RSS 1.0Doctoral Theses
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On the Physical Demands of Gaming: Quantifying Pain, Muscle Activity, Kinematics, and Performance ChangesWith the rapid growth of both the gaming and esports industries, millions of individuals are now playing games as hobbies and careers. The intense and repetitive nature of gaming can likely lead to significant muscle fatigue and increase an individual’s susceptibility to musculoskeletal injuries and pain. However, the physical demands of gaming have largely been unexplored. The objectives of this thesis fell into three categories. 1) Determine where gamers most commonly experience pain while gaming and whether any demographics or gaming habits can predict pain or discomfort in the upper body (Chapter 3). 2) Determine how muscle fatigue and motor performance of the distal upper limb are impacted by a low-force/high-repetition fatiguing protocol utilizing rapid mouse clicking (Chapter 4) and mouse aiming (Chapter 5). 3) Determine the muscular and postural demands associated with high level, competitive gaming (Chapter 6). In Chapter 3, we identified that the neck, low back, and right arm were the most common locations of gaming-related pain. The high prevalence of gaming-related pain reported confirmed that gaming-related pain is a significant problem which requires further investigation. In Chapters 4 and 5, we found that low-force, high repetition fatigue protocols led to few impairments in motor performance. However, changes in EMG characteristics indicated that the mouse clicking protocol led to fatigue of the wrist flexors while the mouse aiming protocol produced muscle fatigue in the wrist extensors. Finally, in Chapter 6, we found that static loading of the shoulder and forearm musculature exceeded guidelines while playing a competitive PC first-person shooter. Musculature of the upper limb produced sustained high levels of muscle activity with little to no rest, exceeding suggested guidelines based on both magnitude of activity and rest time. This thesis provides some of the first research investigating the physical impact of video games on the upper body. It is also the first work to document the impact of low-force fatiguing protocols on fine motor functioning of the distal upper limb and to quantify the physical demands while playing competitive PC video games.
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Preservice Teachers’ Perceived Preparedness to Integrate Technology Into Teaching of Mathematics: A Mixed Method StudyThis study explored preservice teachers’ (PTs’) perceptions of their preparedness to effectively integrate technology into mathematics teaching and the pedagogical strategies that contributed to developing their competencies in this regard. Their perceived preparedness was examined in terms of their knowledge within the TPACK domains and self-efficacy beliefs. Using a concurrent mixed method design, data were collected from 59 PTs in their last semester of study at a Canadian university. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey via three widely used instruments, namely: the TPACK survey, the Computer Technology Integration Survey (CTIS), and the Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence (SQD) Scale. Qualitative data obtained from three open-ended survey questions and follow-up interviews with six participants provided broader insights about PTs’ experiences and activities regarding technology integration into mathematics teaching. The results of descriptive statistics and thematic analysis indicated that PTs perceived their knowledge and self-efficacy beliefs related to integrating technology into mathematics teaching at a moderate to a high level. Correlation analysis also indicated positive relationships between the seven subscales of the TPACK domains and the confidence scale. Participants shared that while their respective programs’ ICT for Teaching and Learning course played an important role in developing their knowledge in the TK and TPK domains, activities such as coding processes, math games, dynamic mathematics software, and graphic calculators were effective tools that encouraged them to use technology in their teaching of mathematics (TPCK). Experiential learning, including practicum experiences, role modeling strategy, and collaboration with peers were identified by participants as effective pedagogical strategies that developed their preparedness to integrate technology into their teaching of mathematics. Some recommendations of this study for teacher education programs include providing math-specific technology courses; incorporating appropriate instructional design that connects the content course to curriculum to promote PTs’ active engagement in meaningful technology-rich learning activities; and using all six pedagogical strategies presented in the SQD model to prepare future teachers to effectively use technology in mathematics teaching.
