Large-eddy Simulations were carried out on a flat-plate boundary layer over smooth and rough surfaces in the presence of an adverse pressure gradient, strong enough to induce separation. The inlet Reynolds number (based on freestream velocity and momentum thickness at the reference plane) is 2300. A sand-grain roughness model was implemented and spatial resolution requirements were determined. Two roughness heights were used and a fully-rough flow condition is achieved at the reference plane with roughness Reynolds numbers 60 and 120. As the friction velocity decreases due to the adverse pressure gradient the roughness Reynolds number varies from fully-rough to transitionally rough and smooth regime before the separation. The double-averaging approach illustrates how the roughness contribution decreases before the separation as the dispersive stresses decrease markedly compared to the upstream region. Before the flow detachment, roughness intensifies the Reynolds stresses. After the separation, the normal stresses, production and dissipation substantially increase through the adverse pressure gradient region. In the recovery region, the flow is highly three dimensional, as turbulent structures impinge on the wall at the reattachment region. Roughness initially increases the skin friction...

This dissertation is the first comprehensive examination of the history, interpretation, and potential application of section 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, guaranteeing rights and freedoms "equally to male and female persons." It seeks to answer two questions: first, why, despite women being only marginally successful in advancing Charter claims involving gender equality, courts have so profoundly marginalized section 28; and second, whether and how section 28 might be transformed into a fully effective constitutional provision in accordance with its original, feminist meaning. The dissertation approaches these questions first by examining flaws in the existing interpretative approach to Charter adjudication, arguing instead for a new approach that structures consideration of a provision’s original meaning and legislative history. It then demonstrates the wealth of resources history has to offer in relation to construing the meaning of section 28. At its core, section 28 was meant to require courts to view rights through a gender equality lens and channel judicial discretion towards transformative interpretations of rights that support the eradication of women’s subordination. The dissertation relies on cultural theories and theories of feminist geography to demonstrate how the liminal spatiotemporal location of section 28’s feminist framers in the patriation process became embedded in section 28’s meaning. Ultimately...

Inverse incentive learning is the loss by stimuli of their ability to elicit approach and other responses. This has been shown in the horizontal bar test. Rats in the Paired group (n = 10) were injected with haloperidol (0.25 mg/kg) and initially descended almost immediately but over days descent latencies grew longer. Control rats were tested daily and received haloperidol (Unpaired group, n = 9) or saline (Saline group, n = 10) later in their home cage. Controls showed no evidence of increased descent latencies. On the final test day, all groups were tested after haloperidol and only the Paired group showed increased descent latencies. c-Fos immunohistochemistry was used to identify brain regions associated with inverse incentive learning. Expression of c-Fos positive neurons in the nucleus accumbens core and ventral pallidum was significantly lower in the Paired rats than in the Unpaired and Saline rats, even though all groups received haloperidol on the test day. Compared to the Saline group both the Paired and Unpaired groups showed evidence of lower c-Fos levels in the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens shell, possibly a result of daily haloperidol injections. No group differences in c-Fos expression were found in the piriform cortex...

The physical configuration of water distribution systems is closely tied to the layout of the urban areas they serve. Over the last century, urban areas in North America have changed significantly in design, moving from high-density grid-based neighbourhoods to low-density suburban developments. The objective of this thesis is to examine the impact of urban form on the energy use in water distribution systems. This relationship was investigated at the neighbourhood-level through an energy analysis of scenarios characterized by different street topologies and population densities. The results suggest that gridiron neighbourhoods have lower energy requirements than warped parallel or cul-de-sac/loop neighbourhoods because their networks are highly connected. Gridiron neighbourhoods also have lower irrigation requirements due to their native high population densities, resulting in lower pumping energy requirements. The link between long-term urban development and energy use was investigated at the city-level through an energy analysis of a real-world, complex water distribution system. The system's three pressure zones corresponded well with areas from different periods of development, with distinctly different urban form characteristics. An energy balance approach was used to quantify the operating energy inputs and outputs for each of the system's pressure zones. The results suggest that there is an increasingly large "energy penalty" associated with expanding the city's urban fringe due to the sharp increase in ground elevation moving away from the water source. An alternative development scenario was also investigated...

