Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
The utility of HPV typing and relative quantification of HPV-16 transcripts for monitoring HPV vaccine efficacy and improving colposcopy triage of women with abnormal cervical cytology.
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2007-11-01) Antonishyn, Nick Anthony; Horsman, Greg; Kelln, Rod
Human papillomaviruses (HPV) can cause benign or malignant disease with the majority of infections without symptoms. The viral origin of cervical cancer is now proven with HPV proteins E6 and E7 defining part of the molecular basis of oncogenesis in vitro. Integration and/or malignant transformation of cervical cells in vivo are expected to be accompanied by the over-expression of HPV genes for E6 and E7 oncoproteins and a reduction of both expression for the L1 capsid protein and viral DNA. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) has been associated with particular HPV types that can be distinguished by DNA sequence differences. The research work studied two important aspects of HPV and its role in cervical disease. First, the distribution of HPV types and the epidemiology of HPV infection in a population of Saskatchewan women referred to a colposcopy clinic. Second, the potential of HPV-16 transcripts and HPV viral load for the detection of CIN. The most commonly identified genotype in patients with CIN grade 2 or worse was HPV-16 (46.7%) followed by HPV-31 (14.7%) and then HPV-18 (3.9%). The risk of CIN associated with HPV-18 infection, odds ratio 0.8 (95% CI, 0.4 to 1.7) is significantly lower than either the odds ratio of 6.3 for HPV-16 (95% CI, 3.6 to 11.0) or 4.3 for HPV-31 (95% CI, 1.8 to 12.6). Thus in Saskatchewan, the prevalence of HPV-31 is high whereas HPV-18 is associated with less clinical disease. Consequently, the efficacy the new cervical cancer vaccine, which target only HPV-16 and HPV-18, may be diminished in Saskatchewan’s population. Analysis of variance (P = 0.2) indicated no significant correlation between grade of CIN and HPV viral load. The presence of E6 RNA (P = 0.0002) and relative quantification of HPV-16 E6 transcripts (P < 0.0001) displayed the most significant median difference among the various grades of CIN when standardized to HPV viral load and human RNA and DNA levels. There was no correlation with L1 transcripts and cervical disease. Likelihood ratios indicate that the combination of Pap smear cervical cytology screening test with E6 relative quantification, on populations with higher cervical disease prevalence, would find more true positives than simply an additional Pap test. Using molecular testing for triage, HPV genotype information identifies 96% of women with CIN grade 2 or worse while eliminating 44% of women with CIN grade 1 or better. Information from the relative quantification of HPV-16 E6 transcripts identified 31.0% (n=13) of HPV-16 positive women with CIN grade 1 or better while retaining 92.4% of women with CIN grade 2 or worse. This work shows that there is diagnostic utility in relative quantification of HPV transcripts and that it benefits from standardization for variables such as the amount of HPV DNA and the total cellular nucleic acids. Relative quantification of HPV-16 E6 and HPV genotyping can be used to reduce medical procedures for women. HPV molecular tests could be useful in a cascade of diagnostic testing designed to refer women with cervical abnormalities for colposcopy, or treatment, while reducing the number of women needing triage.
Open Access
Another Radio is Possible: Community Radio, Media Reform and Social Change in Thailand
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2007-12) Elliott, Patricia W.
An exploration of the political and cultural impact of community radio in Thailand, and of the global implications of challenges to the prevailing model of state-controlled broadcast frequency monopolies.
Open Access
A critical exploration of voluntary sector social policy advocacy with marginalized communities using a population health lens and social justice.
