14589 research outputs found
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Ecophysiology of atlantic coastal shrubs in response to ocean salt
Get PDF1 online resource (57 pages) : colour illustrations, colour maps, colour chartsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 53-57).Increased greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are altering the global climate including changes in air temperature and precipitation patterns that are linked to increasing storms and sealevel rise. In coastal regions, more frequent storm surges and high-water levels can increase marine salt exposure on terrestrial ecosystems through waves and sea spray. There is a need to understand the physiological impacts of marine salt on plant species found in coastal habitats such as barrens and forests. These globally distributed habitats are dominated by woody plants, especially shrubs, and they represent a large portion of the Atlantic coast of Canada. Currently, there is a knowledge gap on how shrub species in these habitats are affected by salt stress. To address this gap, leaf and soil samples were collected from two sites: a rock barren, Chebucto Head, and a forest, Taylor Head, in Nova Scotia. This study examined leaf morphological and
physiological traits related to salt tolerance and resource use in two dominant shrub species, the Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) and the Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). Individuals were sampled along a salinity gradient within 200 m of the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Traits included stomatal conductance, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, and leaf dry matter content; leaf nutrients included pH, electrical conductivity, sodium, potassium, nitrate, and calcium contents The soil characteristics and leaf traits were compared in relation to their proximity to the shore using three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression, and a principal components analysis, providing more information on the differences between habitat, proximity to the shore, and species in response to ocean salt. This study found that there were differences in salt tolerance within the same species between the different habitats as well as a difference between species. In general, plants in the rock barren experienced higher salt loads
and displayed more physiological stress than plants in the forest. The Northern Bayberry was more salt tolerant overall than the Lowbush Blueberry. This research has the potential to be applied in coastal restoration projects to inform which species may be most resilient to saltwater exposure and which habitats may be more vulnerable
One size fails all : reconceptualizing eating disorders through an intersectional feminist lens
Get PDF1 online resource (viii, 1 unnumbered, 120 pages) : colour illustrations, colour graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 102-106).This thesis employed an intersectional feminist lens to examine the multiple experiences of self-identified young women/non-binary individuals with eating disorders and the current discourse surrounding these disorders. Further, this research aimed to identify the symptoms and the social, political, and economic effects that individuals with eating disorders have experienced, and how these symptoms and effects have influenced social/personal life and institutional relations. The study provides both theoretical and methodological implications for understanding how eating disorders are a social justice issue. I argue that eating disorders are largely a symptom of dominant power systems that have been designed to control our bodies. I propose a more nuanced understanding of eating disorders rooted in lived experiences will provide the necessary space for creating ethical intervention. Further, I propose that, within therapeutic relationships, there needs
to be a shift away from providing service and more emphasis on providing care
A song for everyone : exploring music for worship in an intercultural church
Get PDF1 online resource (47 pages) : colour graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-44).This Qualitative Research study examines the data collected from worship leaders and congregational members of one specific Church that self-identifies as an intercultural church. Using the ethnographic case study methodology, having completed direct one-on-one interviews with seven participants, this study focuses on how music is conducted in their worship services and what the Church can do most accurately to meet the musical need of the congregation. This study identifies four overall themes which ultimately relate to theories and practices: Cultural differences and Expectations, Unmasking the challenges, Language Barrier, and Celebrating the Cultural Differences. It is argued that the focus is on the music's spirituality rather than language. This research has many implications for the Church, with an anticipated increase in the number of intercultural singing dynamism
C-statistic vs bayesian : a comparative analysis of x-ray spectral statistics
Get PDF1 online resource (vii, 39 pages) : colour illustrations, charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 38-39).The X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) contain many spectral features, such as emission lines, that provide much insight into the inner workings of these objects. In a class of AGN known as Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies, analyzing these spectral features can provide especially useful insight into the internal structure due to their orientation. Using two different statistical methods (Bayesian X-ray Analysis and C-Statistic) to analyze the spectra of 21 NLS1 galaxies, it can be determined which method is superior at detecting emission lines in the spectra. It is found that C-Statistic may be superior at detecting lines in low-count spectra, but BXA has separate advantages that may lead to more success at detecting lines in real sources
Consciousness and ideology : reading Althusser through Marx
