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Essays on Environmental Cooperation and Trade
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the relationship between environmental cooperation and trade within heterogeneous countries. Comprising three essays, the research delves into the impact of environmental damage heterogeneity on the stability of environmental coalitions in the presence of exogenous tariffs, the effect of environmental damage heterogeneity on the stability of environmental coalitions in the presence of endogenous tariffs, and the role of unilateral Carbon Border Adjustments (CBAs) in incentivizing environmental cooperation among heterogeneous countries.
The first essay employs a static three-country model to analyze the stability of international environmental agreements among heterogeneous trading partners. The study examines the trade-offs governments face in balancing the enforcement of emissions reductions through higher taxes against the potential consequences of noncooperation in the form of higher exogenous export tariffs. The main findings demonstrate that the grand coalition can be stable across various levels of heterogeneity, while underscoring the critical role of punitive tariffs in determining coalitional stability.
Building upon these insights, the second essay introduces an endogenous solution to the static three-country model, incorporating endogenous import tariffs. The research identifies conditions under which the grand coalition remains stable, showcasing environmental and welfare gains across varying levels of heterogeneity. The study reveals that as market sizes expand, the grand coalition transitions from generating both environmental and welfare gains to primarily fostering only overall welfare gains.
The third essay shifts focus to the implementation of unilateral CBAs, exemplified by the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Investigating the effects of CBAs in a two-country trade model with different environmental damage parameters, the study assesses their impacts on global welfare and emissions. Novel considerations include the time sensitivity of CBAs, distinguishing between farsighted and myopic approaches, and exploring the potential for retaliation in myopic CBAs. Results show that farsighted CBAs can generate environmental and welfare gains under specific conditions, while myopic CBAs without retaliation offer potential avenues for cooperation.
Collectively, these essays contribute valuable insights into the intricate interplay of environmental cooperation and trade dynamics, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities presented by free-riding behavior, enforcement challenges, and environmental damage heterogeneity in the pursuit of stable environmental coalitions
Collaboration in the Studio Art Classroom: Making Meaning Together
Get PDFCollaboration in the studio art classroom is an amalgamation of students, materials, ideas, and skills. This assemblage of human and non-human factors can create unique pedagogical experiences for students. It can also create a support network that helps students in their early careers as artists and art educators. The idea of the artist as a lone genius persists from modernism even though many galleries, biennials, and art fairs have embraced collaboration as a way of art making. The lone artist, working away in the studio on the next masterwork is dispelled by other artist periods and movements, where we see other ways of working such as the apprentice and master model, or more artist collectives and groups where ideas are interchanged, such as Dada, or the Bauhaus.
In this study we look at the experiences of students, professional artists, and post- secondary instructors who utilize collaboration. Using these experiences, the study outlines an orientation towards collaboration that can help instructors plan collaborative assignments in their class. This study uses both phenomenology and Actor Network Theory to describe the experiences of participants. Phenomenology allows for deep description of the experiences of participants, however, it does not fully account for the agency of non-human actants and privileges the subject. Therefore, Actor Network Theory has been utilized to account for these non-human factors while still privileging the experience of the participant. This was done through an interview process where participants recounted their experiences privileging both their relationship with their collaborators as well as with materials and technologies that they used to collaborate.
