Digital Commons Network^™

Relationship Between Body-Seat Interface Pressure And Discomfort During Rowing, Michael E. Navy

Digitized Theses

Discomfort and pressure-related tissue injury to the buttocks are common complaints among rowers. The soft tissues of the buttocks are non-uniformly loaded during rowing. The current state of literature on seating discomfort is inconclusive as to a desirable body-seat interface pressure pattern. The purpose of this study was to determine whether localising pressure under bony protuberances or diffusing pressure over soft tissues would result in the least amount of discomfort. Force sensing arrays were used to measure body-seat interface pressures in 11 elite female rowers during rowing. Peak pressure measures were identified and pressure gradients were calculated. Discomfort was quantified …

The Process Of Obtaining And Retaining Employment Among The Vision-Restricted, Chelsea E. Mohler

Digitized Theses

National estimates indicate that only a small percentage of vision-restricted individuals are employed. Identified obstacles to employment include lack of access to assistive technology, inadequate transportation, and negative attitudes of potential employers. A constructivist Grounded Theory methodology was used to gain an in-depth understanding of what people with vision-restrictions, who perceived that they are successfully employed, considered to be fundamental in the search for employment. Three themes emerged from the analysis of their responses: facing and negotiating barriers, the cyclical process of seeking and keeping employment, and settling for second best. As a person with a vision-restriction, I am uniquely …

The Effects Of Banking Regulation On The 2008 Financial Crisis By Hadi, Hadi Davarinia

Digitized Theses

No abstract provided.

A Finite Volume Model For Predicting Water Vapour Transport In Conjugate Fluid/Porous/Solid Domains, Christian Fischer

Digitized Theses

The principle aim of the presented work is to extend the capability of conjugate heat/flow models to include moisture exchange such that applications in food storage/ripening and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) can be simulated. To accomplish this, several modifications were made to an existing finite-volume model developed in-house. The most significant change was the implementation of a mass fraction transport equation to track the evolution of the water vapour field in all regions of the conjugate domain. This approach also required re-formulation of the energy transport model to account for a dry air/water vapour binary mixture. Developments in …

Delay And Modulation Processing As Musical Technique In Rock, Mark Collins

Digitized Theses

This thesis presents an analytic model for investigating the musical functions of delay and modulation signal processing in a pop/rock context. In so doing, it challenges prevalent academic assumptions about what, specifically, constitutes “musical practice,” focusing analytic attention on musical procedures and terms reserved for recordists that, until very recently, have only registered in research as extra-musical technologizations of “live” exchange, if at all. Recordists do not create space via delay and modulation processing. Rather, they use delay and modulation processing, among other techniques, to provide psychoacoustic information which listeners require to infer space. Put differently, recordists use delay and …

Degradation Of 1,2-Dichloroethane With Nano-Scale Zero Valent Iron Particles, Ambareen Atisha

Digitized Theses

The application of nanoscale zero-valent iron particles (nZVI) for abiotic remediation of chlorinated compounds is proving among the most viable technologies for environmental remediation. However, although most polychlorinated C2 compounds are easily dechlorinated by nZVI, 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), has shown resistance to dechlorination by this nanomaterial. The present contribution shows how a combination of a catalyst and nZVI together with the addition of a hydrogen donor can be used to; achieve dechlorination of 1,2-DCA under aqueous conditions similar to those found in the field. The best results for dechlorination were observed using formic acid as a H2 donor and Pd as …

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 …

Experimental Assessments Of Intrafractional Prostate Motion On Radiation Boosts To A Dominant Intra-Prostatic Cancer Lesion, Ady Kamel Abdellatif

Digitized Theses

We investigated the impact of intrafractional prostate motion on radiation dose distributions to the whole prostate with boosts to a dominant intra-prostatic cancer lesion (DIL) from sequential boost plans (separate prostate and boost plans) and simultaneous boost plans (single prostate and boost plan).

Six treatment plans were generated for two patient CT scans. Plans were delivered and 2D dose distributions were measured on a phantom using a motion platform driven with typical prostate intrafractional motions.

The relative root mean square difference between measured dose with and without motion inside the DIL for the simultaneous plans (1.6%—2.1%) were lower than those …

Gold Nanoparticles: Investigating Physical And Chemical Properties Via Photo-Switchable Azopyridine Moiety And Investigating Their Photo-Induced Size Evolution In Chlorinated Solvents, Mahboubeh Hadadpour

Digitized Theses

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess unique physical and chemical properties such as electronic, photonic, and magnetic properties. These properties depend on the functionality of the stabilizing ligand and the size of the gold core.

