Structural And Functional Analysis Of The Putatively Virulent Gene Products Tde1414, Tde1511, And Tde2714 From The Oral Pathogen Treponema Denticola, Brock W. Corbett

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Periodontitis is a destructive polymicrobial disease of the teeth and gums characterized by dental plaque biofilms on the tooth surface, severe inflammation of surrounding gum tissues, and the resorption of alveolar bone. Discussed as one of the most prevalent conditions plaguing humankind, increased clinical parameters of periodontitis is associated with the increased presence of three bacteria known as the “red complex”: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola. Various transcriptomic and proteomic studies of T. denticola when incorporated into mature biofilms have illuminated key gene targets the bacterium may use as virulence factors to aid in pathogenesis. …

Dual Relationships Of Psychotherapeutically Untrained Imams Who Counsel Their Congregants: A Qualitative Study, Muhammad Abuelezz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Canadian Imams, like many other religious leaders, provide counselling for members of their congregations though most of them have no formal training in psychotherapeutic counselling. The very nature of the Imams’ multiple roles in the community leads to the development of dual relationships. These dual relationships can create an ethical dilemma for Imams because they have a potential to affect the congregants positively or detrimentally. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experience of 15 psychotherapeutically untrained Canadian Imams with dual relationships. Within a psychotherapeutic and an Islamic theoretical framework, this study provided a thorough analysis of five superordinate …

Variation In Mainland Northwest Territories Late-Winter Muskox (Ovibos Moschatus) Density Estimations And Habitat Associations Above And Below Treeline., Charlotte Rentmeister

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Arctic and Sub-Arctic ecosystems are seeing accelerated changes in temperature, landcover, and consequently species abundance and distributions. Reliable distributions, and associated population density estimates, are essential for effective conservation and management efforts. Growing concerns from northern communities regarding the relationship between muskox and declining caribou populations strengthens the need for updated information on muskox populations within mainland Northwest Territories (NWT). The first objective for my research was to quantify and map updated winter estimates of abundance, density, and distribution of muskoxen within three recent survey regions located in mainland NWT, using a multiple covariate distance sampling method (MCDS), paired …

Unexpected Ring Opening Reactions, Solid-State Structures, And A Chemiluminescent Reaction, L Hiscock

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Functional π-materials involve the use of an aromatic π-system to carry out a function such as electron transport (organic electronics), absorbing and emitting photons (dyes, fluorescent materials), self-assembly (discotic liquid crystals), or sensors for various analytes. Our lab has recently published the syntheses of heteroaromatic derivatives of tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (TFTP, 2.24) synthesised via nucleophilic aromatic substitution chemistry. The prepared derivatives have displayed fluorescent (e.g. 2.2)1 and liquid crystalline (1.0)2 properties, as well as displaying close π-π interactions in the solid state (2.8).3 As the materials we are synthesising all belong to the class of aromatic compounds, an introduction to aromaticity and …

Effect Of Rare Earth Element Mixtures On Daphnia Magna, Celine Do

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Rare earth elements (REEs) are increasingly being used in modern technologies and as such, there is an increasing concern for the potential environmental risk associated with anthropogenic contamination. In addition to there being very little data available for individual REEs, there is also a lack of knowledge concerning mixtures. The objective of my study was to investigate the chronic effects of lanthanum (La) and yttrium (Y) as well as the acute effects of neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr) and Y as a single metal and as a mixture to Daphnia magna. Standard 21-d chronic tests and 48-h single metal acute …

Evaluating The Risk Posed By Gadolinium In The Grand River Watershed, Johann Memmel

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Gadolinium (Gd) is a rare earth element (REE), primarily used in contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with additional applications in metallurgy, phosphors, neutron shielding, and other niche applications. Both Gd and Gd-based contrast agents (GBCAs, the form used for MRIs) have been detected downstream of wastewater effluent discharges and there is currently little research into the risk this poses to aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the potential environmental risks of Gd and GBCAs using the Grand River watershed (GRW) in southwestern Ontario as a model ecosystem due to it containing a variety of land uses (urban, industrial, agricultural) …

