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Gender and judicial education in Nigeria, 1991-2021
No full textWhile there is rich global scholarship on judicial education examining the current state of program effectiveness as well as the gender theories underlying and informing various judicial education programs, studies examining such aspects of judicial education in Nigeria are limited. Through a case study of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Nigeria, I address the issue of the inclusion of gender in the Institute’s judicial training programs. From 1991 to 2021, the number of women judges not only increased, but they occupied leadership positions in judicial establishments across Nigeria, including the NJI. More specifically, using Feminist Legal Theory, especially in its African iteration (African Feminist Legal Theory) as informed by African epistemological understandings of gender, I apply a feminist document analysis methodology to the conference proceedings of the biennial All Nigerian Judges’ Conferences (ANJC) for superior court judges organized by the NJI from 1991-2021. In doing so, I consider the changes and continuities in judicial education in the course of this 30-year period in relation to gender content. Specifically focusing on paper presentations titled “Women and Nigerian Law”, my study reveals the following five major findings: (1) Judicial education in Nigeria deals with a broad range of topics which include but are not limited to recent legal developments; application of the rule of law under military and democratic rule in Nigeria; corruption; funding of the judiciary; judicial excellence in the administration of justice; and behavior-oriented courses with a focus on communication, self-reflection and the role of the judiciary in ensuring good governance in a democracy; (2) ANJC paper presentations associate gender issues with heterosexual women, that is, the body of law about cisgender, heterosexual women in Nigeria is widely understood to encompass gender issues; (3) Gender issues are explicitly treated under topics such as “Women and Nigerian Law” and “Succession and Inheritance.” Further, issues discussed under these topics relate to a large extent to how the law impacts women and men with regards to marriage and divorce, domestic violence, succession and inheritance. However, with regards to women, the focus is on marginalization, discriminations, subordinations, restrictions and disabilities women face in Nigeria law, and discriminatory widowhood practices; (4) When addressing the above issues, the emphasis tends to be on legal questions without factoring in the perspectives and experiences of women; and (5) Judicial education on how to address cases and experiences of non-heterosexual and gender non-binary people is largely not treated, being mentioned only once in passing in the conference proceedings. This is in spite of the fact that cases brought to the courts in recent years have expanded to include people with non-binary gender identities and sexualities in Nigeria. In conclusion, while some topics in the program of the NJI have discussed issues with gender dimensions, there is no organized program to educate judges on how to deal with gender issues brought before the courts. In short, gender issues are yet to become topical and diverse women’s experiences are not incorporated in continuing judicial education in Nigeria
A scale-adaptive modelling framework for wind farm atmospheric boundary layers
No full textDue to international obligations, all countries are working to decarbonise all sectors of
their economy. Wind energy and related Power-to-X energy projects emerge as key players in
mitigating energy-related carbon footprints. With the growing interest in Power-to-X energy
projects, the wind energy industry shifted its focus to deploying large-scale wind farms in
mountainous regions. Complex terrain may offer higher wind speeds, but it also brings complex
flow physics with an increased level of velocity gradients, turbulence production, complex
turbulent wakes, and extreme weather events. Installing large-scale wind farms over complex
terrain would add another layer of complexity to the flow physics.
This dissertation proposes a novel vortex-stretching-based Scale-Adaptive Large Eddy
Simulation (SALES) to comprehend the physical processes governing the flow physics and
the potential of onshore wind parks for Power-to-X energy projects. SALES is based on the
vortex-stretching approach, a primary mechanism responsible for the energy cascade in
three-dimensional turbulent flows. SALES framework integrates a near-surface model and the
diffused-interface immersed boundary method to account for the spatial heterogeneity of
Earth’s surface. Additionally, it employs the Gaussian actuator disk model (G-ADM) for wind
turbine parametrization and utilizes a wavelet-based autoencoder to analyze extreme weather
events.
This thesis demonstrates that symmetry-preserving schemes capture the effects of
short-wavelength modes associated with small-scale turbulence structures compared to
higher-order flux-preserving schemes. In a utility-scale wind park consisting of 41 turbines in
homogeneous terrain, we observe that the bulk of the velocity data lies in the second and
fourth quadrants of the Qg − Rg invariant, indicating that vortex-stretching and strain-rate
self-amplification are primary mechanisms of energy cascade in wind farm turbulence.
