Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Socio-Economic Status As Measured By Education On Outcomes In Scleroderma (Systemic Sclerosis), Samah Mansour Assaad Mansour

Digitized Theses

The goal of this study was to assess socioeconomic status (SES) as a social determinant of outcomes in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). In systemic lupus erythematosus, SES has a large effect on outcomes. It is unknown what the effect of SES is on outcomes in SSc. SES is often measured by income, occupation and education. In SSc, highest education would be attained decades prior to disease onset whereas current income and occupation could be low due to SSc and thus would confound interpretation of effect of SES on SSc. Therefore, education was used as a measure of SES in …

The Preservation Of Response Inhibition During Free Choice Location Processing In Older Adults, Michael Raymond Lok

Digitized Theses

Younger {M- 21) and older (M= 74) adults completed a spatial negative priming

(SNP) task that used central event location presentations and which included 1many location-to-response mappings (i.e., free choice trials). The free choice trials allowed us (a) to examine the inhibitory after-effects produced by former distractor-related responses to determine whether they had undergone response inhibition, and, (b) to examine the factors that influence response selection under free choice conditions. The question was whether both of these were preserved with age. Inhibitory after-effects were highly comparable for both age groups; former distractor responses produced slowing and were avoided on free …

The Relationship Between Hpa Regulation And Fitness In A Free-Living Population Of Song Sparrows (Melospiza Melodia), Ainsley Anne Furlonger

Digitized Theses

In a changing environment, individuals must have the ability to physiologically cope with unpredictable stressors. The endocrine response to stressors is one mechanism vertebrates can use. The corticosterone (CORT)-fitness hypothesis predicts a negative relationship between acute stress induced levels of CORT and fitness. I examined the effectiveness of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation through exogenous hormone stimulation and plasma CORT levels as a predictor for various fitness measures in free-living song sparrows (Melospiza melodia). CORT levels at 30 minutes and in response to dexamethasone injection were predictive of lay date in this population. However, no relationships were observed between HPA regulation …

The Politics Of Kant’S Aesthetics: Hannah Arendt, Jacques RancièRe, And The Transformation Of Common Sense, Owen Ryan Glyn-Williams

Digitized Theses

This thesis focuses on the political significance of Kant’s aesthetics, as it is taken up in the political thought o f Hannah Arendt and Jacques Rancière. While both Arendt and Rancière model their notions of political community on Kant’s notion of sensus communis, or aesthetic common sense, I point to important differences in their respective appropriations of Kant. Whereas Arendt draws out of Kant’s work on aesthetic judgment a politics of adherence to common sense (consensus), Rancière looks to Kant’s concepts of disinterest and disconnection to develop a politics of “dissensus”, aimed at reconfiguring common sense along more egalitarian lines. …

The Regulation Of Early And Late Renal Tubular Cell Injury By Osteopontin, Kelvin Shek

Digitized Theses

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multi-functional protein that can influence cell survival, chemotaxis and inflammation. The role of OPN produced by kidney tubular epithelial cell (TEC) following transplantation has not been defined. This study tests the role of OPN on the chemotaxis of Natural Killer (NK) cells, as well as the role of OPN as a survival factor for TECs in vitro and in vivo following kidney transplantation.

OPN-/- TECs had a substantially reduced capacity to attract NK cells in vitro when compared with OPN+/+TECs. OPN may only be an indirect regulator for the expression of NK specific chemokines in TECs, …

The Role Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-6 In The Differentiation Of Placental Mesenchymal Stem Cells Into Skeletal Muscle, Doaa Abdulkalig Aboalola

Digitized Theses

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-6 (IGFBP-6), a component of the stem cell niche involved in the differentiation of skeletal muscle myogenesis, is expressed in developing muscle cells and is the main regulator of IGF-II. In this study, I investigated the role of IGFBP-6 in the commitment of skeletal muscle derivation from placenta mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs). I hypothesized that IGFBP-6 inhibits the temporal maintenance of PMSCs and promotes the differentiation of PMSCs into muscle via both extracellular and intracellular mechanisms. PMSCs can differentiate into muscle cells expressing the muscle markers Pax3/7, MyoD, and Myogenin with the formation of multi-nucleated fibers. …