No full text1 online resource (35, 1 unnumbered pages)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (page 35).In his essay "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses," Louis Althusser criticizes the ideology-theory developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The German Ideology. Althusser characterizes the ideology-theory as "non-Marxist" on the grounds that it operates with an empiricist epistemology incompatible with the principles of historical materialism. He therefore also attempts to develop an ideology-theory of his own, where ideology in general is understood as a process of interpellating individuals as subjects. I argue that Althusser's characterization of Marx and Engel's ideology-theory as betraying an empiricist epistemology is not supported by their work, and that his corresponding ideology-theory fails as a properly Marxist account of ideology in general. In its attempt to account for the subjective side of consciousness it slips into an idealist account of ideology, while simultaneously employing a structural account of the ideological subject, thereby creating a contradiction. A by-product of this project, however, is the development of a properly Marxian theory of ideology, which is ultimately compatible with Althusser's theory of ideology in particular. Thus, the merit of Althusser's undertaking is that it provides an accurate assessment of the dissemination and functional role of particular ideologies in society, notwithstanding the shortcomings of his reading of Marx and Engels or his theory of ideology in general
Suicidal ideation and work
Get PDF1 online resource (88 pages) : charts, graphsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-74).Suicide is prevalent among people of working age. The profound impacts of employee suicide on both the individual and the workplace call for research on suicide risk and protective factors present at work. In the current study, I proposed and tested two moderated mediation models that connect meaningfulness of work and transformational leadership, respectively, with feelings of hopelessness, depression, and suicidal ideation among employees under the boundary condition of experienced job stressors. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 600 working adults recruited through Prolific. Results suggested that meaningfulness of work and transformational leadership were associated with lower levels of hopeless and depression, which were further associated with lower suicidal ideation. Further, the positive impacts of work meaning and
transformational leadership on employee suicidal ideation were attenuated when job stressors were perceived to be high. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed
Automated prediction of tailings areas at historic gold mine districts in Nova Scotia using multispectral images and a random forest classifier
Get PDF1 online resource (vii, 24, 107, 10 pages) : maps (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 15-24, 62-71, 103-107)Satellite imagery can be analyzed to offer a preliminary regional assessment of mine tailings indicators, enabling identification before performing in-depth fieldwork. Nova Scotia, Canada, still retains mine tailings produced in the 1860s to the 1940s in 64 historic gold districts, which exceed soil guidelines for arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) levels. Tailings data often relies on historical maps, which may not accurately depict the current extent due to wind and rain transportation. This study employs historical data to train a classifier, enabling the classification of multispectral satellite images from Sentinel-2.
Both pixel-wise and object-based methods were evaluated, yielding a median F1-score above 0.7 for most tested methods at two case study sites. Accuracy varied at other sites, particularly those with significant proportions of wetland areas. Lastly, we investigate false positives and propose future research to create a more resilient classifier
2023-04-14 Senate Minutes and Agendas
No full textMinutes and agenda for the April 4th, 2023 meeting of Saint Mary's University Senate
Tenancy and housing rights of racialized international students
Get PDF1 online resource (176 pages) : colour illustrations, colour charts, colour graphsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 162-176).This thesis examines violations of tenancy and housing rights of racialized international
students (RIS) in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. It explores the factors that influence tenancy and housing options available to RIS, such as the internationalization of post-secondary education institutions and financialization of the housing sector in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. It investigates the distinctive relationships between RIS’ experiences of tenancy and housing rights violations and their resilience. The interactions of RIS’ multiple identities such as race, regional origin, nationality, gender, socio-economic status (SES), Canadian citizenship status, age, and education level with external factors are studied to understand RIS’ perceptions of resilience using their own voices. This thesis makes two central arguments. First, RIS preferred social support over institutionalized support services. RIS participants avoided disputing violations of their tenancy and housing rights due to perceived repercussions to their legal status as non-permanent residents in Canada as well as the tangible consequences in their social relations with rental property
administrators. Second, participants revealed carefully woven webs of strategies to navigate challenges and to achieve optimum wellness characterized by physical, emotional, and psychological safety. I developed the concept of states of embodied awareness to understand RIS’ self-defined and unique forms of resilience
Trokosi tradition : navigating through traditional practices, gender, human rights, and reproductive rights in Ghana
Get PDF1 online resource (77 pages) : colour mapsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-77).The trokosi practice is an ancient traditional system that involves the selection of a young female by her family to serve in a shrine as a form of atonement for crimes committed by another family member. This tradition exemplifies the entrenched patriarchal control that characterizes traditional rural societies in Ghana. The trokosi practice has sparked a contentious debate between proponents of Ghana's human rights framework and those advocating for cultural rights. This study draws upon feminist perspectives to examine the gendered power dynamics, human rights violations, and patriarchal control inherent in the Trokosi tradition. It employs a narrative analysis in its methodology to amplify the voices of the young females affected by this practice and contributes to feminist scholarship by providing nuanced insights into the complexities of cultural practices, power dynamics, legal frameworks, and women's agency in the context of the Trokosi tradition