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Beyond the original intent: a case of data repurposing
No full textData repurposing is using existing data from multiple sources and processing it to make it fit for a new and previously unanticipated purpose. This thesis aims at exploring this relatively underexplored topic through a narrative literature review and a case study of an organization engaged in data repurposing. It highlights conceptual ambiguity in the field and identifies theories and frameworks that can guide future research. The case study was based on a questionnaire and provides practical understanding and empirical evidence of how data repurposing is carried out in practice, which is not well represented in existing studies. Findings of the research emphasize the importance of understanding data context through metadata, applying systematic thinking, documenting the repurposing process, and using best practices. This research contributes to a growing body of work that aims to conceptualize and operationalize data repurposing by offering theoretical insights as well as applied recommendations for researchers and practitioners
The implementation of a pharmacist-led testing service for HIV and hepatitis C in rural Newfoundland and Labrador correctional facilities: a pilot study
No full textHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) disproportionately affect people who are incarcerated, yet access to testing remains limited. Point-of-care (POC) testing may overcome barriers associated with venipuncture, but acceptability and feasibility must be established. This pilot study assessed pharmacist-led HIV and HCV testing in three rural correctional facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Using a prospective interventional cohort design, incarcerated adults were offered pharmacist-administered POC tests, pre- and post-test counseling, and linkage to confirmatory testing as needed. Participants completed surveys on demographics, risk behaviours, and acceptability. Correctional staff provided feedback through post-visit interviews. Of 102 incarcerated individuals, 75 volunteered for testing through this study, completing 73 HIV and 58 HCV tests. Six HCV reactive results and no HIV reactive results were identified; confirmatory testing detected four new HCV infections. Nearly half of participants (46%) had never been tested previously and curiosity regarding infection status was the primary motivation (73%). Acceptability was high, with nearly all participants reporting comfort with pharmacist-led testing and an absence of stigma. Pharmacist-led HIV and HCV POCT appears feasible and highly acceptable in correctional facilities. Findings support expanding testing access through pharmacists in corrections to improve early detection and linkage to care
Choosing to stay: an exploratory analysis of immigrant retention in Newfoundland & Labrador
No full textImmigrant retention has been a challenge in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the government and various stakeholders pitching in to improve the situation. Much has been done to find out why immigrants leave the province. Previous studies revealed that many, especially immigrants, leave in search of better employment. This study explored why some immigrants choose to stay, even though the common trend was for their counterparts to leave. The study employed a descriptive phenomenological approach. Data were collected from participants across various locations in Newfoundland and Labrador, including St John's, Labrador City and Burin. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted online over the Webex platform with 20 immigrants who had lived in Newfoundland for at least 3 years post-permanent residence status (PR) and had chosen to stay in the province. Several reasons were found for their decision to stay, including having their basic needs met, place attachment and the cost attached to leaving the province. The study concludes that the reasons why people would stay are more than just having gainful employment. Other reasons that emerged from the study are the welcoming nature of the community, the aesthetic nature of the environment, supportive faith communities, the ease of commuting, and low rates of competition for professional licensing, among others. These findings can aid the efforts of the government, policymakers, stakeholders and the community to improve immigrant retention in the province. The implications and limitations of the study, as well as recommendations for future study and improved immigrant retention measures and policies, are also discussed
Assessment of radiation damage in hydroxyapatite and its mitigation through N-acetylcysteine modification
No full textReliable bone graft substitutes play a vital role in addressing the global burden of skeletal injuries and diseases. Synthetic bone mimics containing hydroxyapatite
(HAP) serve as favourable alternatives to autografts and allografts, since HAP is the
primary mineral component in natural bone tissue. However, standard sterilization by
high-energy ionizing radiation generates free radicals that damage HAP on a molecular
scale and compromise its integrity as a functional bone graft material. This study
investigated N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as a radioprotective modifier for synthetic HAP.
