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Molecular phylogenetics and doubly uniparental inheritance in freshwater mussel Nephronaias tempisquensis (Bivalvia: unionidae) from Costa Rica
No full textNeotropical freshwater mussel taxa have been historically understudied compared to Nearctic species. This research project focused on molecular phylogenetics and evolution of Nephronaias tempisquensis collected from Cañas, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes confirmed the hypothesized membership of N. tempisquensis in the Popenaiadini tribe of the Ambleminae freshwater subfamily. We also determined that some of these N. tempisquensis specimens exhibited doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI), a fascinating deviation from the paradigm of the strict maternal inheritance (SMI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mussels exhibiting DUI contain two highly divergent sex-associated mtDNA genomes that are passed maternally and paternally, respectively. The male-transmitted (M-type) and female-transmitted (F-type) mtDNA genomes of mussels exhibiting DUI also contain highly distinct open reading frame genes (orfs). However, the evolution of hermaphroditism presents an interesting variation of DUI. The shift from a dioecious species exhibiting DUI to hermaphroditism is characterized by the loss of the M-type genome and the transformation of the F-type genome into an H-type genome. Previous research has explored the utility of F-type orf (F-orf) sequences in determining whether a population has recently transitioned or is in the process of transitioning to hermaphroditism by comparing the amino acid hydrophobicity profiles of the divergent F-orf and the hermaphroditic H-orf. Chapter 4 used this method to determine whether N. tempisquensis is exhibiting signs of the transition to hermaphroditism, however, no molecular evidence of such a transition was observed. F-orf divergence trends were also compared among taxa from the Ambleminae subfamily and the previously studied Unioninae subfamily to elucidate any trends in patterns of molecular evolution within and between these taxonomic assemblages.</p
Invasive chain pickerel in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site: population description, effects on native fish assemblages, and spawning timing
No full textChain pickerel Esox niger Lesueur, 1818, is an invasive freshwater fish found in Nova Scotia, Canada. Chain pickerel was illegally introduced to Nova Scotia in the 1940s in Digby County, because of its popularity as a sport fish. Through natural movement and subsequent illegal introductions, Chain pickerel has spread across Nova Scotia, being recorded in 166 waterbodies as of 2020. In 2018, Chain pickerel was first discovered in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site (hereafter “Kejimkujik”). Since the initial invasion, Chain pickerel has successfully spread throughout Kejimkujik. With each passing year, prior to and over this study period, the abundance, body lengths and weights of Chain pickerel continue to increase and demonstrate a successful establishment in Kejimkujik.Over the course of a four-year monitoring period for this present study, a decrease in the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of native fishes has been observed. When comparing early-invaded with late-invaded lakes, early-invaded lakes were found to have significantly lower CPUE compared to late-invaded lakes. As the abundance of native fishes began to decrease, Chain pickerel shifted diets from primarily piscivorous to an increased importance in invertebrates.A primary spawning period of Chain pickerel has been identified using trends in GSI, oocyte development and observed spawning behaviour. Spawning occurs from late March to mid-April in Kejimkujik. Evidence of a second, less intensive, fall spawning period was also found.</p
Reverence or revolution?: foraging for a renewed ecological praxis in Nihon
No full textIt is difficult to overstate the severity of the ecological crises presently destroying Planet Earth. Radical social and economic change is required imminently if our species and countless others are to avoid grim futures of dislocation, upheaval, runaway warming, and annihilation. In my thesis Reverence or Revolution?, I bring together threads found in Japanese spiritual ontologies with generative revolutionary theory to advance a set of proposals for political mobilization, which I refer to as 'ecological praxis.' Inspired by a four-month academic exchange in Japan, I argue that a synthesis of ecological reverence found in Japanese philosophical currents would be most effectively actualized within the domain of revolutionary politics, and in turn, that a true commitment to reverence for the Earth and all life both justifies and necessitates the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism. In exploring these possibilities, I draw from the Japanese 'post-miracle' economic situation to outline the predicament of global capitalism and also discuss the prospects of ecological and political action in Japan. Expanding beyond Japan, I explicate a universalizable praxis grounded in ecological reverence and revolutionary socialism, exploring its generative possibilities as well as the obstacles such an effort will confront. The guiding conviction of this ecological praxis and the thesis itself may be described as follows: "From reverence comes revolution, and from revolution comes reverence.