Incorporating azo compounds onto the surface of AuNPs can provide a light responsive platform where its physical and chemical properties can be changed via isomerization of the azo moiety. In this dissertation the synthesis and characterization of an azopyridine modified gold nanoparticle (AzoPy-AuNP) is introduced. 1H NMR spectroscopy, TEM imaging, UV-vis spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis have been used to characterize the AzoPy-AuNP. The trans/cis photoisomerization of …

Functional Role Of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-1a1 (Aldh1a1) In Breast Cancer Metastatic Behaviour, Irene Ngai Ki Ma

Digitized Theses

Previous work in our lab indicates “stem-like” breast cancer cells can be identified by an ALDHhlCD44+phenotype and that these cells are significantly more metastatic than ALDHlowCD44‘cells. The purpose of this project was to investigate the functional role of overexpressed human ALDH1A1 in breast cancer behaviour. ALDH1A1 was stably overexpressed in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and these cells were assessed using functional in vitro assays of metastasis (proliferation, adhesion, migration, colony formation). Despite overexpression of ALDH1A1, no significant differences were observed in malignant cell behaviour between empty vector control and MCF- 7/ALDH1A1 cells. However, it was observed that MCF-7/ALDH1A1 cells …

Indoor Localization Based On Wireless Sensor Networks, Fujun Yang

Digitized Theses

Indoor localization techniques based on wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been increasingly used in various applications such as factory automation, intelligent building, facility management, security, and health care. However, existing localization techniques cannot meet the accuracy requirement of many applications. Meanwhile, some localization algorithms are affected by environmental conditions and cannot be directly used in an indoor environment. Cost is another limitation of the existing localization algorithms. This thesis is to address those issues of indoor localization through a new Sensing Displacement (SD) approach. It consists of four major parts: platform design, SD algorithm development, SD algorithm improvement, and evaluation. …

Living In This Body: Hearing The Voices Of Women With Disabilities, Wendy Elizabeth Walsh

Digitized Theses

This research explored factors associated with self-determination among university-educated women with physical disabilities. Autoethnography and case study methods were employed. Participants were the researcher and five other women. Semi- structured interviews were conducted and the researcher also responded to the interview questions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analyzed using a content analysis procedure. Journal entries by the researcher were analyzed as part of the autoethnographic data. Themes from the researcher data were compared to themes from the participant data at four levels: identical themes, similar themes, overlapping themes and unique theme. Themes were also compared to available literature …

Nlpc/P60 Enzymes Required For Cell Wall Remodeling In Burkholderia Cenocepacia, Chelsea A. Clarke

Digitized Theses

Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria are important opportunistic pathogens in cystic fibrosis patients and are associated in some cases with acute necrotizing pneumonia, sepsis, and increased risk of death. B. cenocepacia and other Burkholderia are commonly found in the environment, particularly in the rhizosphere. It is not surprising that they have evolved high resistance against several antimicrobial agents, as well as the ability to interact with multiple hosts, including the ability to survive intracellularly in amoebae, macrophages, and epithelial cells. Like most opportunistic pathogens, B. cenocepacia must adapt to environmental stresses and have the ability to persist in the infected host. …

Polyurethane Self-Cleaning Coating, Lin Wang

Digitized Theses

A monomer functionalization method (“grafting from” polymerization) was used for synthesizing novel polyurethane/nano TiC>2 coatings to enhance the dispersion of nTi02 particles throughout the coating. Instead of using a simple physical mixture of polyurethane coating and nTiC>2, this novel functionalization method chemically bonds the'TiOi nanoparticles to the polyurethane polymer. This was achieved by coordinating bi-functional 2,2, bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid (DMPA), which has 2 hydroxyl groups for reacting with the diisocyanate terminated pre-polyurethane(PU), and a carboxyl group for coordination to nTi02. This allowed the novel polyurethane coating to be prepared by directly attaching the nanoparticles to the polymer matrix. …

Rights As Praxis: Sartre And The Politics Of Human Rights, William Samson

Digitized Theses

The object of this thesis is to determine why the human rights discourse has failed to usher in an age where the rights of man are respected, and what might be changed in order to facilitate such an age. We move from a discussion of the classical and contemporary versions of the human rights discourse to a critical examination of it through the lens of Jean-Paul Sartre's later writings on ethics, politics, and sociality. Through this analysis, we find fault with the individualizing and isolating aspects of the human rights discourse, and conclude with a discussion of alternate social formations …

State Complexity Of Combined Operations On Finite Languages, Jahedur Rahman Chowdhury

Digitized Theses

State complexity is a descriptive complexity measure for regular languages. It is a fundamental topic in automata and formal language theory. The state complexity of a regular language is the number of states in the minimal complete deterministic finite automaton accepting the language. During the last few decades, many publications have focused and studied the state complexity of many individual as well as combined operations on regular languages. Also, the state complexity of some basic operations on finite languages has been studied. But until now there has been no study on the state complexity of combined operations on finite languages. …