These interviews overlapped in many ways and three major categories helped organize the experiences of the students, artists, and instructors. They were ‘flexibility’ and ‘openness’, ‘structure and process, and ‘community and relationships’. Flexibility and openness described the participants relationships to each other, as well as the materials that they used. Structure and process helped participants navigate the exchange of ideas that is necessary for collaboration without becoming fixed on the end result. Finally, community and relationships were the overarching frame and ethos that allowed for collaboration
Development of a Resuspension Technique for Heavy Metal Remediation of a Shallow Contaminated Harbour
No full textHeavy metal pollution is an anthropogenic unavoidable issue with implications for life. Heavy metals are natural occurring elements, having both natural and anthropogenic sources. Sediment and soil contamination with toxic heavy metals, including (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb), represents a major long-term remediation challenge. A surface sediment sample (<10 cm) was collected from shallow harbour on the bank of the St. Lawrence River, in Quebec, Canada in 2019 and 2021 for a sediment decontamination study. Harbour sediment from the St. Lawrence River, in Quebec is anthropogenically polluted by heavy metals. To evaluate the metal pollution in this area, the total concentrations of heavy metals in selected stations were analyzed. A series of laboratory-based experiments under various conditions were performed using designed reactor in order to provide information for sediment remediation technology development. The concept of the resuspension method is that finer sediments have a greater tendency to adsorb the contamination. We are therefore developing a sediment-treatment process based on heavy metal removal by resuspension technique. Sequential extraction procedures were used on the sediment to determine the speciation of the heavy metals before remediation and in the suspended particle matter (SPM). The resuspension method was successful in reducing the concentration of seven selected heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb) by removing just 2.63% of the contaminated sediment (2019). Removal efficiency values on average were positive for all heavy metals (with a minimum 3.48% for Cd and a maximum of 32.4% for Cu). The results of the sequential extraction tests implied that the resuspension technique is capable of decreasing the risk of remobilization of heavy metals in the aquatic ecosystem. The effects of heavy metals on survival and growth of midge Chironomus riparius and Hyalella azteca were investigated. Both larval survival and growth did not show significantly difference between sediment samples (before remediation, after remediation and SPM) with controls. Therefore, exposure of Chironomus riparius and Hyalella azteca larvae to sediments collected in the St. Lawrence River did not have any toxic effects according to the results.
The resuspension method showed desirable results for the removal of heavy metals from bottom sediments (2019). A small amount of sediment removed from the system, and no chemical substances were employed
#Simstagram: Performativity of Authenticity, Gender and Influencer Identities of The Sims Players in Instagram’s Post-Feminist Lifestyle Culture
Get PDFThe Sims, a life simulation video game series, has evolved into a platform for gender, femininity, and lifestyle performance on Instagram, known as Simstagram. This study explores how Sims players construct and perform identities within the contexts of game studies, influencer culture, and postfeminist social media evolution. Using digital ethnography and text analysis of 803 posts and 1,163 unique images from 105 accounts, I investigate identity embodiment at the intersection of authenticity, performativity, Instagram's postfeminist influencer culture, and platform affordances. Key findings reveal that Simstagrammers engage in sophisticated identity construction, balancing aspirational content with relatable authenticity by leveraging both the Sims game mechanics and Instagram's platform features. My analysis of the complex interplay between performativity, authenticity, and embodiment in Simstagram reveals a blend of contextual expectations regarding The Sims game and Instagram where Simstagram users create and present their virtual identities in ways that align with the cultural and mechanical expectations of The Sims game, while also adhering to the norms and practices of authenticity valued in Instagram's influencer culture. The concept of "meta-influencers" emerges as a central theme, describing Simstagrammers who embody influencer practices within virtual personas while reflecting upon and playing with influencer culture conventions, hinting at the fundamental idea that anyone has the potential to become an influencer. My research contributes to understanding how individuals navigate and create meaning in complex digital ecosystems, reflecting and contributing to broader influencer culture while offering a unique lens to examine contemporary gender representations and identity construction in digital spaces
Root Medicine: Confronting Indigenous Segregation and Building Partnership in Qu’Appelle Healthcare, 1870-1950
