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Assessing progress toward an effectively managed, representative, and well-connected global protected area network
Get PDFProtected areas are a cornerstone of conservation efforts to prevent biodiversity
loss. Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity called for the area of
protected areas to be increased to 17% of terrestrial and inland water and 10% of coastal
and marine areas. It also called for those protected areas to be effectively managed,
representative, and well-connected by 2020. These three qualities are crucial to
conserving biodiversity within protected areas. This literature review has critically
assessed the status of each of these qualities for the global protected area network.
This review examined why these qualities are vital to biodiversity conservation,
how they are measured, their current extent of implementation, what the gaps in the data
are, and what barriers are impeding their progress. Overall, studies indicate that the
quality of protected areas has not kept up with the quantity. Approximately one-fifth of
protected areas have effective management, just over half of the protected areas could be
considered connected, and approximately one-third of ecosystems have adequate
representation. This is to the detriment of effective biodiversity conservation.
For protected areas to realize their potential in biodiversity conservation, the
qualities of the current and expanding protected area network need to be improved. It is
recommended that efforts be concentrated toward increased collaboration and
communication, increased financial resources, improved data quality, and the use of
systematic conservation planning
Visible light positioning systems under imperfect synchronization and signal-dependant noise
Get PDFOptical Wireless Communication (OWC) is an enabling technology for sixth-generation
(6G) and beyond communication networks. Visible light communication (VLC) is a
crucial branch of OWC technology expected to meet 6G communication system requirements. The VLC system can facilitate multiple functionalities simultaneously including
illumination, ultra-high data rate communications, positioning such as location and
navigation services. In VLC systems, a light-emitting diode (LED) functions as a transmitter. A photodetector or imaging sensor acts as a receiver and the visible light is used
as the transmission medium. Researchers have shown a great deal of interest in VLC
based positing and localization techniques, as visible light positioning (VLP) systems
have shown better localization accuracy than radio frequency (RF) based positioning or
global positioning system (GPS). This thesis considers the problem of position estimation accuracy in VLC systems in the presence of signal-dependent shot noise (SDSN).
We investigate distance and 3D position estimation approaches in different scenarios,
focusing on error estimation performance bounds. Additionally, this work attempts to
resolve the synchronization problem found in VLP systems
Characterization of novel cellulase and glucose isomerase-producing bacteria and optimization of the enzyme production conditions and their potential applications in environment and industry
Get PDFCellulases and glucose isomerases are vital enzymes in converting cellulose into fructose.
Cellulases catalyze cellulose conversion to glucose, while glucose isomerase catalyzes the
reversible isomerization of glucose to fructose. There is a growing interest lately in producing
bio-based chemicals and materials from fructose. Soil bacteria produce these enzymes. The
characterization of bacteria for enzyme saccharification of biomass is essential for fructose
production and reducing the time and cost of current bioconversion processes. From this
perspective, we characterized novel cellulase and glucose isomerase-producing bacteria from soil
samples and optimize their enzyme production. Coculturing and whole-cell immobilization for
glucose isomerase and bacterial resistance to environmental factors were also investigated.
Six bacterial strains, Paenarthrobacter sp. MKAL1, Hymenobacter sp. MKAL2,
Mycobacterium sp. MKAL3, Stenotrophomonas sp. MKAL4, Chryseobacterium sp. MKAL5 and
Bacillus sp. MKAL6 were isolated from mixture soil samples collected at Kingfisher Lake and the
University of Manitoba campus and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Using
plate assay techniques, these strains were selected for cellulase and glucose isomerase production
based on the clearance zone appearance. These strains displayed various morphological and
biochemical characteristics. [...
The effects of neurocognitive and physical tasks on breathing and executive functioning in healthy versus concussed Canadian military members
Get PDFWhen on active-duty, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members may be exposed to
dangers and repetitive sub-concussive impacts such as explosive devices, loud gunfire, and handto-hand physical combat. These individuals are at constant risk of experiencing a variety of
injuries including concussions. During a concussion, damage may occur to neural and vascular
tissues that can cause physiological changes in the brain. Abnormal breathing patterns may
emerge, if there is damage to the brainstem or middle cerebral artery, which may reduce blood
flow to the thalamus and brainstem and the respiratory control centres. Therefore, the purpose of
this study was to examine differences between healthy and concussed military members when
completing a neurocognitive and physical task on measures of breathing function.
Two groups were recruited including a concussed and a healthy group. Participants
included males and females between the ages of 18-59 years who were active military members.
