14589 research outputs found
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Death by a thousand check-ins : the development and validation of micromanagement leadership scale
No full text1 online resource (86 pages) : graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-64).Micromanagement is a prevalent workplace problem with considerable negative impacts, yet its effects are poorly understood due to a lack of a standardized definition and validated
measurement. I developed a general definition of micromanagement and constructed the
Micromanagement Leadership Scale (MLS). First, I generated the initial scale items from
qualitative interviews with 10 participants about their perceptions and experiences with
micromanagement. Second, the scale was validated with 550 participants. Factor analysis
supported the MLS’s structure, yielding three reliable dimensions: Close-Mindedness, Close
Monitoring, and Interference. Higher micromanagement scores were strongly associated with
reduced employee control, psychological safety, satisfaction, trust in leadership, and well-being, and increased turnover intentions. Effects paralleled those of abusive supervision and contrasted with transformational leadership. These findings highlight the urgent need for organizations to identify and address micromanagement due to its detrimental impact on employee health. The MLS provides a foundation for further research, assessment, and intervention
Understanding paleoenvironment, diagenesis, and elemental distributions in variably altered limestones of the Pleistocene Ironshore Formation, Grand Cayman, BWI
No full text1 online resource (88 pages) : illustrations (some colour), maps (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 82-88).The Pleistocene Ironshore Formation on Grand Cayman consists of six unconformity bound limestone units (units A to F; 500 ka to 80 ka), each having undergone a unique diagenetic
history that has resulted in distinct physical and chemical alteration. The varying depositional
and diagenetic histories of each unit generated limestones with distinct lithologies, porosities,
and diagenetic features. A petrographic analysis was conducted on 68 thin sections from six drill cores collected at Rogers Wreck Point on the northeastern corner of Grand Cayman and offshore George Town on the southwest coast of Grand Cayman, to identify the lithological and diagenetic features of each unit. This work expands upon previous research of the Ironshore Formation, which focused on whole rock lithological and chemical analyses, by conducting a detailed microfacies analysis accompanied by elemental mapping. Microfacies analyses of these rocks are characterized by multiple distinct lithofacies based on depositional textures, with each unit having undergone different degrees of diagenesis. Porosity data was quantified using ImageJ software to determine the role that dissolution, micritization, and cementation played in changing the pore spaces of these units. Porosity values ranged from 1-80% and are characterized by growth framework, moldic, intraparticle, interparticle, vuggy, and channel porosities. Elemental distributions of each unit were mapped using micro-X-Ray Fluorescence (μXRF) to understand movements and effects of meteoric/vadose/marine diagenetic fluids that interacted with these limestones. Sr, Mg, P, Al, and Fe were found to play critical roles in understanding the role of fluid during diagenesis, as well as the paleoenvironmental conditions present during deposition
Ground truth biasing and perceived behavioural changes within interrogations
No full textThis study investigates how manipulating perceived ground truth through prior information
(exonerating or incriminating details) affects laypeople’s judgments of verbal and non-verbal
cues in high-stakes criminal interrogations. Using authentic interrogation videos, a community
sample of 694 participants viewed four randomly assigned videos, balanced for deceptive/truthful content and exonerating/incriminating conditions. I examined how biasing information influences perceptions of deceptive and truthful behaviors, comparing participant observations of empirically supported and lay cues. Generalized linear mixed models revealed significant effects of instruction condition and veracity on perceived behaviors, with exonerating information often leading to counterintuitive interpretations, such as increased perceptions of fidgeting and disfluency as signs of truthfulness. Truthful suspects were frequently misjudged as displaying deceptive cues. These findings underscore the need for empirically grounded training in legal settings to enhance accuracy and mitigate cognitive biases
Development of autonomous robot with multi-sensor fusion for visual-wheel-IMU odometry
Full text link1 online resource (vii, 136 pages) : colour illustrations, colour charts, graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-130).This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an autonomous mobile
robot for visual assessment tasks in indoor retail environments. The platform, developed on ROS2, features a custom mechanical design, modular hardware architecture, and a multi-layered software framework integrating navigation, control, and visual SLAM. To address the challenges of GPSdenied and dynamic indoor settings, the robot uses wheel encoders, an IMU, and stereo visual odometry. A comprehensive odometry and sensor fusion system was developed using an Extended Kalman Filter, with various fusion strategies evaluated. Real-world experiments in complex indoor scenarios showed that fusing orientation-only updates from visual odometry achieved the highest localization accuracy and robustness. The thesis demonstrates that a cost-effective, multi-sensor approach can enable reliable, real-time navigation for autonomous robots in retail applications, and lays the foundation for future research in adaptive sensor fusion and large-scale deployment