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Sublimating the Singularity of an Author(ity): Textual Publics, Textual Agency, and a Case Study of "Eikon Basilike" (1649-1660)This dissertation utilizes a critical post-human theorization of textual agency to demonstrate how, within certain historical circumstances, autobiographical texts are capable of assuming surrogate authorial agency for their $ubject-authors through the expression of what Mari Ruti (2012) identifies as singularity of being. Building upon the works of Ruti, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Slavoj Žižek, and others, I illustrate how, through authorial cathexis, the singularity of the foreclosed $ubject-author registers its presence in the Symbolic field through what I call sublimated metaphoric-metonymic essences of the Real. This project employs its theory of the text-agent in a psychoanalytic case study of the regicide of Charles I (1649); the posthumous publication of his book, "Eikon Basilike"; and royalist textual responses to these events during the English Interregnum (1648/9–1660/1). I argue that "Eikon Basilike"—Charles I’s textual agent—was fetishized and sublimated with the king’s singularity, which enabled royalists to transfer his paternal-monarchical authority to the "Eikon." Specifically, the book was able to channel the king’s monarchical power through the Freudian paternal no. The "Eikon" became a Lacanian stain on the English Interregnum literary landscape, and it prompted royalists to combat the parliamentarians as a royalist textual public in response to the regicide. Through lenses of psychoanalysis and trauma theory, I investigate how royalist texts were disrupted by moments of what Mathew Martin (2015) calls traumatic mimesis. These texts exhibit moments of destabilized emotional surplus, which manifested mimetically as textual symptoms in the Symbolic field as their authors attempted to process the loss of the English monarchy. In so doing, royalist texts helped to condition public imagination of the Restoration through their individual contributions to a trans-subjective royalist textual fantasy: the sublimated $ubject-object a of monarchical ideology, "Eikon Basilike."
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Tukisiven: Nunatsiavummiut Share Their Experience of Participating in a Nova Scotia Community College Child and Youth Care DiplomaIt is well documented that there are gaps in the research related to Inuit education and to Child and Youth Care (CYC) pre-service education. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to explore the experience of 4 Nunatsiavummiut who graduated from a Nova Scotia Community College with a diploma in CYC. Three superordinate themes and seven subordinate themes were interpreted with the Nunatsivummiut participating as co-inquirers. The first superordinate theme was powerful emotions; subordinate themes were identified as passion, doubt, and balance/unbalance. It was clear through the analysis of the interviews that the Nunatsiavummiut stayed engaged in a two-year college diploma because they were passionate about working with young people and they wanted to know more about how to do this better. They did find the programme overwhelming at times and doubted if they could stay and complete it. For a variety of reasons, throughout the diploma, the co-inquirers all experienced a sense of shifting between a need for balance and yet feeling unbalance. The second superordinate theme was Our Land, Our People. The subordinate themes were shared purpose, and what I knew, I knew. It was interpreted that their knowing of Nunatsiavut and Nunatsiavummiut was shared collectively and supported them to know what they knew. They experienced having a shared purpose through the course work and the goal to support Nunatsiavummiut children, youth, and families. They were inspired and motivated by each other and learned together towards a common goal. The third superordinate theme was empowered to advocate, I have voice. With subordinate themes identified as heard and supported, and transformed. They felt that they were heard and supported and experienced this as being empowered to have voice; they perceived that their responsibility with this voice was to advocate for themselves; their communities; children, youth, and families from Nunatsiavut; other Nunatsiavummiut; and for the profession of CYC. A deepened understanding of the experience of Nunatsiavummiut participating in CYC pre-service education in a post-secondary environment will enhance confidence for educators and policy makers that their decisions are supporting student engagement and success. This information may assist potential students in making increasingly informed decisions about post-secondary education programmes.
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The Unfinished Business of Anna Kingsford: Science, Enchantment, and Experiments on AnimalsThe project takes seriously Dr Anna Kingsford’s (1846-1888) claim that vivisection is a type of sorcery and science, a type of occult or spiritual undertaking believing that the assertion, which gained currency during the 19th–century antivivisection movement and is now overlooked, is yet unfinished and therefore a potentially powerful figuration for current antivivisectionists. To that end, the dissertation provides a critical and intersectional reading of the 19th-century British and European antivivisection movement, the fin de siècle occult revival, and Kingsford’s role in each, often working to bring these worlds together. This historical analysis includes an examination of Victorian attitudes to the period’s changing understanding of gender, species, race, and science. Building on this historical foundation, the dissertation will provide a theoretical discussion of Kingsford’s contemporary resonances with emerging disciplines in the environmental and posthumanities, including critical animal studies, material feminism, feminist posthumanism, and science and technology studies. Many theorists in these fields are interested in reappraising the roles of affect, enchantment, mysticism, and wonder in ethical thinking and human-animal-environmental relations. This project builds on these historical and theoretical insights by providing an “enchanted” analysis of the contemporary laboratory space, experiments on animals, and a reading of three case studies of ongoing animal experimentation paradigms (i.e., maternal deprivation, learned helplessness, and the organizational-activational hypothesis of homosexuality) which I argue lend themselves to a Kingsford-inspired analysis. Furthermore, this project articulates a novel “enchanted animal ethic” involving a feminist and neo-Spinozist articulation of human-animal and environmental ethics that makes space for mystical, non-secular modes of meaning-making, care-centered multispecies community building, and social and political movements. Finally, the project and an enchanted understanding of animal ethics will be useful to interdisciplinary scholars and advocates seeking a paradigm change in the sciences away from experiments on animals and towards a more humane and efficacious science as well as more egalitarian and meaningful relationships with animals and the more-than-human world.
