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Supporting transgender students in the classroom
Full text linkThe goal of the research and Portfolio was to create an online training module for teachers that will better educate them on how to support TGNBGN2S students in their classrooms. Studies show that transgender, non-binary, gender-nonconforming, and two-spirit (TGNBGN2S) students face barriers specific to their gender identities in schools
Noise attenuation and energy harvesting using helmholtz resonator connected to rectangular cavity
Full text linkThis thesis investigates the dual functionality of a Helmholtz Resonator (HR) coupled with a
rectangular cavity for noise attenuation and small-scale energy harvesting. The study explores
the integration of a piezoelectric energy harvester within the HR system, leveraging its resonant
behavior to convert acoustical energy into electrical power. The research employs both
experimental measurements and numerical simulations using ANSYS® to analyze the acoustic
response of the HR and cavity under various excitations. The experimental results validate the
numerical models, demonstrating the system's capability to attenuate low-frequency noise
while simultaneously generating electrical energy. Optimization techniques are explored to
enhance energy harvesting efficiency, considering geometric and material variations. The
findings contribute to the development of multifunctional acoustic solutions for potential
architectural applications and energy-efficient systems
Spaces of possibility: transmasculine representation in contemporary media
Full text linkThis thesis is a qualitative multi-case study of three contemporary media spaces: Reddit’s r/ftm subreddit, YouTube’s Jammidodger channel and Dimensions 20: The Unsleeping City (Mulligan, 2019) as sites of public pedagogy. I examined transmasculine representation in these spaces through the lens of critical social justice, specifically with an emphasis on queer and intersectional feminist theories. Two research questions guided this study: 1. How or to what extent do the case studies from YouTube, Reddit and Dimension 20 challenge and/or reinforce the hegemonic forces of cisnormativity? 2. How or to what extent do the YouTube, Reddit and Dimension 20 case studies function as a liberatory space for transmasculine individuals? Data was collected for three weeks in September 2024. Content and thematic analysis revealed that these cases could, in fact, function as liberatory space sites for transmasculine individuals and effectively challenge cisnormativity. These spaces had many positive aspects, such as the ability to provide representation, community, information, and advice and bring levity to complex matters. However, these spaces are imperfect and can be homogeneous, missing intersectional representation and overemphasizing binary notions of gender. Nevertheless, the findings showed that these contemporary media spaces were significant sites for identity formation, learning and support for queer folks and newly transitioning or questioning transmasculine individuals. In addition, these spaces became a haven and an invaluable resource for the loved ones of these individuals
Demethylation of sulfobutylated kraft lignin and its application as phenol-formaldehyde adhesives
Full text linkThe shift toward sustainable and eco-friendly adhesives has led to increased research into renewable
alternatives for petroleum-derived components in phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins. Lignin, a natural
phenolic polymer, presents a promising option due to its structural similarity to phenol. However, its high
molecular weight, structural heterogeneity, and low reactivity hinder its direct incorporation into adhesive
formulations. To overcome these limitations, this study investigates a two-step chemical modification—
sulfobutylation followed by demethylation—to improve lignin’s solubility and performance in PF resins.
The sulfobutylation (SB) step resulted in a decrease in methoxy and hydroxyl groups while increasing
molecular weight, sulfur content, solubility, and charge density, significantly improving lignin’s aqueous
compatibility. Demethylation of sulfobutylated lignin (DSB) further decreased methoxy content, with a
slight increase in hydroxyl groups compared to SB lignin. Additionally, demethylation led to higher
molecular weight and a reduction in sulfur content back to levels observed in kraft lignin (KL) while
maintaining solubility. These changes were attributed to an increase in β-O-4 interunit linkages, which
contributed to improved reactivity. The demethylated sulfobutylated lignin-PF (DSBPF) resins retained the
PF resin’s molecular structure but exhibited more reactive formaldehyde adducts. Increasing the lignin
content led to higher MW and viscosity, which enhanced bonding strength but reduced thermal stability.
The β-O-4 linkages in DSB contributed to improved adhesive properties, increasing bonding strength by
19% in DSBPF20 and 25% in DSBPF60. However, the resins also exhibited higher free formaldehyde
emissions, exceeding safety limits. Additionally, while pH and non-volatile content remained stable, water
absorption increased, potentially impacting long-term durability. Despite these challenges, the modified
resins showed enhanced fire resistance and adhesion performance compared to conventional PF resins.
Future research should focus on optimizing resin synthesis parameters, including NaOH catalyst amount,
reaction time and temperature, and curing conditions, to improve performance while reducing emissions.