Get PDFIn recent decades, oral history and storywork have transformed the study of Indigenous health histories. Through a desire-based research framework, this study aims to foreground the many ways by which First Nations reserve communities have continuously asserted self-determination through practices of holistic, land-based wellness in Treaty Four territory. The two-part study begins in the context of the All Nations Healing Hospital in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. With a blended approach of clinical Western medicine and a robust offering of traditional Indigenous therapeutics, the hospital reflects the diverse cultural protocols of the Nêhiyawak /ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ (Plains Cree), Anihšināpē/Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Nakoda/Assiniboine, Lakota, and Dakota. Through the voices of three co-researchers, narratives of hope and empowerment are emphasized with on-the-ground examples of healing. Building from these rooted understandings of Indigenous wellness, the study then explores the development of segregated healthcare and biomedicine in the settlement period, 1870-1950. The fight against tuberculosis in the Qu’Appelle region was headed by Doctor R. G. Ferguson, whose activities in the Fort San Sanitorium and Fort Qu’Appelle Indian Hospital reveal ideologies which prevented, and may still prevent, Indigenous-led healthcare collaboration. While Western attitudes of civilization and medical progress have asserted decidedly linear histories, Indigenous perspectives on health present a cyclical and highly adaptive knowledge base. In this way, the present success of the All Nations Healing Hospital is not simply a departure from oppressive medical systems of the past, but an ongoing reflection of cultural continuity and embodied governance in health and healing
Solitude in a Phantasmal World: The Crisis of Modernity According to the Young Hegel
Get PDFThis paper attempts to understand the young Hegel’s diagnosis of modernity as a singularly distinctive event, proposing that modernity inaugurates a new historical epoch characterized by a state of permanent crisis. The young Hegel saw modernity as a process of detachment from the past, producing a rupture in which the role of subjectivity takes on a twofold manifestation, as subjective freedom and as reflection. Although Hegel recognized the immense historical importance of the modern concept of freedom, he also argued that subjectivity is a one-sided principle, triggering the split [Entzweiung] between the individual and the whole. In my interpretation of the young Hegel, Entzweiung spreads itself through all spheres of culture and social life, forming many divisions and dualisms, which appear fixed in their oppositions, becoming unsolvable contradictions due to the reflective activity of the Understanding [Verstand]. The proliferation of contradictions in all spheres of social life constitutes what I call a state of permanent crisis, a deeply fractured totality, unable to reach a resolution [Entschluss] to its inherent negativity, giving rise to a melancholic longing and striving for reconciliation. Finally, I will defend the hypothesis that Hegel's solution to the state of crisis, inaugurated by the advent of modernity is none other than the formulation of his dialectical method, thus claiming that implied in Hegel’s philosophy is an implicit notion of philosophy for times of crisis
ExisTransInter : Faire l´histoire des personnes trans à travers leur activisme, 1997-2023
Get PDFLes travaux dédiés aux activistes trans tendent à les dépourvoir de leur agentivité et attribuent leur pouvoir politique à une subversion par essence des normes de genre. Cette recherche prend le contrepied de ce postulat et défend que les personnes trans sont des actrices politiques par ce qu´elles font, et non pour ce qu´elles sont. À travers une histoire orale de l´ExisTranInter, une marche annuelle pour les droits des personnes trans et intersexes, ce mémoire analyse les formes d´activismes adoptées par les personnes trans, en France, depuis la fin des années 90. Dans un premier temps, je me penche sur l´invisibilisation des personnes trans dans l´histoire des mouvements sociaux. En analysant les silences dans les travaux en histoire sociale et en histoire des minorités sexuelles, j´argumente que l´histoire des personnes trans est rarement écrite au travers de leurs mobilisations politiques. Dans un second temps, j´établis une chronologie de l´ExisTransInter en me basant sur les phases organisationnelles de la marche. Cet angle me permet d´illustrer la variété d´opinions et de pratiques politiques qui traversent le militantisme trans français, et complexifient l´idée d´une « communauté trans » unifiée. Enfin, je me concentre sur les choix stratégiques adoptés par les activistes et leurs articulations avec les revendications des mouvements trans et intersexes. Dans ce dernier chapitre, je montre que l´étude des personnes trans à travers leurs pratiques politiques remet en cause le particularisme qu´on attribue aux enjeux trans et intersexes
WARNE: A Stalkerware Evidence Collection Tool
Get PDFIntimate partner violence (IPV) is a form of abuse in romantic relationships, more frequently, against the female partner. IPV can vary in severity and frequency, ranging from emotional abuse or stalking to recurring and severe violent episodes over a long period.
Easy access to Stalkerware apps helps foster such behaviors by allowing non-tech-savvy individuals to spy on their victims.
These apps offer features for discreetly monitoring and remotely controlling compromised mobile devices, thereby infringing the victim's privacy and the security of their data.
In this work, we investigate methods for gathering evidence about an abuser and the Stalkerware they employ on a victim's device. We develop a semi-automated tool intended for use by investigators, helping them to analyze Android phones for potential threats in cases of IPV Stalkerware. As a first step towards this goal, we perform an experimental privacy and security study to investigate currently available Stalkerware apps.
