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2020-09-18 Senate Minutes and Agendas
No full textMinutes and agenda for the September 18th, 2020 meeting of Saint Mary's University Senate
Cannabis testing policies and applicants' perceptions
Get PDF105 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cmIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-79).Cannabis use has increased from 14.9% to 16.8% post-legalization. Policies that enable cannabis-testing of employees might negatively affect the perceptions of individuals toward the organizations that hold these policies. I investigated the influence of cannabis testing policy on job applicants’ perceived fairness, organizational attractiveness, and intention to apply to a job. Vignettes followed by a survey were administered to 415 adults recruited via MTurk. MANCOVA revealed that cannabis users displayed greater attractiveness as well as greater intent to apply to the organization that did not have a cannabis-testing policy in place compared to an organization that has a strict cannabis testing policy. Generally, cannabis testing was perceived as fair by individuals. Study has implications such that understanding applicants’ reactions to workplace drug policies is critical for industries when designing cannabis policies. Such policies must comply with legal regulations without deterring potential employees who may be interested in joining the organization
Ecological thresholds of the Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) in relation to Nova Scotia environments
Get PDF1 online resource (48 pages) : illustrations (chiefly colour)Includes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 42-46).The Chinese mystery snail, Cipangopaludina chinensis, is a non-indigenous, potentially invasive aquatic species found throughout North America. They are highly fecund and viviparous, birthing live young. These features make them a potential threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function. To better understand the potential spread of C. chinensis in Nova Scotia, the ecological thresholds for different environmental parameters need to be established. Here, I focused on salinity, pH, and temperature using field and laboratory approaches. The salinity tolerance [(0, 5, 10, 15, and 20) ppt], and pH tolerance (pH 4, 5, 6, 7) were tested in a 2-week and 4-week laboratory experiment, respectively. The migration patterns of C. chinensis were monitored bi-weekly at three Halifax Regional Municipality lakes with temperature measurements. Migration monitoring was done in spring and summer, conducting surveys of the relative frequency of snails found at various depths to estimate the seasonal migration pattern of the snails. C. chinensis did not survive in salinity concentrations 10 ppt or higher, but did survive in 0 ppt and 5 ppt. This suggests C. chinensis could inhabit freshwater to brackish water. There was some mortality with juvenile C. chinensis in low pH conditions, and further research is recommended to establish the pH threshold for at least one life cycle of the snails. The snail migration surveys show the snails are typically found in shallow water when the surface water temperature is 20⁰C and above, and in deeper water when the surface water temperature is 20⁰C and below. This research suggests the ecological tolerances of C. chinensis may allow for the species to spread into vulnerable ecosystems in Nova Scotia not previously considered as a suitable habitat, including brackish estuaries and acidic dystrophic lakes
Nova Scotian bees as sources of antimicrobial compounds against American foulbrood disease
Get PDF1 online resource (92 pages) : colour illustrationsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 60-74).Honey bees, Apis mellifera, face many parasites and pathogens such as Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American Foulbrood disease (AFB), a highly contagious disease. Honey bees rely on a diverse set of individual and group-level defenses to prevent disease. One route by which honey bees might combat disease is through the protective effects of their microbial symbionts. This study focuses on microbial interactions in bees that help in fighting AFB through the inhibition of P. larvae. Honey bees and wild bees in Nova Scotia were sampled for microbial isolation and screened against P. larvae using pairwise antimicrobial assay. Isolates showing good inhibition were chosen for extraction of metabolites with ethyl acetate and 1:1 chloromethane-methanol to obtain antimicrobial compounds that inhibit P. larvae. The extracts were analysed using LC/DAD and UHPLC/MS. Novel microbial species such as Pseudomonas chloroaphis, Debaromyces prosopidis and Paenibacillus lactis along with previously reported B. cereus and B. subitilis, were isolated from beehive swabs and showed strong inhibition against P. larvae. Chloroform: Methanol extracts of E8 that is a mixture of at least 6 microbial strains and of A12 showed strong inhibition while ethyl acetate extracts showed moderate inhibition against P. larvae. Our findings show great potential for discovery of novel antagonistic compounds against AFB
Modelling the dynamic yield curve for the Canadian bond market
Get PDF1 online resource (47 pages) : illustrationsIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (pages 43-45).The yield curve or the term structure of the interest has been one of the key leading macroeconomic indicators and forecasting the yield curve could provide vital information about future macroeconomic performance. Following the seminal works of Diebold & Li (2006a) and Diebold et. Al. (2006b)Many papers tried to evolve different techniques that can model the inner dynamics of the yield curve and forecast for future periods efficiently. This paper also followed the same path of Diebold & Li (2006) to model the inner dynamics of the Canadian zero-coupon yield curve and added some new structure following different stylized facts obtained from the factors. Primarily this paper estimated the model in a two-step way with the factor dynamics being VAR, VECM, EGARCH and DCC-EGARCH along with the one-step model using Kalman filter. A grid search is performed to calibrate the yield curve factors and using that all the models are compared using the root mean square forecast error. VECM and EGARCH turned out to be the best models revealing the different short term and long-term dynamics and the parsimonious nature of the model. Furthermore, a regime-switching model is also estimated to find the changing volatility structure of the yield curve as indicated in the previous models
Perceived accommodation : an examination of disability management in the workplace
Get PDF61 leaves ; 29 cmIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-61).Even though they are protected under the Canadian Charter of Human Rights Act, people living with disabilities have historically been the target of stigma and discrimination (Catano et al., 2016). Society has become more accepting of disabling conditions over the years, but people with disabilities continue to face an uphill battle in the workplace because of the perceived burden of accommodating them (Hernandez et al., 2000; McMahon et al., 2008). Therefore, I examined the extent to which worker perceptions of