A qualitative application of a conceptual model of post-incarceration opioid overdose risk to a Canadian sample
Full text link1 online resource (66 pages) : colour illustrations, colour chartsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-58).This study investigates post-incarceration opioid overdose risk among formerly incarcerated
Canadians diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), using Joudrey et al.’s (2019) Conceptual Model of Post-Release Opioid Overdose Risk. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants with a history of incarceration in Canada and OUD. Interviews were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of opioid overdose risk in justice-involved populations, including structural exposures, intermediate determinants, proximate risks, and biological outcomes. Participants reported limited access to OUD treatment during incarceration and minimal naloxone training, which worsened overdose risk after release. The results emphasise systemic failures in addressing OUD within carceral and community settings and stress the importance of integrated harm reduction strategies and pre-release planning
Investigating plant growth promoting ability of Fictibacillus enclensis through metabolic extraction and activity testing
Full text link1 online resource (72 pages) : illustrations (some colour), graphsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-72).As the world population continues to grow, global food demands are increasing as well. Current agricultural systems involve a predominant use of agrochemicals, which have negative environmental and human health impacts. There is a need to find an alternative sustainable and environmentally friendly method, which avoids the application of current conventional farming methods. There is much research investigating the interactions between plants and bacterial microorganisms in the area around the plant’s roots, also known as the rhizosphere. It has been hypothesized that inoculating the area around the plant’s roots with a bacterial strain can promote plant growth and protect the plant from pathogens and pests. To date, the research in our lab has shown the bacterium Fictibacillus enclensis to significantly increase the fruit to shoot ratio of barley, broccoli, and collard greens, in comparison to a control (no treatment or conventional fertilizer). The objective of this project is to identify plant growth promoting molecules in F. enclensis. In addition, the inhibiting pathogen performance of F. enclensis will be tested against two fungal pathogens.
A metabolic extraction procedure will be implemented to identify plant growth promoting molecules using LC-Q-TOF-MS. A spot-on lawn assay, thin film, and dual culture assay will be performed to investigate inhibition performance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Botrytis cinerea. LC-Q-TOF-MS analysis showed the presence of 3-Indoleacetic acid in the chloroform extract. The presence of 3-Indoleacetic acid may be a contributor to the biostimulant properties of F. enclensis. The dual culture assay demonstrated that F. enclensis can inhibit the growth of S. sclerotiorum in vitro.</p
Mechanisms associated with nuptial colouration evolution in the white Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) ecotype
Full text link1 online resource (50 pages) : colour illustrations, colour maps, colour graphsIncludes abstract and supplementary material.Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-49).Animal colouration is often used for mate communication during breeding and differences in this nuptial colouration among populations may evolve via sexual selection and contribute to reproductive isolation. One example of nuptial colouration evolution during incipient speciation is found between populations of the ‘common’ and ‘white’ Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). The white Threespine Stickleback is an ecotype endemic to Nova Scotia characterized by the unique white dorsal nuptial colouration found in males that
contrasts with the ancestral-like common male Threespine Stickleback’s brown to blue-green
dorsal colouration. White males are predicted to have higher iridophore (light reflecting
chromatophores) and lower melanophore (black-brown pigmented chromatophores) content and coverage in their skin than common males. However, past studies in lab-acclimated fishes found few chromatophore differences between males of these ecotypes. The goal of this study was to measure chromatophore differences between white and common threespine Stickleback directly sampled from the wild when they display full breeding colouration. To do this, I photographed fish post-mortem to quantify skin colour and then studied Haematoxylin and Eosin-stained crosssections of the dorsal skin using differential interference light microscopy to measure skin chromatophore content in the surface and deep dermal layers. As predicted, wild-sampled white males had brighter skin than lab-acclimated males and significantly higher visible iridophore coverage (combination of surface and deep coverage) and lower visible melanophore coverage compared to blue-green common males and silvery females. Deep iridophore coverage also significantly differed among groups, but other individual measures of chromatophore coverage did not. These data suggest that subtle, combined changes in iridophore and melanophore content and placement contribute to the evolution of nuptial colouration in the white stickleback
