Digital Commons Network^™

Conceptualizing Youth Participation In Children’S Health Research: Insights From A Youth-Driven Process For Developing A Youth Advisory Council, Mohammad El-Bagdady, Krishna Arunkumar, Drew Bowman, Stephanie Coen, Christina Ergler, Jason Gilliland, Ahad Mahmood, Suraj Paul

Geography & Environment Publications

Given the power asymmetries between adults and young people, youth involvement in research is often at risk of tokenism. While many disciplines have seen a shift from conducting research on youth to conducting research with and for youth, engaging children and teens in research remains fraught with conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. Arnstein’s foundational Ladder of Participation has been adapted in novel ways in youth research, but in this paper, we present a new rendering: a ‘rope ladder.’ This concept came out of our youth-driven planning process to develop a Youth Advisory Council for the Human Environments Analysis Laboratory, an …

Predicting Software Fault Proneness Using Machine Learning, Sanjay Ghanathey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Context: Continuous Integration (CI) is a DevOps technique which is widely used in practice. Studies show that its adoption rates will increase even further. At the same time, it is argued that maintaining product quality requires extensive and time consuming, testing and code reviews. In this context, if not done properly, shorter sprint cycles and agile practices entail higher risk for the quality of the product. It has been reported in literature [68], that lack of proper test strategies, poor test quality and team dependencies are some of the major challenges encountered in continuous integration and deployment.

Objective: The objective …

Romance, Politics And Minor Art: A Nomadology Of Inamoramento De Orlando And Star Wars, Andrea Privitera

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

While existing theories of romance (in particular, those formulated by Northrop Frye and Fredric Jameson) accurately characterize this literary mode as a highly politicized example of art, this thesis contends that the political nature of romance is broader and more complex than discussed so far. In order to offer a new and comprehensive political theory of romance, this work proposes a comparison between two historically and culturally diverse examples of romance, that is Matteo Maria Boiardo’s chivalric poem Inamoramento de Orlando and George Lucas’ space opera film Star Wars. By reading Boiardo and Lucas’ texts via Gilles Deleuze and …

Partitioning And Offloading For Iot And Video Streaming Applications That Utilize Computing Resources At The Network Edge, Navid Bayat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept in which physical objects embedded with sensors, actuators, and network connectivity can communicate and react to their surroundings. IoT applications connect physical objects for the purpose of decision making by sensing and analysing generated data from the embedded sensors in physical objects. IoT applications are growing rapidly as sensors become less expensive. Sensors generate large amounts of data that may meaningless unless the data is used to derive knowledge with in a certain period of time. Stream processing paradigm is used by IoT to provide requirements of IoT applications. In a stream …

Structured Diet And Exercise Guidance In Pregnancy To Improve Health In Women And Their Offspring: Study Protocol For The Be Healthy In Pregnancy (Bhip) Randomized Controlled Trial, Maude Perreault, Stephanie A. Atkinson, Michelle F. Mottola, Stuart M. Phillips, Keyna Bracken, Eileen K. Hutton, Feng Xie, David Meyre, Rita E. Morassut, Harry Prapavessis, Lehana Thabane

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

BackgroundEvidence from epidemiological and animal studies support the concept of programming fetal, neonatal, and adult health in response to in utero exposures such as maternal obesity and lifestyle variables. Excess gestational weight gain (GWG), maternal physical activity, and sub-optimal and excess nutrition during pregnancy may program the offspring's risk of obesity. Maternal intake of dairy foods rich in high-quality proteins, calcium, and vitamin D may influence later bone health status. Current clinical practice guidelines for managing GWG are not founded on randomized trials and lack specific active intervention ingredients. The Be Healthy in Pregnancy (BHIP) study is a randomized controlled …

A Data-Driven Analysis Of Video Game Culture And The Role Of Let's Plays In Youtube, Ana Ruiz Segarra