We specifically study the vectors through which vulnerabilities found in Stalkerware apps could be exploited by investigators.
We then design and implement a tool called WARNE, leveraging the identified flaws to facilitate the information and evidence collection process. Our tool generates reports containing all available information about potential Stalkerware present on a victim's device.
To ensure a better usability of WARNE, we also come up with report parsing mechanisms involving generative AI, especially Large Language Models (LLMs). This genre of Natural Language Processing models is suited for large text analysis and information extraction
Examining Dietary Clusters in Candidates for Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery and their Association to Metabolic Status
Get PDFCandidates for metabolic-bariatric surgery (MBS) have a unique nutritional status profile; clustering their macronutrients and micronutrients dietary intakes may present inter-individual differences. This study aimed to: (1) describe the macro- and micro- nutrient intake patterns in candidates for a MBS; and (2) assess the associations between these patterns and metabolic status (body fat %, HbA1c, lipid profile, granulocytes (GR), international normalised ratio, C- Reactive Proteins). Three-day dietary data from a mobile application and metabolic markers from a blood draw were collected 3 months pre-MBS from a study conducted in Quebec, Canada. Participants’ (N=30) mean age was 45.50 ± 9.83 years and BMI was 46.03 ± 7.61 kg/m2. Using the FASTCLUS procedure, a high sugar/high caloric diet (Cluster 1), high protein/high cholesterol diet (Cluster 2), and a low fiber/low saturated fat diet (Cluster 3) were observed. Analyses demonstrated significantly greater low-density lipoproteins (LDL) (5.28 ± 0.71 mmol/L) and GR (5.64 ± 0.21 109/L) in Cluster 1 relative to Clusters 2 (LDL: 2.38 ± 0.28 mmol/L; p= 0.0130), (GR: 4.71 ± 0.09 109/L; p= 0.003) and 3 (LDL: 1.76 ± 0.44 mmol/L; p = 0.0097), (GR: 5.01 ± 0.15 109/L; p= 0.015). Findings can inform variability in nutrient distribution in candidates for MBS. Future studies should compare these clusters to a control group or post-surgery dietary clusters and metabolic status
Moisture Diffusion and its Effect on Performance of Thermoplastic Composite Sandwich Panels with Recycled PET Foam Cores
Get PDFThermoplastic composite sandwich structures represent an innovative solution in structural engineering, offering a lightweight yet durable alternative for various applications such as construction, aerospace, and automotive. These structures typically consist of two outer layers of thermoplastic composite sheets (facesheets) encapsulating a core material such as lightweight foams or honeycomb structures. Sandwich panels with recycled foam core offer a remarkable synergy between advanced engineering and sustainable practices. This study primarily focuses on the diffusion behavior of 100% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) foam cores with four different densities (70, 80, 100, and 150 Kg/m3), Glass/ Polypropylene facesheets, and sandwich panels made of PET foam core with a density of 80 Kg/m3. All the specimens were immersed in water at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius for prolonged durations. It is observed that the diffusion behavior of the PET foams and facesheet is governed by the classical Fick’s law. The experimental results indicated that the presence of facesheets in the sandwich structure acts as a moisture barrier and decreases the ingress of water into the composite sandwich panels by approximately 32%. The sandwich panels utilized in this investigation are manufactured using the double-belt lamination technique. To evaluate the influence of prolonged exposure to moisture on the mechanical characteristics of the structure, flatwise compression tests were conducted on the foam cores, revealing a significant decrease in compressive strength when exposed to moisture. Additionally, multiple flatwise tensile tests were conducted under both dry and wet conditions. The results revealed that wet samples demonstrate failure at the interface between the foam core and facesheet, while dry samples predominantly experience failure within the foam core. The study found that moisture exposure significantly reduced flatwise tensile strength, with bonding strength decreasing by approximately 55% after 730 hours of immersion. These findings highlight the significance of optimizing double-belt lamination parameters to have stronger and more uniform adhesion between facesheet and core under conditions of water exposure