Exploring holistic resilience in Nova Scotia: a study of Hall's Harbour
No full textSmall rural communities in Nova Scotia grapple significantly with the impacts of coastal climate change and adaptation efforts target these environmental threats. However, socioeconomic factors also impact the resilience capacity of these communities. This research uses the Nova Scotian coastal community of Hall’s Harbour as a case study to explore holistic community resilience within the contexts of climate change and other socioeconomic considerations. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group with community members and other stakeholders serve as the data for the inquiry. Data analysis identified five themes that include: community values, coastal climate adaptation, tourism development, the communities’ capacity for resilience, and community economic and infrastructure development as the key factors supporting holistic resilience in the small rural coastal community of Hall’s Harbour. Key insights from the findings include: (i) building resilience through infrastructure development (ii) engaging the community capitals to enhance community resilience, and (iii) the significance of adaptive capacities in community adaptation and resilience planning. Based on the findings, the study suggests that effective community resilience building in the context of small coastal communities like Hall’s Harbour relies not only on climatic/environmental factors but on the combination of different socioeconomic influences within and outside the community. Key recommendations for resilience planning in small rural and coastal contexts include improved community engagement, diversified funding, stronger partnership, and capacity building.</p
Glass ceiling, paper walls: uncovering the experiences of women personnel at the Tokyo International Military Tribunal
No full textWomen employees of the Tokyo International Military Tribunal (Tokyo IMT) have been largely neglected by current scholarship. This thesis amends this deficit, exploring the diverse and significant roles occupied by women, and the unique challenges they faced in the hyper-masculine, patriarchal environment of the Tokyo IMT. Vulnerability, hope, and ambition defined the IMTFE atmosphere, shaped largely by the role of gender, which is explored throughout this thesis. It considers three prosecutors, Grace Kanode Llewellyn, Helen Grigware Lambert and Coomee Strooker-Dantra, as well as two secretaries, Willianna Abrams and Elaine B. Fischel. The professional and social experiences of these women are reconstructed using a selection of primary source materials, including IMTFE personnel files, personal correspondence, and written memoirs from private and public collections. Secondary research situates this history within its context and provides supporting evidence throughout the analysis. The institutional
challenges imposed on women personnel are exposed, as well as challenges precipitated by the blurring of social and professional lines within the tribunal's closed circle. Ultimately, this thesis reveals the formidable tenacity of the women of the IMTFE and their lasting, meaningful contributions to the tribunal
Determining the required operating subsidy of Canadian Transit Agencies: an examination of public transit operating deficits in Canada
No full textPublic transit systems can reduce road congestion, decrease air pollution, and provide affordable transportation within the areas they service. Despite continued growth in Canadian urban transit ridership levels over the past years, public transit systems across Canada consistently earn less revenue than they spend to remain operational. The difference between transit agencies' operating revenue and operating expenditures (known as the operating deficit) is covered by government subsidies which allow public transit to continue working. As more funding becomes available for new transit projects and current transit services, it is essential to understand how much each transit agency requires to remain in operation. This thesis conducts a regression analysis on the determinants of transit demand to estimate the expected per-trip operating deficit a transit agency will experience. Data collected by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is used to generate two models which can predict the per-trip subsidy a public transit agency will require based on transit demand levels in the region it services. Data collected from the years 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, and 2016 from 104 Canadian Transit agencies is used in this study.
Transit demand is accounted for with Canadian census data, and findings show that demographic and socioeconomic factors that impact ridership levels among transit users have varying effects on the per-trip subsidy a transit service requires. These effects reveal diseconomies of scale within large, urban transit agencies and explain the relationship between transit demand and transit costs. The results from this analysis allow policymakers to predict expected costs for current transit infrastructure, and determine expected future costs for new transit projects
Intolerance of uncertainty as a predictor of psychological aggression perpetration amongst LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textIntolerance of uncertainty (IU) involves being fearful of the unknown and/or the future, with those high in IU being more likely to experience greater difficulties coping with uncertainty. IU tends to be associated with heightened anxiety, jealousy, and anger, which are also related to an increased likelihood of perpetrating intimate partner violence (IPV). Theoretically, IU might be a risk factor for psychological IPV perpetration; however, little research has been done to examine this potential relationship, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study examined whether IU was a predictor of psychological aggression perpetration both cross-sectionally (n = 1118) and longitudinally, through daily diaries (n = 336) and a follow-up study (n = 399), among LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that higher levels of IU would be related to higher levels of psychological aggression perpetration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that IU significantly predicted psychological IPV perpetration cross-sectionally but not longitudinally. Furthermore, psychological IPV perpetration did not increase over time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, LGBTQ+ identity did not predict psychological IPV perpetration. However, when covariates (e.g., age) were removed, LGBTQ+ individuals had significantly higher IU levels than non-LGBTQ+ individuals. Finally, the current study found that LGBTQ+ identity did not moderate the strength of the association between IU and psychological IPV perpetration. Given that those high in IU are more likely to perpetrate IPV, it may be beneficial to target IU clinically in order to reduce IPV perpetration