In the last two decades, the study of transnational corporations (TNCs) and other non-state actors has gained an undisputed momentum in the fields of International Political Economy (IPE) and global governance, thus challenging realist notions of the state as the main actor in International Relations (IR). This dissertation argues that along with this paradigm shift, IPE and global governance scholars have increasingly understated the role that sate actors –especially those from the global south– play within global governance structures. My dissertation undertakes an in-depth examination of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a voluntary global governance initiative launched in 2002, which aims to foster transparency in the oil, gas and mining sectors. The dissertation asks why some African states have complied with the EITI requirements, while others have not. I focus on the primary cases of Ghana and Gabon, two key illustrations of oil-rich African countries that have, in respective order, complied with, and failed to comply with, the EITI Standard. To explain this puzzle, dominant theories in African Politics and in IR focus on 1) “good” or “bad” governance within host states as an aid or challenge to compliance; 2) corporate behaviour as a hindrance...

GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by the malfunctioning β-Hexosaminidase A (HexA) enzyme, for which there is no current treatment. HexA is composed of two similar, non-identical subunits, the alpha and the beta, which must interact with the GM2 activator protein, a substrate-specific co-factor, to hydrolyze GM2 gangliosides. Mutations in either subunit (or the activator) result in the development of GM2 gangliosidoses due to the toxic accumulation of GM2 gangliosides, within the neurons of the central nervous system. The resulting neuronal death induces the primary symptoms of the disease; motor and sensory impairments, and seizures. The aim of this study was to observe the long-term in vivo effects of an innovative gene therapy treatment method in a Sandhoff (β-subunit deficient) mouse model. The treatment utilized a new engineered variant of Hexosaminidase isoenzyme, HexM, which is formed by the homodimerization of a modified human Hex α-subunit called Hex µ, which contains critical beta-components that allow it to form stable homodimers and interact with the GM2 activator protein to reduce substrate storage. We tested this scAAV vector expressing HexM through intravenous injections of the neonatal mice. Previous work on a systemic gene therapy treatment saw drastic increases in lifespan to approximately 43 weeks in the Sandhoff mice using a beta-subunit treatment. We monitored one cohort for 8 weeks and another cohort long-term (>40 weeks) for biochemical...

The main goal of the thesis is to develop strategies for the fed-batch production of medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (MCL-PHA) by Pseudomonas putida KT2440 from decanoic acid (DA) co-feeding with glucose (G). Since decanoic acid is poorly water soluble and a solid at room temperature, two methods were tested to maintain it as a liquid by either mixing it with acetic acid (AA) or heating it to feed into the bioreactor. Exponentially feeding the carbon substrates at a ratio of 3:3:4 of DA:AA:G at a specific growth rate (µ) of 0.15 h-1 resulted in 26 g L-1 biomass containing 57% PHA. The final PHA composition was 74 mol% 3-hydroxydecanoate (3HD), 14 mol% 3-hydroxyoctanoate (3HO) and 12 mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3HHx). As the ratio of DA:AA:G increased from 3:3:4 to 5:1:4, 50% higher biomass and 73% higher PHA were obtained. An even higher biomass concentration of 75 g L-1 containing 74% PHA was achieved by applying the same specific growth rate followed by constant substrate feeding strategy. Heating decanoic acid without acetic acid was performed as a control experiment at feeding ratio of DA:G (1:1) resulting in a final higher biomass of 41 g L-1 but containing only 58% PHA. A fadB and fadA knockout mutant of P. putida KT2440 named P. putida DBA-F1was constructed to increase the fraction of the dominant monomer (3HD) in PHA by limiting the fatty acid β-oxidation activity. Using a feeding ratio of decanoic acid and acetic acid (DAA) to glucose (G) (6:4) at specific growth rate of 0.15 h-1...

Spreading depression (SD) occurs as a slowly propagating wave of neural inactivity and plays an important role in both the vertebrate and invertebrate CNS. Mammalian SD is associated with human pathologies such as migraine, stroke and traumatic brain injury while SD in the insect nervous system is involved in environmental stress-induced neural shutdown. Despite obvious differences in the design of the vertebrate and invertebrate CNS evidence suggests that the cellular mechanisms underlying mammalian and insect SD are conserved. In my thesis I investigated mechanisms of SD in the CNS of Locusta migratoria and demonstrate its occurrence in the brain of Drosophila melanogaster. I show that increases in neural activity heighten susceptibility to SD while reductions in activity are inhibiting, demonstrating that SD in the locust is strongly dependent on existing levels of neural activity. Additionally, my work demonstrated that glial cells play a critical role during locust SD. I show that treatments that inhibit glial spatial buffering or that disrupt the perineurial cells (specialized glia) of the blood-brain barrier exacerbate SD. Moreover, I found that SD induced under hypotonic conditions was associated with shorter latencies to onset...