Care To Criminalization: How Adults With Lived Crossover Kid Experience Percieve Their Experiences In The Child Protection System And The Criminal Justice System, Clarissa Kurzawski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Crossover kids are youth who were/are in the child protection system and cross over into the juvenile/criminal justice system. Children who have been in the child protection system are 52% more likely to end up in the criminal justice system (Baidawi, 2020; Bateman, 2021; Turpel-Lafond, 2009). This creates a concerning trajectory for youth who are in the child protection system, through no fault of their own, because criminal justice involvement can follow them into adulthood. Children are entering a system of care that is criminalizing them and moving them into a system of custody. There has been scholarship using extant …

Examining The Mental Health Experiences Of Lgbtq+ Identifying Muslim Students In Ontario’S Post-Secondary Institutions, Bushra Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative study explores the unique mental health experiences of Ontario’s LGBTQ+ Muslims in post-secondary settings. The study looks at how LGBTQ+ Muslim students’ mental wellness (i.e., sense of belonging, feeling affirmed in their intersecting identities of being Muslim and belonging to LGBTQ+ community) is affected as they try to navigate systemic barriers and make space for themselves in various settings (i.e., academic, LGBTQ+ affirming spaces, Muslim-specific spaces, student services) on campuses in Ontario, Canada. The study sample consists of four LGBTQ+ identified Muslim students across post-secondary institutions in Ontario and participants discussed their emotional, mental, and sense of belonging …

"The Most Important Thing In Ipv Right Now": The Intersection Of Intimate Partner Violence And Brain Injury, Halina (Lin) Haag

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and brain injury (BI) has been almost entirely overlooked in research, practice, and policy, despite the known risks associated with the two conditions. Individually, IPV and BI are associated with elevated rates of unemployment, poverty, and homelessness, as well as increased mental health challenges. These social determinants of health, employment status, and income impact women’s wellbeing through access to safe accommodations, food security, and (dis)ability supports. These determinants are also related to an increased likelihood of experiencing addictions, mental health challenges, and physical danger, potentially leaving women vulnerable to ongoing violence. This qualitative …

Self-Exciting Point Processes In Real Estate, Ian Fraser

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis introduces a novel approach to analyzing residential property sales through the lens of stochastic processes by employing point processes. Herein, property sales are treated as point patterns, using self-exciting point process models and a variety of statistical tools to uncover underlying patterns in the data. Key findings include the identification and explanation of clustering in both space and time, and the efficacy of a temporal Hawkes process with a sinusoidal background in predicting home sale occurrences. The temporal analysis starts by employing the state of art techniques for time series data like regression, autoregressive, and autoregressive integrated moving …

The Effects Of Warmer Temperatures On The Physiology Of Invasive Sea Lamprey And Imperiled Populations Of Lake Sturgeon In The Laurentian Great Lakes, Milica Koledin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) contributed to massive declines in fisheries in the Laurentian Great Lakes due to their parasitism of large-bodied salmonid fishes in the 20^th century. Chemical control measures, which involve the application of 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) into rivers containing larval sea lamprey, were successfully implemented approximately 60 years ago to control populations. Recently, however, it was discovered that TFM tolerance increases in sea lamprey with a rise in temperature for reasons which are incompletely understood. Nor is it understood how sea lamprey will respond to warmer temperatures due to climate change, which could affect their …

Exit Through The Giftshop: Claims-Making And The Construction Of A Countercultural Brand, Cecil Mcglynn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Independent, online microcelebrity influencers are increasingly many people’s source of news. A popular group of these influencers, called the Alternative Influence Network (AIN) has come under scrutiny in recent years for collaborating with radical, far-right political actors to advance particular viewpoints (Lewis, 2018). While those within the AIN claim these outputs represent their freedom of speech, some researchers have voiced concern around the possibility of these influencers proliferating or even popularizing radical political ideals. Steven Crowder is among the most popular influencers in the AIN. He performs a daily show, ‘Louder with Crowder’, to his 5.8 million YouTube subscribers. In …