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Video games have become an important part of the global popular cultures that are connecting broader audiences of all ages around the world. A recent phenomenon that has lasted almost ten years is the creation and upload of gaming-related videos on YouTube, where Let’s Plays have a considerable presence. Let’s Plays are videos of people playing video games, usually including the game footage and narrated by the players themselves. In this work I use the metadata, of popular channels and their videos to analyze the current state of video game culture in YouTube and what is the role of Let's …

Strategies For The Stabilization Of Metal Anodes For Li And Na Metal Batteries, Yang Zhao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Li-metal batteries (LMBs) and Na-metal batteries (NMBs) are considered as the promising candidates to replace the conventional Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical energy density. For LMBs and NMBs, Li metal and Na metal are the ultimate choices to achieve their high energy density due to the high specific capacity, low electrochemical potential and lightweight. However, as alkali metals, both Li and Na metal anodes suffer from serious challenges including 1) Li/Na dendrite formations and short circuits; 2) Low Coulombic efficiency (CE) and poor cycling performance; and 3) Infinite volume changes. This thesis mainly focuses on the design …

Functional Outcomes In Early (T1/T2) Supraglottic Cancer: A Systematic Review, Benjamin Van Der Woerd, Krupal B. Patel, Anthony C. Nichols, Kevin Fung, John Yoo, Danielle S. Macneil

Anatomy and Cell Biology Publications

ObjectivesOrgan preserving surgery (OPS) and radiotherapy (RT) are both accepted treatment options for early stage supraglottic cancer (SGC). Radiation has supplanted surgery in most cases, because of the perception that surgery results in poorer functional outcomes. However, evidence suggests that OPS with a neck dissection may be associated with improved survival. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to compare functional outcomes of OPS and RT for early SGC.MethodsWe searched Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies. Studies were included if they reported functional outcomes on 10 or more patients with …

Acquired Bracket Pellicle Modulation Via Exposure To Histatin 3, Niklas W. Neilson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: To investigate the effect of histatin 3 on the protein pellicle formation on the orthodontic bracket surface.

Methods: Our study consisted of 4 sample groups. A sample of human parotid saliva without histatin functioned as a control group. Other groups were immersed with or without histatin 3 and human parotid saliva. Each group was incubated for 2 hours in their respective substrate at 37°C. The acquired pellicle from each group was harvested, then analyzed with SDS-PAGE and LC-ESI-MS/MS.

Results: Thirty-nine proteins were identified in the control group, 18 were identified in group 2, and 21 were identified in group …

Identifying And Targeting Cancer Stem Cells In Colorectal Cancer, Amber Harnett

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the driving force behind tumour progression and metastasis, making them ideal therapeutic targets. Previous research identified Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) as a marker of CSCs in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, it is not known whether more than one CSC population exists in CRC. Identifying and targeting CSCs in CRC is important for effective treatment of cancer patients. Here, I show that Keratin-19 (K19) labels intestinal CSCs in mouse tumours that recapitulate the early stages of CRC. Moreover, selective ablation of Lgr5 has no effect on tumour …

Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment Processes For Wastewater Resource Redirection And Its Impact On Downstream Processes, Tianchen Dong

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a recent focus within the global wastewater industry on the steps being taken by treatment facilities to move towards net zero, or in some cases, energy positive operation. As part of maximizing energy recovery from the incoming wastewater, there has been increased attention upon the energy contained in the wastewater, and maximizing the redirection of more carbon captured through the primary treatment process rather than conventional removal through carbon oxidation. The chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process is a promising method for carbon redirection and improving the performance and efficiency of wastewater treatment processes. This research was conducted …

Advancements In Fractal Plasmonics: Structures, Optical Properties, And Applications., Gregory Q Wallace, Francois Lagugne-Labarthet

Chemistry Publications

The structural characteristics of plasmonic nanostructures directly influence their plasmonic properties, and therefore, their potential role in applications ranging from sensing and catalysis to light- and energy-harvesting. For a structure to be compatible with a selected application, it is critical to accurately tune the plasmonic properties over a specific spectral range. Fabricating structures that meet these stringent requirements remains a significant challenge as plasmon resonances are generally narrow with respect to the considered selected spectral range. Adapted from their well-established role in GHz applications, plasmonic fractal structures have emerged as architectures of interest due to their ability to support multiple …

Fear Of Sleep May Be A Core Symptom Of Sympathetic Activation And The Drive For Vigilance In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Madhulika A. Gupta, Angelica D. Sheridan

Paediatrics Publications

No abstract provided.