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2008-12) DeSantis, Gloria Christina; Mulvale, James; Jeffery, Bonnie
There appears to be little data on the social policy advocacy work of the voluntary social service sector, also known as community-based organizations (CBOs), in Canada and their role in helping to create healthier communities. Research on this topic is timely in light of the following: shifting expectations of social service CBOs over the past few decades; questions about CBO-government relations; a growing importance of measuring the outcomes/impacts of the social service CBO sector; a need to alter free market ideology and introduce the counterweight of social justice principles to reduce health inequities; a growing interest in holistic policy development; growing awareness that social policies have health implications; and the Canadian welfare state is under transformation. My purpose was twofold: to explore the evolving nature of policy advocacy work undertaken by social service CBOs in Saskatchewan using a population health lens, and to examine the perceived outcomes/impacts of these processes on marginalized groups of people, CBOs, governments and communities using this lens. Using a critical inquiry methodology, qualitative data were collected through a multi-method approach. A case study design was adopted. An examination of the case study context comprised data collected through telephone interviews with 39 voluntary social service agencies from 18 communities throughout Saskatchewan, through government annual reports spanning 60 years and through observations of the political context. The case study included an examination of documents from a policy advocacy coalition, personal interviews with 17 ii individuals involved with the coalition, and observations of the coalition. Follow-up focus groups were conducted with these 17 interviewees. There were a number of findings. There has been growth in the number and diversity of social service CBOs over the past 30 years, government funding cuts and Canada Revenue Agency rules negatively affected CBOs, CBOs perceive policy advocacy is interconnected with other advocacy types, a sense of fear and vulnerability affect some advocacy participants, and of the 39 social service CBOs, 35 said they believed they contribute to people’s health/well-being through their daily work with the social determinants of health (e.g., poverty). A number of different types of advocacy processes were found to exist and some included marginalized people while others did not; CBOs’ choices about including people appeared to depend on a number of conditions (e.g., perception of participation barriers, sense of vulnerability). Interviewees described a variety of perceived outcomes/impacts of advocacy processes (e.g., learning, behaviour change, social connectedness, emotional reactions) in different spheres. The advocacy processes and their impacts were multiple, fluid and not totally predictable. A conceptualization of policy advocacy processes and population health was formulated as were implications and suggested actions for moving toward the creation of healthier communities through enhanced engagement in social policy making.
Open Access
The Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem for intersecting families of permutations.
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2010) Purdy, Alison May; Meagher, Karen; Fallat, Shaun; Zilles, Sandra
The Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem is a fundamental result in extremal set theory. It describes the size and structure of the largest collection of subsets of size k from a set of size n having the property that any two subsets have at least t elements in common. Following the publication of the original theorem in 1961, many different proofs and extensions have appeared, culminating in the publication of the Complete Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem by Ahlswede and Khachatrian in 1997. A number of similar results for families of permutations have appeared. These include proofs of the size and structure of the largest family of permutations having the property that any two permutations in the family agree on at least one element of the underlying set. In this thesis we apply techniques used in the proof of the Complete Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem for set systems to prove a result for certain families of t-intersecting permutations. Specifically, we give the size and structure of a fixed t-intersecting family of permutations provided that n ≥2t + 1 and show that this lower bound on n is optimal.
Open Access
Mediating the numbered treaties: eyewitness accounts of treaties between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples, 1871-1876.
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011) Krasowski, Sheldon Kirk; Wheeler, Winona; Brennan, William; Pitsula, James, M.; Stonechild, Blair; Coates, Ken
This thesis looks at the historical period of treaty-making in Western Canada when six numbered treaties were negotiated between Canada and the Anishnabeg, Cree, Saulteaux, and Assiniboine Nations between 1871 and 1876. The main interpretation of treaty-making during this period is that the treaty commissioners and Indigenous leadership experienced “cultural misunderstandings” and that Euro-Canadian witnesses to treaty did not understand the treaty relationship. As a result, most of the eyewitness accounts by Euro-Canadian fur traders, missionaries, journalists, settlers and government representatives have been ignored by historians. This thesis argues against cultural misunderstandings and shows that Euro-Canadian negotiators and eyewitnesses clearly understood the roles and responsibilities in the treaty relationship. Violations of treaty did occur as new settlers moved into treaty territory and government representatives became more concerned about financial restrictions than the promises made during the negotiations. However, during the treaty-making period, Euro-Canadians understood their obligations under the treaty relationship. This thesis analyzes previously underutilized primary documents and re-evaluates standard sources on the numbered treaties to show that during the treaty-making period, Euro-Canadians understood the expectations of Indigenous peoples in the treaty relationship.
Open Access
An Effective and Critical History of Canada’s National Standardized Testing Program
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-03-31) Dagenais, Margaret Anne; Ryan, Heather; Brown, Douglas; Hart, Paul; Maeers, Mhairi; Rennie, Morina; Volante, Louis
This dissertation explores Canada‟s national large-scale testing program, the School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) and its successor, the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) using a methodology built on Foucault‟s theoretical concepts. The product of the research is a critical and effective history of the production of SAIP/PCAP within the Canadian social, political, and economic context. The study considers the work of Canadian scholars and commentators working in the field of largescale testing and the work of those working in aspects of education that are proximal to the field of interest. The research recognizes the key role of the investigator, the critical importance of investigator‟s proximity to the field, her struggles within the field; and it also recognizes the need of the investigator to step away from the obligation to argue a particular perspective. The study also explores standardized testing regimes operating in England and the United States as well as international testing programs to gather the effects of these correlative spaces on the Canadian experience. The outcomes of the research include the production of an understanding of how large-scale standardized testing was produced in Canada, its resultant effects of harmonization on curriculum, and the identification of possible research sites for further inquiry.
