14589 research outputs found
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An overview of Halifax, Nova Scotia’s rental housing market
Get PDF1 online resource (vii, 79 pages) : graphs, colour mapsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 74-79).Halifax, Nova Scotia is experiencing a major rental housing affordability and availability
issue. Many Haligonians are under increasing financial pressure, posting their complaints via
online forums and on social media concerning the increasing living costs. In response the
Provincial Government imposed a rent cap, limiting annual increase to 2% and preventing
“renovictions”. The goal of this research is to look at the rental market across the Halifax
Regional Municipality (HRM) exploring the geography of rental unit characteristics and prices.
Using web scraping techniques on Kijiji and collecting data from local developers’ websites the
study employs a comprehensive dataset of up-to-date rental housing information in the HRM.
Analysing the database in GIS software shows high unaffordability throughout the North end of
Halifax’s urban core and a lack of rental amenities available to those living inside the urban core.
The second part of this study dives into the difference between primary and secondary rental
housing in the HRM, observing secondary rental housing while being more expensive offer
greater amenities than primary rental housing
The experiences and challenges of black entrepreneurs in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Get PDF1 online resource (vii, 142 pages)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-121).This study draws upon 20 semi-structured interviews with Black immigrant entrepreneurs (N=15) and Canadian-born Black entrepreneurs (N=5) in Halifax, NS to examine their lived experiences. Informed by the mixed embeddedness model, this study examines entrepreneurial motivations,
barriers and coping strategies across social, political-institutional and economic domains. It further
adopts the intersectionality theoretical framework to examine how race, gender and migration
status interact to affect the experience of these Black entrepreneurs. Findings reveal that majority
of Black entrepreneurs are pulled into entrepreneurship because of good market opportunity, while
also reporting inadequate finance and racial discrimination as their most pressing challenges. The
research has observed new knowledge about how Black entrepreneurs have developed a positive
mindset and reliance on family and friends as their main response to overcoming challenges and maximizing opportunities. This study seeks to assist policy makers and practitioners to develop informed decisions that promote inclusion in the Canadian business environment
Mercury biomagnification in freshwater ecosystems of Nova Scotia
Get PDF1 online resource (iv, 136 pages) : maps (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 22-31, 61-68, 128-135).Mercury (Hg) biomagnifies consistently in aquatic food webs around the world. This can be a human health concern in areas with recreational and subsistence fisheries, as the main biomagnifying agent (methylmercury), is a potent neurotoxin. My objective was to
assess mercury biomagnification rates in freshwater ecosystems across Nova Scotia and provide data on potential Hg risk in freshwater based on environmental parameters.
Trophic magnification slope factors and intercepts varied significantly among the 21 waterbodies examined (TMS; 0.021 - 0.423). Potential bioavailable Hg in freshwater,
calculated using water quality data (chlorophyll-a, phosphorus, total organic carbon, and pH) and percent wetland cover, showed that Hg risk varied across the province
Determination of point proton radii of neutron-rich carbon isotopes
Get PDF1 online resource (xvi, 125 pages) : colour illustrations, charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 114-125).Exotic features like the halo and the (dis)appearance of the magic numbers were revealed by investigating the nuclei towards the neutron-rich region that have a large neutron/proton asymmetry. Investigating the evolution of proton radii together with the matter radii along an isotopic chain will allow us to characterize the halo formation, neutron skin thickness, and shell evolution around the neutron drip-line. The first determination of the point proton radii of neutron-rich carbon isotopes 20,22C is presented in this work. The proton radii of these neutron-rich carbon isotopes were determined from a measurement of the charge-changing cross-section σcc, defined as the sum of cross sections of reactions that changes the atomic-number (Z). The experiment was performed at the BigRIPS facility at RIKEN Nishina Center in Japan, at a relativistic beam energy around ∼ 200A MeV with a carbon target. The proton radii were extracted from the measured σcc using the nite range