Moreover, eddy viscosity in SALES is dynamically adapted to the hierarchy of turbulent
scales present in atmospheric and wind farm turbulence. Thus, characterizing the accurate
representation of impactful turbulent scales for wind energy.
Furthermore, we perform numerical investigations of model-scale atmospheric boundary
layers interacting with standalone wind turbine and wind farm. Results indicate an excellent
agreement between the wake characteristics of G-ADM and wind tunnel data. Moreover, POD
analysis of wakes in wind farms indicates the persisting range of energy cascade length scale
in the wake of wind turbines, indicating the vertical transport of energy to wind turbine blades.
A numerical study of wind farms over forested terrain reveals a linear relationship between
power production and drag coefficient, indicating increased near-surface drag in forested
areas. This results in rapid wake recovery and a 68% increase in power production compared
to offshore locations. Finally, this thesis presents the numerical investigation of 125 wind
turbines sited in mountainous regions. The result indicates a fivefold increase in wind power
area density compared to wind parks sited over homogeneous terrain. The results of the
wavelet-based autoencoder suggest that mountains contribute primarily to energetic modes,
reducing the likelihood of turbine failure due to flutter
Geophysical study of historical landfill at Wishingwell Park, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
No full textThe Empire Avenue landfill, approximately 3 km from downtown St. John’s, was used as the city’s official landfill from approximately 1947 until its official closure in 1963. The highly mixed waste, evidenced via photo records, was reported to be covered by soil every day in trenches. Following its abandonment, the area was eventually transformed into the present day Wishingwell Park. However, there are no detailed records about the landfill. Consequently, a thorough integrated geophysical investigation was carried out using magnetic, geoelectrical, electromagnetic and ground penetrating radar surveys to map and investigate the possible locations and extent of the buried waste.
A magnetic survey was carried out over the entire park. The data clearly suggest the presence of metallic waste underneath much of the study area. There are four linear magnetic features representative of the axes of buried trenches. Six resistivity profiles were measured over the entire park. The geoelectrical results revealed numerous conductive anomalies (75-190 mS/m), mostly observed where the profiles crossed the magnetic linear features. These geoelectrical anomalies could indicate the vertical extents of the trenches with their depths ranging from about 4 m (top) to 12 m (bottom). The spatially coincidental anomalies in both methods help conclude that these anomalies are due to metallic waste, although some conductive anomalies could be from leachates and increased ground water contents in loose till.
A frequency-domain electromagnetic survey was conducted over the soccer and rugby fields in the western part of the park. The lowest frequency data show significant inphase responses mostly from those regions where the anomalies were recorded for magnetic and geoelectrical surveys. A ground penetrating radar survey was conducted over almost the same area as the electromagnetic survey, with a penetration depth of about 1-1.5 m. The data indicated the existence of near-surface layers and a dipping layer in the vicinity of the strongest magnetic anomaly, likely depicting the top of the ground surface before
construction of the playing fields.
Thus, this integrated geophysical study found evidence of buried waste, including significant metal, over the extent of Wishingwell Park. The waste is buried in subparallel, covered trenches occurring at a depth of approximately 4 m (top) to 12 m (bottom) below the current ground surface.Includes bibliographical references (pages 150-166
Reflecting on decisions and predicting reactions
No full textThere is a growing interest in the pursuit of happiness and practical ways to enhance it. While many interventions to improve well-being exist, increasing the variety of these interventions is important to prevent hedonic adaptation. Focusing on one's good decisions may offer a novel route to enhancing well-being. However, prior research has largely examined regretful decisions that negatively affect well-being. In Study 1, using a sample of 137 university students collected through Memorial's Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP), I examined the impact of reflecting on good decisions, compared to ordinary and bad decisions, on hedonic (e.g., positive and negative affect, life satisfaction) and eudaimonic (e.g., pride, self-expansion, closeness to ideal and ought self) well-being. I also explored characteristics associated with each decision type. Reflecting on good decisions had large effects on eudaimonic well-being, but limited effects on hedonic well-being. Bad decisions also showed patterns relevant to regret research. In a separate sample of 145 university students collected through PREP, I examined whether people expect that reflecting on decisions impacts eudaimonic (but not hedonic) well-being. Despite some manipulation constraints, participants showed a mild pattern consistent with affective forecasting, slightly overestimating differences between reflecting on good and ordinary decisions for most well-being variables. I discuss the implications of these findings for research surrounding well-being, regret, and affective forecasting
