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Preparation and polarized Raman scattering Characterization of a Vanadium based Misfit Chalcogenide
Full text linkCompounds [(MX)1+δ]m[(TX2)n] are two-dimensional misfit layer dichalcogenides characterized by alternating layers of MX (Rock Salt structure) and TX2 (Transition metal dichalcogenide) where M can be elements such as Sn, Pb, Bi or rare earth metals; X can be S or Se; and T can be Ti, V, Nb, Ta or Cr. This study focuses on synthesizing single crystals of [(SnSe)1+δ]m[(V Se2)n] using chemical vapor transport with anhydrous NH4Cl as the transport agent. Among the various by-products, mixed crystals containing thin layers of [(SnSe)1+δ]m[(V Se2)n] were successfully created, displaying monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer misfit compounds. Topographical and elemental analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the stoichiometry of the synthesized compounds from which their layering arrangement was deduced. Further, the polarization-dependent vibrational modes of the parent compound (V Se2) and monolayered [(SnSe)1+δ]m[(V Se2)n] (m, n = 1) were investigated through optical Raman spectroscopy measurements
Situational Affordances and Psychopathy: Examining Contextual Influences on Exploitative Behavior in Economic Games
Full text linkPsychopathy is a personality construct most prominently characterized by traits such as callousness, manipulativeness, and lack of guilt and remorse (Hare, 2003). This dissertation focused on the relationship between psychopathy and exploitation, using economic games as a method to measure exploitative behavior. Specifically, the research investigated the interplay between psychopathy and environmental factors in shaping decision-making and social interactions. In Study 1, a meta-analysis was conducted to provide a quantitative summary of the empirical literature on the relationship between psychopathy and exploitative behavior in economic games. A novel theoretical framework, the Affordance-Based Framework of Prosocial Behavior (ABFPB), was used to identify moderators, generate hypotheses, and interpret the findings of the meta-analysis. The findings of Study 1 supported the notion that psychopathy was related to exploitation and found that this relationship was particularly strong in certain economic games. This relationship was also found to vary as a function of other moderators, such as whether the game was one-shot or iterated. In Study 2, a within-subjects experiment was conducted to determine if match length was a moderator of the psychopathy-exploitation and psychopathy-success relationships in the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game. While the relationship between psychopathy and exploitation did not differ as a result of match length, the relationship between psychopathy and success was contingent on the length of interactions. The findings are consistent with the view that psychopathic traits are more adaptive in environments characterized by transient, short-term relationship but incur significant costs in environments characterized by stable, long-term relationships. In sum, this dissertation provides a nuanced understanding of psychopathy as a contextually adaptive strategy. Furthermore, this dissertation highlights the importance of integrating personality and situation factors in the prediction and understanding of behavior
A Queer Departure: The Role of Queer Studies and Thanatology in Narrative Videogames Focused on Grief
Full text linkThis Masters thesis studies representations of young people in videogames through a
transdisciplinary approach within the academic fields of Queer Studies and Death Studies, and
their fused counterpart known as Queer Death Studies (QDS). Through the methodology of
Fairclough’s (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis, this thesis analyses four narrative-heavy
videogames titled Gone Home (2013), Journey (2012), Valiant Hearts (2014), and That Dragon,
Cancer (2016), with the intentions of seeing what queer and / or deathly attributes are within the
game, and where are they in relationship to the child(ren) in the videogames. With the assistance
of multiple theory-heavy books from varied disciplines, including Ahmed’s (2014) The Cultural
Politics of Emotions, Harrer’s (2018) Games and Bereavement: How Video Games Represent
Attachment, Loss and Grief, and Mbembe’s (2003) Necropolitics, the thesis discusses how a
Queer Death Studies lens can be developed to understand new modes of understanding for
representations of young people
Seeking Solidarity: Challenging the Binary of the Librarian/ Staff Divide
Full text linkPresentation delivered at the OCULA Spring Conference (online), "Under Whose Authority: Power & Purpose in Academic Libraries", May 2025.We invite attendees to critically reflect on the library’s internal power dynamics and consider: How do you understand the ‘librarian/ staff divide’? Co-presenters Alicia (staff) and Monica (librarian) will share insights from the literature alongside personal observations. By historicizing the professionalizing of librarianship, we can better reckon with the ‘zero sum game’ fallacy which pits Us versus Them. Organized labour and feminism have the goal of a more just society for all: We argue that reinforcing the workplace binary undermines solidarity while working against shared values. Three topics which reveal this tension include work-from-home, the impact of AI, and decision-making bodies