It is well established that exercise is an efficacious method for the management of abdominal obesity; however, the optimal amount and intensity of exercise that is required to combat obesity remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the separate effects of exercise amount and intensity on abdominal and whole body adipose tissue in adults who are abdominally obese. One-hundred eight participants who were previously sedentary and had abdominal obesity were randomized into one of 4 groups: Control (n=21 (10 females)), low amount, low intensity (LALI) (180 kcal/session for females and 300 kcal/session for males at 50% VO2peak, n= 25 (15 females)) high amount, low intensity (HALI) (360 kcal/session for females and 600 kcal/session for males at 50% VO2peak, n=32 (21 females)), or high amount, high intensity (HAHI) (360 kcal/session for females and 600 kcal/session for males at 75% VO2peak n=30 (19 females)). Participants performed supervised exercise 5 times/wk for 24 wks. Daily dietary logs were completed throughout the intervention and unstructured physical activity was monitored using accelerometers. Change in total and abdominal adipose tissue (AT) and skeletal muscle mass was measured via magnetic resonance imaging. Exercise duration in minutes was 32 (SD...

Settlements have historically taken root along bodies of water; however, lands adjacent to water bodies can face the risk of riverine flooding. In Southern Ontario, responsibility for representing provincial interest for plan input and review with respect to flooding hazards have been delegated to conservation authorities. While development and site alteration in the floodplain is generally not permitted or restricted, development may occur in certain areas with a reduced risk. These areas are referred to as the “flood fringe”, and the type of planning employed in such a mechanism is called the “two zone concept”. In this research, planning policies used by conservation authorities for the two zone concept are examined by answering the research questions, “how is the two zone concept of floodplain management applied by conservation authorities in Southern Ontario?” and “what are the strengths and weaknesses of the two zone concept of floodplain management as applied in Southern Ontario?” To answer the research questions, a multiple case study approach was employed. Through a literature review, components that make a high-quality natural hazard plan were examined and an evaluation framework was developed to compare planning documents that contained policies regarding the two zone concept. Planning documents released by Conservation Halton (2011)...

This essay is a case study of the imperial cult as it manifested in the city of Tarraco in Roman Spain. It begins with a discussion of what the imperial cult itself was and how it developed, through a look at the precedents for the cult and its origins starting from the death of Julius Caesar. The origin of the imperial cult in Spain specifically is then discussed. The architectural evidence for the cult is then examined. There is a focus on the location and dating of a municipal altar and temple, as well as the provincial temple, which has been the subject of scholarly debate for decades. Finally there is a study of the flamines or priests of Tarraco. This is done through the use of epigraphic evidence to discuss what patterns there were in the career of the flamines to gain an understanding of the type of citizen who gained this role, through their family history (if applicable) and the cursus honorum that they followed through their life.

This poll, Canadians Perceptions of India and Trade, looks at which countries Canadians think we should be developing trade ties with, support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and our perceptions of India, of Canada’s relationship with the country, and of the Indo-Canadian community.

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are a popular option for human movement analysis. The untethered, self-contained nature of IMUs overcomes many limitations of conventional measurement systems. The potential of IMU systems makes it worthwhile to pursue clinical and research use. However, IMUs have not proven to be sufficiently reliable or valid. Two barriers facing IMU-based joint kinematics are: (i) the misaligned, unique reference frames of each IMU in the system, hindering joint angle calculation, and (ii) anatomical calibration accuracy and reproducibility, hindering the anatomical relevance of joint angles. A comparison of available methods would help to understand and overcome the current barriers preventing IMU use. The present thesis aimed to provide these comparisons. Several methods have been proposed to align coordinate frames. Three methods were compared mathematically and experimentally. The equivalency of all methods was proved mathematically. Experimentally, all three methods were equivalent (<2° different) in two applications relevant to biomechanics (finding a common IMU reference frame and comparing the IMU orientation to a marker-based orientation). Several methods have also been proposed to find anatomically relevant axes of the lower limb body segments. The joint angles from five methods were compared using the joint angles of a marker-based method as reference. The methods were used for the hip...