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Exploring Teachers' Experiences of Teaching Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Multi-Phase StudyThis is a mixed methods multi-phase study that measured teachers’ sense of efficacy for teaching online at the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. As the pandemic persisted into the 2020-21 school year, the study was expanded to include a second phase that sought to understand teacher efficacy and experience of teaching online one year into the transition to emergency remote online teaching during the pandemic. The aim of this research was to better understand how to best support teachers as they adapted to online teaching and to use the data to build ongoing and professional learning support for effective online teaching. The study examined the impact of prior experience teaching online, experience teaching online during the pandemic, and access to online training on teacher self-efficacy as teachers adapted to online learning in the context of the pandemic. What became clear was that teaching remotely online under emergency measures is different from normal online teaching. The results of the study in the initial phase found correlations between teachers’ sense of efficacy for teaching online with using a learning management system (LMS) before transitioning online. Having had online training and access to virtual tech support were also associated with a higher sense of efficacy. In the second phase, teachers’ collaboration with colleagues to solve issues and learn affected teacher efficacy. The study also found that access to technical and pedagogical support resources impacted teachers’ sense of efficacy and experience teaching online. One outcome of this study is support for the argument distinguishing between emergency remote teaching and learning and online teaching and learning. Further, the findings emerge from this study support recommendations for dedicated teacher professional development that addresses the challenges and opportunities of designing and implementing emergency remote teaching and learning environments.
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Pre-Service Teachers using Social Media: Self-Concept in Online SpacesWith the expansion of personal interactions to online spaces, specifically through social media, individual identity and self-concept development can be subjected to a variety of interactions, experiences, and comparisons. For pre-service teachers (PTs), interactions through social media can be experienced through a personal and professional lens. This research aimed to understand better the relationship between PT self-concept and social media use. A survey design method with Likert scale instruments was used to determine potential correlations between PT self-concept clarity and self-presentation across personal and professional spheres online. Univariate correlational analyses were run between the four Likert scale tools, and results indicated a weak, positive relationship between self-concept clarity and self-presentation. Self-concept differentiation was addressed by analyzing the open-ended questions at the end of the survey, using a thematic qualitative approach. Results of the qualitative analysis suggested that PTs exhibited a high level of self-concept differentiation as they considered the content of what they posted and presented online for both personal and professional accounts, meaning they accurately utilized the desired self-concept traits for the differing environments. The findings showed that PTs’ self-presentation in online spaces often aligned with their understanding of who they are and who they want to be, and they consider a variety of scenarios when presenting themselves online, including future careers, self-image, and the professionalism of teaching. The findings also showed that PTs compare themselves to others within the program, often feeling a sensation of intimidation, competitiveness, and perfectionism. An implication for teacher education is for programs to provide additional support for PTs who struggle to navigate the competitiveness of a professional program, their own professional identity, and the concept of moral and ethical duties within their roles as PTs and future teachers.
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Emotions, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation for Academic Writing: A Collective Case Study with Doctoral StudentsDealing with feedback, managing uncertainty regarding writing expectations, and juggling multiple demands are all part of making progress with academic writing. Emotion regulation can enable an academic writer to manage these emotion-related experiences and contribute to writing productivity. A writing group might be particularly beneficial to provide emotion regulation support from others through interpersonal emotion regulation. The purpose of this research was to understand the emotion experiences of doctoral student writers while engaged in academic writing in a social context, the ways in which graduate students experience emotions related to their academic writing, how interpersonal emotion regulation is enacted in social writing contexts, and which intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation strategies support academic writing productivity. To investigate these experiences, in the current collective case study research, four doctoral student writers were led individually through meme elicitation during an initial interview to explore their previous emotion experiences in academic writing. Subsequent multi-participant writing group sessions were offered online and video recorded to document the ways in which the participants and the group facilitator (the researcher) provided interpersonal emotion regulation in that context. During and after each writing group session, participants were invited to complete a brief questionnaire about their emotions and their experiences in the group. Final individual interviews provided participants the opportunity to recount their emotion experiences while writing in the group context. Findings indicate that these doctoral student writers experienced a wide variety of emotions in relation to their academic writing. Participants reported a desire to feel positive, activating emotions while they were engaged in academic writing. These same emotions, including happiness, contentment, and engagement, for example, were reported when they were most satisfied with their writing progress after a writing group session. These doctoral student writers used a variety of interpersonal emotion regulation techniques to support each other, most frequently empathic concern and validation. Participants found emotions to be an important factor in writing motivation. They reported using strategies such as breaking the task into smaller pieces, working for shorter time periods, and compartmentalizing their tasks when they were feeling unmotivated to write.