Petrography and geochemistry of early carboniferous volcanic rocks in the northeastern Cobequid Highlands, Nova Scotia
No full textVolcanic rocks of the Early Carboniferous Byers Brook and Diamond Brook formations and related plutonic rocks form a linear belt trending NW-SE through the northeastern Cobequid Highlands of northern mainland Nova Scotia. The volcanic rocks, with an exposed stratigraphic thickness of over 5 km and strike-length of about 35 km, include basalt and minor intermediate rocks but are dominated by rhyolite with previously reported U–Pb zircon ages that range from about 358 Ma to 353 Ma. In this study, LiDAR and geophysical imagery were used in combination with petrographic observations and chemical data to corroborate division of the volcanic sequence into at least 8 separate flow units. Rhyolite units include both lava flows and pyroclastic flows, with well-preserved textures such as flow-banded, spherulitic, and granophyric, although reliable distinction between lava flows and pyroclastic flows is difficult based on textures observed in thin section. Chemical data from 55 samples showed that rhyolite is metaluminous to peraluminous, but not peralkaline, with chemical characteristics typical of within-plate A-type magma derived from crustal melting. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns in rhyolite samples are
relatively flat and high, ranging from 100 to 1000 times chondritic values with variable but large Eu anomalies. Consistent with previous studies the rhyolite is divided into low-Zr (<650 ppm) and high-Zr
(>900 ppm) units. However, samples with ultrahigh-Zr (>1500 ppm) are widely distributed and not confined to specific units. High-Zr rhyolite samples also have high total rare-earth element (REE) abundance, but high-Zr does not correlate with high SiO2 and Rb that characterize the most highly differentiated samples. The associated basalt is subalkalic and has chemical characteristics, including REE patterns, typical of continental tholeiite. Radiometric maps show a large area of high potassium, uranium, and thorium centred on the Warwick Mountain closure area that crosses unit boundaries and extends into the adjacent plutonic rocks. Samples from the area suggest that microgranite dykes intruded both volcanic rocks and adjacent granitic plutons. Samples from the area have high SiO2 and Rb but not characterized by high-Zr or high REE contents
Love in the pandemic: a model for predicting romantic relationship functioning, quality, and stability over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textA model of relationship quality and stability, adapted from Pietromonaco and Overall (2021), was tested within the context of COVID-19 to better understand the facets behind why relationships may dissolve. The current model was tested using data collected from a longitudinal on-line survey, N =287, with each measure being taken at a different time point. Results indicated that the model fit the data well. Vulnerable individuals (those more intolerant of uncertainty, within the LGBTQ+ community, and experiencing more external stressors) perceived higher individual stress. Increased individual stress further impacted romantic relationships predicting increased maladaptive relationship processes, which predicted lower quality and stability of the relationship. Most notably, the addition of individual stress within the current model received stronger support than direct pathways between vulnerabilities and romantic relationships proposed in previous models, suggesting that individual stress is a potential mechanism through which vulnerabilities impact romantic relationships. This thesis expands on previous literature by empirically examining a model of romantic relationships in a
longitudinal format. This work has implications for understanding how romantic relationships unfold, which could aid practitioners in prevention and intervention methods within couple's therapy. Future work should examine the same model with different samples, different measures, and including the partner's perspective in the model
Creating an environment that promotes adherence to exercise rehabilitation for low back pain: perspectives of health care providers
No full textExisting literature has identified low back pain as a significant societal problem affecting many adults in their lifetime. Back pain tends to be treated in physiotherapy settings with therapeutic exercise; however, adherence to these exercises is typically low. Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a theoretical framework that has been used in a variety of exercise contexts and may help to inform strategies physiotherapists can use to help improve patient adherence. Surprisingly, few studies have examined strategies physiotherapists can use to address these psychosocial needs three psychosocial needs outlined by SDT, autonomy, competence, and social relatedness. The few studies that do provide insight suggest strategies stemming from the satisfaction of these needs could help improve adherence. Further, much of the work in this area is from the perspective of the client, while there is a lack of research on the provider perspective on adherence. As physiotherapists are the professionals delivering the rehabilitation interventions to clients, understanding their perspectives and practices could provide valuable insight into what is affecting adherence