A Comprehensive Study Of Arsenic Removal From Aqueous Solution Using Low-Cost Adsorbents, Mrinmoyee Mondal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Arsenic poisoning in water is a global concern for many years due to its high carcinogenic and toxic effect on the human body. Adsorption is one of the promising technology to treat arsenic-contaminant water. Recently, natural adsorbent modified with metal oxide/hydroxide is being studied widely, because of its great removal efficiency, inexpensive and eco-friendly properties.

In the present study, two low-cost adsorbents namely Aerocrete and Vermiculite (modified with iron oxy-hydroxide) were assessed for arsenic (both As(III) and As(V)) removal. The maximum removal of As(V) was ~99% at pH 6 for both adsorbents (3g/L). Optimum removal of As(III) was observed at …

Validating And Highlighting The Advantages Of The Optimal Estimation Method For Rayleigh Lidar Middle Atmospheric Temperature Retrievals, Ali Jalali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

An improved understanding of temperature variations in Earth’s middle atmosphere is important for the improvement of our understanding of climate and weather on the surface. The optimal estimation method (OEM) is an inversion modeling approach, which uses regularized nonlinear regression to retrieve, in this case, the temperature of Earth’s middle atmosphere using Rayleigh-scatter lidar measurements. The OEM regularization term is the a priori knowledge of the atmospheric temperature profile. In this thesis I use lidar temperatures in the altitude range 30–110km to construct a temperature climatology using over 500 nights of measurements obtained by the Purple Crow Lidar in London, …

Photo-Isomerizable Complementary Hydrogen Bond Arrays, Jeffrey S. Pleizier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The use of light as an external stimulus provides a non-invasive technique to induce large changes in physical and chemical properties of a substrate. The incorporation of a photochromic subunit into supramolecular polymeric systems therefore adds a potential "smart" quality for polymer manipulation. The azo moiety (-N=N-) is one of the most popular photochromic units as the trans to cis isomerization results in a large degree of spatial rearrangement. This present thesis exploits the azo group by its incorporation into complementary hydrogen bonded complexes. Hydrogen bonding acceptor groups attached to the periphery of the central azo photoswitch provided strong complexation …

The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Regulator 1 (Mcur1) Matrix Domain Is A Self-Associated Multimer Sensitive To Divalent Cations, Naveed Siddiqui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mitochondria are primarily appreciated for the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a chemical store of energy required by all cells. These organelles, however, also play key roles in apoptosis, autophagy and shaping cytosolic calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling via Ca²⁺ uptake into the mitochondrial matrix. This Ca²⁺ uptake is mediated chiefly via the mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uniporter (MCU), an inner mitochondrial membrane protein that oligomerizes to form a Ca²⁺ selective pore. MCU is regulated by several protein binding partners, including the recently identified MCU regulator-1 (MCUR1). MCUR1 stabilizes a higher order MCU heterocomplex through interactions with MCU …

The Effects Of Proficiency And Task Context On L2-L1 Noncognate Masked Translation Priming In Chinese-English Bilinguals, Mark J. Mcphedran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The masked translation priming effect was examined in Chinese-English bilinguals using three experimental paradigms: lexical decision, semantic categorization, and speeded episodic recognition. A machine-learning approach was used to assess the subject- and item-specific factors that contribute to the sizes of translation priming effects across these tasks. The factors that contributed to translation priming effects were found to be task specific. Priming effects in lexical decision were associated with higher self-rated listening and writing abilities in English, especially when primes were high-frequency and targets were low-frequency. Priming effects in semantic categorization were associated with more frequent use of English in daily …

