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DUAL PROCESS THEORY AND VICTIM BLAMING BEHAVIOUR: AN EXPLORATION OF COGNITIVE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING BLAME EVALUATIONS TOWARD INNOCENT VICTIMS
Get PDFThis thesis explores the cognitive mechanisms underlying victim-blaming behaviour. Some past researchers posit that victim-blaming behaviour requires deliberative thought (van den Bos & Maas, 2009), whereas others suggest that it occurs automatically (Harvey, Callan, & Matthews, 2014). The initial aim of this experiment was to explore whether deliberative thought modulates victim-blaming decisions toward innocent victims of illness or injury. The secondary aim of this experiment was to explore whether a cognitive conflict between one’s belief in a Just World (Lerner, 1977) and presented stimuli might modulate victim-blaming decisions. However, after extensive pilot testing, we were unable to produce the expected Just World findings that high-suffering victims should elicit more blame than low-suffering victims. As one of our key theoretical tenets was not supported by our results, this thesis was revised to proceed as an exploratory cognitive investigation of blame to passages that appear to generate high and low levels of victim blame responses while under full working memory resource capacity.
Under this narrowed theoretical lens, our research questions were revised to explore the involvement of deliberative thought in producing victim-blaming decisions, and the possible role of an unknown cognitive conflict in modulating victim blaming behaviour within the passages presented. To explore these possibilities, we collected participants’ blame and metacognitive experience of Feeling of Rightness (FOR; Thompson & Newman, 2017) from 200 English-speaking respondents to each a high-suffering and low-suffering victim. Blame responses were collected under high and low levels of time pressure to selectively restrict or grant access to available working memory resources necessary for deliberative thought. Our findings revealed that blame responses can be lowered in both high and low victim-suffering conditions when time pressure is alleviated. Thus, our findings support the possibility that deliberative thought modulates victim-blaming decisions. We also found that a lower FOR and longer rethinking times preceded a change in Time 2 responding. Thus, our findings imply the involvement of a possible cognitive conflict in modulating victim blame responses. Implications to Just World Theory are discussed
Power Flow Studies of HVDC Grids with DC Power Flow Controllers
Get PDFHigh-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission, especially based on voltage source converters
(VSCs), have attracted significant research interests due to renewable energy sources integration
in power grids, notably offshore wind farms. Despite recent research contributions in the literature
on HVDC systems, a number of challenges remain unsolved, such as lack of a comprehensive
study regarding power-electronics-based devices in HVDC systems, suitable modelling
approaches for sophisticated DC power flow controllers, power loss modeling of DC power flow
controllers, powerful and practical DC power flow solvers, and the highly-meshed test structure
of HVDC grids for power flow.
To address these research gaps, in this thesis, a comprehensive literature review has been
conducted on power electronics devices in HVDC systems in Chapter 2. These devices are divided
into three categories in the review: 1) power converters; 2) DC/DC converters; and 3) DC power
flow controllers (DCPFCs). As an emerging power electronics device being introduced less than
a decade ago, DCPFCs are the main focus of this thesis.
A novel unified Newton-Raphson (NR)-based DC power flow solver (DCPFS) is presented in
Chapter 3 to solve the DC power flow problem in multi-terminal HVDC (MT-HVDC) grids by
employing a novel DCPFC, the multi-port interline DC power flow controller (MIDCPFC). The
proposed DCPFS modifies physical and control state variables of the whole system (MIDCPFC
and the MT-HVDC grid) simultaneously to control power flow in HVDC lines, especially
overloaded lines. The static model and the power injection model of the MIDCPFC are obtained
and their equations are embedded within the designed DCPFS. The absence of the fictitious bus
preserves the original conductance matrix of the system and its symmetry, and thus, the original
system's Jacobin matrix only needs minor modifications in the developed unified NR-based
DCPFS. Additionally, the proposed DCPFS is straightforward for implementation since the
voltage of the intermediate capacitor of MIDCPFC is treated as an independent variable, as a result,
there is no need to use external processes to control its value. The shunt conductance of HVDC
lines is also considered. The comprehensive models have been proposed to model power losses of
MIDCPFC and VSCs for the first time. Finally, a new modified 15-bus MT-HVDC grid is
proposed and implemented for verification purposes. The obtained results verify the accuracy and
efficacy of the proposed concepts, models, and formulations of this study.