Three Essays On Risks In The Option And Cds Markets, Seyed-Erfan Sadeghi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation comprises three essays investigating topics in insurance on debt and equity. The first essay utilizes patent groups as an indicator of technological proximity and demonstrates that climate risk associated with technology-related firms can predict the next quarter’s Credit Default Swap (CDS) for the focal firm. The findings indicate that a 24 basis point (bps) change in the next quarter’s CDS can be attributed to the spillover effect from technology-related companies. Sentiment analysis reveals that this outcome is primarily driven by concerns related to regulatory factors. Importantly, these results remain robust even after accounting for firm-specific characteristics and industry-fixed …

Understanding The Dynamics Of Food And Economic Development In The Community Of Kakisa, Northwest Territories, Canada, Laura Rodriguez Reyes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

For Indigenous Peoples, the land embodies a source of cultural and spiritual well-being that is linked to their way of life and identities through divine and traditional connections. Unfortunately, colonial powers, the global food system, socioeconomic inequalities and environmental degradation are impacting northern Indigenous lands and food systems, leading to food insecurity. Nevertheless, communities are still thriving in the face of adversity. In the Northwest Territories, on the lands of Ka’a’gee Tu First Nations (KTFN) in the community settlement of Kakisa, people are growing food through vegetable gardens and greenhouses to support their vision of a resilient food system.

Through …

Mainstream Media Portrayal Of Banishment And Nation-Imposed Punishment, Keely Ormond

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

“In a traditional village, we wouldn’t have a teepee with no door on it and throw somebody in there. We wouldn’t cast them out, because banishment meant death. What we had to do was restore relationships” – Ryan Beardy (Thorpe, 2022).

The following project examines the representation of Indigenous traditions, customs, and issues in Canadian mainstream media. Specifically, this project is interested in the portrayal of banishment as an Indigenous practice in Canadian mainstream news outlets. This project is based on an interpretive paradigm informed by grounded theory and concepts of media framing, postcolonialism, settler colonialism and restorative justice. Nineteen …

Investigating The Mobility Of Arsenic In Subarctic Mining Pollution-Affected Peatlands Near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Jeremy Leathers

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Arsenic (As) is a pollutant of global concern that is detrimental to human and environmental health. Between 1948 and 2004, mining operations near Yellowknife, NT released over 20,000 tonnes of As trioxide (As₂O₃) that continues to persist in the surrounding landscape. Although much effort has been put into studying the chemical forms, spatial distribution, ecological impacts, and environmental cycling of As in the area, more work is needed to determine the controls of As mobility between the terrestrial and aquatic components of the landscape. Soils are known reservoirs of legacy As that can release it downslope …

Shifting Perspectives On Crime: Empathy, Cognitive Reappraisal, And Media Sources, Gillian Sherman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

When reporting crime, media sources can influence public perception of the crime, the victim, and the perpetrator. They can also influence the justice policies that people endorse. With support growing for more community-oriented justice policies that allow for perpetrator reintegration (Maruna & King, 2009), it is important to understand how portrayals of crime may soften public judgements toward perpetrators without reducing concern for victims. In two studies drawing from empathy-attitude effect research (Batson et al., 1998) and emotion regulation theory (Gross, 1998) this research examines how media portrayals of a crime may cause people to change their perceptions of those …

Rates And Patterns Of Permafrost Thaw Induced Landcover Change At Scotty Creek, Canada, Mason Dominico

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the peatland-dominated regions of discontinuous permafrost in northwestern Canada, permafrost thaw is altering landscapes at rates without precedent in the historical record. The present study uses a combination of remote sensing and ground based methods to examine the rates and patterns of permafrost thaw and how such thaw is changing the form and function of the landscape. The area within a 4 km2 area of interest underlain by permafrost decreased from 51% in 1977 to 43% in 2010, and to 40% in 2018, indicating an increase in the permafrost thaw rate from 0.24% yr-1 between 1977 and 2010, and …

Making The Pluriverse Visible: World-Making On The Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, Lauren Judge