Glauber model framework. The proton radii increase for 20C and 22C compared to the previously measured carbon isotopes 12−19C, showing signatures of the disappearance of shell closures at N =14 and N = 16 along this isotopic chain. The neutron skin thickness (∆Rnp) of these neutron-rich carbon isotopes (20,22C) is reported for the rst time in this thesis using the proton radii determined in this work and measured matter radii available from the literature. ∆Rnp of 1.23 (20) fm is determined for the two-neutron halo, 22C affirming the presence of a halo. The halo radius of 6.6 ± 1.1 fm in 22C is found to be as large as 11Li. The proton radii are compared to the predictions reported for these neutron-rich carbon isotopes. The experimental proton radii have challenged these predictions
Pursuing History: The Joys and Hazards of Following All the Stories of the Past
No full textMemoirs of Ernest (Ern) J. Dick, historian and archivist. Ern worked at the CBC Archives, has many connections with the Nova Scotia historical community, and developed the "Moving Images of Atlantic Canada’" course at Saint Mary's University. He is also the author of "Silver Hair and Golden Voice - Austin Willis from Halifax to Hollywood", published by Nimbus in 2020
Provenance and geochronology of Lomonosov Ridge: a contribution to the geology and tectonic history of the Arctic Ocean from dredged rock samples
No full text1 online resource (viii, 121, 847 unnumbered pages) : illustrations (some colour), maps (some colour), charts (some colour), graphs (some colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 111-121).This thesis analyzes the OD2016-D2 dredge rock samples collected from a flank of Lomonosov Ridge, a major topographic feature in the Arctic Ocean. U-Pb- and Hf-isotopes were analyzed for 719 detrital zircon grains from ten sandstone samples using the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe. The dredge rocks have similar detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions, a Neoproterozoic maximum depositional age, and Scandinavian provenance. Ten lithologies were defined from 176 samples and ten lithofacies from a selection of 96 samples to categorize the rocks and use as a basis for comparison. Two lithofacies associations are present: one indicates a tidal-influenced delta setting with fluvial input and the other indicates a tidal flat setting. The lithologies
have similar heavy mineral assemblages, whole-rock geochemistry, and have a largely granitic component to their provenance. Overall, the results suggest that there are two Neoproterozoic units unconformably overlain by a possible Lower Paleozoic unit
Abundance and arboreal tendencies of slugs in forested wetlands of southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada
Get PDFPublished versionNon-native slugs, such as Arion, are becoming a concern for land managers in Nova Scotia, Canada, particularly in forested wetlands. They appear to have a highly diverse diet and may pose a particular risk to native slug species and to rare or at-risk lichens. We provide novel information on the distribution, abundance, arboreal tendencies, and seasonality of slugs in forested wetlands across southwestern Nova Scotia. We collected a total of 402 slugs representing seven species including two native species, Pale Mantleslug (Pallifera dorsalis) and Meadow Slug (Deroceras laeve), and five non-native Arion taxa. The three most abundantly caught taxa were Northern Dusky Arion (Arion fuscus), D. laeve, and Western Dusky Slug (Arion subfuscus). Arion fuscus and D. laeve were collected on the forest floor and on lichen-bearing trees, while A. subfuscus was collected only on the ground. All three taxa showed differences in collectability between July and September and low arboreal tendencies. We highlight that further studies are needed to better understand the biology and ecology of this largely neglected invertebrate group that seems to be dominated by non-native Arion species in the study region. Such information is crucial for conservationists and forest managers untangling the question of how non-native slugs affect native slug taxa and other groups including at-risk lichens.</p
Using x-ray colour-colour diagrams to study AGN variability
Get PDF1 online resource (ix, 65 pages) : illustration, charts, graphsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 64-65).Identifying X-ray variability in active galactic nuclei (AGN) has been a longstanding
issue due to spectral model degeneracies. It often occurs on timescales too short to
employ regular spectral analysis, but colour-colour analysis provides a unique
opportunity to get past this problem. Studies like in Grinberg et al. (2020) have
shown the application of colour-colour diagrams to high-mass X-ray binary
variability for determining partial absorber properties. Colour-colour diagrams were