Shakespearean dance, embodiment, and gender at the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Ballet
No full textThis dissertation investigates how ballet adaptations of Shakespearean works have the power to interrogate established patriarchal traditions in both Shakespearean and balletic performance practices. Through the analysis of Frederick Ashton's The Dream, Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, and Christopher Wheeldon's The Winter's Tale, this study assesses how the phenomenological experiences and material aspects of ballet performances affect the comprehension and reception of a Shakespearean narrative; how these three ballets portray gender and female agency through movement to confront the patriarchal structures present in Shakespeare’s works and ballet history; and how the embodied knowledge of dancers and choreographers contribute to the performance of Shakespearean characters and meanings. I bring together theories and methodologies from literary and Shakespeare studies, adaptation studies, gender studies, and dance studies to expand the conversation surrounding Shakespearean ballets at the Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. This research establishes the potential for artistic collaboration to unite scholarship in Shakespearean performance studies; observes that representations of patriarchal control in Shakespearean drama depend on the genre of the work and are influenced by the conventions of the adaptation’s performance tradition; recognises how gender theory illuminates conventions of balletic femininity; and reinforces the importance of embodied and artistic inquiry in Shakespearean adaptation studies
Plant tissue culture and molecular techniques for northern berry crop improvement
No full textVaccinium species, black huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) and half-highbush blueberry hybrids, are rich in bioactive compounds and are vital for their commercial and medicinal applications. The challenge of hyperhydricity effects significant economic and physiological problems, affecting plant health, growth, and propagation efficiency. Our study explored various aspects of hyperhydricity in micropropagated plantlets using advanced bioreactor systems, such as stationary (Growtek) and temporary immersion (RITA). The Growtek system demonstrated higher shoot proliferation (up to 76%) but exhibited the highest hyperhydricity rates, particularly in certain cultivars (e.g., HB₂ at 72.34 ± 2.45%). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and histological analyses revealed pronounced structural changes, including closed stomata, enlarged intercellular spaces, and disrupted vascular bundles with immature sieve elements in hyperhydric plantlets. Tissue histology highlighted a compressed adaxial epidermis and irregular mesophyll cell morphology. Biochemical profiling indicated elevated phenolic content and catalase activity in hyperhydric plants, while non-hyperhydric greenhouse-grown plants displayed higher antioxidant activity and higher levels of anthocyanins and proanthocyanins. Using ¹H NMR, distinct metabolite profiles were identified, with hyperhydric plantlets exhibiting strong signals of catechin (C₁₅H₁₄O₆) and other untargeted metabolites, such as quercetin-3-O-glucuronide and chlorogenic acid, demonstrating enhanced stress response. This underscores the potential adaptive mechanisms in hyperhydricity, marked by unique metabolic changes. DNA methylation analysis provided comprehensive insights into epigenetic regulation under hyperhydric conditions. The genome wide bisulfite sequencing highlighted shifts in methylation patterns, with increased mCG and mCHG methylation and reduced mCHH levels in hyperhydric plantlets compared to controls. These changes were particularly evident in transposable element-rich regions, correlating with reduced gene density and altered regulatory pathways. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated significant changes in biological, cellular, and molecular functions, suggesting that hyperhydricity induces stress-related epigenetic modifications that potentially impact gene expression and adaptive responses. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding DNA methylation in relation to hyperhydricity to develop strategies for micropropagation.Includes bibliographical reference
Implications of antibiotic use in salmon aquaculture for the health of workers and their communities in Canada: a multi-method thesis
No full textAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis. Research and AMR surveillance gaps in food animal production, a major driver, can lead to inequitable exposure risks encountered by workers and communities.