organizational treatment and accommodations were associated with well-being and functioning outcomes across the United States, Canada, and three Scandinavian countries: Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Disability acceptance and disability social rejection were consistently associated with organizational accommodation and treatment of workers with disabilities. Furthermore, differences in cultural expectations and values surrounding
disability management may account for observed differences across countries in the way that workers perceive organizational treatment and accommodations
Height-dependence of the temporal variability of wind speed : a multiscale approach
Get PDF1 online resource (31 pages) : illustrationsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (page 31).Climate change and diminishing fossil fuel reserves have contributed to the increasing need for alternative renewable energy resources. Wind power is particularly attractive as it is both renewable and abundant. However, the spatial and temporal variability of wind makes power production intermittent, which affects the feasibility of large-scale implementation. Using statistical moments and multiscale analysis, this project intends to characterize wind speed variability as a function of height and to deepen wind variability understanding. Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) is a multiscale analysis method which is capable of assessing time series variability based on the scaling relationship between time scale and the average size of the fluctuations in the time series, thereby taking into consideration the temporal succession of time series values. By applying the coefficient of variation and DFA through three consecutive years and at 6 successive heights, a relationship can be identified between wind speed variability and height. This study found that wind speed variability consistently decreases with height up to a certain height. Beyond this height, wind speed variability was found to decrease at a more gradual rate or not at all. This was confirmed both through statistical moments and multiscale analysis. The outcomes of this project have implications for the methodology used to assess potential locations of wind turbines, as well as for studies regarding turbine design
A mechanochemical approach for organocatalysis and improved synthesis of gemini surfactants
Get PDF1 online resource (ix, 63 pages) : illustrationsIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-63).Mechanochemistry and organocatalysis provide green synthetic methods for chemical reactions. Reported herein are Morita-Baylis-Hilman reactions co-catalyzed by 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, DABCO, and 1-(4-(3-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thioureido)-benzyl)-1-methylpyrrolidin-1-ium hexafluorophosphate using a mechanochemical approach known as Liquid Assisted Grinding, LAG. These room temperature reactions used methanol as a liquid additive to achieve an 85.7 % conversion and 14.8 % isolated yields, which is a slight improvement over conventional methods.
Gemini cationic surfactants have a lower critical micelle concentration (CMC) when compared to conventional analogues. This led to many improvements in materials such as soaps, detergents, wetting agents and foaming agents. There is a particular interest from a physical and material chemistry standpoint on how gemini cationic surfactants will behave with other surfactants in mixed micellular systems. Previously reported syntheses of quaternary amine gemini surfactants in the literature noted long reaction times, poor yields and large solvent use, making large scale production troublesome. Reported herein is an improved synthesis of mcm type cationic gemini surfactants using microwave irradiation
The mechanisms underlying nuptial colouration in the white Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Get PDF1 online resource (53 pages) : illustrations (some colour), colour mapIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-53).Often the most striking displays of colour in animals arise from interactions during mating. Nuptial colouration is exclusively associated with mating and typically functions in either female mate choice by signalling male quality, or male competition by asserting dominance and possession of a territory. Animal colouration is the result of various chromatophores found within the integument. Changes in the number and distribution of chromatophores and pigments over time causes seasonal colour change associated with nuptial colouration. The Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a teleost fish found throughout the northern hemisphere that displays large variation in nuptial colouration among populations. The white Threespine Stickleback, endemic to Nova Scotia, displays a pearlescent white colour during breeding season in contrast to the common Threespine Stickleback which is a dark green/brown colour. Although Threespine Sticklebacks are a model system for many evolutionary studies, the mechanisms involved in the evolution of the contrasting nuptial colouration of the white and common males are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the cellular mechanisms underlying the differences in nuptial colouration of these ecotypes. In particular, I looked at both melanophore and iridophore coverage as well as melanophore number and percent of isolated iridophores in the two dermal chromatophore layers of stickleback. My results indicate that common males have a higher melanophore coverage and fewer isolated iridophores in the deep dermal layer than the white males. However, the number of melanophores and the iridophore coverage in each layer, as well as the surface melanophore coverage, did not significantly differ between the two groups. These finding indicate that the integumental chromatophores in these males are quite morphologically similar in number and distribution. Future studies should investigate the thickness of chromatophores and the orientation and spacing of platelet crystals within iridophores among white and common stickleback
Enhancing dykeland resiliency in a hypertidal estuary
Get PDFxiii, 189 leaves : colour illustrations, colour maps ; 29 cmIncludes abstract and appendices.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-176).Dykelands are low-lying areas created by the reclamation of saltmarshes by the construction of dykes and other infrastructure which are made resilient to the impacts of climate change by the presence of robust foreshore saltmarshes seaward of dyke infrastructure. This study looked at the impact flood and erosion adaptation strategies have had on hypertidal saltmarshes at various spatial and temporal scales in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. While the primary cause of significant foreshore saltmarsh erosion and progradation were a result of natural processes, several features were found to have precipitated significant changes in the position of the foreshore. Borrow pits, which are excavated swaths of saltmarsh excavated from the foreshore for dyke topping material were also studied using an unmanned-aerial-vehicle and structure-from-motion software. Eight out of the 13 borrow pits studied were found to be infilling at a rate which would only reduce dykeland resiliency in the short-to-medium term