14589 research outputs found
Sort by
Effective evaluation or ineffective assent? how SDG stamping undermines effective evaluation of environmental CSR efforts and board diversity in the mining industry
Full text link1 online resource (74 pages)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 68-74).The Canadian mining industry plays a critical role in the national economy, contributing
significantly to GDP, exports, and employment, while also posing considerable environmental
challenges. This thesis examines whether observable board diversity in Canadian mining
organizations influence their environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) efforts
aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using mixed method content analyses, this study analyzes sustainability reports from partners of the Mining Association of Canada. Findings show no significant relationship between board diversity and SDG advancement. Organizations often applied SDG acknowledgments retroactively rather than using them as guiding principles. ECSR strategies were primarily shaped by local project needs and stakeholder concerns, not by global sustainability frameworks.This research contributes to discussions on governance and sustainability in high environmental risk industries. It highlights the need for further investigation into additional board characteristics and how organizations can better align regional and global priorities
Jitterbugs : the impact of caffeine on the microsporidian pathogen Vairimorpha adaliae and its host, the two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Full text link1 online resource (28 pages) : charts, colour graphsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 23-28).The two-spotted lady beetle (Adalia bipunctata L.) is an important biological control agent typically used for aphid control. Biological control is the action of controlling pest populations through natural processes, such as predation as seen in the two-spotted lady beetle. These lady beetles are susceptible to a pathogenic microsporidian infection (Vairimorpha adaliae) which causes chronic, debilitating, disease and decreases overall fitness. Caffeine is a
secondary plant metabolite, used as a defense to deter herbivory, which has shown positive
results controlling microsporidian infections within bee populations. In an effort to reduce the
overall spore load in infected lady beetle populations, differing caffeine treatments were
administered to infected individuals during the larval stage of development. Once the larva
eclosed as adults, they were sexed and smeared onto microscope slides. Sex ratio, mortality rate, and mean larval development time were all measured, and spore counts were completed to gain an understanding of how the caffeine solutions affected each aspect of development. Caffeine treatments did not have a statistically significant impact on sex ratio or mortality rate; however, there was a significant increase in the mean larval development time as caffeine concentrations increased. Spore counts have shown that the lowest administered dose was successful in lowering overall spore loads within infected individuals
<p>Investigation of the N=8 Shell Closure Through the One-Neutron Transfer <sup>20</sup>Mg(<em>d</em>, <em>p</em>) <sup>21</sup>Mg Reaction</p> <p> </p>
No full text1 online resource (ix, 43 pages) : colour illustrations, charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 42-43).Exotic nuclei, those characterized with a large asymmetry in their number of protons and neutrons as well as exceptionally short half-lives, are transforming our understanding of the nuclear force. The nuclear shell model predicts that isotopes with certain numbers of protons and neutrons, those corresponding to complete shells, should be more bound than other neighbouring isotopes. However, these known shell closures are showing signs of vanishing in some exotic nuclei. In this study we investigate the N = 8 shell closure at the proton drip line in the exotic Borromean nucleus 20Mg through the one neutron transfer 20Mg(d, p)21Mg reaction. This experiment was performed at the IRIS facility at TRIUMF. It was determined that the reaction populated the ground state of 21Mg, which has Jπ = 5/2+ as well as the four lowest energy excited states with excitation energy 0.206, 1.08, 1.65, and 1.99 MeV and Jπ = 1/2+, 1/2−, 3/2+, and 3/2− respectively. The fact that the Jπ = 1/2− and 3/2−excited states were populated point toward a breakdown of the N = 8 shell closure in 20Mg.</p
2025-05-16 Senate Minutes and Agendas
No full textMinutes and Agenda for the May 16, 2025, meeting of Saint Mary’s University Senate
Energy management of microgrid for off-grid communities : a metaheuristic optimization approach
Full text link1 online resource (xvi, 133 pages) : illustrations (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 126-133).This research, Energy Management of Microgrids for Off-Grid Communities: A Metaheuristic Optimization Approach, advances engineering optimization by developing and applying two novel metaheuristic algorithms.
The first, Lévy Arithmetic Algorithm, enhances the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm by incorporating Lévy random steps. This modification mitigates the limitations of linear search strategies, preventing premature convergence and stagnation while improving global search efficiency. Evaluations using ten IEEE CEC 2019 benchmark functions and applications to real-world problems, such as economic load dispatch in renewable-integrated microgrids, show that the Lévy Arithmetic Algorithm consistently achieves optimal solutions with fewer function evaluations, yielding lower means and standard deviations than the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm.
The second contribution, Jackal Arithmetic Algorithm, is a hybrid method that combines, Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm, arithmetic-based exploration-exploitation strategies, with the adaptive foraging mechanisms of the Golden Jackal Optimization algorithm. This synergy enhances search balance, leading to faster and more accurate convergence. Jackal Arithmetic Algorithm was rigorously tested on ten benchmark functions and applied to diverse engineering problems, including solar photovoltaic model parameter extraction, robot arm positioning, and various design optimizations.
The proposed algorithms are further applied to the energy management of a hybrid solar-wind-diesel microgrid for off-grid communities. This study optimizes economic and emission dispatch, minimizing operational costs while reducing carbon emissions. The capacity planning framework evaluates scenarios from diesel-only systems to hybrid solar-wind-diesel configurations. Comparative analyses against established metaheuristic methods, including Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm, Crow Search Algorithm, Hybrid Modified Grey Wolf Algorithm, Interior Search Algorithm, Cuckoo Search Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization, and Genetic Algorithm, demonstrate that both Lévy Arithmetic Algorithm and Jackal Arithmetic Algorithm outperform these techniques in convergence speed, robustness, and accuracy.
