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At the Crossroads of Gender Identity and Theology: Performativity, Imago Dei, and the Praxis of Accompaniment in Transgender Experiences
Get PDFMindful of the growing visibility and vulnerabilities of transgender persons, this thesis, through a comparative lens, critically examines contemporary gender theory and the Catholic Church’s response. It begins by engaging Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, which contends that gender is not an innate reality but a socially enacted construct shaped by power and repetition. In contrast, the Church teaches that gender identity corresponds to biological sex as an embodied expression of the human person, created male and female in the image of God, with the sexual difference bearing theological significance. While these frameworks appear in tension, both are insufficient when confronted with the lived experiences of transgender persons, whose suffering often exceeds theoretical categories. For the Church, this impasse calls not only for doctrinal clarity and critique but for a more attentive response, a praxis of accompaniment of those whose identities unfold at the thresholds of our existing understandings.Master of Theology (ThM
Multiple Chronic Conditions Before Pregnancy and Risk of Adverse Maternal Health Outcomes: Population‐Based Cohort Study
Get PDFThis article is the final version published in the International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (BJOG).Objective
To assess the risks of perinatal emergency department (ED) use, hospitalisation and severe maternal morbidity or mortality (SMM-M) associated with preconception MCC, according to the number of chronic conditions, complex MCC and co-occurring cardiometabolic conditions.
Design
Population-based cohort study.
Setting
Ontario, Canada.
Population
Females aged 13–54 years, with a recognised pregnancy, 2012–2021.
Methods
Modified Poisson regression was used to generate adjusted relative risks (aRRs) according to the number of chronic conditions, complex MCC (≥ 3 chronic conditions affecting ≥ 3 body systems) and co-occurring cardiometabolic conditions. aRRs were adjusted for age, parity, income quintile, rurality and immigrant/refugee status.
Main Outcome Measures
ED use, hospitalisation and SMM-M from the estimated date of conception to 42 days postpartum.
Results
In total, 894 042 individuals had no pre-pregnancy chronic condition; 357 398 had 1; 94 427 had 2; and 27 326 had ≥ 3 chronic conditions. Relative to those without a chronic condition, the aRR for ED use increased with 1 (1.26, 95% CI 1.25–1.27), 2 (1.55, 1.54–1.56) and ≥ 3 (1.86, 1.85–1.88) conditions. For hospitalisations, the corresponding aRRs were 1.45 (1.43–1.47), 2.06 (2.02–2.10) and 3.18 (3.09–3.27). For SMM-M, the corresponding aRRs were 1.38 (1.35–1.42), 1.82 (1.75–1.90) and 2.75 (2.59–2.92). SMM-M risk was even more pronounced with complex MCC (aRR 2.92, 95% CI 2.72–3.14), and ≥ 3 cardiometabolic conditions (aRR 5.45, 95% CI 4.29–6.91).
Conclusions
MCC, especially complex or cardiometabolic MCC, is associated with elevated risk of maternal morbidity. Multidisciplinary patient-centred care may mitigate these risks.This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program to HKB (2019-00158) and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Operating Grant (FRN 186615)
Prediction Modelling of Total Knee Arthroplasty Non-Responders Using Clinical and Pain Sensitization Measures: A Pilot Study
Get PDFApproximately 15-20% of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are considered non-responders. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of conducting a main study to develop a prediction model of TKA non-responders using clinical and pain sensitization measures. 42 patients undergoing TKA (67.7 ± 7.8 y; 71.4% female; 49.7 ± 14.8, total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score) were enrolled into an observational cohort study from two orthopedic centres. Twenty-three participants (aged 69.1 ± 7.7 y; 82.6% female) completed 1 y post-op follow-ups at time of analysis and were classified as responders or non-responders based on WOMAC change score. Recruitment rates varied by centre (0.4 vs. 1.3 patients/day). The data collection process demonstrated clinical feasibility, and the analysis pipeline successfully selected strong predictor variables for subsequent modelling. Exploratory latent class analysis indicated that distinct pain mechanism subgroups likely exist within the TKA population. A 3-class model best fit our pilot sample (AIC = 460, BIC = 491, entropy = 0.92). Overall, pooled recruitment (0.55 patients/day) and retention rates (~75%) suggest that modifications to the recruitment strategy and involvement of additional centres would be required for a successful main study.M.Sc
Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Ion-adsorption Clays and Their Separation Using Chelation-Assisted Electrodialysis
Get PDFWith the growing adoption of modern and sustainable technologies, global demand for rare earth elements (REEs) is rising. However, REE production faces two major challenges: limited supply sources and non-environmentally friendly extraction and separation processes, contradicting the sustainability goals of their applications. To truly achieve sustainable development, it is essential to explore new REE resources and develop more environmentally sustainable production methods.The overall objective of this dissertation is to extract REEs from a South American ion-adsorption clay and separate them using chelation-assisted electrodialysis. Specifically, this dissertation is divided into four sub-objectives: 1) Comprehensive characterization of an ion-adsorption clay sample from South America and developing a hydrometallurgical process to desorb the surface bound REEs. 2) Investigating the incorporation and adsorption mechanisms of REEs in the ion-adsorption clay. 3) Developing a chelation-assisted electrodialysis process to separate heavy and light REEs (praseodymium, neodymium, and dysprosium). 4) Simulation of the chelation-assisted electrodialysis process for future complex process design.