A novel sequential NR-based DCPFS is proposed in Chapter 4 to solve the DC power flow problem
in MT-HVDC grids by employing MIDCPFC and decoupling the power flow equations of the
MIDCPFC and the MT-HVDC grid. In the proposed sequential NR-based DCPFS, there is no
trace of fictitious buses, the original conductance matrix of the system and its symmetry are
preserved, and the shunt conductance of HVDC lines is considered for precise modeling. The
structure of the proposed DCPFS is sequential, which decouples the MIDCPFC and grid related
power flow equations. A prominent feature of the DCPFS is that it fully preserves the system's
original Jacobin matrix and does not require any modification to that matrix, which reduces the
computational burden. In addition, power losses of the MIDCPFC and VSCs are embedded in DC
power flow equations. The proposed sequential NR-based DCPFS is straightforward to implement
as the voltage of the MIDCPFC is treated as an independent variable, and consequently, no external
process is needed to control it. Various scenarios are tested on a modified 15-bus MT-HVDC grid
to verify the proposed sequential NR-based DCPFS. The accuracy and efficacy of the proposed
approach is validated through these case studies
They Are What They Ate: Isotopic and Proteomics Analysis of Animal Teeth from Early Dynastic Abu Salabikh, Sumer
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
Cannabis and E-cigarette Use and Associated Consequences Among Youth in the Context of Changing Legislation
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Family Presence Restrictions in Long-Term Special Care Homes in Saskatchewan During the 2020/21 COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFPurpose: This study explored the language of the pandemic family presence restrictions in Saskatchewan long-term care by examining the health orders, policies, and policy implementation discourses that shaped the restrictions. A better understanding of how these discourses were enacted throughout the pandemic provides evidence about how these policies were lived. Methodology: Fairclough’s three-dimensional approach to critical discourse analysis was employed using a patient-oriented research approach. The highest most specific restriction discourses through to the enactment communications were analyzed for language, organization, meaning, and actions that were eventually lived and experienced in the community. These were the Saskatchewan public health orders, Saskatchewan Health Authority policies, and the implementation communications to long-term care communities and families from March 2020 to July 2021. Using a patient-oriented research approach, resident-family partners co-developed the study, co-analyzed the data, and co-developed meaningful recommendations and knowledge translation plans. The patient-oriented research approach situates well in critical social studies. Conclusions: The consistent use of the term “visitor” and the class system that developed around visitors in describing family presence indicates family presence is not well understood and not well lived in patient-and-family-centered care, especially in long-term care. Disempowerment occurred at the practice level because of public health order and policy language. A higher value was placed on safety than quality of life, which is opposite to what long-term care residents and families report to want. This study has informed the impetus for trauma-informed practice, collaboration, empowerment, evidence-based practice in health policy development, improved family presence in patient-and-family-centered care, and access and equity for long-term care family caregivers, particularly during current and future public health emergencies
Assessing the Impact of Pull Request Reviews on Software Quality
No full textThe abstract of this item is unavailable due to an embargo
Factors Influencing the Intention to Adopt Precision Agriculture Technology Among Agronomist Firms in Saskatchewan
No full textAbstract
Precision agricultural technologies relating to soil quality and land management may be useful
tools to improve the level of agricultural productivity and profitability. Agronomists often help
producers become aware of and integrate new technologies that can improve performance.
However, the rate of adoption of technology among agronomists varies and can be shaped by a
wide array of influencing determinants.