Open Access
Dealing With Uncertainty in Engineering and Management Practices
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-07) Peng, Wei; Mayorga, Rene V.; Mehrandezh, Mehran; Henni, Amr; Deng, Dianliang; Hipel, Keith W.
A set of methodologies is proposed for dealing with uncertainties in five fields. These fields are: (1) traffic noise impact assessment, (2) hydraulic reliability assessment and reliability based optimization, (3) binary linear programming, (4) real-time multiple source water blending optimization, and (5) process control of an industrial rotary kiln. The proposed methods are applied to several engineering and management cases to demonstrate their explicabilities and advantages. In the field (1), an integrated approach is presented to assess traffic noise impact under uncertainty (Peng and Mayorga, 2008). Three uncertain inputs, namely, traffic flow, traffic speed and traffic components, are represented by probability distributions. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to generate these noise distributions. Further, fuzzy sets and binary fuzzy relations are employed in the qualitative assessment. Finally, the quantification of noise impact is evaluated using the probability analysis. In the field (2), two innovative approaches are developed under uncertainty (Peng and Mayorga, 2010e). One is to assess hydraulic reliability that accounting for the deterioration of both structural integrity and hydraulic capacity of each pipe; another is to design a reliability- based optimal rehabilitation/upgrade schedule that considering both hydraulic failure potential and mechanical failure potential. In these two approaches, all uncertain hydraulic parameters are treated as random values. The main methodologies used are: Monte Carlo simulation, EPANET simulation, genetic algorithms, Shamir and Howard’s exponential model, threshold break rate model, and two-stage optimization model. Eventually, two universal codes, the hydraulic reliability assessment code and the long-term schedule code,were written in MATLAB and linked with EPANET. In the field (3), an interval coefficient fuzzy binary linear programming (IFBLP) and its solution are built under uncertainty (Peng and Mayorga, 2010c, 2010d). In the IFBLP, the parameter uncertainties are represented by the interval coefficients, and the model structure uncertainties are reflected by the fuzzy constraints and a fuzzy goal. The solution includes a defuzzification process and a crisping process. An alpha-cut technique is utilized for the defuzzification process, and an interval linear programming algorithm is used to the crisping process. One mixed technique (links the alpha-cut technique and min-operator technique) is used to determine a single optimal alpha value on a defuzzified crisp-coefficient BLP. Finally, the IFBLP is converted into two extreme crisping BLP models: a best optimum model and a worst optimum model. Uncertainties in the field (4) include the modeling uncertainty and dynamic input uncertainty (Peng et al, 2010a, 2010b). This dissertation provides a fuzzy multiple response surface methodology (FMRSM) to deal with these kinds of uncertainties. In the FMRSM, the experimental data sets are fitted into the first quadratic models and their residuals are fitted into the second quadratic models; the multiple objectives are optimized using a fuzzy optimization method. Six scenarios are designed based on a real-time operation. The results show the FMRSM is a robust, computational efficient and overall optimization approach for the real-time multi-objective nonlinear optimization problems. In the field (5), a dual-response-surface-based process control (DRSPC) programming is developed to address the uncertainty and dynamic calcination process (Peng, et al, 2010f). Several response surface models are appropriately fitted for an industrial rotary kiln. The proposed approach is applied on a real case. The application shows that the proposed approach can rapidly provide the optimal and robust outputs to the industrial rotary kiln. Other properties of the proposed approach include a solution for the time delay problem and a statistical elimination of measurement errors.
Open Access
Tentativeness and Permeability in the Poitical Thought of Hannah Arendt
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-07) Colgan, Alexander Read; Hansen, Phillip; Drury, Shadia; Ward, Ann; Burch, Robert R.
Hannah Arendt’s distinction between public and private rests upon a distinction between freedom and necessity that many have argued is ontological and thus immutable. This essay disputes that interpretation by discussing the tentative foundations of Arendt’s work on history and the human condition, in order to argue that this distinction stems not from a phenomenological essentialism but rather a meditation on historical forms of living-together that explicitly rejects notions of human nature and causality in history. This tentativeness stems from what Arendt regarded as the disastrous tendency of philosophy to systematize the chaos and disorder of human affairs, so that Arendt claims that the role of political theory is not to preclude or supersede political debate and deliberation, but rather to “think what we are doing.” This interpretation of Arendt’s thought is supported by her shift towards the Roman republic and praise of grassroots political councils, as well as her notions of understanding and judgment as they are reflected in her writings. Ultimately it is shown that freedom and necessity in human affairs are not absolute categories beyond amendment, but two halves of a fluid distinction that is only valid in an inevitably tentative and incomplete hindsight. This has significant implications both for contemporary interpretations of Arendt’s thought and for the politicization of social issues.