Overall, this research advances metaheuristic optimization for hybrid microgrid energy management, improving solution accuracy, computational efficiency, and sustainability. The findings establish a scalable and adaptable optimization framework, offering practical solutions for off-grid communities and setting a foundation for future developments in renewable energy optimization
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
Full text link1 online resource (viii, 145 pages)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 103-126).Sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT) involves sexual activity with
children under the age of 18 in the context of travel and/or tourism. While environmental risk
factors for SECTT perpetration are well-documented, individual risk factors are less understood. To address this gap, the current study analyzed official court documents and records of the population of Canadian individuals (N = 10) convicted under S. 7(4.1), which extends criminal culpability to sexual offences committed abroad. Findings revealed that most perpetrators exhibited pedophilic interests, self-regulation problems, antisociality, intimacy deficits, and offence-supportive attitudes. To supplement these findings, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six professionals with experience in the area of SECTT. Based on their perceptions, participants believed that broader risk categories are relevant to SECTT perpetrators: individual (e.g., sexual preference for children, sexually deviant lifestyle, intimacy deficits, psychopathy, demographic characteristics), environmental (e.g., weak frameworks, cultural and societal norms, poverty), and situational (e.g., vacation mindset, accessibility, grooming, offence-supportive attitudes). Implications of these findings are discussed
Spatial distribution and analysis of the ceramics artifacts from Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce
Full text link1 online resource (iii, 85 pages) : illustrations (some colour), maps (some colour), colour graphsIncludes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-61).Once the capital of the colony of Acadia from 1632 to 1636 under the command of Isaac de
Razilly, Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce was located at the mouth of the LaHave River in Nova
Scotia. Now known as Fort Point, the area has undergone some archaeological work since the destruction of the fort in the 1650s. However, no substantial archaeological research has been performed on the site since the 1970s. Through examining the ceramic artifacts recovered during the 1977 excavation by David Christianson and Marc Lavoie on the site, this thesis aims to discover what types of ceramic forms and wares are most prevalent within the site, how they compare to similar contemporaneous sites within Acadia and New France, as well as what their spatial distribution may indicate about the location of different activities throughout the site. Though ceramic artifacts from the collection were mostly fragmentary, some were able to be identified and categorized, allowing for further organization and comparisons of the data. The ware types and vessel forms of the ceramics from Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grâce follow the trends of contemporaneous sites that have connections to the fort and corroborate trends that have been suggested through historical documentation. The spatial analysis of ceramics has been inconclusive; however, the evidence points to areas of high artifact density being secondary contexts. The absence of any form of food preparation wares from the rear section of the site near the supposed stone chapel may be indicative of a building that is reminiscent to those located in certain religious sites in France, which could suggest further undiscovered structures on the site
2025-11-04 Senate Minutes and Agendas
No full textMinutes and Agenda for the April 11, 2025 meeting of Saint Mary’s University Senate
Tidal wetlands in Nova Scotia : plant community composition and environmental influences across Atlantic coastal, Northumberland/Bras d’Or, and Fundy Shore ecoregions
Full text link1 online resource (xii, 154 pages) : colour illustrations, maps (some colour), colour charts, colour graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-104).This study assesses tidal wetland vegetation across three Nova Scotia ecoregions: the Atlantic Coastal, Fundy Shore, and Northumberland/Bras d’Or. Field surveys in 2023 (264 plots across 30 sites) were compared with historical data to examine how environmental factors—elevation, inundation values, soil nutrients, and salinity—shape plant communities. Dominant high and low marsh species consistently differed in elevation relative to the Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 across ecoregions, with Fundy Shore vegetation occurring higher than on the Atlantic Coastal and Northumberland/Bras d’Or. Key drivers of plant distribution included inundation frequency, elevation, substrate salinity, and phosphate content. While low and high wetland vegetation was similar across regions, brackish and tidal
freshwater vegetation varied more, especially on the Atlantic Coastal and Northumberland/Bras d’Or ecoregions. Southwestern Atlantic Coastal sites supported unique communities dominated by Schoenoplectus americanus and Eleocharis rostellata. Brackish and freshwater wetlands were underrepresented in the Fundy Shore, suggesting the need for an updated baseline to be used for conservation and restoration
Investigating active galaxy IRAS 05078+1626 through spectral analysis of two x-ray observations
Full text link1 online resource : illustrations (some colour), graphsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-44).A spectral analysis was performed on two X-ray observations separated by six years, of the Seyfert 1.5 galaxy IRAS 05078+1626. The first observation was taken in 2007 with XMM-Newton and the second in 2013 with Suzaku. The two epochs allow us to examine the effects of variability. Empirical models were used to examine variation prior to applying physical models to the broadband spectra. The physical models included the warm corona and blurred reflection interpretations. Statistics from the models showed the warm corona to be the best, however, the blurred reflection had a more reasonable physical interpretation. A third case was briefly analyzed using the Rexcor grids. This model combines the warm corona and blurred reflection components. The statistics from this were improved from the other physical models. Earlier work on the XMM data alone predicted high levels of absorption and a truncated inner disc. Overall, our analysis shows that the extreme behaviour claimed in
previous work is not required