From the pitch to the market: how game outcomes score on stock prices
Full text link1 online resource (32 pages)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 31-32).This study investigates how football match outcomes affect the stock prices of publicly
traded European football clubs. Using panel data from Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Lazio, and Lyon over the 2017–2024 seasons, I examine investor response to match performance. The dependent variable is the log return from the most recent available pre-match trading price (match day or day before) to the trading day after the match. Key explanatory variables include expected goals difference (xG – xGA), actual goal difference, match result dummies (loss and draw, with win as the reference), and a European competition indicator. Expected goals (xG) are statistical estimates based on the quality of a team's scoring chances, incorporating factors such as shot location, assist type, and goalkeeper position. An interaction term between the xG difference and European competition is also included. After addressing non-stationarity and applying fixed and random effects estimations, I find that expected goals difference significantly influences post-match stock returns, while match result and actual goal difference do not show consistent effects. These results suggest that investors are more responsive to underlying match performance than to final scorelines alone. This thesis contributes to the literature on sports, financial and behavioural economics/finance by showing that stock markets may be more sensitive to advanced performance metrics, like expected goals, than to basic match outcomes
Electrochemical surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy as a tool for the characterization of products of azo dye degradation
No full text1 online resource (xv, 86 pages) : illustrations (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 68-78).Azo dyes are colourants that continue to be used in various industrial applications such as
in foodstuff, textiles, inks, and more due to their vivid colours, easy accessibility, low cost and
lightfastness. Despite their various benefits, azo dyes pose a risk to human health due to their adverse effects, which in some cases has been linked to the degradation products of the dyes that can naturally form upon metabolism in the human body. Most prior methods of analysis and characterization of azo dyes and their degradation products involve complex instrumentation requiring highly trained personnel, costly repairs and time-consuming sample preparation. Given this, there is a need to develop other more accessible, portable and cost-effective methods for the analysis of azo dyes and their degradation products. This thesis research demonstrates the first use of electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman
spectroscopy (EC-SERS) as a possible characterization tool for the analysis of the azo dyes Acid Orange 7, Metanil Yellow, and Methyl Orange to address this gap in the literature. EC-SERS was also assessed as a potential tool for the spectroelectrochemical monitoring for a plasmon-mediated or electrochemical degradation of the above-mentioned target dyes, although this endeavor remained unsuccessful and is subject to future work. Various characterization methods including cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible spectroscopy, and computational studies were used to support the findings in this thesis research
Developing a framework for effective conservation accounting and stewardship of old-growth forests on private land in Nova Scotia
Full text link1 online resource (iv, 71 pages) : colour maps, graphsIncludes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 67-70).The province of Nova Scotia presents a unique challenge for old-growth forest conservation due to its ownership landscape. With over 63% of land designated as privately owned, it is imperative that the Government of Nova Scotia collaborate with private landowners to ensure these vital ecosystems are properly accounted for, enabling conservation efforts to begin in a manner that is both consensual and approved by the landowners. This thesis highlights the obstacles inherent in private land conservation and builds upon these challenges to present a
framework with recommendations for improving the accounting and support of old-growth
conservation efforts on private lands. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured
interviews (n=10) within the forestry, conservation biology, and environmental fields.
Participants were asked about the challenges of private land conservation, the role of landowner involvement, and strategies for improving conservation efforts. Research findings suggest that the Government of Nova Scotia should implement a conservation accounting framework that formally recognizes and integrates private land conservation into provincial strategies. Key recommendations include enhancing education and outreach efforts to increase landowner awareness of conservation programs, improving financial incentives to encourage participation, and fostering transparent communication to build trust between landowners and government agencies