Open Access
A Modified Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Group for Multidiagnostic Suicidal Adolescents with Symptoms of BPD
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-07) Tuttle, Megan Patricia; Shercliffe, Regan; Hampton, Mary; Loutzenhiser, Lynn; Asmundson, Gordon; Spooner, Marc; Gilbert, Merv
A substantial group of adolescents demonstrate behavioural patterns consistent with the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In light of the paucity of empirically validated interventions for adolescents with BPD, there is a fundamental need to develop and assess novel treatments for this underserved population. Following the research evidence for the effectiveness of standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for adult outpatients as well as the growing evidence for the usefulness of modified DBT programs adapted for adolescents, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 12-week outpatient DBT skills group that included family members and that was provided as an adjunct to non-DBT individual therapy (i.e., Treatment As Usual) for multidiagnostic suicidal adolescent outpatients. This study also offered an opportunity to examine how DBT skills group intervention might be provided in a "real-world" community-based system of care. A natural consequence of conducting this type of research is having less rigorous control over facets of the investigation. In this study,process challenges impacted the research design, and, ultimately, the opportunity to reach valid conclusions about the effects of the DBT intervention on the basis of a pre-post research design and analysis. Preliminary results suggest that a DBT skills group intervention may be a useful intervention for adolescents but additional studies are required to validate the effectiveness of DBT with this population. Implications for treatment development, service delivery, and future research directions are discussed in light of the findings.
Open Access
Universal Mutual Responsibility: Heidegger, Selfhood, and the Possibility of an Ethics of Community
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-07-20) Booÿ, Daniel Nathan; Piercey, Robert; Marshall, George; Ward, Ann; Wall, Kathleen
Martin Heidegger's treatise Being and Time, in seeking to answer the question of the meaning of Being, addresses the subject of the self and various problems relating to selfhood as component parts of his larger project. While addressing the subject of the self, however, Heidegger has overlooked many important considerations, specifically with regards to the way the self interacts with and depends upon its others. The end result of this is that Heidegger's understanding of the self throughout Being and Time carries with it both demonstrable inconsistencies and a number of propositions that require further investigation. This study, thus, has sought to exegetically explicate Heidegger's understanding of the self as it is made manifest throughout Being and Time, to critically pose problems to Heidegger's concept of the self that highlight those places where the self has been left inconsistent or incomplete, and to draw upon both alternate sources and original research so as to augment Heidegger's concept of the self and return a more robust and complete understanding of the self. This study demonstrates that, while Heidegger's concept of the self in Being and Time is fundamentally incomplete and inconsistent at various points in and of itself, it provides an adequate foundation upon which a more complete and consistent understanding of the self and its interactions with its others can be developed. One possible conceptual solution to this problem, a solution that takes its inspiration from various sections of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, has been proposed below under the name of “universal mutual responsibility.” This solution offers a means by which to preserve Heidegger's existing ontological investigations into the self while supplementing these ontological investigations with those existential considerations Heidegger himself left unexplored. These considerations and their various implications have been read back and reinserted into the text, thus solidifying the concept of universal mutual responsibility as a viable advancement upon Heidegger's existing concept of the self within Being and Time.
Open Access
Ultrasound Testing System for the Detecting of the Shape and Growth of a Vapor Chamber in the VAPEX Process
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-08) Zhou, Wenjin; Paranjape, Raman; Mehrandezh, Mehran; Laforge, Paul; Asghari, Koorosh; Luo, Peng
Acoustic wave detection systems are designed to estimate distances based on the measurement of the time of arrival (TOA) of an ultrasonic wave. It has been used in diagnoses and treatments in areas such as medicine, dentistry, civil engineering, and many other industrial applications. It has also been applied in the oil industry for pipeline inspection and fluid velocity measurement. In this study, a comprehensive experimental program was designed and conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using acoustic waves for detection and monitoring of vapor chamber growth and pressure front movement in porous media during vapor chamber expansion in the VAPEX process. Vapor extraction is a potential nonthermal recovery process used to improve the recovery factor from heavy oil and bitumen reservoirs. In this process, a mixture of light hydrocarbon vapors close to its dew-point, such as propane or butane, is injected into the reservoir through a horizontal injection well. As the solvent vapor comes into contact with the heavy oil, it dissolves in the oil and reduces its viscosity. The mobilized oil then drains into the second horizontal production well. After the breakthrough of the vapor chamber from injection to production well, the vapor chamber begins to grow and more oil becomes mobilized by interaction with the solvent chamber. The simulated VAPEX chamber in this study was conducted by using different sized air balloons buried in a water- or oil-saturated sand pack. The ultrasound receivers were placed on the physical model to detect the acoustic signals from the transducers. A MatlabTM based program was developed to do the signal processing using wavelet signal transform technique to extract the position of the echo signal from the signal record; the size and shape of the air balloons were determined based on the TOF of the ultrasonic signal record. The results of the measurements and simulations show that ultrasound detection system is applicable to test the shape and growth of simulated VAPEX chamber in a lab scale; the image results of the simulated lab model are reliable. It is the first time that such a technique has been proposed for this purpose and it was proven effective on a laboratory scale.