Secured Data Masking Framework And Technique For Preserving Privacy In A Business Intelligence Analytics Platform, Osama Ali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The main concept behind business intelligence (BI) is how to use integrated data across different business systems within an enterprise to make strategic decisions. It is difficult to map internal and external BI’s users to subsets of the enterprise’s data warehouse (DW), resulting that protecting the privacy of this data while maintaining its utility is a challenging task. Today, such DW systems constitute one of the most serious privacy breach threats that an enterprise might face when many internal users of different security levels have access to BI components. This thesis proposes a data masking framework (iMaskU: Identify, Map, Apply, …

Normalizing Masculinity: Explaining Processes, Factors, And Contexts That Influence How Rural Male Farmers Seek Health Information In Southwest Ontario, Bradley C. Hiebert

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Disproportionately high mortality and morbidity rates experienced by rural men are often related to the high prevalence of rural male farmers (RMFs) who are consistently exposed to chemicals, animal waste, and dust, or injured or killed while working. This dissertation aimed to explain processes by which RMFs seek health information (HI), and how these processes are influenced by rural social, cultural, political, and geographical factors.

Three studies were conducted as part of this dissertation. The first study was a literature review that explored the relationship between rural men’s health, health information seeking (HIS) theory, and masculinity theory. The second study …

The Uphill Battle Of Environmental Technologies: Analysis Of Local Discourses On The Acceptance And Resistance Of Green Bin Programs, Carrie Warring

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many Canadian municipalities have been looking for alternative sustainable waste management solutions since landfill capacity has been decreasing and siting new facilities often results in vehement local opposition. In Ontario, there is no provincial mandate for organic waste diversion targets, where most large-sized municipalities have implemented a Green Bin program while other jurisdictions of varying size still have not. This paper uses discourse analysis to explore predominant and counter discourses that have resulted in Guelph sustaining a Green Bin program, while London has not implemented a Green Bin. Manuscript one explores the interaction of provincial and local municipal discourses in …

Head Impact Exposures In Youth Canadian Football Players Aged 12-14 Do Not Significantly Impair Antisaccade Performance, William J. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a growing body of research evaluating head impacts in sport, but studies have not evaluated youth football in Canada. It is important to evaluate football in Canada as the rules and field size are different than American football, and this may influence the impact exposures. The purpose of this study was to quantify the head impact exposures in youth Canadian football and determine if a season’s worth of impacts could cause impairments in executive function. Players (n=50) had their head impacts recorded using an impact measuring device (GForceTracker) throughout all contact practices and games. A subset of players …

"C.H.A.M.P. Families": Description And Theoretical Foundations Of A Paediatric Overweight And Obesity Intervention Targeting Parents-A Single-Centre Non-Randomised Feasibility Study., Kristen Reilly, Trish Tucker, Jennifer D. Irwin Phd, Andrew Johnson, Erin S Pearson, Dirk E Bock, Shauna M. Burke

Paediatrics Publications

Childhood obesity represents a significant global health challenge, and treatment interventions are needed. The purpose of this paper is to describe the components and theoretical model that was used in the development and implementation of a unique parent-focussed paediatric overweight/obesity intervention. C.H.A.M.P. Families was a single-centre, prospective intervention offered to parents of children aged between 6⁻14 years with a body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile for age and sex. The intervention included: (1) eight group-based (parent-only) education sessions over 13-weeks; (2) eight home-based activities; and (3) two group-based (family) follow-up support sessions. The first section of the manuscript contains a …

Development Of Exploratory Data Analysis Methods For Chemical, Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Surface Water Quality Data: The Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network, Shuyang Wang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Surface water quality (SWQ) databases have been widely compiled to provide information characterizing environmental conditions. But SWQ databases appear to be under-utilized, given the large investment in their creation. One reason is that database spatial, temporal, and compositional dimension vary through time, reflecting changing priorities through time and contrasts between different agencies, making coherent analysis challenging. This thesis explores the Ontario Provincial Water Quality Monitoring Network (PWQMN) to derive higher order hydrochemical properties, to render SWQ data in “network space” permitting catchment-wide visualization, and in undertaking temporal trend analysis.