TAZ and YAP are transcriptional coactivators negatively regulated in the tumor suppressor (TS) Hippo pathway. TAZ and YAP play essential roles in tumorigenesis, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as cell resistances to different chemotherapeutic drugs such as the antitubulin drug Taxol. Although previous studies from the Yang Lab have shown that TAZ induces Taxol resistance through activation of downstream targets Cysteine rich 61 (Cyr61) and Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF), the upstream regulations of YAP and TAZ during Taxol treatment is largely unknown. In this study, a Hippo independent negative regulation of YAP and TAZ is identified. In response to antitubulin drug treatments, Cyclin dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) kinase can directly phosphorylate YAP and TAZ at multiple sites with SP/TP (S, serine; T, threonine; P, proline) motifs. The phosphorylation of YAP abolishes its interactions with transcription factor (TF) TEAD, whereas phosphorylation of TAZ by Cdk1 decreases the stability of TAZ. Our studies provide potential strategies and biomarkers to treat and predict antitubulin resistance. In addition to Cdk1, another kinase PIK3CB was identified as a positive regulator of TAZ/YAP. PIK3CB induces EMT and tumorigenesis by activating TAZ/YAP through inhibition of LATS. Collectively...

During the Sixties Scoop, there was a mass apprehension of indigenous children from their families and communities during the 1960’s and 1980’s within Canada. This unprecedented disruption to the fabric of indigenous communities still resonates in the contemporary over- representation of indigenous children within the settler colonial child welfare system. In the field of indigenous studies, there is little research documenting this history and in this thesis I sought to contribute to this existing literature. Drawing upon indigenous and black feminist theories and Foucaudian genealogy I analyze archival materials, memoir and creative texts that explain the Sixties Scoop as part of an ongoing displacement of indigenous peoples. This thesis explores the underlying racist and colonial logics to question the legitimacy of the child welfare system. Coupling this frame, I sought to highlight the significance of relationality and kinship bonds among indigenous and non-indigenous people. The thesis positions the creative writings of Beatrice Mosionier’s novel In Search of April Raintree (1983) and her memoir Come Walk with Me (2009) and my autoethnographic story as narratives that work across as well as outside a colonial frame. Within entangled threads of colonial histories...

Published in 1866, Sites et végétaux du Canada was an early photographic experiment in botanical illustration. It was the result of a collaboration between Abbé Ovide Brunet (1826-1876), a botany professor at the Université Laval, and the photography studio of Livernois & Cie., noted Québec City photographers and artists. Previous research has considered the album as the aesthetic accomplishment of Jules-Isaïe Benoît dit Livernois (1830-1865), excluding Brunet from the art historical narrative. In this thesis, I present an analysis of the various contexts through which the images were imbued with meaning, considering the botanical alongside the aesthetic, to understand how this album fit into the visual culture of early Canadian science. I examine Sites et végétaux du Canada as a physical object and the product of an international network of art and science. Viewed internationally at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, it showcased thirty-five albumen print photographs as part of the Canadian displays. In its representation of Canadian landscapes and native plant specimens, the album effectively employed photography to present Canada as a centre of cutting-edge scientific investigation.; Thesis (Master, Art History) -- Queen's University...

The Ganges Delta is a dynamic landscape that has experienced substantial transformation over the last half century and is particularly susceptible to future change as a result of rising sea levels. The aim of this project was to analyze recent trends in land cover in southwest Bangladesh, and to better understand the natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for this transformation. Three study areas spanning a salinity gradient across the region were selected for analysis. Research was conducted by linking multi-temporal remote sensing data (Landsat MSS, TM, and OLI; 1973-2014) and validating these data with ground-based survey information to understand historical land use and vegetation changes. Results indicate that throughout the basin, ecosystems ranging from freshwater to saline (all of which are found in the low-lying topographical zones of Bangladesh) have experienced a wide range of anthropogenic influences and geophysical driving forces. Cultivable areas have been decreasing substantially in the freshwater floodplain due to expansion of waterlogged and settlement areas. It was frequently observed that a decrease of agricultural land and natural freshwater bodies was accompanied by an increase in shrimp farms in the southernmost brackish and saline zone; this process has been moving northward over the past several decades. These interferences have physically altered the ecosystems of the basin and the land therein. As a result...