Open Access
An Examination of Leaf Morphogenesis In The Moss, Physcomitrella Patens
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-08) Barker, Elizabeth Io; Ashton, Neil; Weger, Harold; Chapco, William; Dale, Janis; Cover, David
Physcomitrella patens is a simple model plant belonging to the bryophytes, which diverged from the tracheophytes approximately 500 million years ago. The leaves of the moss are similar in form to vascular plant leaves although leaves evolved independently in the bryophyte and tracheophyte lineages. Close examination of the morphology of Physcomitrella leaves and investigation of the morphogenetic processes that result in the leaf form and of the hormonal and genetic regulation of those processes will elucidate the evolutionary trajectory of moss leaves. Photomicroscopy and measurement of moss leaves were performed to provide detailed descriptions of leaves in strains of Physcomitrella that exhibited normal and aberrant morphology. Low concentrations of two major phytohormones, auxins and cytokinins, were applied to growing moss cultures to investigate their effects on leaf morphogenesis. A bioinformatic analysis of homologues of vascular plant genes that are involved in leaf development was performed to identify candidate genes that may have been co-opted for regulation of leaf morphogenesis during the early course of plant evolution. The transition from the basal leaf form to the adult form is gradual for all of the heteroblastic features of Physcomitrella leaves with the possible exception of the midrib. Low concentrations of exogenous auxin and cytokinin stimulate cell expansion and cell divisions respectively and auxin may be a key regulator of leaf heteroblasty. Homologues of almost all tracheophyte genes that are known to be involved in leaf morphogenesis are present in the Physcomitrella genome. However, few of the ii Physcomitrella homologues exhibit both a high degree of sequence similarity to the vascular plant genes and high levels of expression in leaves. Of these, class I and class II homeodomain-leucine zipper genes are predicted to play key roles in leaf development in the moss. Other genes may have been co-opted to regulate the processes of cell division, cell expansion and adaxialization/abaxialization of the midrib in bryophyte leaves. Preliminary models of auxin-cytokinin activity and of genetic and hormonal regulation of leaf morphogenetic processes in Physcomitrella provide testable hypotheses for further investigation.
Open Access
'Now You See Me, Now You Don't' - Service Delivery to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Offenders: A Study of Policy and Practice in Saskatchewan Community Corrections
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-09) Gerger, Bonny Lynn; Patenaude, Allan; Jones, Nicholas; Ruddell, Richard; Greenberg, Hirsch; Hardenbicker, Ulrike
FASD offenders involved in community corrections present a variety of challenges. One of the primary presenting challenges facing community corrections practitioners is how best to provide service to FASD offenders. What would the components of a service delivery program include in order to most effectively meet the needs of FASD offenders receiving services from Saskatchewan Community Corrections? Utilizing case study methodology, this research explores the intersection of present day service delivery practice and proposed future practices in supervising offenders as demonstrated by the Strategic Training Initiative in Community Supervision (STICS) project. Interview sampling of two sub-groups of research participants was employed in an attempt to reconcile this method of proposed service delivery with specific aspects of „what works‟ with FASD offenders. Conducting one-on-one interviews with those probation officers involved in the STICS project and the implementation of community corrections policies comprised the first sub-group. Interviews with those involved in the criminal justice system with FASD expertise (ie. lawyers, judges, police, etc.) comprised the second. Using a thematic network as a thematic analysis tool for qualitative data, this research identified limitations within community corrections and the STICS project that would need to be addressed to ensure success in reduction of recidivism and ensuring public safety in providing services to FASD offenders.