The Role Of P/Cip Oncogene In Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency, Jennifer M. Chitilian

Digitized Theses

p/CIP is a transcriptional coactivator that binds liganded nuclear hormone receptors, as well as other transcription factors, and facilitates transcription through direct recruitment of accessory factors. p/CIP is highly expressed in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells and is downregulated during differentiation. Using siRNA- mediated knockdown of p/CIP in mES cells in combination with microarray analysis I have identified a contingent of essential pluripotency genes which are significantly downregulated including Klf4, Tbx3 and Dax-1. Subsequent chromatin immuno­ précipitation (ChIP) analysis demonstrated that Tbx3 and Dax-1 are direct transcriptional targets of p/CIP. Using the piggyBac transposase system, a mouse ES cell …

Understanding The Gendered Expectations And Exemptions Experienced By Male Double Duty Caregivers: A Qualitative Secondary Analysis, Ana Paula Anjos

Digitized Theses

There is growing evidence that employed family caregivers experience challenges

in balancing multiple demands associated with family caregiving. In particular health professionals who are also family caregivers, defined as double duty caregivers (DDCs), are expected to use their professional knowledge and skills in the provision of family care. The purpose of this qualitative secondary analysis was to explore how gendered expectations and exemptions entered into the caregiving and health experiences of male nurses who were DDCs. The overarching theme was the determinants of care, and included the subthemes of familial responsibility and relationships, nursing knowledge and skills, and access to …

Uv Based Advanced Oxidation Process (Aop) For The Removal Of Ibuprofen And Naproxen From Selected Water Matrices, Fardous Fatama

Digitized Theses

Over the past few years, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds have been identified as emerging environmental contaminants, and their presence and persistence in the aquatic ecosystem at low and yet discernible concentrations (ng/L - pg/L) have been highlighted. An understanding of the occurrence and behaviour of these compounds in wastewater and other water matrices is necessary for addressing the risks they pose to the aquatic environment. As the concern about these non-biodegradable recalcitrant compounds grows, their removal from water is becoming imperative. This urgent issue has led to an increasing number of studies on using or adapting various technologies for …

Understanding Resilience And Settlement In Refugee Youth: A Critical Narrative Study, Charity Faith Davy

Digitized Theses

This study seeks to explore the resilience and settlement of refugee youth through critical narrative. Objectives of this study are: (1) to explore the facilitators and barriers of the resettlement phase of youth refugees and to identify ways in which services and policies can better facilitate youth refugees' successful transitions to Ontario, Canada, according to the teenagers themselves and, (2) to explore in brief youth refugees' health status throughout the resettlement process, according to their own perspectives. This study explores the literature to date of refugee youth and settlement issues, assesses the pros and cons of the use of visual …

International Chinese And Canadian Students’ Experiences Of Internationalization At A Canadian University, Linda Weber

Digitized Theses

Internationalization, as a response to globalization, is one of the key drivers and shapers of the fundamental changes transforming the world of higher education. There is a need to understand internationalization within higher education from the vantage point of the domestic and international students who are currently being educated because their experiences testify to the provision of quality education. Using a Case Study approach this research explores ways that the internationalization of higher education impacts students’ intercultural relations, identities, intercultural sensitivity, critical understandings, and notions of citizenship. A postcolonial perspective is used to explore how students perceive the influences of …

Hansard As An Aid To Statutory Interpretation In Canadian Courts From 1999 To 2010, John J. Magyar

Digitized Theses

This thesis employs qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a comprehensive picture o f the judicial use o f Hansard as an extrinsic aid to statutory interpretation in the courts of Canada from 1999 to 2010. The qualitative portion of the thesis examines all Supreme Court of Canada judgments in 2010 that make reference to Hansard and Hansard-like materials. The findings are compared with the findings of Professor Stéphane Beaulac, who studied the phenomenon in 1999. The quantitative portion ofthe research examines the prevalence and distribution ofjudgments that make reference to Hansard in the Courts throughout Canada from 1999 to …