The Relations Among Attentional Difficulties, Perfectionism, and Procrastination in Young Children
Full text linkAdults with attentional difficulties and adults who display certain aspects of perfectionism both show higher levels of procrastination (Niermann & Scheres, 2014; Sirois et al., 2017). Determining whether these relations are present early in the lifespan is crucial, as this would indicate that children with these tendencies are possibly at risk of experiencing the adverse outcomes of chronic procrastination (e.g., Beutel et al., 2016; Sirois et al., 2003). Therefore, the present study investigated the relations among attentional difficulties, perfectionism, and procrastination in preschool children. We also examined age as a potential moderator of these associations to determine whether they show stability across the preschool period. Finally, we explored whether self-control or emotion regulation mediate these relations, as theories suggest that deficits in these abilities drive adult procrastination (Sirois & Pychyl, 2013; Steel, 2007). Parents of 3- to 6-year-olds (N = 274; Mage = 33.6, SD = 5.8; 168 mothers) completed online questionnaires measuring their child’s procrastination tendencies (Fuke et al., 2023), attentional difficulties (Conners, 2009; McGoey et al., 2007), self-control (Gioia et al., 2003), and emotion regulation (Conners, 2009). Parents also completed a new questionnaire developed for the current study in which they reported on their child’s perfectionism. We found that while attentional difficulties and procrastination were positively correlated with each other, perfectionism and procrastination were negatively correlated with each other. Neither of these associations was moderated by children’s age, suggesting that both relations are relatively stable throughout the preschool years. In addition, the association between attentional difficulties and procrastination was partially mediated by self-control, but neither self-control nor emotion regulation mediated the association between perfectionism and procrastination. Since the current study was cross-sectional, future research should seek to examine these mediational pathways longitudinally. However, our findings provide evidence that children with attentional difficulties may benefit from intervention to reduce their procrastination, whereas children with perfectionistic tendencies may not demonstrate increased procrastination until later in development
Optimization Strategies for Enhancing Resource Efficiency in Transformers & Large Language Models
Full text linkAdvancements in Natural Language Processing are heavily reliant on Transformer architectures, whose improvements come at substantial resource costs due to ever-growing model sizes. This study explores optimization techniques, including quantization, knowledge distillation, and pruning, focusing on energy and computational efficiency while retaining performance. Among standalone methods, 4-Bit quantization significantly reduces energy use with minimal accuracy loss. Hybrid approaches, like NVIDIA’s Minitron approach combining KD and structured pruning, further demonstrate promising trade-offs between size reduction and accuracy retention. A novel optimization framework is introduced, offering a flexible framework for comparing various methods. Through the investigation of these compression methods, we provide valuable insights for developing more sustainable and efficient LLMs, shining a light on the often-ignored concern of energy efficiency
Exploring the Process of Organizational Change within the Sport Industry: A Stakeholder Perspective
Full text linkStakeholders in sport organizations often hold unique and diverse perspectives on organizational change, yet literature has been shown to evaluate these perspectives from a static point in time. With change more recently being found to be a dynamic, unpredictable process as opposed to being predictable in nature (Dawson, 2019) this research sought to understand how stakeholders responded to a large-scale organizational change over time. Thus, this study examines the implementation of Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) within a community sport organization, with a particular evaluation of how these stakeholders' responses shifted over time.
To investigate this, a constructivist approach was adopted, drawing on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved at various levels of the organization. A total of 12 interviews were conducted, capturing a range of perspectives across paid staff, coaches, and parents. This open-ended method enabled a deeper exploration of the underlying beliefs, emotions, and contextual factors that shaped stakeholder engagement with the change process.
Findings were interpreted through a lens of stakeholder theory (Mahon & Waddock, 1992; Freeman, 1984), revealing how individuals navigated personal meaning and emotion during change, and further how their positioning in the organization influenced their responses. Stakeholder reactions were categorized through an updated spectrum of the stakeholder responses to change created by Welty Peachey & Bruening (2011, 2012) (e.g., acceptance, ambivalence, resistance), ranging from proactive engagement to active opposition. These responses were marked by positive or negative shifts in response as new information and experiences emerged, largely dependent on personal goals, values, and expectations. Overall, these reactions were not static but found to be dynamic, shaped by both personal values and organizational actions.