Pure and NAC-modified HAP were exposed to a series of X-ray doses using a clinical
linear accelerator. Raman spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD)
were then used to evaluate radiation-induced structural degradation. These findings
will inform the development of synthetic bone materials capable of withstanding the
high-energy flux of radiation processing, ultimately improving the outcomes of bone
reconstruction procedures
Frequentist and Bayesian inference for interacting point process models of recurrent events
No full textThe modeling of interacting point processes provides a flexible framework for studying
systems where events in one process influence the rate of future events of another. In
this work, we investigate two-way interaction models in which excitatory or inhibitory
effects operate within fixed carryover windows. Such mechanisms capture clustering
or suppression of recurrent events and are relevant in diverse applications, ranging
from finance to cybersecurity. We examine the estimation of these interaction effects
under both frequentist and Bayesian paradigms. We develop simulation procedures
for likelihood-based estimation and implement Bayesian inference through Metropolis
sampling. We illustrate the methodology with financially inspired synthetic dataset.
Finally, we propose future directions involving model assessments and extensions to
more complex interaction processes
Agricultural management in boreal regions alters soil respiration burst profiles
No full textLand use conversion and climate change represent major threats to carbon (C) storage in boreal soils. Chapter I (literature review) of this dissertation shows that natural boreal soils are well-equipped to handle climate change, given that these ecosystems are already shaped by disturbance and possess natural mechanisms to resist or compensate for C loss under climate change. Much less is known about converted boreal soils under agricultural management, despite rapid and ongoing conversion. Chapters II-V of this dissertation thus combined four studies at different resolutions (within-field, within-farm, within-region, and global) to examine the fate of soil C in converted boreal soils through intensive soil abiotic property and soil respiration testing. Chapter II (within-field) examined a chronosequence of converted organic and podzolic soils and found that agricultural management rapidly homogenized soil to agricultural norms but also lost C rapidly under mineral management; surprisingly, high C presence resisted homogenization. Chapter III (within-farm) compared paired agricultural fields under normal management or amended with pulverized rock, and found that pulverization does not affect soil properties immediately; soil pedogenic type was more important in determining behavior. Chapter IV (within-region) compared soils under four land uses (LUs), and found that respiration patterns in each LU were distinct enough from each other (forest, agriculture, grassland) to allow for accurate prediction of LU. Chapter V (global) compared four LUs worldwide (agricultural, grassland, forest, and transitional) and found that global patterns of forest and agriculture could be accurately predicted via respiration, but grassland and transitional were too heterogeneous. Furthermore, respiration could indicate underlying management effects more accurately than abiotic factors on the global scale. This dissertation reveals that 1) boreal land conversion can cause <5yr shifts to agricultural norms accompanied by rapid C loss; 2) traditional management of boreal abiotic fertility fails to address questions of soil health and C cycling; 3) the status of boreal soils can be understood through LU-specific patterns of proportional respiration; and 4) conversion to agriculture creates anthropic soils with distinct behavior patterns that can be accurately predicted globally and must thus be managed differently from natural sites
Multidisciplinary approach to monitor eelgrass (Zostera marina) and green crab (Carcinus maenas) dynamics in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
No full textEelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows are ecologically significant coastal habitats that have declined globally due to a variety of anthropogenic and natural pressures. In Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada the arrival of the invasive European green crab (Carcinus maenas) in the mid-2000s was followed by widespread eelgrass loss and a sharp decline in associated fish abundance and biomass. In this thesis, I use a multidisciplinary approach to reconstruct eelgrass dynamics across spatial and temporal scales and evaluate the impact of green crab presence and restoration efforts. Data sources include satellite imagery, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), underwater snorkel transects, and local ecological knowledge (LEK).
Results show that eelgrass extent declined dramatically following the green crab invasion, up to 87% at some sites. However, during the 2017-2022 restoration period, which included green crab mitigation fisheries and eelgrass transplanting, modest signs of eelgrass recovery were observed. RPAS and snorkel transect data confirmed increases in eelgrass cover near some restoration sites. LEK survey data aligned with both documented green crab spread and eelgrass loss. Furthermore, results suggest a potential threshold in green crab density (catch per unit effort, CPUE) below which eelgrass recovery is more likely to occur; however, more research is needed as this value is likely site specific.
This study demonstrates the value of combining community knowledge with scientific monitoring to understand habitat changes. Findings support the continued need for invasive species management, active habitat restoration, and highlight the importance of maintaining green crab populations below a certain threshold to allow eelgrass recovery
Molecular dynamics simulations of peptides in aqueous nanodroplets and nanofilms
No full textPeptides in nanoscale aqueous environments are exposed to solvent conditions that are
significantly different from those of bulk water. Using all-atom molecular dynamics
(OPLS-AA/L, TIP4P/2005), we investigate five peptides—CBS-5, CBS-9, KKKDDD,
DKDKDK, and GAD-1—in water nanodroplets (radius of approximately 2–3 nm) and
nanofilms (thickness of approximately 5 nm), with bulk systems serving as references,
across a temperature range of 180–300 K. The principal conclusion of this thesis is
that temperature-dependent density changes and heterogeneities, surface water charge
layering, and curvature affect the position, orientation, and secondary structure of
peptides in aqueous nanoconfinement.