Furthermore, incorporating enhancers such as melamine, urea, or furfural could help maintain or improve
adhesive properties while minimizing formaldehyde content. This study provides valuable insights into
lignin-based PF resins, contributing to the development of more sustainable, high-performance adhesives
and reducing reliance on petroleum-based materials
Empirically optimized landscape resistance reveals barriers and facilitators of gene flow in woodland caribou
Full text linkUnderstanding how landscape features shape genetic connectivity is critical for conserving wide-ranging species like woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), particularly in managed landscapes where resource extraction and anthropogenic disturbance occur alongside natural disturbance. We used microsatellite genotypes from 244 individuals and four genetic distance metrics (Fij, Dps, PCA10, PCA64) to optimize resistance surfaces with ResistanceGA and assess spatial patterns of genetic structure in the Churchill Range, northwestern Ontario. Despite moderate genetic diversity (mean He = 0.68) and extremely low pairwise FST (< 0.003), spatial autocorrelation and clustering analyses indicated weak but significant genetic structure consistent with isolation by distance. Resistance modeling showed that isolation by distance alone provided a poor fit relative to models incorporating landscape features. Wetlands consistently emerged as the dominant predictor across three allele frequency–based metrics (DPS, PCA10, and PCA64), highlighting their role in sustaining broad-scale gene flow. In contrast, coniferous forest paired with water was the top predictor for kinship-based Fij, suggesting that conifer habitats influence genetic structure through more recent demographic processes such as philopatry and site fidelity. These results establish a genetic baseline for caribou in the Churchill Range and demonstrate that connectivity is shaped primarily by wetlands, with conifer habitats also contributing to more recent genetic structuring.
Keywords: woodland caribou, landscape genetics, gene flow, isolation by distance (IBD), isolation by resistance (IBR), population structure, habitat connectivity, wetlands, coniferous fores
Examining nurses’ attitudes toward patients who use substances in the hospital setting
Full text linkObjectives
This dissertation had two objectives. The first objective was to examine how to assess nurses’ attitudes toward patients who use substances (PWUS) in the hospital setting. The second objective was to describe nurses’ attitudes toward PWUS, factors related to these attitudes, and perceived barriers to providing high-level care to this patient population to facilitate organizational change. Methods
A cross-sectional electronic survey was presented in the fall of 2024 to the 1,400 registered nurses (RNs) and registered practical nurses (RPNs) employed in direct patient care roles at an acute care academic hospital in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The outcome of interest was nurses’ attitudes toward PWUS as measured by the Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perceptions Questionnaire (AAPPQ) and the Drug and Drug Problems Perceptions Questionnaire (DDPPQ). Participants were randomly assigned to complete either of the two measures noted or revised versions of those measures to include person-centred (PC) language (e.g., PC-AAPPQ and PC-DDPPQ). Factors related to these attitudes were assessed using validated measures of social desirability, workload, burnout, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), along with open-ended questions to explore the nurses’ experiences caring for PWUS in the hospital setting. Descriptive statistics, psychometric analyses, hierarchical regression, and inductive content analysis were used to address the study objectives.
Results Manuscript 1
This scoping review found that nurses generally held negative attitudes toward PWUS in the hospital setting. Key contributing factors included limited knowledge of and education about substance use, challenges with pain management, and a lack of organizational support. These themes highlighted systemic issues that shaped the nurses’ attitudes and underscored the need for targeted interventions at multiple levels of the health care system. Manuscript 2
Modifying the AAPPQ and DDPPQ to reflect PC language (e.g., PC-AAPPQ and PC-DDPPQ) resulted in changes to their underlying factor structures, with neither the original nor the revised versions demonstrating optimal model fit. Exploratory analyses produced shortened, alternate factor models, suggesting that both the original and PC tools may require further refinement to remain psychometrically sound and conceptually aligned with contemporary societal and academic discourse on PC language. Manuscript 3
This study identified multiple factors associated with nurse’ attitudes toward PWUS in the hospital setting, with results varying across attitude measures and scales. Although contextual factors such as workload, burnout, and social desirability yielded inconsistent associations, education or training in substance use and/or addiction as professional development was consistently associated with more positive attitudes. Nurses working in mental health in-patient units also reported significantly more favourable attitudes, though this result may have reflected self-selection bias. These findings underscore the potential value of targeted education while highlighting the need for further research into contextual influences and the real-world impact of attitudinal change on patient care. Manuscript 4
Qualitative analysis identified six key barriers that the nurses faced delivering quality care to PWUS: (a) moral and professional tension, (b) lack of resources, (c) limited knowledge,
(d) staffing shortages and high workload, (e) absence of organizational policy, and (f) negative and stigmatizing provider attitudes. To improve care, the nurses recommended five corresponding supports: (a) enhanced education and training, (b) increased resources,
(c) additional staffing, (d) clear hospital policies, and (e) strengthened safety measures. Investing in in-hospital addiction medicine teams may be a particularly effective strategy to address multiple concerns raised by the nurses. Conclusions
This dissertation highlighted gaps in the ways that the nurses’ attitudes toward PWUS were measured and influenced. The results indicated a need for improved assessment tools, targeted education, and organizational investment in supports such as addiction medicine teams. Addressing these areas is essential to fostering more compassionate, evidence-based care and equitable health outcomes for PWUS in the hospital setting
Urban Scene Segmentation and Cross-Dataset Transfer Learning using SegFormer