Rivers play a critical role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, but …

Science And Theology In Religious Education And Faith Formation With Children And Youth: Towards A Post-Foundationalist Approach, Judy S. Steers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The intersections of Science and Theology have received a great deal of attention in recent decades. A broad range of approaches and discourse exists within academic environments. Within popular culture, however, the public perception often is that science and theology are in conflict and at odds with one another.

Many authors have attempted to write about science and theology from a dialogical standpoint. Educational projects over the past ten years have attempted to address the supposed conflict between religion and science, and affirm the validity of religious beliefs in a scientific era. Too often, however, scientific concepts are misappropriated as …

Virtual Reality Simulation Of Glenoid Reaming Procedure, Mohammadreza Faieghi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Glenoid reaming is a bone machining operation in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (TSA) in which the glenoid bone is resurfaced to make intimate contact with implant undersurface. While this step is crucial for the longevity of TSA, many surgeons find it technically challenging. With the recent advances in Virtual Reality (VR) simulations, it has become possible to realistically replicate complicated operations without any need for patients or cadavers, and at the same time, provide quantitative feedback to improve surgeons' psycho-motor skills. In light of these advantages, the current thesis intends to develop tools and methods required for construction of a VR …

Aversion And Warning Factors For Assessing Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures, Marcie Van Weerdhuizen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a world of aging infrastructure, sustainability initiatives require additional investment in the assessment of existing reinforced concrete structures. Reliability-based assessment should minimize costs by reducing conservatism, while ensuring levels of safety equivalent to those for new designs. Current Canadian and US provisions assign target reliability levels for structural assessment based on criteria including occupancy type, expected failure behaviour, and the effect of element failure on the overall structural integrity. These criteria are defined using discrete and qualitative parameter values. It is shown that the true structural conditions can be better represented by verifying the applicability and completeness of these …

Differences In Quadriceps Muscle Layer Thickness (Qmlt) And Contributing Risk Factors To Muscle Mass In Community-Dwelling And Institutionalized Older Adults, Nesrine Cheikh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sarcopenia, a major concern in the older adult population, is defined as age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Quadriceps muscle layer thickness (QMLT) measured using ultrasonography (US) is a newly-validated tool to measure muscle mass, which can be used to identify sarcopenic individuals. Our objective was to determine the association of factors such as handgrip strength (HGS), protein intake, nutritional status (via Subjective Global Assessment-SGA) and fat mass (FM) percentage with QMLT size (measured by US) in community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults. Additionally, we aimed to understand how perceived food intake of protein-rich foods could have an impact actual …

An Exploration Of The Nursing Leaders’ Experiences Addressing Indigenous Health In University Undergraduate Nursing Programs In Ontario, Danae Coggins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Introduction. Although there are serious health inequities experienced by Indigenous people compared to non-Indigenous people in Canada and racism and discrimination continues to be rife in health care environments, there remains a general lack of attention to Indigenous health (IH) in health professional education programs. In response, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has recommended this be addressed within health profession education, including nursing (Truth and Reconciliation Canada, 2015). However, there is a paucity of evidence describing the challenges and facilitators to incorporating IH into nursing education.

Methodology and Methods. This qualitative study employs interpretive description approaches informed by …

Evaluation Of Perioperative Peripheral Nerve Injury In Cardiac Surgery Using A Novel Automated Ssep Monitoring Device, Satoru Fujii

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

INTRODUCTION: The high incidence of peripheral nerve injury (PNI) in conventional cardiac surgery (CCS) is believed to result from mechanical injury during sternotomy and/or retraction of the sternum. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) is a newly developed type of cardiac surgery which does not require sternotomy or retraction of the sternum. Since surgery related PNI can lead to serious problems for both the patients and care providers, the incidence and details of PNI in cardiac surgery needs to be investigated. OBJECTIVE: To compare the degree of nerve injury in MICS and CCS using somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) signals. …