We analyze the solvent structure through mass and charge density profiles for pure water nanodroplet and nanofilm systems. For droplet systems, we analyze peptide localization via radial distributions of Cα and charged sites, and water dynamics using a system-wise neighbour correlation function (NCF) and NCF resolved in concentric shells to derive a radial relaxation time τ(r). The peptide–droplet dynamics are assessed in comparison to the pure droplet using a normalized metric, τₙ(r). We compare the Cα and charged sites distributions in the nanodroplets with those in the nanofilms, and also analyze the pure bulk water and nanofilm using the mean square displacement and the system-wise NCF.
Water in nanodroplets exhibits a neutral, slow-relaxing core and a charge-rich,
more densely packed and faster-relaxing subsurface below around 240 K, and these
density anomalies, as well as the radial dynamical heterogeneity, diminish upon warming.
The location of peptides depends on both temperature and amino acid sequence:
amphipathic GAD-1 and the hydrophobic CBS peptides preferentially sample the
surface or subsurface, while charge-dense DK sequences favour the interior at higher
temperatures and react to cooling. Charged regions in the nanodroplet subsurface
affect the stabilization of charged amino acids. Above 240 K in nanodroplets, CBS-
9 maintains a polarized orientation of its termini (C-terminus inward, N-terminus
outward) but its N-terminus shows bimodal distributions at lower temperature, while
CBS-5 shows this orientation except at 300 K, where the termini occupy similar radial
positions. The CBS peptides that are simulated in the nanofilm configurations across
180 K to 300 K also exhibit this polarization. Additionally, peptides can alter local
water mobility; most notably, at 240 K, DK sequences inhibit relaxation close to their
loci. With implications for electrospray, interfacial biophysics, and nanomedicine,
these findings collectively paint a mechanistic picture of how peptide localization and
conformational response are jointly governed by electrostatic confinement, curvature-dependent
adsorption, and temperature-dependent solvent structural heterogeneity
Artisanal fishers' ecological knowledge and implications for sustainable fisheries management in Ghana
No full textThis study explores traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and focusses specifically on Artisanal Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge (AFEK) in Ghana and reflects on the tensions and possibilities of engaging with this knowledge in the context of sustainable fisheries governance. Rather than treating local knowledge as a supplementary dataset for policy development, this research considers AFEK as a relational practice embedded in intergenerational lifeways and ecologies. The study interrogates how efforts to “integrate” local knowledge into state-centered management systems may risk reproducing extractive logics if not accompanied by relational accountability and epistemic humility. Drawing on qualitative methods—primarily semi-structured interviews and document analysis—the research reveals the depth and nuance of fishers’ ecological understandings, including their attunement to environmental cues, seasonal dynamics, and conservation ethics. It reveals that AFEK of Ghanaian artisanal fishers is transmitted through diverse modes, including oral narratives, apprenticeships, experimental learning, documentation, and community meetings, which highlight its place-based nature. Whereas AFEK held by Ghanaian artisanal fishers has historically been marginalized in formal management systems, there have been uneven but noteworthy efforts — some dating back to the 1990’s to recognize and incorporate this knowledge into formal management frameworks. The study also reveals that the reliability of certain ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers, which was once reliable in predicting migration and spawning patterns, are increasingly challenged by climate change and IUU fishing. The study also highlights structural barriers to relational collaboration, such as bureaucratic hierarchies, preference for scientific-based data, policy impositions, and epistemic asymmetries. Furthermore, it documents that mistrust and uncertainties prevail among artisanal fishers rooted in inconsistent and unclear communication from authorities which create tensions that affect fisheries regulation adherence. This study thus invites a rethinking of “collaboration” beyond institutional frameworks, toward forms of engagement that honor the epistemological integrity of diverse fishery knowledge. It gestures toward the need for governance models rooted not only in inclusion but also in reciprocity, care, and shared responsibility