Healthy military members were required to have been absent of a concussion within the last 24
months. The concussed military members were required to have been diagnosed with at least 1
concussion by a medical professional within the previous 2-12 months. All participants had to
have been absent of any debilitating injury or condition which would prevent them from safely
engaging in physical activity or any other neurological disorder that have may altered their
results and performance. Although a concussion is classified as a neurological disorder, the
participant must not have had any other neurological disorders. All participants were also
required to be absent of any previous existing respiratory disorders. [...
The impact of unilateral versus bilateral ankle bracing on lower extremity kinetics, kinematics, and performance in volleyball players
Get PDFAs athletes, volleyball players strive for optimal performance while avoiding the
incidence of injury. Ankle braces, which are most commonly used by volleyball players to
minimize the risk of injury are the Ankle Stabilizing Orthosis© EVO (ASO) lace up and Active
Ankle© T2 (T2) rigid braces. Volleyball players wear ankle braces either unilaterally or
bilaterally, but there no previous research has evaluated this comparison. It has been reported
that ankle braces reduce the risk of initial and recurring injury, however, the impact that wearing
ankle braces has on vertical jump height and agility time is inconclusive. The purpose of this
study was to evaluate the impact that unilateral and bilateral ankle bracing has on kinetic and
kinematic measures while wearing the ASO and T2 ankle braces. Competitive female and male
volleyball players (n=22) from Lakehead University and Thunder Bay Competitive Volleyball
League were recruited. Each participant attended two sessions; the first test day included either
the vertical jump test or the agility T-test and the second test day included whichever test they
did not complete the first session. During the each of these two testing sessions, the participants
completed testing trials while wearing the ASO and T2 braces, unilaterally (UNI) and bilaterally
(BI), as well as unbraced (UB). The 2D-kinematic analysis system recorded peak joint angles at
the hip, knee, and ankle, while ground reaction forces (GRF) were collected with an Advanced
Mechanical Technologies Incorporated® (AMTI) force platform. Vertical jump height was
assessed utilizing the VertecTM apparatus and agility times were measured using a Brower timing
system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVAs. [...
Experimental fire testing of damaged glulam beam connections retrofitted using self-tapping screws
Get PDFDuring the lifespan of timber buildings, structural members may exhibit different defects and/or
failures. This may include splits that develop due to shrinkage because of changes in the moisture
content of wood and/or due to excessive flexure bending, tensile, or shear stresses. To rehabilitate
timber structures, there are various retrofitting techniques used to strengthen damaged wood
members. Some of the available methods include the utilization of fiber-reinforced polymer
wrapping sheets, mechanical fasteners such as self-tapping screws (STS), and glued-in rods. The
utilization of STS was proven to be the most economical and easiest retrofitting technique. In
ambient conditions, this technique has been shown to greatly increase the strength of wood-steel-
wood (WSW) connections when subjected to flexure bending. STS have also been shown to
significantly increase the ductility of timber beams utilizing such reinforced connections. Although
STS have proved to be very effective in enhancing the strength of glued-laminated timber (glulam)
beams with WSW connections in ambient conditions, there has been very minimal research on the
effect of STS on retrofitting glulam beams with such connections in fire conditions. [...
Relating and learning with other beings, materials, and weather: multispecies assemblages at a Canadian forest school
Get PDFIn Canada, there has been a surge in outdoor and nature-based programming for young
children, such as forest schools, with interest heightening over the COVID-19 pandemic. While
there are many physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits associated with such outdoor
programs, it is important to remember that humans are not alone in these outdoor spaces.
Posthumanist, new materialist, and common worlds scholarship suggests broadening research to
gain fuller, less anthropocentric, perspectives on child-nature relationships, including in
educational settings. This multispecies ethnography of a forest school in Alberta, Canada had
two primary research questions: How, if at all, do children empathize with the more-than-human
world in a forest school setting? How might the forest school setting and pedagogy facilitate
children’s affective and embodied connections with the natural world?
Participants in the study included a group of six children and their educator as well as
birds, dogs, grass, trees, weather, landscape, snow, and sticks. Using video footage collected
through GoPro cameras worn by the children, photography, observations, interviewing, and local
natural-cultural information, a variety of multispecies encounters were documented and
analyzed. Several themes emerged: 1) Becoming-with animals; 2) Moving, learning, and intra-acting with trees and grass; 4) Experiencing weather, place, and landscape; and 5) Thinking with
materials. Four additional research questions also emerged: Which non-human species or
individuals presented themselves as research participants and partners in the research process? In
what ways did materials, landscapes, and weather invite children’s interactions/intra-actions?