Open Access
Natural Gas Development and Grassland Songbird Abundance in Southwestern Saskatchewan: The Impact of Gas Wells and Cumulative Disturbance
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-09-28) Bogard, Holly Jayne Kalyn; Brigham, R. Mark; Davis, Stephen; Somers, Christopher; Wellicome, Troy
The quantity and quality of remaining grasslands in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, are threatened by expansion of natural gas development. The number of natural gas wells nearly tripled between 1997 and 2007. Current management strategies do not consider the effect of natural gas development on grassland birds because the impacts are not known. I examined grassland songbirds and vegetation structure across an area with a gradient of gas-well densities to determine whether (1) density and proximity of gas wells influence abundance and occurrence of grassland songbirds or (2) the relative and cumulative effect of different types of anthropogenic disturbances associated with natural gas development (roads, trails, pipelines, gas well size, soil compaction, and crested wheatgrass coverage) influence the abundance and occurrence of grassland songbirds in south-western Saskatchewan. I conducted 1250 point counts in 105 plots (259 ha each) at varying distances from natural gas wells, which ranged from 0-25 natural gas wells per 259 ha per plot. I recorded 7 grassland songbird species: Horned Lark (Eremophilus alpestris), Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii), Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus), McCown’s Longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) and Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii). Responses of grassland songbirds to natural gas well density, proximity, and types of disturbance structures varied among species. Overall, Sprague’s Pipit, McCown’s Longspur and Grasshopper Sparrow responded negatively to natural gas development, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Savannah and Baird’s Sparrows exhibited mixed effects, and Horned Larks consistently responded positively to natural gas development. My results also indicate that natural gas ii development affected vegetation structure, which likely influences grassland bird abundance. The species-specific responses to natural gas disturbance seemed closely linked to the associated changes in vegetation structure. As natural gas development increases on Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada pastures and on other grasslands, the effects on grassland songbirds will likely become more pronounced. My research is the first to quantify the relationship between songbird abundance, vegetation structure, and natural gas development. Further work is necessary to assess the effects of natural gas development on grassland songbirds and other species as energy development proceeds.
Open Access
Effects of Anthropogenic Urea on Lakes of the North American Great Plains: Ecological Implications Based on Experimental and Observational Studies
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-10) Bogard, Matthew James; Leavitt, Peter; Weger, Harold; Yost, Chris; Waiser, Marley; Vinebrooke, Rolf D.
Urea consumption has increased dramatically since the 1960s and now comprises over 50% of the nitrogen (N)-based fertilizer used globally. Currently, only 30-50% of N-fertilizers applied to cropland are effectively used by crops, while the remainder is lost to the environment. Urea is also a component of livestock and human wastes. In principal,export of urea to lakes as a consequence of human activities may exacerbate ecological problems associated with eutrophication (e.g. increased productivity of aquatic fauna, deep water anoxia, biodiversity loss, fish kills, etc.), especially in phosphorus (P)-rich aquatic ecosystems. Biweekly measurements of urea content and limnological variables (water chemistry, hydrology, algae, zooplankton) during two summers in a chain of seven productive lakes in central Canada were used to quantify human and environmental influences on temporal and spatial patterns of urea occurrence. Mean (+ SD) urea concentrations varied between 28.7 + 14.0 and 131.7 + 64.9 μg N L-1, increased from headwater to downstream sites, and represented 10-50% of bio-available N. Principal components analysis demonstrated that urea concentrations were elevated in agriculturally-impacted lakes with abundant dissolved organic and inorganic nutrients (N, P, C) and low O2 concentrations, and were inconsistently correlated with plankton abundance and community composition. In contrast, urea concentrations were elevated more than two-fold in lakes receiving N from cities, despite low concentrations of urea in tertiary-treated urban effluent (~50% of lake values). Furthermore, dissolved organic N accounted for ~90% of total dissolved N in a survey of 69 closed basin lakes, suggesting that urea is ubiquitous in regional lakes. These findings suggest a new model for the regulation of the urea in lakes in which land use practices regulate lotic influx, stimulate regeneration from lake sediments, and influence the balance between planktonic consumption and release of urea. Differential effects of urea pollution on phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria were quantified in three mesocosm experiments conducted in P-rich, hypereutrophic Wascana Lake, Saskatchewan. Urea was added weekly at 0, 1, 3, 8, and 18 mg N L-1 to mesocosms (~3000-L) for 21-days each during July, August, and September of 2009. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) revealed all urea concentrations stimulated increases in phytoplankton biomass and productivity to a stable plateau by day 7, afterwards light and P may have limited future autotrophic responses. The magnitude of algal response generally increased with urea loads up to 3 – 5 mg N L-1, but additions beyond that level had little effect on algal abundance, and actually reduced primary production relative to maximum values. In contrast, bacterial abundance and production responded more slowly in a linear fashion to urea amendments, such that bacterial activity was sufficient to deplete oxygen by day 21 in trials with > 8 mg N L-1. These findings suggest that urea pollution at concentrations < 3 mg N L-1 may rapidly enhance net autotrophy, while urea additions > 5 mg N L-1 decreasingly favor net autotrophy. Together, these results suggest that the expected 100 million metric ton increase in urea use by ~2050 is likely to alter global N biogeochemistry, ecosystem metabolism,and accelerate water quality degradation in eutrophic aquatic ecosystems across the planet. This thesis concludes with a brief consideration of management strategies which may reduce urea influx to surface waters and favor maintenance of the ecological integrity of aquatic communities.