Design Of Orexin Based Imaging Agents, Zhu Lin

Digitized Theses

Orexin A (33 amino acids) and orexin B (28 amino acids) are two naturally occurring ligands of the G-protein coupled receptor: orexin receptor 1 (OXiR) and orexin receptor 2 (OX2R). Based on the expression of OXiR in colon cancer cells, gallium-68 labelled orexin A (15-33) and orexin B (6-28) were developed as potential PET imaging agents targeting colon cancer cells. Orexin A (15-33) and orexin B (6-28) were synthesized by Fmoc solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). A bifunctional chelator 1,4,7,10-tetra azacyclo dodecane- N,N',N”,N”'-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) was used to attach gallium-68 to orexin A (15-33) and orexin B (6-28). A linker …

Comparing Automated Unit Testing Strategies, Yihao Zhang

Digitized Theses

Software testing plays a:critical role in the software development lifecycle. Auto­ mated unit testing strategies allow a tester to execute a large number of test cases to detect faulty behaviours in a piece of software. Many different automated unit testing strategies can be applied to test a program. In order to better understand the relationship between these strategies, “explorative” strategies are defined as those which select unit tests by exploring a large search space with a relatively simple data structure. This thesis focuses on comparing three particular explorative strategies: bounded-exhaustive, randomized, and a combined strategy. In order to precisely compare …

Classroom Influences On Occasional Teachers, Janne Heather Bendheim

Digitized Theses

This study explores how the classroom setting left by Full Time Employed

Teachers influences Occasional Teachers’ teaching day. In particular, it considers how different materials and interactional conventions either positively or negatively affect the working day of Occasional Teachers.

The study employed a qualitative research methodology, with six Occasional teachers interviewed and three Full Time Employed Teachers interviewed. Findings . indicated that an organized classroom and repeated teaching at one school would influence the Occasional Teachers day positively. Also found to have a large impact upon Occasional Teachers’ days was the amount of professional autonomy they were able to exert …

Ct Perfusion Investigation Of Hepatic Hemodynamics In A Rodent Model Of Liver Cirrhosis, Mark Dekaban

Digitized Theses

This thesis aims to evaluate the utility of dynamic contrast enhanced computed tomography (DCE-CT) imaging in conjunction with kinetic analysis (CT Perfusion) for the investigation of fibrotic liver disease. Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analysis of the kinetic model were used to characterize the bias, variance and covariance of perfusion parameters calculated with CT Perfusion. DCE-CT scans were performed on rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCI4) for 8 weeks to induce liver fibrosis, as well as sham injected control rats. Perfusion parameters were then derived from the DCE-CT scans using CT Perfusion. CCI4 treated rats showed significant changes in total …

Characterization Of The Hiv-1 Restriction Factor Herc5, Jessica G.K. Tong

Digitized Theses

Herc5 is a potent HIV-1 restriction factor able to restrict HIV-1 by two mechanisms: 1) conjugation of ISG15 to gag polyprotein via E3 ligase activity, and 2) restricting the production of HIV-1 proteins by an unknown mechanism that is independent of its E3 ligase function. Herc5 mutations of the RCCl-like domain (RLD) and Spacer domains were generated to dissect this mechanism. Based on HIV-1 release assays, the RLD is important for preventing the production of viral proteins. Herc5 transfected cells show defects in cell cycle progression at the G2/M phase as well as abnormal nuclear morphology. C994A and ASpacer constructs …

Effects Of North American Ginseng On Sexual Behavior In Male Rats, Matthew Joseph Barnes

Digitized Theses

Two North American ginseng extracts were used to test sexual behavior in healthy rats and pre-diabetic rats, with erectile dysfunction, after four weeks of oral administration. Behavioral tests assessed sexual performance while animal tissues were used to examine eNOS and nNOS protein and mRNA in central and peripheral sites known to control erectile function. Results show an improvement in erectile function during copulation in healthy rats with chronic treatment of ethanol extract of NA ginseng but not aqueous extract. In addition, eNOS and nNOS mRNA was increased in penile tissue and nNOS staining was increased in the paraventricular nucleus of …

