills acquired from HBB^© courses in Rwanda. This study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences of translating continuing professional development education utilizing the HBB^© course to nursing practice in Rwanda. This study was conducted using a qualitative descriptive design. A convenience sample of 10 nurses participated in individual …