This thesis includes a literature review summarizing occurrences of antibiotics and AMR in salmon aquaculture, a thematic analysis of interviews with Canadian salmon aquaculture stakeholders identifying key socio-ecological interactions influencing risk mitigation behaviours, and a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of secondary health data providing AMR rates in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) – a salmon producing Canadian province. AMR occurs across all areas of salmon production. Important factors influencing reporting gaps and attitudes towards antibiotics and AMR as occupational hazards in salmon aquaculture include non-binding policy targeting reductions in antibiotic use and a values-based rivalry between the federal and provincial governments and the industry. Top-down priority setting for AMR risk mitigation strategies requires the coordinated involvement of public, occupational health, and food-animal production stakeholders. Harmonized AMR surveillance programs will help identify occupational and population cohorts at greater exposure risk, exposure pathways, and enhance food-production and distribution hygiene. AMR infections among NL residents most frequently involves enteric bacterial infections with highest impacts on rural residents, identifying important targets of risk mitigation programs
Development of self-guided pre-surgical optimization resources for older adults
No full textBackground: Surgical complications are a significant concern for older adults. Pre-surgical optimization is one method that has shown promise in preventing complications. However, these programs can be labour intensive for providers which is further compounded by provider shortages. Self-optimization offers a plausible alternative, enabling patients to independently improve their health before surgery to enhance their surgical outcomes.
Purpose: To develop self-guided pre-surgical optimization resources for older adults.
Methods: An integrative literature review of 22 sources was conducted, incorporating an embedded environmental scan and consultations with Island Health’s pre-admissions clinic, surgical services and quality improvement experts.
Results: Two main themes emerged from the literature: 1) critical self-guided optimization elements for older adults preparing for surgery and 2) effective strategies for educating and preparing older adults for surgery, along with six subthemes. The review and consultations provided insights into developing resources for (1) quitting smoking, (2) improving nutrition, and (3) increasing physical activity before surgery, to best meet the needs of older adults in self-guided pre-surgical optimization within the health authority.
Implications: There is a critical need for pre-surgical optimization resources for older adults, offering clear, evidence-based guidance to improve health before surgery and ensure better outcomes. The resource should focus on lifestyle modifications, such as nutrition, physical activity, and smoking cessation, which are particularly important for older adults.Includes bibliographical reference
On the rocks: recruitment and distribution patterns on deep-sea hard substrata in the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay (Canada)
No full textThe study of larval recruitment and colonization patterns in hard-bottom benthic communities is crucial to the understanding of species distributions, community assembly, and the potential effects of anthropogenic activity and climate change on the maintenance of biodiversity. Expanding our knowledge of early and established communities is an important first step. To explore this need, I first examined recruitment patterns on four substratum types (mesh, plastic, stone, wood) deployed for ~1 y at four sites in bathyal Labrador Sea (Canada). I determined that colonial hydrozoan recruits dominated all substratum types and sites; arthropods, octocorals, and other anthozoans were sparser. The features of each substratum type facilitated differential recruitment patterns: the complex, three-dimensional structure of mesh had higher morphospecies richness and diversity, while the sheltered, larger surface area of plastic had higher abundance and density by recruits. Wood, as a single elongated panel, had the most surface and canopy coverage. Secondly, I examined regional diversity and zonation patterns of morphospecies colonizing terrigenous ice-rafted dropstones at bathyal depths in the Labrador Sea (LAB) and Baffin Bay (BAF). Based on in-situ images, dropstones exhibited more epibenthic megafaunal richness than surrounding finer-grained substrata and, following analysis of collected dropstones, a total of 101 taxa spanning 10 phyla were recorded with bryozoans dominating numerically at all depths. The richness of dropstone communities was higher in LAB than BAF overall, though 19 morphospecies spanned both locations. Zonation patterns were consistent, with a majority of morphospecies positioned above the stone-sediment boundary or at the boundary, and one morphospecies of polychaete below. Ecological interactions appeared to influence both positioning and regional distributions. By combining early and established
community studies, my thesis provides data on how deep-sea hard-bottom epibenthic assemblages form and develop.Includes bibliographical reference
The impact of carbon emissions on the speed of firms' capital structure adjustment
No full textThis thesis investigates the relationship between corporate carbon emissions and the speed at which firms adjust their capital structure toward an optimal target. Framed within the dynamic trade-off theory, the study explores how environmental sustainability concerns—particularly carbon intensity—interact with financial decision-making. Using a panel dataset of publicly listed U.S. firms from 2001 to 2023, the research applies the Flannery and Rangan (2006) model to estimate target capital structures and adjustment speeds, and employs multivariate regression analysis to examine the role of carbon emissions. The findings reveal that firms with higher carbon intensity tend to adjust their capital structure more slowly, suggesting that increased environmental risks and capital costs delay financial optimization. This study contributes to the literature by integrating environmental and financial variables into capital structure theory, offering insights for investors, regulators, and corporate decision-makers seeking to balance profitability with environmental accountability