Female FlâNerie Between Modernity And Postmodernity. The Cases Of Dorothy Richardson’S Pilgrimage And RéGine Robin’S MéGapolis. Les Derniers Pas Du FlâNeur, Maria Roxana Baiceanu

Digitized Theses

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a revival of critical debates around, on the one hand, Walter Benjamin’s understanding offlânerie, the practice of street walking in the nineteenth-century metropolis, and on the other hand the existence of a female counterpart for the (usually male)flâneur. Most of the analyses, coming from Janet Wolff, Elizabeth Wilson, Susan Buck-Morss, and Anne Friedberg, but also the contributors to Keith Tester’s critical anthology The Flâneur (1994) returned to Baudelairian and Benjaminian depictions offlânerie and revealed ways in which the practice and its participants (male and female alike) were still significant for understanding a highly …

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences Of A Teacher Education Program In Preparing Them For Diverse Urban Classrooms, Taranjit Saini

Digitized Theses

As classrooms become more diverse, there is an increasing need to prepare teachers to work with a culturally and racially diverse student population. This research investigated pre-service teachers’ experiences working with a culturally and racially diverse student population as they progressed through their teacher education program. The focus was on participants who were enrolled in an equity education course and were interested in making a difference in the lives of minority and immigrant students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether pre-service teachers felt that they were prepared to teach in diverse urban classrooms. The research was primarily …

Hip Fracture Care In Rural Southwestern Ontario An Ethnographic Study Of Patient Transitions And Physiotherapy Handoffs, Helen Anneli Johnson

Digitized Theses

Patients with hip fracture transition through several care environments during recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine information exchange by physiotherapists during care handoffs o f patients with hip fracture. Using an ethnographic approach, 11 patients with hip fracture and their networks of family caregivers (n=8) and health care providers (n=24) were recruited in a rural community of southwestern Ontario. Patients were followed from acute care through each post-acute care setting. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, observations and document review.An inductive analytic approach was used. Findings revealed that handoffs were challenged when information transfer was untimely. Family caregivers …

Longitudinal Associations Between Temperament, Social Competence, And Internalizing Disorders Risk In Middle Childhood, Sarah V.M. Mackrell

Digitized Theses

While psychopathologists posit that temperament plays a critical role in internalizing disorder (i.e., depression and anxiety) risk, the mediators of this risk are poorly understood. Additionally, no previous studies have examined whether temperament traits interact to predict risk mediators. The current study examined longitudinal associations between temperament and social competence in middle childhood, a likely mediator of temperamental risk for psychopathology, using a multi-method approach. A sample of 205 7-year-old children was assessed for temperament using laboratory and parent-report measures. At age 9, these children completed a stress task that entailed social evaluation,before and after which cortisol samples were collected. …

Investigating Factors Placing Children At Risk For Homicide In The Context Of Domestic Violence, Leslie Hazel Anne Hamilton

Digitized Theses

Domestic homicide is among the most preventable homicides because of the number of known risk factors that include a history of domestic violence (DV). Extreme cases of domestic violence can also place children at risk for becoming victims of domestic homicide. Using a retrospective case analysis of 84 domestic homicide cases, this study identified the unique factors that place a child at risk for homicide. All DV cases were divided into three groups reflecting no child involvement, child homicide/attempted homicide, and no child homicide/attempted homicide. Comparisons using the three groups explored potential differences in background and known risk factors. A …

Laughter And Love: The Role Of Humour Styles In Dating Relationships, Sara M. Caird

Digitized Theses

This investigation examined the associations between relationship-focused humour styles and relationship satisfaction and dissatisfaction, as well as positive and negative interactions between dating partners. Undergraduate students (n - 136) completed measures that assessed trait-level characteristics, as well as a series o f online questionnaires that assessed their relationship satisfaction and dissatisfaction, positive and negative interactions in their dating relationships, and their use of humour styles with their partners over the previous three days. Time-lagged analyses were conducted via Hierarchical Linear Modeling to examine the directionality of the associations between variables. Some associations were reciprocal. Daily increases in affiliative humour were …