The advantages of successful implementation of this research project are twofold: 1) It contributes to scientific understandings of REE incorporation in ion-adsorption clays and introduces a valuable source for REEs that face steep demand growth and limited supply. 2) It provides a potential alternative to solvent extraction process for REE separation. While the immediate impact of this dissertation lies in promoting the sustainable production of REEs, its broader significance extends to enhancing overall societal sustainability.Ph.D
Characterizing Canadian Healthcare Providers’ Behaviour Regarding Prescribing HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Get PDFBackground: HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is underused in women. I explored providers’ PrEP prescribing to women using the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model. Methods: In a survey, Canadian OBGYN, family, internal, and preventive medicine physicians/residents, and pharmacists self-assessed their COM-B from 0-100, following guiding questions between August/2023-March/2024. I descriptively analyzed determinants of PrEP prescribing to cisgender/ transgender women and used multivariable regression modeling to identify construct correlates.
Results: Nearly a quarter of providers had prescribed to cis and trans women (24.8%, CI=0.19-0.3; and 23.8%, CI=0.19-0.29). Providers had high prescribing Motivation (median=80, IQR=61, 91.3 for cis women; median=81, IQR=63, 100 for trans women), and modest Capability (median=54, IQR=25, 80; median=58, IQR=25, 84.3) and Opportunity (median=41, IQR=16, 70; median=40, IQR = 10, 73.5). In the adjusted models, Capability (AOR=1.34, p=0.002; AOR=1.45, p=0.017) and Opportunity (AOR=1.19, p<0.001; AOR=1.22, p=0.009) were significantly associated with prescribing to cis and trans women, while Motivation was not.
Conclusions: Prescribing had occurred only in a quarter of providers, likely due to low Capability and Opportunity. Future interventions should address these constructs.M.Sc
The Compositional Atom: Transpacific Nuclear Entanglements of Japan, the Marshall Islands, and the United States
Get PDFThe Compositional Atom covers the period of 1945-1960 examining the “Atoms for Peace” campaign in Japan and the rise and normalization of discourse on “peaceful” atoms. The project focuses on the material, political, and cultural fallout created by the US thermonuclear test Castle Bravo that exposed over 200 Marshallese, two dozen US servicemen, and the crew of the Japanese tuna vessel, the Lucky Dragon No. 5. I argue that the triangulated relationship between Japan, the Marshall Islands, and the United States generated and contoured knowledge about so-called peaceful nuclear development that valorized civil reactors while disavowing material and political connections to US tests and its militarized nuclear industry. These transpacific nuclear entanglements weave together the US-Japan imperial rivalry in the Pacific, contestations over scientific knowledge production, and complicity in the exposure of the Marshall Islands to ever more violent atoms.
This dissertation juxtaposes official, scientific, and cultural discourses while offering the “composition” as a critical analytical concept. Required in both “peaceful” and “violent” atoms, nuclear reactors belie an inseparable “composition” of both potentialities in the technology—that threat of slippage extends to politics underpinning nuclear development. Part 1 follows contentions between American and Japanese officials in the months following Castle Bravo, highlighting conflicting imaginations and relations to the Pacific that are linked by a shared imperial lens. Part 2 analyzes the trans-imperial foundations of America’s first nuclear test in the Marshall Islands as the conditions of possibility for the Pacific Proving Grounds that sparked the 1950’s controversies. Part 3 examines early post-war scientific and political discourse leading into the geopolitical composition disavowed by the “Atoms for Peace” campaign and nuclear development in Japan that actively permitted and benefitted from American empire. Two vignettes accompany Parts 1 and 3, examining Gojira as an unofficial archive of meaning-making during 1954’s cacophonous landscape and Tetsuwan Atomu’s critical engagement with nuclear technology that troubled the “peace/war” dichotomy through connections with the irradiated Pacific. Ultimately, the schism between atoms for “peace” and “war” requiring the triangulated relationship between the US, Marshall Islands, and Japan should be understood as the entrenchment of an imperialist “compositional geopolitics”.Ph.D
FASED
Get PDF© 2025 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Dot products are heavily used in applications like graphics, signal processing, navigation, and artificial intelligence (AI). These AI models in particular impose significant computational demands on modern computers. Current accelerators typically implement dot product hardware as a row of multipliers followed by a tree of adders. However, treating multiplication and summation operations separately leads to sub-optimal hardware. In contrast, we obtain significant area savings by considering the dot product operation as a whole. We propose FASED, which fuses components of a Booth multiplier with the adder tree to eliminate a significant portion of full adders from a baseline INT8xINT8,4,2 design. Compared to popular dot product hardware units, FASED reduces area by up to 1.9x.NSERC, Fujitsu, and the Vector Institute
Understanding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Within Canadian Radiation Oncology Training Programs: A National Survey of Residents and Fellows