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation argues that visual artists who live and work on the Saugeen (Bruce) Peninsula, in Ontario, Canada, are co-creating artworks with non-humans, which is evidence of more-than-human world-making. Such co-creative experiences are the result of, and catalysts for the kinds of enchantment our human worlds need to form meaningful and holistic connections with non-humans, effectively creating a more inclusive pluriverse. After reviewing interdisciplinary literature in posthuman studies, creative geography, arts-based practices, environmental humanities, Indigenous knowledges, and political ontology, I designed my research to include a combination of qualitative methodologies and methods, including autoethnography and research-creation, to investigate fourteen visual …

Disempowered And Disappointed Locals: The Impact Of Negative Hybrid Peacebuilding On Sociocultural Transformation Of Afghanistan, Seyed Ali Hosseini

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation conceptualizes peacebuilding in Afghanistan (2001-2021) as facilitation of sociocultural transformation of the country towards accepting the international norms important for sustainable peace, such as democracy, human rights, and gender equality. Hence, peacebuilding was highly normative and required enormous changes promoted by key peacebuilding actors to transform Afghan politics, society, and culture from a traditional society marked by fragmentation and radicalization to one that embraced these values.

The dissertation proposes that the peacebuilding effort that took place in post-2001 Afghanistan was hybrid, as the international community pursued the goals of building a state committed to these liberal principles, as …

Examining Seasonality Of Zooplankton Communities And Water Quality In Yellowknife Area Lakes, Northwest Territories, Nicole Andreola

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Frame Lake, located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, is one of the city's main attractions. Unfortunately, urbanization and eutrophication have led to a decline in water quality in the lake. Eutrophication has caused a buildup of organic matter in sediments on the bottom of the lake, which can cause a high oxygen demand when processed by aerobic bacteria. Dissolved oxygen levels are high during the summer, but ice shields the lake from gas exchange with the atmosphere, leading to winter anoxia. This oxygen depletion makes it impossible for sensitive aquatic life, such as fish, to survive in the lake over the …

Advancing Machine Learning Interpretability: Lime Applications To Temporal Data And A Novel Method Of Counterfactual Generation, Shou Nakano, Yang Liu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As machine learning has advanced significantly over the past decade, predictive models have achieved substantial success across various domains. However, they often lack transparency in their decision-making processes. This opacity presents risks, particularly in sectors like healthcare and finance, where transparency is crucial. To address these challenges, explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) has risen in importance. Techniques such as LIME (Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations) have been developed, utilizing simpler alternative models like linear regression or tree-based models to explain decisions for specific instances.

This thesis initially concentrates on the application of LIME to three global annual datasets, specifically within the relatively …

Language Acquisition, Mental Health, And Acculturation Among Migrants In Canada, Ali Jasemi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the integration of first-generation migrants in Canada, focusing on the constructs of acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health. With nearly a quarter of Canada's population comprising migrants (Statistics Canada, 2022), understanding their adjustment is critical. Acculturation, language proficiency, and mental health can all have an impact on the success of migrants in their new country (Balidemaj et al. 2019; Brance et al. 2023; Iversen et al. 2014; Rousseau et al. 2019; Rashtchi et al. 2012; Salami et al. 2019). There are a limited number of studies examining these variables in relation to certain migrant groups, such as …

Indigenous Wholistic Abolition: Visioning Indigenous Queer, Two-Spirit & Indigiqueer Futures, Giselle Dias

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As a queer Métis, activist and organizer in the field of prisoners’ rights, penal abolition, and transformative justice, I have been interested in learning about how Indigenous peoples’ relationship with Aki (Land) grounds abolition theory and guides the ways that I and other Indigenous abolitionists engage in abolition. As part of this process, I wanted to speak to other Indigenous queer, Two-Spirit, trans, non-binary, and/or Indigiqueer (Q2STNBI) people about their visions of abolition and abolitionist futures through a relational Land-based lens. Therefore, I used a methodology that centres Métis worldviews and community organizing and is grounded in the ethics of …