generated for absorbed power law, partial covering, and relativistic blurred
reflection models to assess parameter variability. Comparisons were done with both
simulated data sets, and real data from an observation of NGC 6814. The use of
simulated data demonstrated that these diagrams have the ability to predict
parameter changes, but can have difficulties distinguishing between parameter
variations. Real data showed that grids need to have more consistency to accurately
compare to real data and predict correct parameter changes. Some consistency was
seen when comparing to current analyses on NGC 6814, but it warrants further
studies. Colour-colour diagrams have shown promise, and future detailed works
involving the inclusion of other components, should be quite useful
Chasing Evangeline: How archaeology and heritage shaped the Grand-Pré National Historic Site
Get PDF1 online resource (iv, 67 pages) : illustrations (chiefly colour), mapsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-67).This thesis examines how the relationship between archaeology and heritage impacts a
historic site, using the Grand-Pré National Historic Site (GPNHS) as a case study. Particularly, looking into whether this relationship has been dominated by the heritage narratives or if new archaeological data has been incorporated into site official site interpretation. Situated where the Acadian village of the same name was located, GPNHS has a history of archaeology and tourism predating Parks Canada’s historic site designation in 1982. Early narratives focused on the poetic Acadia of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Evangeline, with artifacts and features being labelled in accordance with the titular heroine’s fictional village. Longfellow’s Acadia later fell out of favour, though a romanticized history of Grand-Pré continued to dominate the narratives. Using
archival tourist publications, archaeological reports, and Parks Canada management documents, I trace the change of heritage narratives at GPNHS from the 19 century until present. Through these I illustrate how narratives of Grand-Pré’s heritage have come to be, their solidification into the public memory, and the changes that have been made through modern archaeological data. There has been a history of romantic idealization at GPNHS, with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Evangeline sparking images of romantic Acadian landscapes and excavations from the later 19 century appealing to tourists seeking to escape modernity. This research suggests that heritage dominates the interpretative narratives at GPNHS, with new archaeological data slowly incorporated in favor of pre-established information
Development of an electrochemical surface enhanced raman spectroscopy (EC-SERS) fabric sensor to detect cortisol for early diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder
Get PDF1 online resource (x, 66 pages) : illustrations (chiefly colour), charts, graphsIncludes abstract and appendix.Includes bibliographical references (pages 62-66).Early diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is challenging. Its prevalence rate in Canada is 9.2%. Experiencing stress for a sustained period can lead to a prolonged release of cortisol that causes negative feedback which leads to an eventual decrease in cortisol levels in PTSD patients. Electrochemical Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (EC-SERS) deals with enhancement of metal nanoparticles under application of voltage to detect the analyte signal. ECSERS is advantageous for detecting biological samples. Here we report using blend fabric (37% silk, 35% hemp, 28% organic cotton) for the development of a functional fabric sensor using ECSERS to detect cortisol for early diagnosis of PTSD. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid stress hormone and a challenging molecule to be detected with EC-SERS. The fabric sensor is comprised of a counter electrode, reference electrode, and working electrode. The counter electrode and working electrode are printed on fabric with carbon ink on top of silver ink and the reference electrode is imprinted on fabric with silver conductive ink. To provide effective SERS enhancement, silver nanoparticles were deposited on the working electrode area. For proof-of-concept studies, a 1 mg/mL analytical standard of cortisol in methanol was used for these investigations. Cortisol signal increased with an increase in the application of negative voltage. Quantitative analysis of signal intensity with cortisol concentration was also evaluated. To determine the relationship between peak intensity and analyte concentration, EC-SERS studies were conducted with 50 µL, 65 µL, 75 µL, and 100 µL of 1 mg mL-1 cortisol. In summary, a fabric-based EC-SERS sensor for the detection of cortisol was demonstrated, paving the way to a wearable sensor for early PTSD diagnostics