Open Access
An Application of Health Behaviour Models to Diabetic Treatment Adherence: A Comparison of Protection Motivation Theory and The Theory of Planned Behaviour
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-11) Janzen Claude, Jennifer Amy; Hadjistavropoulos, Heather; Admundson, Gordon; Sharpe, Donald; Cismaru, Magdalena; Swartzman, Leora C.
Diabetes is a medical condition in which affected individuals have relatively low adherence to the treatment regimen consisting of medications, diet, exercise, and blood glucose monitoring. Models of health behaviour such as Protection Motivation Theory (PMT; Rogers, 1983) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB; Ajzen, 1991) have been developed in order to understand the many factors proposed to influence health behaviours but have not been sufficiently applied to diabetes. Both PMT and TPB predict intention to perform health behaviours but focus on different cognitions relating to intention. In addition to predicting intention and behaviour, the models may also be valuable in predicting emotional responses as the cognitions are similar to those specified in models of anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to compare PMT and TPB models in capacity to predict intentions to adhere and diabetic treatment adherence (i.e.,diet, exercise, medication, blood glucose monitoring). A second objective was to examine the influence of anxiety within the models. Volunteers with Type 1 or 2 diabetes from across Canada (N = 418) completed online or paper questionnaires. Follow-up questionnaires assessing treatment adherence were also completed one and two weeks after the initial questionnaire. Participants were highly adherent to medication and blood glucose monitoring activities (for individuals with Type 1 diabetes); therefore, the models could not be tested for these activities due to a lack of variance. A large percentage of variance was accounted for by PMT and TPB in each of the treatment behaviours. For both TPB and PMT, the strongest paths were found between intention and treatment behaviour. Perceived behavioural control/self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of intention in the majority of the models. Subjective norms in TPB and perceived severity in PMT were not found to be statistically significant in the models. Anxiety constructs were found to mediate relationships between certain cognitions and intention and between cognitions and treatment adherence. Anxiety symptoms were found to be negatively associated with treatment adherence. The results serve to improve our understanding of treatment adherence in individuals with diabetes, and also inform interventions for individuals who have difficulties with treatment adherence.
Open Access
Comparison of Three Dimensional Measurement Accuracy Using Stereo Vision
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-11) Peng, Jinglin; Paranjape, Raman; Mehrandezh, Mehran; Laforge, Paul; Yang, Xue-Dong
The stereo vision system has been widely used in recent years. The imaging process of a camera consists in projection from a three dimensional world to a two dimensional image in which one dimension of information has been lost. A vision system that consists of two cameras can use the implicit geometry constraint between the images to recover the three dimensional information. Thus, the stereo vision system can be used as a measuring tool. A few applications have been reported and some of them are included by the literature review. In this thesis, two parameters of the stereovision system have been used to test the measuring results: the distance between the cameras and the distance between the cameras and the object. Experimental results show that when the object is close to the cameras (about 912mm), three dimensional measurement has relatively small error. The error increases when the distance becomes larger. Experiments also verify that the larger the distance between the cameras (within the tested range), the better the measuring results, except for the measurements along the depth direction. A quantitative analysis is used to analyze the measuring sensitivity to the movement of the corner point. It shows that measurement along the axis is affected the least. The comparison also verifies that when the distance between the cameras becomes larger, the system becomes less sensitive to the small movement of the corner point.