The Effect Of Aerobic And Resistance Exercise On Insulin Sensitivity And Glycemic Control In Type 1 Diabetic Rats, Katherine Hall

Digitized Theses

Type 1 Diabetic Mellitus (T1DM) patients can develop insulin insensitivity partially due to the daily requirement of exogenous insulin. Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity (IS) partially though the increased expression of skeletal muscle GLUT4 and insulin receptor (IR) content. Although exercise is beneficial in increasing IS, exercise presents a problem in the T1DM population, as it leads to uncontrolled fluctuations in blood glucose (BG) concentrations. This study examined the effect of aerobic and resistance training exercises on IS and fluctuations in BG concentrations in T1DM rats. Fifty animals were randomly divided into 5 groups; control (C), …

The Effects Of Bone Grafting On Calvarial Healing In A Rat Model, Stephanie M. Reid

Digitized Theses

It remains unknown whether bone grafting influences dural osteogenesis following cranial reconstruction. The purpose o f this study is to 1) develop a model to study non-vascularized and vascularized calvarial grafts; and 2) compare effects o f bone graft vascularity on calvarial healing.

Thirty-six rats were divided into Control and Experimental (EXP) groups. Parietal defects were left empty on one side. Contralateral defects in Control, EXP1, and EXP2 were partially filled with native parietal bone (sham), non-vascularized, and vascularized bone grafts, respectively. Healing parameters were measured from serial micro-CT scans.

Greater bone production resulted in Control and EXP2 versus EXP1 …

That’S My Dad In Action! Fatherhood And Masculinity In The Action Adventure Genre 1980-2000: Schwarzenegger And Stallone, Ryan Glyn Dench

Digitized Theses

An analysis of recent Hollywood action adventure films starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals that the presence or absence of fatherhood serves as a trope for representing the traditional and changing patriarchal ideology in the cultural, political, and economic uncertainty that has come to characterize life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By contextualizing my work through current gender and genre theory, in and considering shifts in contemporary domestic policies, socio-cultural tensions and anxieties surrounding masculinity and femininity, fatherhood and motherhood, I chart developments in the hard body action adventure genre. A close analysis of Stallone’s and Schwarzenegger’s performances …

A Role For The Anterior Cingulate Cortex In Reinforcement-Guided Learning For Covert Attentional Selection, Michelle Lynne Bale

Digitized Theses

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been associated with a variety of functions including conflict monitoring, error detection and more recently reward based learning. In this study we recorded from the ACC, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) while macaque monkeys performed a variably rewarded spatial attention task. First, we found dynamic encoding of reward outcome and reward expectancy associated with attentional targets within the ACC, mPFC and dlPFC. These results expand the function of the ACC beyond merely action value associations and suggest this area serves a broader role in reinforcement guided learning and …

Prevention Of Metabolic Dysregulation, Inflammation, And Atherosclerosis By The Citrus Flavonoid Naringenin, Julia Marie Assini

Digitized Theses

Increased dietary cholesterol promotes the inflammatory response in adipose tissue and liver, which may contribute to atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that the citrus flavonoid naringenin would prevent inflammation and atherosclerosis in Ldlr1' mice fed a cholesterol-enriched, high-fat or low-fat diet. The dyslipidemia and insulin resistance induced by cholesterol-feeding was markedly attenuated by naringenin. Naringenin significantly decreased hepatic steatosis, leading to reduced hepatic inflammation and macrophage infiltration. Furthermore, naringenin prevented diet-induced obesity and adipocyte hypertrophy, thereby attenuating the inflammatory response in adipose tissue. Collectively, the improvement in metabolic function by naringenin protected against the development of complex atherosclerotic lesions. Mice lacking FGF21, …

Pretreatment Of Municipal Waste Activated Sludge For Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion And Volatile Sulfur Compounds Control, Bipro Ranjan Dhar

Digitized Theses

Although anaerobic digestion (AD) is a very old and widely accepted sludge stabilization process, the traditional digestion process is very slow due to the rate limiting hydrolysis step. The quality of biogas is another major concern, as the presence of volatile sulfur compounds is detrimental to thermo-catalytic conversion equipment and may generate harmful emissions. This study investigated the impact of various pretreatment techniques on volatile sulfur compounds control leading to enhanced anaerobic digestion of municipal waste activated sludge.