How did nonparticipant observation and sit spot observations contribute to decentering the
children from the research process and what can be gleaned from this experience as a researcher? How was the use of wearable cameras as a data collection method align with goals to
respectfully bring in the children’s perspectives and to gain insight into child-nature relations? [...
From divestment to climate justice: perspectives from university fossil fuel divestment campaigns
Get PDFThe Fossil Fuel Divestment (FFD) Movement has helped facilitate a global transition away from
fossil fuels by stigmatizing the sector’s public image. The movement has been claimed to be
rooted in climate justice, a framework that addresses the history of land domination, neoliberal
capitalism, and the unequal distribution of environmental burdens. The literature on FFD
indicates that in addition to keeping carbon reserves in the ground, FFD campaigns have
provided space for settler students to learn about the ongoing colonialism of Indigenous land and
have given them the opportunity to create alliances with frontline communities. Despite these
accomplishments, FFD campaigns can reproduce the inequities of the dominant racist and
colonial systems and reinforce the very market-based approaches that climate justice activists
have rejected. Furthermore, campaigns lack diverse memberships and thus divestment can be
perceived as a tactic of the privileged which can contribute to misunderstandings of what
“counts” as climate justice work. Using movement-relevant theory and a climate justice
principles framework informed by scholarly and movement literature in the fields of planetary
health, environmental justice and climate justice, I articulate three principles—Values,
Participation and Recognition—to explore how university-based FFD campaigns have
operationalized climate justice in their strategies and practices. I employed a multiple case study
of three FFD campaigns across Canada and collected and analyzed data from public campaign
documents and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with core organizers from each campaign.
Through the CJ principles framework, I used a priori coding schema to deduct codes based on
the three principles. The findings of this research identified that climate justice principles were
operationalized through 1) Climate justice messaging through divestment arguments and popular
education; 2) Equitable movement-building practices through community-building, accessibility
and care and; 3) Frontline and movement solidarity through collaboration, relationship-building
and community reinvestment. This study also identified the barriers and contradictions present in
the integration of CJ. The key implications of this research can provide opportunities for further
application of CJ. These include monitoring the reinvestment of divested funds to ensure that
harm is not further perpetuated by investment in other exploitative sectors, to incorporate
intentional recruitment strategies and formalized processes for decision-making to recruit and
retain diverse organizers, and to prioritize the creation and maintenance of long-term
relationships in their solidarity efforts
The history of deforestation in Southwestern Ontario and methods used in afforestation of old agricultural fields – a literature review
Get PDFThe forests of southwestern Ontario were logged in the 1700’s for use by the
British and French navies as ship masts, spars and hulls. Early settlers cleared the forests
to make way for agriculture and settlements. The large-scale deforestation had
devastating results to the land and people. Erosion, flooding, drought, loss of wildlife
and fish habitat, the inability to grow crops and deserted farms resulted. Eventually, it
was recognized that planting trees was the only way that the damage could be restored.
As a result, legislation was passed to encourage tree planting but it took time and the
willingness of municipalities, landowners, government and concerned agricultural
groups for trees to be planted on a larger scale.
This thesis is a literature review describing the history of land clearing in
southwestern Ontario and explores the use of afforestation methods to regenerate old
agricultural fields. A great deal has been learned about the best practices for success in
afforestation. Understanding soil type, matching tree species to soil, species
requirements, planting methods, competition control and tending are all important
factors. After over two hundred years when deforestation started restoration of the land
still continues in southwestern Ontario as is exemplified by popular tree planting
programs in effect today such as the 50 Million tree program
Intra-limb coordination and control in individuals with stroke. Conceptual and methodological considerations
Get PDFStroke results in substantial difficulties in reaching and grasping actions, which may
emerge at different levels of coordination and control, in both the spatial and temporal domains.
In the context of motor control, these issues relate broadly to the Degrees of Freedom Problem
(Bernstein, 1967), as well as to many other theoretical models (e.g., Models of Constraints) that
fall under this conceptual umbrella. Over the last few decades, a substantial amount of studies
have been published to examine these issues, including various systematic reviews. However, the
majority of this work failed to explicitly address the level at which these issues occur, the impact
of different constraints on the emerging patterns, and the conceptual relevance of the emerging
inferences. As such, the purpose of this study was threefold. The first purpose was to examine
whether the selected studies examined the issue in coordination and/or control, and to determine
the conceptual framework underpinning these investigations. The second purpose was to
delineate which individual, task, and environmental constraints have been examined in previous
work, and infer the degree to which these factors affected the nature of the emerging movement
trajectories. Lastly, the third purpose was to address the methodological aspects of the existing
studies, by identifying the prevalence of different measures of coordination (angle-angle plots;
correlations) and control. [...