Open Access
Using Ballistocardiography to Evaluate Cardiac Performance in Trained Male Ice Hockey Players
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-11) Vogt, Emelie Sara Maria; Neary, J. Patrick; Candow, Darren; Dorsch, Kim; Butcher, Scott
During exercise the demand on the heart increases considerably. Evidence suggests that long-term exercise training causes adaptations to the heart that are not present in the sedentary, and is commonly referred to as athlete’s heart. It is not unusual for the cardiac adaptations to mimic certain pathological conditions. Therefore, being able to differentiate the athletic heart from the pathological heart has important implications for trained athletes. The presence of cardiovascular disease permits disqualification from competition or cessation of training to prevent progression of the disease or sudden cardiac death. Commonly used diagnostic tools to evaluate cardiac performance (e.g., echocardiography) can be time consuming and costly, especially for mass screening of athletes. Ballistocardiography (BCG) is a non-invasive technology that has been used to record ultra-low frequency vibrations of the heart allowing for the measurement of important cardiac cycle events including timing and amplitudes of contraction. Recent developments in BCG have made this technology simple to use, as well as time- and costefficient in comparison to other more complicated and invasive techniques used to evaluate cardiac performance. Therefore, the following studies in this thesis project have attempted to (a) demonstrate the utility of using BCG as a screening device, and (b) determine any differences occurring in the athletic heart. The timing and amplitude of cardiac events in trained ice hockey players as well as a recreationally active control group were evaluated and compared using independent sample t-tests. Results found in the following studies demonstrated the utility of using simple, non-invasive BCG to measure cardiac performance, particularly for mass screening. As well, significant differences in cardiac performance were found between trained participants and the control group, thus allowing for the conclusion that regular exercise training leads to physiological changes of the heart.
Open Access
The Amending Formula, Meech Lake, and the Quebec Secession Reference: The Difficulties of Provincial Secession
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-11) Raymond, Jeffery Lee; Ward, Lee; Zhu, Yuchao; Blake, Raymond
The Quebec Secession Reference, rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada,affirmed the position held by the Government of Canada, which claimed that a referendum on sovereignty is not a sufficient legal instrument, in of itself, to effect the removal of a province from the current constitutional order. The Reference also maintains that a constitutional amendment is necessary in order for the province to legally secede. Moreover, it is the opinion of the Court that a referendum on sovereignty is the formal consultation of the people, by their government, with the purpose of determining the province‟s democratic intent to remove itself from the Canadian Federation. However, a successful referendum on sovereignty does not constitutionally empower a province to amend the Constitution independent of the relevant institutions as defined in the amending formula. In fact, the Court informs us that while a referendum on sovereignty is the expression of the democratic will of the people within that given province, it does not allow for the exclusion of the extra-provincial stakeholders within the Canadian federation. This thesis endeavours to understand, in detail and overall scope, the various legal options and limitations available to a province seeking to remove itself from the Canadian Federation. Central to this understanding is the assumption that provincial secession may only be achieved by way of a constitutional amendment, and that a unilateral declaration of independence is not within the jurisdictional power of any provincial legislature on its own. This thesis demonstrates the amending formula is the primary deterrent to any secessionist plan. Therefore, in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the constitutional impediments to secession, and to legitimate the position that the amending formula is the primary secession deterrent, this paper will attempt to delineate the relevant jurisdictional capacities of both the provincial and federal governments during a potential secession process. In order to determine why the question of secession was presented to the Supreme Court in the first place, it is necessary to provide a historical overview and a synoptic review of the Constitutional patriation process, the Meech Accord, the 1995 Quebec Referendum, and the Quebec Secession Reference. These events are critical to understanding why Quebec has demonstrated uneasiness with the idea of Canada as shared by the rest of the country. After presenting the historical overview, an examination of the legal difficulties associated with provincial secession will follow. In addition, the actions and statements of the political actors during the Reference will be examined in order to comprehend the motives of both secessionists and federalists. Finally, we will determine that political action has forced Canada to discuss and examine the legality of this issue. This paper will weigh the legal practicalities involving a referendum result that requires the governments of both Canada and the province of Quebec to negotiate terms regarding secession and whether a consensus would likely follow. Ultimately, the Canadian Constitution and its amending formula provides for the possibility of provincial secession, however, political consensus on the terms of secession would be extremely difficult to achieve. It is also possible the constitutional acceptance of Quebec as a distinct society would have avoided the threat of a secession process altogether.
Open Access
Advanced Music Training and Executive Function: A Neurocognitive Study
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2011-12) Sabir, Shamma Miriam; Alfano, Dennis P.; Arbuthnott, Katherine D.; MacLennan, Richard; Maslany, W. George
The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between advanced music training and neurocognitive functioning, with specific focus on executive function, working memory, and tactile interhemispheric transfer. Twenty professional musicians and a comparison group of 19 individuals with no formal music training or performance experience completed a battery of measures of executive functioning, working memory, and interhemispheric transfer. The musician group had an average of 20.4 years (SD = 9.6) of formal music training and had started formal music training at a mean age of 5.8 years (SD = 2.5). Results revealed significantly better performance of the musicians group on the Word, Colour, and Interference portions of the Stroop Test and on a test of tactile interhemispheric transfer. These findings provide support for the idea that advanced music training has a positive relationship with some aspects of executive function and interhemispheric transfer, and may have implications for the potential use of music training for therapeutic purposes, as well as for educational programming and policies regarding early music education in the classroom.