Initially, the effect of combination of mechanical and chemical pretreatment of municipal waste activated sludge (WAS) prior to anaerobic digestion was studied …

Predicting Channel Geometry Based On Urban Land Use And Riparian Vegetation: Lower Rideau River Catchment, North­ Eastern Ontario, Amanda Leslie-Ann Brunet

Digitized Theses

The effects of urbanization (or impervious surface cover) on the hydrology and the morphology of streams have been studied for decades, but little attention has been put towards investigating the influence that different riparian vegetation conditions may have under situations of increasing urbanization (Hession et al., 2003). Four urban and four natural nearly contiguous sub-watersheds were selected from the Rideau River Watershed of North-Eastern Ontario to control for all significant channel-forming variables, except riparian vegetation and urbanization. It was found that only channel depths (and width/depth ratio) respond to increases in TIA and at a threshold of 5%. However, bank …

Prenatal Testosterone Excess Decreases Neurokinin 3 Receptor (Nk3r) And Its Colocalization With Kisspeptin In The Ovine Arcuate Nucleus: Impact Of Changes In Receptor Expression In An Animal Model Of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (Pcos), Taeeun Ahn

Digitized Theses

Neurokinin B (NKB) acting via the neurokinin-3-receptor (NK3R) plays a critical role in neuroendocrine control of mammalian reproductioa In prenatal testosterone (T) treated sheep, a model of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), decreased NKB in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) may underlie reproductive neuroendocrine defects. We hypothesized that, in addition to NKB, its receptor, NK3R would also be decreased in prenatal T-treated sheep. NK3R-positive cells were observed in multiple hypothalamic nuclei, but prenatal T decreased NK3R only in the ARC. Dual-label immunocytochemistry revealed the decrease to be due, in part, to decreased colocalization within ARC kisspeptin cells that relay hormonal signals …

Passages (Is And Was): Tracing Indian Visual Culture And The Sacred Through Craft And Contemporary Art., Gautam Garoo

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines and argues for the feasibility of the sacred in contemporary Indian art. The sacred as proposed in this thesis attempts to bridge the divide between the contemporary Indian art and traditional Indian craft. Drawing on the theoretical framework in Charles Correa’s essay “The Public, the Private, and the Sacred" the thesis examines the work of Charles Correa, Nasreen Mohamedi and my own art practice.

The thesis also builds upon my experience of navigating across the cultures of the East and the West.

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 …

Relationships Among Sarcopenia, Strength And Ageing In Healthy Adult Women, Marcus R. Barnett

Digitized Theses

Leg muscle cross sectional area (CSA), isometric strength and contraction velocity were examined in a group of young (Y), old (O), and very old, (VO) women to investigate the effects of aging and sarcopenia among healthy women. Ten contiguous transverse MRI (3Telsa IMRIS Scanner) scans were done horizontal to the right leg and produced images of the upper 1/3 of the leg in seven Y (23±2y), five O (65±4y) and six VO (76±3y) women. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVC) torque and maximal contraction velocity (at a fixed load of -IN m ) of the dorsiflexors and plantar flexors were determined …

Persuasive Effects Of Source Likeability On Implicit And Explicit Evaluations: The Role Of Cognitive Elaboration During Encoding Versus Judgment, Laura A. Creighton

Digitized Theses

The present research examined the persuasive effects of source likeability on implicit and explicit evaluations. Addressing a frequent confound in persuasion research, I argue that these effects can be understood only if one distinguishes between elaboration during encoding versus judgment. I predicted that source likeability would influence implicit evaluations irrespective of elaboration during encoding or judgment. Further, I predicted that elaboration during judgment would determine whether the influence of source likeability on implicit evaluations translated into corresponding explicit evaluations, such that implicit and explicit evaluations would show consistent effects of source likeability under conditions of low, but not high, elaboration …

A Geochemical Model For Predicting Corrosion- Scale Dissolution And Phase Transformations In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Tanvir Hassan

Digitized Theses

ABSTRACT

A geochemical model has been developed to predict lead dissolution and solid phase transformations in water distribution systems for varying water chemistry conditions and corrosion scale compositions. The equilibrium model is developed in PhreeqC.v.2.16.03 with reactions and thermodynamic constants validated by comparing simulation results with laboratory batch dissolution experiments. The experiments were conducted on pipe corrosion scale samples from the water distribution system of London, ON and on pure phase lead compounds at different water chemistry conditions. While prior geochemical models have focused primarily on predicting soluble lead concentrations; our model is also able to successfully predict equilibrium solid …

Attitudes And Intentions Towards Ex-Convicts: An Individual Difference Approach, Kimberley R. Dalke

Digitized Theses

ABSTRACT

Independent determinants of intention to interact with ex-convicts were investigated, including attitudes, norms, and perceived controllability. Attitude measurement incorporated implicit and explicit attitudes assessed by employing the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP: Payne, Cheng, Govorun, and Stewart, 2005) and self- report questionnaires, respectively. It was anticipated that the individual difference of Uncertainty Orientation would moderate the relationship between these factors and intention. Results did not support predictions. Additional analyses however did reveal a significant 4-way interaction in predicting behavioural intentions. Potential modification of implicit attitudes towards ex-convicts using Affirmation-Negation training was also investigated. It was predicted that affirmation training would …