Get PDFBackground: This study characterizes the current representation of sociodemographic groups within Canadian radiation oncology training programs and trainees’ lived experiences. Methods: A 59-item ethics-approved, bilingual survey assessed sociodemographics, training perceptions, mentorship, discrimination/harassment experienced, and open-ended questions. Electronic surveys were distributed to all Canadian radiation oncology residents/fellows. Descriptive statistics summarized survey responses. Categorical groups were compared using chi-squared/Fisher’s exact tests. Thematic analysis was performed on open-ended responses. Results: Between July and December 2023, 98 of 177 (56%) trainees participated: 70% were residents, 52% identified as male, 62% as a racialized minority, and 10% as a sexual minority. Most respondents reported training program satisfaction (83%) and a respectful workplace culture (69%); however, discrimination during training was reported by 38%. Less than half (45%) felt comfortable reporting discrimination/harassment within their workplace. Women were more likely to feel under-represented in-training (46% vs. 13%, p = 0.001) and perceived more discrimination events (64% vs. 19%, p < 0.001). Three themes emerged as follows: importance of offering EDI education, ensuring pathways for reporting learner mistreatment, and creating appropriately diverse selection committees. Conclusions: Although most Canadian radiation oncology trainees reported satisfaction and a respectful culture, key differences between groups were observed. Targeted strategies and stronger institutional policies to improve representation and reduce rates of discrimination/harassment are needed
Essays on Economics of Privacy
Get PDFChapter 1 investigates the costs and benefits that accrue to both consumers and firms as a result of privacy restrictions. It discusses the three main channels through which firms respond to privacy regulations: altering data collection practices, changing monetization strategies, and reducing investment in product quality. The chapter also explores how consumers’ perceptions of control and personalization affect their responses to these policies.Chapter 2 focuses on the empirical analysis of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy in the iOS app market. This policy, which restricts apps from tracking users without their consent, serves as a natural experiment to examine the impact of stricter privacy measures. Using data from top free iOS apps, the chapter demonstrates that, although the overall effect of ATT on app downloads is statistically insignificant and economically small, data collection patterns shift. The findings suggest that the publishers have adapted by relying more on in-house data and self-advertising, rather than using third-party data and ad networks.
Chapter 3 examines the impact of privacy regulation on merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, specifically in the adtech ecosystem, in the context of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The analysis uses M&A data between 2018 and 2022 and applies a difference-in-differences framework to compare firms in California with those in other states. The results suggest that the CCPA led to a 16% increase in overall merger activity in the adtech industry, with vertical mergers—where firms within the adtech stack acquire companies with access to valuable data—being the most common type of consolidation. The CCPA’s restrictions on third-party data have forced firms to shift toward using first-party data, potentially increasing the incentives for mergers.Ph.D
Examining the Influencing Factors in Implementing Leadership Development Strategies for Canadian Academic Nurses: A Pre-implementation Study
Get PDFAs Canadian nursing schools face pressures to expand enrollment and accelerate learning pathways, the shortage of academic nurses threatens the sustainability of nursing education. With many faculty members nearing retirement, ongoing recruitment challenges, and an increasingly complex postsecondary environment, there is an urgent need to develop strong academic nursing leaders who can find innovative solutions to these challenges. This study examined the factors that influence the implementation of leadership development strategies for academic nurses. Using a pre-implementation lens guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research 2.0 and anchored in the LEADS in a Caring Environment Framework, it explored the contextual nuances influencing the uptake of leadership development strategies within Canadian nursing schools. Informed by the interpretivism-constructivism paradigm, this study used a qualitative descriptive approach.Findings revealed that implementing leadership development strategies is shaped by six influencing factors: 1) creating opportunities to expand networks, 2) nurturing a leadership ecosystem, 3) building capacity, 4) understanding academic processes and policies, 5) maintaining a strategic focus, and 6) managing resources. While these factors play a distinct role in shaping the uptake of leadership development strategies, they are interdependent, serving as either enablers or barriers. To synthesize these insights, this study distilled the six factors into three overarching messages: 1) the complex interplay of influencing factors, 2) institutional policies and external influences, and 3) strategic leadership. This synthesis allowed for a more cohesive perspective, helping to connect individual findings to broader system-level insights. By grouping the factors, the study provided a more accessible framework to guide academic leaders in understanding where to focus their efforts. It moves beyond isolated observations and toward integrated, actionable knowledge, offering pragmatic direction for those aiming to embed leadership development in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Canadian nursing schools will be better positioned to advance their leadership capacity by recognizing and addressing the six influencing factors affecting the implementation of leadership development strategies. A plan that considers and accounts for these influencing factors will support creating a fulsome leadership development strategy capable of building a resilient pipeline of nursing leaders, ultimately strengthening both nursing education and the profession.D.N