This research contributes to sport management literature by offering a deeper understanding of stakeholder engagement in times of change, and highlights the importance of communication relating to stakeholder needs. The findings further demonstrate the value of capturing the unique dimensions of change and stakeholders commonly found within community sport organizations and youth sport
Internationalization of Higher Education: Exploring the Alignment Between Internationalization Policies and International Student Experiences
Full text linkInternationalization of higher education has been contested, debated, deconstructed, and reconstructed (Arif & Whatley, 2023; Kim et al., 2024). While some have discussed the end of internationalization (Brandenburg & De Wit, 2011) others have discussed reimagining or rebuilding this field of practice (Schecter & Merecoulias, 2023; Stein, 2021). The evolution of the internationalization of higher education in Canada is still happening at a rapid pace, which is worthy of attention (Guo & Guo, 2017; Heringer, 2020; Knight, 1997). The growing literature on internationalization in Canada (Beck, 2012; Knight, 1997; Stein, 2017; Stein & de Andreotti, 2016) remains oriented toward the experiences of international students, which indicates that there might be an inconsistency among the international student experiences and the policies and practices regarding internationalization (Chen, 2006; Garson, 2016; Guo & Guo, 2017; Kenyon et al., 2012; Zabin, 2022a). This study explores the alignment between these internationalization policies (federal, provincial, and institutional) and the lived experiences of the international graduate students in a mid-sized southern Ontario university. The study is based on the theoretical framework of transformational leadership involving qualitative research designs and focuses on two different types of analysis: a multiple case study along with a comprehensive policy analysis. The study results provide institutional stakeholders and policymakers with action-oriented policy recommendations and guidance for their appropriate implementation. These recommendations aim to improve the experiences of international students and sustain their enrolment by fostering a more inclusive environment conducive to both academic and professional transformation
Perceptions of Ghanaian Women Regarding Breast Cancer Screening Behavior
Full text linkBackground: Breast cancer among women is currently the most diagnosed cancer globally, with
an estimated 2.3 million cases recorded in 2020. In Ghana, breast cancer constitutes 31.8% of all
cancers diagnosed in women in 2020 with an incidence rate of 15 to 35 per 100,000. Research into factors that influence engagement of Ghanaian women in breast cancer screening is limited and the existing literature has produced conflicting results. This research aimed to enhance understanding of Ghanaian women’s knowledge, beliefs and attitudes regarding breast cancer.
This study explored Ghanaian women’s perceptions of breast cancer screening behaviour and
provided insights to how breast cancer is perceived and approached within this context. By investigating these perceptions, the study sought to uncover the factors influencing Ghanaian women’s participation in early detection and breast screening.
Methods: In this study, I employed a qualitative research design based on Interpretive Description by Thorne (2016), focusing on women in the mixed rural community of Apra, Ghana. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 14 local women, with an interview guide
informed by constructs from the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Key constructs, such as perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits and subjective norms, were explored. Using reflexive thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2022), the analysis provided in-depth exploration of participants
perceptions, highlighting key themes related to their health beliefs and behaviors.
Findings: The study revealed that Ghanaian women’s perceptions of breast cancer screening are shaped by cultural beliefs, stigma, and limited knowledge. Key themes included the view of the breast as sacred, leading to reluctance in discussing or undergoing screenings, and the fear of
social judgment, with some seeing breast cancer as a moral or spiritual failure. Participants had limited knowledge of breast cancer symptoms but were open to receiving information from
healthcare professionals. Additionally, faith in divine protection influenced some women’s reluctance to seek medical care. These findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive health
education to promote early detection.
Significance and Conclusion: This study contributes to the academic discourse on breast cancer awareness by providing evidence on the perceptions and screening behaviors of Ghanaian women. It highlights the influence of cultural beliefs, social norms, and limited knowledge on early detection practices. The insights gained can inform the development of community-engaged, culturally sensitive health education programs and may guide policies, aimed at
improving breast cancer screening uptake and access to breast health services in mixed rural Ghanaian communities
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF PRONATALISM IN AKAN NATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR WOMEN SUBJECTIVITY AND SELF-PERCEPTION
Full text linkPronatalism, an ideology that prioritises childbearing and views fertility as central to womanhood, plays a pivotal role in shaping gender norms within the Akan nation. This study examined the social construction of pronatalism and its implications for women’s subjectivity and self-perception, using Ama Ata Aidoo’s Anowa as a focal text. The study deployed contextual constructionism and frame analysis to examine how cultural mechanisms and structures normalise pronatalist values. These cultural mechanisms position childbirth as essential to Akan femininity, constraining women’s autonomy and perpetuating societal pressures to conform to rigid gender roles.
The findings reveal that pronatalist ideology is framed through the cultural timelines imposed on women and the idealisation of the quintessential woman. This ideology, deeply entrenched in cultural norms, functions to uphold the systems of family continuity, inheritance, social welfare and social cohesion. However, it simultaneously marginalises women who diverge from these normative expectations, thereby perpetuating psychological distress, stigmatisation and social exclusion as mechanisms of enforcing conformity. Fictional constructions, such as Anowa (p), signify the dual function of cultural narratives: they reinforce societal norms while also offering a critique of the limitations imposed on women’s identities.
Based on the findings, the study offers key recommendations: integrate fictional works into educational curricula to deconstruct cultural norms; develop alternative narratives that emphasise women’s achievements beyond reproduction; initiate campaigns and workshops to recognise diverse expressions of femininity; and conduct cross-cultural studies in Africa to broaden understanding of pronatalism