Predictive Soil Mapping Systems (PSMS) are web-based platforms that generates high-resolution
predictive soil characteristics maps for users. PSMS help users make informed decisions and use
the right amount and type of inputs in the right place and right time.
Using a survey of agronomist firms in Saskatchewan, I examined factors relating to the intention
to adopt PSMS. I focused on strategy-oriented factors at the firm level (e.g., market orientation,
cannibalization, innovativeness, and performance), and used Partial Least Square Structural
Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for analyzing my conceptual model based on the theoretical
framework of the TOE (Technology-Organization-Environment) model.
Results show the firm's subjective perception of past performance relative to others in the industry
has a significant positive relationship with intention to adopt the PSMS technology and other
strategic factors of the company are insignifican
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LEAFY SPURGE INFESTATION IN WEST-CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN
No full textLeafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is a perennial and widely established noxious weed that troubles pasturelands. Cattle avoid grazing pasture areas infested with leafy spurge, in effect, reducing the grazing capacity of the invaded pasture. Saskatchewan is home to 30% of beef cows in Canada and more than half of a cow’s annual diet comes from grazing perennial forages. Thus, leafy spurge infestation signals adverse economic implications for beef cattle production and its related industries. This study uses financial (private cost-benefit) and social cost-benefit analysis to compare and select the best control method for leafy spurge, as well as using an input-output model to assess the economic impact of leafy spurge control methods in Elbow pasture.
A frequently asked question is whether leafy spurge should be managed with public or private funds? Elbow pasture has struggled with leafy spurge since at least the 1970s and has been receiving public assistance to aid with control efforts. Any public or private assistance for such a control program must be based on economic efficiency grounds. Hence, financial, and social cost-benefit analysis for three control methods – herbicide, targeted grazing and combined - were conducted to support the decision to select the most optimal method for leafy spurge management.
Reduced grazing capacity of the pasture associated with the current leafy spurge infestation was estimated at 6468 Animal Unit Months (AUM) which can support 924 cows per 5 month grazing season. Using the Saskatchewan input-output (I-O) model, the study found that herbicide application generated the highest economic impact, amounting to approximately 151,420, while targeted grazing had the lowest impact at approximately $78,890. The results indicate that using chemical treatment for controlling leafy spurge leads to higher economic growth compared to the other methods.
The financial and social cost-benefit analyses yielded a negative net present value (NPV) for herbicide application, indicating its economic undesirability. Conversely, targeted grazing emerged as an economically viable option with positive NPV. Targeted grazing demonstrated a potential cost savings when compared to future costs of uncontrolled infestation, with positive incremental costs. Combined method resulted in a negative NPV in the financial analysis and a positive NPV in the social cost-benefit analysis. However, this study supports existing literature, emphasizing the importance of using integrated or combined control methods to manage leafy spurge infestations effectively
Effects of seed priming and irrigation on plains rough fescue (Festuca hallii) seed germination and biomass production
No full textThere has been increasing interest in seeding Festuca hallii in native plant mixtures for land reclamation and rangeland re-vegetation. However, its seed production is unstable constraining for its use. Therefore, improvement of seed production and increasing forage yield are of interest to many researchers. Objectives of this research were to assess effects of smoke priming on seed germination and early seedling growth of 12 F. hallii populations and evaluate smoke priming and water treatment on their growth and biomass production under greenhouse or field conditions. In this study, serial dilutions of aqueous smoke solutions were applied for seed priming. In addition, seeds of the two F. hallii EcovarsTM was also primed with iron-hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Total germination, time to 50% of total germination (T50) and seedling vigor were measured. Seedlings after smoke primed treatments were transplanted to the College of Agriculture and Bio-resources greenhouse and field plot at the Livestock Forage Center of Excellence to estimate plant growth and biomass production under three water levels (75 mL water every three days, 75 mL water every six days, and 50 mL water every six days in greenhouse or ‘Rainout shelter’, ‘Control’, and ‘Irrigation’ in field). Results showed that high smoke concentrations reduced seed germination, but low smoke concentrations neither increase total germination percentage nor reduce germination time. Radicle length was longer for certain F. hallii populations after 1/1000 v/v aqueous smoke solution priming. Total germination of the two EcovarsTM was increased (p = 0.02) by 9% in 3.125% H2O2 treatment. In our greenhouse study, plant height or tiller per plant increased (p = 0.04 and 0.0303) after priming with 1/1000 v/v or 1/100 v/v smoke solutions, while almost no change was found for above-ground and below-ground biomass. In our field study, plant height of ‘Turtleford’ population (p = 0.027) and tiller per plant of ‘Unity’ population (p = 0.025) were increased by smoke priming while other populations were not affected. Tiller per plant increased under ‘Irrigation’ (p = 0.0002) for all populations. In conclusion, seed priming with lower concentration of aqueous smoke solution did not promote seed germination of F. hallii, but early radicle growth was enhanced in certain populations. Low concentration of Iron- H2O2 can promote seed germination of F. hallii populations. In greenhouse, smoke priming increased plant height and tiller per plant for all populations. In addition, higher water supply can improve plant growth and biomass production except Kernen on above-ground biomass. For the first production year in the field, smoke priming only increased plant height for ‘Turtleford’ and tiller per plant for ‘Unity’. ‘Irrigation’ improved tiller per plant of 12 F. hallii populations
“It Has Informed My Entire Life”: Event Centrality, Vicarious Traumatization, and Vicarious Post-Traumatic Growth in Loved Ones Indirectly Exposed to Interpersonal Trauma
No full textIt is well-known that interpersonal traumatic events can impact the physical and mental health of those indirectly exposed to the events. Less studied are populations of loved ones who have been indirectly exposed to interpersonal trauma. My dissertation first aimed to synthesize the literature related to vicarious traumatization (VT), vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG), and event centrality in loved ones indirectly exposed to interpersonal trauma through a scoping review. The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was used for Study 1. Inclusion criteria included (a) participants were indirectly exposed to the interpersonal trauma of a loved one in adulthood, (b) discussion of VT, VPTG, event centrality, or related terms, (c) published peer-reviewed empirical journal articles, and (d) available in English. We used a three-step search strategy to find relevant articles. Keywords found from the first two steps were entered into PsychINFO, PsycArticles, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Reference lists of the included articles were also examined. The identified articles were then screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-eight articles met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-six articles referenced VT or related terms, one referenced VPTG, and one referenced vicarious trauma keywords. No articles referenced event centrality. The results of this study led to the second aim for this dissertation: to understand parents' process of vicarious event centrality for their child's interpersonal traumatic event post-disclosure, as this was a knowledge gap in the literature. Participants in Study 2 were 17 primary caregivers (14 maternal caregivers, 3 paternal caregivers) of 27 victims of child interpersonal trauma (14 males, 13 females) located in Canada. The age of participants ranged from 35 to 75 years (average = 54.5 years) and majority self-identified as Caucasian (70.6%). Grounded theory (GT) was used to analyze the data collected from participant interviews. The resulting model was labelled Vicarious Event Centralization and Decentralization, indicating that parents center their child’s interpersonal trauma across many areas of their lives, which orients them to focus on protecting and healing the child. After the child’s functioning improves, parents are then able to reorient to life beyond the trauma, representing decentralization. The GT consists of three phases, Centralization, Decentralization Gateway, and Decentralization. These results illustrate that parents’ centralization of the trauma may be an adaptive mechanism that promotes child recovery, which in turn allows parents to begin to decentralize the trauma and move towards recovery. This series of studies supports that loved ones are affected by indirect interpersonal trauma exposure in a myriad of ways and require unique services to address their needs. These studies can help practitioners understand the post-trauma experience for loved ones and target areas likely to increase recovery