Molecular Trojan Horses In The Treatment Of Metachromatic Leukodystrophy, Katherine Marie Baer

Digitized Theses

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by a mutation in the enzyme, arylsulfatase A (ASA) and is characterized by progressive and fatal demyelination in the central and peripheral nervous systems. To date, no effective treatment exists and development is hampered by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). I have successfully generated fusion proteins using an ApoE fragment as a molecular Trojan horse fused to the full-length human ASA. These proteins were expressed in eukaryotic cells transduced with lentiviral expression vectors and have been assessed for in vitro enzymatic activity and kinetic properties. Although preliminary studies show that these constructs …

Off The Beaten Path: Obstacles To Success In A Community-Based Conservation And Ecotourism Project In Ankarana, Madagascar, Ashley Marie Patterson

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines a Community-Based Conservation and Ecotourism (CBET) project, known by the acronym KOFAMA (Kopa’beny Fikambanana Ankarabe Mitsinjo Arivo), operating in northern Madagascar. Developed in 2007 by local residents and a Peace Corps volunteer, KOFAMA was designed to foster community cohesion and participation, while creating awareness of environmental conservation in rural areas. In this thesis I address some of the obstacles that have faced those involved in the planning and execution of this project. Through ethnographic research and in-depth comparisons with other community-based projects operating in Madagascar and around the globe, I argue that although community dynamics play a …

Preventing Response-Based Inhibition Processing Retrieval: Snp Disengagement, Cameron Paul Saddy Edgar

Digitized Theses

Reactions to the position of a new target stimulus are slower when it appears at a former distractor-occupied, rather than a new, location (i.e., spatial negative priming [SNP] effect). The SNP effect represents maladaptive processing. Accordingly, its observed prevention pursuant to certain motivational factors is helpful, although the disengagement mechanism is undefined. Here, we tested the possibility that SNP prevention is achieved by blocking a response-based retrieval route that normally accesses stored response inhibition information that causes SNP. We incorporated many: 1 location-response mappings into a traditional SNP design, which allowed the use of an earlier (inhibited) distractor response but …

Quantifying Inhibitory Effects Of Lignocellulosic Feedstocks On Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Vivek Nagendra

Digitized Theses

This thesis studied the toxic effects of model inhibitory compounds present in lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate on the maximum specific growth rate (pmax), biomass yield co-efficient (Yx/s) and total growth time (Tt) on S.cerevisiae DSM 1334. These toxic compounds are formed or released during pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass, which is a renewable source of energy for biofuel production. The main and interaction effects of furfural, furfuryl alcohol, ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were quantified using a fractional factorial design in combination with a high-throughput assay based on automated online optical density measurements. Furfural had the largest effect on all the three …

Pressure Driven Wall Jet Flow Near Channel Exit At Moderate Reynolds Number, Md. Abul Kalam Azad

Digitized Theses

The wall jet flow driven by a pressure gradient near channel exit at Reynolds Number ranging from the order of 10 to 100, emerging from a two-dimensional channel is examined theoretically in this study. Poiseuille flow conditions are assumed to prevail far upstream from the exit. The problem is solved using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The small parameter involved in the expansions is the inverse Reynolds number. The flow and pressure fields are obtained as composite expansions by matching the flow in the boundary-layer region near the free surface, flow in the outer layer region near the stationary …

Pparô And Ampk Pathways In Cartilage, Emily Ann Leblanc

Digitized Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characteristic of articular cartilage breakdown. Molecular mechanisms of OA are not well understood. Roles of the PPAR6 and AMPK pathways in cartilage have been suggested but are not well defined. We hypothesized that the AMPK and PPAR6 pathways control cartilage ECM turnover by altering chondrocyte gene expression. Mouse primary chondrocytes and adult knee joint explant cultures were treated with either a PPAR5 (GW1516) or an AMPK agonist (AICAR). Cell culture was analyzed by palmitate oxidation assay, MTT assay and Real­ time PCR. Histological stains and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze explant culture tissues. …