Understanding Health And Well-Being Outcomes Associated With Protected Coastal Ecosystems: A Fundy National Park Case Study., Mhairi K. Chandler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health and well-being of Canadians, prompting many to turn to nature for consolation and social interaction. However, there is a lack of evidence linking these outcomes specifically to coastal areas. To address this gap, we conducted a self-reported survey at Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada, in summer 2022. Over 400 visitors participated, revealing nature enjoyment, physical health, and mental well-being as primary motivators for park visitation. Notably, mental well-being showed significant differences across gender, sexual identity, and ethnicity, with males, straight individuals, and others exhibiting distinct preferences compared to females, 2SLGBTQIA+ …

The Atiyah-Hitchin-Singer Theorem And An 8-Dimensional Generalization, Timothy Ponepal

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Atiyah-Hitchin-Singer theorem states that the twistor almost complex structure on a certain S² bundle over an oriented Riemannian 4-manifold (M, g) is integrable if and only if the Weyl curvature tensor of g is self-dual. These ideas were developed by Roger Penrose connecting 4-dimensional Riemannian geometry with complex geometry. We present a new approach to the Atiyah-Hitchin-Singer theorem using horizontal lifts and their respective flows, cross products and the quaternions to show that the Nijenhuis tensor vanishes if and only if the Weyl curvature tensor of g is anti-self-dual. An eight dimensional generalization is presented when the …

Integrating Biodiversity Protection And Climate Mitigation In Nature-Based Climate Solutions: An Indicator Analysis, Tatyana Feiner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Climate change and biodiversity loss have been recognized as complex, interconnected issues that require synergistic and mutually reinforcing policy solutions. Given the ambitious commitments by the Canadian government to abate the two “wicked problems”, this study investigates whether the government has constructed a policy framework that synthesizes climate and biodiversity concerns through policy integration and mainstreaming processes. Through a semi-systematic and comprehensive content analysis approach, this study assesses the degree to which biodiversity protection and climate mitigation have been effectively mainstreamed into federal policies, programs, and instruments. Specifically, the study constructs an evaluative framework based on established “best practices” of …

Developing A Transformer-Based Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Model: Addressing Multi-Dimensional Time Series Challenges In Polysomnography, Laith Adi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sleep apnea is a prevalent and potentially serious sleep disorder, affecting 1% to 6% of children and adolescents [1]. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical, as untreated sleep apnea can lead to severe health complications, including cardiovascular problems and developmental issues. Traditional diagnostic methods often rely on manual analysis of polysomnography (PSG) data, which can be time-consuming and require specialized expertise. This thesis explores the use of Fourier transforms, differencing, and other phys- iological signal processing techniques to develop a transformer-based diagnostic model from scratch, utilizing multi-dimensional time series data from PSG. Our research distin- guishes itself by not only …

Assessing Road Dust Impacts On Macroinvertebrates Community Structure In Canadian Arctic Lakes, Hong Yi Gao

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the Canadian Arctic, unpaved gravel roads are essential for regional accessibility but are also potential sources of road dust runoff. My study investigated the impacts of road dust from the Dempster and Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highways on adjacent freshwater ecosystems, focusing on water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Using a stratified random sampling design, 18 lakes were studied across two regions (boreal forest and tundra) and three distance categories from the road (0-300 m, 300-600 m, and > 600 m). Contrary to my initial hypotheses, findings revealed no significant differences in water quality or invertebrate communities relative to distance from the road. …

Body-Map Storytelling: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Hospital Care Amongst Street Involved Youth, Chelsey Fedchenko

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This social work study explores the experiences of hospital care amongst street-involved (SI) youth. Given that SI youth are at a higher risk for health-related harms and experience significant barriers to health care services, they are at an increased likelihood of hospitalization. Yet, inadequate health care support for SI youth remains a critical problem in Canada. While hospital care amongst adult homeless populations has been well studied interdisciplinary, there is a scarcity of research investigating the hospital care experiences amongst SI youth. The aim of this qualitative, arts-based study was to explore how street-life contributes to hospitalization, how SI youth …