Full text linkSemantic segmentation is essential for autonomous driving applications, but state-of-the-art models are typically evaluated on large datasets like Cityscapes, leaving smaller datasets underexplored. This research gap limits our understanding of how transformer-based models generalize across diverse urban scenes with limited training data. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of SegFormer architectural variants (B3, B4, B5) on the CamVid dataset and investigates cross-dataset transfer learning from CamVid to KITTI. Using an optimization framework combining cross-entropy loss with class weighting and boundary-aware components, our experiments establish
new performance baselines on CamVid and demonstrate that transfer learning provides benefits w hen target domain data is limited. We achieve a modest 2.57% relative mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) improvement on KITTI through knowledge transfer from CamVid, along with 61.1% faster convergence. Additionally, we observe substantial class-specific improvements of up to 30.75% for challenging c ategories. Our analysis provides insights into model scaling effects, c ross-dataset k nowledge t ransfer m echanisms, a nd p ractical s trategies for addressing data scarcity in urban scene segmentation
Table Extraction with Table Data Using VGG-19 Deep Learning Model
Full text linkIn recent years, significant progress has been achieved in understanding and processing tabular data. However, existing approaches often rely on task-specific features and model architectures, posing challenges in accurately extracting table structures amidst diverse layouts, styles, and noise contamination. This study introduces a comprehensive deep learning methodology that is tailored for the precise identification and extraction of rows and columns from document images that contain tables. The proposed model employs table detection and structure recognition to delineate table and column areas, followed by semantic rule-based approaches for row extraction within tabular sub-regions. The evaluation was performed on the publicly available Marmot data table datasets and demonstrates state-of-the-art performance. Additionally, transfer learning using VGG-19 is employed for fine-tuning the model, enhancing its capability further. Furthermore, this project fills a void in the Marmot dataset by providing it with extra annotations for table structure, expanding its scope to encompass column detection in addition to table identification
Patterns of genotype-environment association in the eastern North American yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.)
Full text linkUnderstanding how genomic adaptation shapes species’ responses to climate change is essential for developing climate-resilient forests, as shifting conditions increasingly drive range shifts and maladaptation. This study investigates adaptive genomic variation in Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch), a widely distributed hardwood of eastern North America. Genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) variation from 27 populations was analyzed using 3D-genotype-by-sequencing and two genotype-environment association methods: redundancy analysis (a multivariate ordination method) and Gradient Forest (a machine learning algorithm). 124 putatively adaptive loci were identified, linked to extreme minimum temperature, degree-days below 0°C, winter precipitation, and snowfall. Functional annotation revealed roles primarily in stress response and transcriptional regulation. Patterns of adaptive variation showed a latitudinal gradient tied to winter severity and spatially heterogeneous responses to snowfall. Two distinct clusters of adaptive loci were identified along the climate gradients, suggesting winter climate plays a dominant role in shaping local adaptation. Future climate projections (SSP5-8.5, 2041-2070) predict substantial shifts in adaptive alleles in the Northeastern Appalachians, Maritimes, and St. Lawrence River regions. Nevertheless, genetic offset, the Euclidean distance between the current and future adaptive genomic composition, across the range was relatively low, suggesting genomic resilience potentially supported by yellow birch’s allohexaploid genome and extensive gene flow, including adaptive introgression from hybridization with other Betula members. These findings highlight the importance of integrating genomic data into forest management strategies.
Keywords: Betula alleghaniensis, Yellow Birch, local genetic adaptation, genotype-environment association (GEA), genetic offset, climate chang
First Nation dementia perspectives and relational supports
No full textIn Canada, the incidence of dementia among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) populations is projected to increase by 273% by 2050, in comparison to 187% among non-FNMI populations. While Canada’s dementia strategy emphasizes improving risk reduction, assessment, and post-diagnosis care, such efforts must be culturally safe. Approaches must respect and reflect FNMI identities, beliefs, knowledge systems, and practices, and support community development and self-determination. Despite this, there is little published research about FNMI cultural perspectives of dementia, including the meaning of symptoms, risk reduction, assessment, and post-diagnosis care. There is also limited research documenting the supports within communities that could support collaborative and self-determined dementia initiatives. This community-based project, in partnership with a regional First Nations-led organization in Northwestern Ontario, aimed to examine the meaning of dementia symptoms, risk reduction, assessment, and post-diagnosis care among FNMI people living in Northwestern Ontario, and the existing supports that may facilitate dementia efforts in this region. Guided by a Nishnaabe research paradigm and a community advisory committee, I conducted knowledge-gathering circles and semi-structured one-on-one and two-on-one in-person and virtual interviews, using a modified photovoice approach, with predominantly First Nation adults (n = 42; Mage = 59, SD = 16.02) residing in rural and urban communities in Northwestern Ontario. Stories and visual images were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative analysis revealed 14 themes related to the meaning of dementia symptoms, risk factors and reduction strategies, wholistic assessment, post-diagnosis care, and 31 individual, interpersonal, and community-level relational supports. This research will enhance dementia care in Northwestern Ontario and guide future studies in the region, with potential national and international relevance. It also supports the goals of Canada’s dementia strategy by advancing culturally safe approaches to dementia care. Keywords: First Nations health, Indigenous health, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, asset-mappin