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Child-Adult Differences in Discrete Motor-Unit Activation: Insights from sEMG DecompositionThe overall purpose of this thesis was to examine age-related differences in the discrete motor-unit (MU) activation of two muscles, differing by size and recruitment strategy (vastus lateralis (VL) and flexor carpi radialis (FCR)) as well as during contractions where torque was developed at low and high rates. These research objectives were assessed within one research project and reported in three studies. Study 1 (Chapter 3) examined differences in muscle performance and discrete MU activation of the VL (large muscle, broad RT range) between boys and men during moderate-intensity isometric contractions. Study 2 (Chapter 4) examined differences in muscle performance and discrete MU activation of the FCR (small muscle, narrow RT range) between boys and men during moderate-intensity isometric contractions. Lastly, study 3 (Chapter 5) examined differences in discrete MU activation between boys and men during moderate-intensity contractions performed at low and high contraction rates in both the VL and FCR. The collective findings of this work indicate that during moderate-intensity isometric contractions, boys activate smaller MUs that have lower MU firing rates (MUFR) compared with men. Although this general trend was observed in both muscles as well as during slow and fast contractions, the specific age-related differences in discrete MU activation patterns varied between muscles. In the VL, men recruited relatively larger high-threshold MUs compared with boys even when accounting for differences in muscle size. Moreover, lower MUFR in boys was present in low- and high-threshold MUs. On the other hand, in the FCR there were no differences in the relative size of high-threshold MUs between groups, but boys demonstrated a narrower recruitment range which may explain why lower MUFR in boys were especially pronounced among high-threshold MUs. Overall, lower MUFRs in boys compared with men can partly explain age-related differences in size-normalized strength. While our findings provide some support for the notion of lower type-II MU activation in children, other emergent differences in MU activation suggest that there are other explanatory factors contributing to differences in muscle performance between children and adults.
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Consuming Pornography Predicts Sexual Harm Against Women, but Only When Consumers Are Higher in Hostile or Benevolent Sexism: Multimethod Research EvidenceWhether pornography use predicts sexual harm toward women has been debated, with past research producing contradictory findings. To clarify mixed results and qualify existing theoretical frameworks, I examined the viability of a prejudice-based person-by-situation approach focusing on hostile and benevolent sexism as essential moderators of potential anti-women effects of pornography, namely rape myth acceptance, sexual objectification, and sexual harassment. Study 1 revealed that for men (n = 379) and women (n = 278) higher but not lower in hostile or benevolent sexism, more frequent pornography consumption related to higher anti-women outcomes. Interestingly, however, women lower in hostile sexism exhibited lower anti-women outcomes with more frequent pornography consumption. In Study 2 (N = 253), I explored the dynamic processes of hardcore pornography use and anti-women effects over time. Notably, those high but not low in hostile sexism sexually objectified women more often when they watched more hardcore pornography in previous weeks, but not vice versa. Study 3 explored the effects of brief pornography exposure and the role of sexual arousal. Among men (n = 500) and women (n = 298), exposure to pornography (vs. control) images increased sexual arousal. Although exposure to hardcore (vs. romantic) images generally lowered sexual arousal, those higher in hostile or benevolent sexism were more aroused by the hardcore (vs. romantic) pornography images. Increased sexual arousal correlated with a) higher sexual objectification (regardless of hostile or benevolent sexism) and b) higher rape myth acceptance or sexual harassment inclinations, but only for those higher in hostile or benevolent sexism. For women lower in hostile sexism, increased sexual arousal correlated with lower rape myth acceptance. With Studies 1-3 demonstrating that anti-women effects are absent or reverse among those lower in ideological sexism, Study 4 delved into ethical pornography consumption in a sample of self-identified feminist women (N = 198). Qualitative data analyses revealed the importance of consent, pleasure, sexual freedom, and the distinction between fantasy and reality as participants navigated ethical tensions. Women overall sought pornography that reflected what they enjoyed in their sex lives, resolving tensions with strategies prioritizing their sexual tastes. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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Intercultural Competence Development: Exploring International Graduate Student Leaders' Journeys through Contemplation and Mindfulness-Based InquiryGiven the globalization of education, intercultural competence (IC) is a pivotal learning outcome in student mobility and internationalization. While scholars conceptualize IC as the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in cross-cultural contexts, few studies have explored international graduate student leaders’ IC development and how they perceive IC in their transitional journeys, and most research demonstrates IC development mainly through Western-centric frameworks. This study thus explored, through a non-dominant cultural lens, the IC development of international graduate student leaders to deepen the understanding of their lived experiences. Inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s philosophy of Engaged Buddhism, the study scaffolded an innovative contemplation and mindfulness-based inquiry and developed the Lotus theoretical framework combining Mezirow’s (1978) transformative learning theory and Drake’s (2010) story model to explore participants’ lived experiences. Eight international graduate student leaders from two Ontario institutions attended the semi-structured interview and two focus groups in the form of a Story Circle (Deardorff, 2020c). Findings depicted new narratives that challenged a deficit view about international students and revealed (a) participants’ perceptions about IC, (b) their journeys of perspective transformation, (c) their engagement in the meaning-making processes, and (d) the role of IC in leadership development. The study’s results offer insight into life in transition and how these students make meaning of their lives through leadership engagement and IC development. Such insights could raise awareness among different stakeholders about the meaning and importance of IC and may enable institutional leaders and practitioners to develop more effective programs and a more inclusive environment for all.
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Advancements in Trichuris trichiura treatment and diagnosis in children: Assessing high-dose ivermectin, benzimidazoles and diagnostic techniquesIntroduction Approximately 350 million people are currently infected with Trichuris trichiura. The WHO recommends mass drug administration (MDA) with benzimidazole (BZ) as the main control strategy, however, these drugs have demonstrated a reduced efficacy against T. trichiura infections. The current strategy is, therefore, not suitable for achieving the recently established goal of eliminating STH as a public health problem by 2030. Administration of combination treatment with broad-spectrum anthelminthic drugs such as IVM has been recommended. Objective The aim of this thesis was to investigate the advancements in T. trichiura treatment and diagnosis. First, by conducting an RCT comparing experimental multiple-day, and high-dose IVM drug combinations against ALB monotherapy. Followed by performing a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis to update the current knowledge on the efficacy and safety of IVM administration against trichuriasis in children. Lastly, comparing the performance of RT-qPCR vs. Kato-Katz, to determine their performance in a context of reduced transmission due to treatment intervention. Methods The randomized clinical trial was performed in northern Honduras. Efficacy was measured 14-21 days post-treatment through egg reduction rate (ERR) and cure rate (CR). Safety was evaluated by analyzing the frequency and severity of adverse events. A rapid review of evidence was conducted in 5 databases, to explore the literature results with respect to efficacy and safety of IVM against trichuriasis. Finally, two diagnostic techniques were evaluated to determine their performance after treatment intervention. Results All the experimental arms containing IVM resulted in significantly higher efficacy compared to the standard of treatment. The combination of ALB and high dose IVM demonstrated an excellent safety profile. The rapid systematic review confirmed the superiority of BZ+IVM combination. The two diagnostic techniques resulted in an almost perfect agreement, in a setting decreasing burden. Conclusions These results provide high-quality data contributing to the available body of knowledge related to the challenges faced by the global efforts of STH control, emphasizing in T. trichiura.
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Investigating the role of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor content and signalling on Amyloid Precursor Protein processingAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, multifactorial, neurodegenerative disorder putatively linked to aging. The major pathological hallmark of AD is amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, which is regulated through the activity of beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1). As such, understanding BACE1 regulation is crucial in the development of AD preventive strategies. It has been demonstrated that an acute bout of exercise can reduce BACE1 activity and content; however, the mechanism behind this regulation is unknown. One potential mediator of the exercise-induced reductions of BACE1 is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Studies indicate that exercise-induced changes in cognition and neuronal health require the synthesis, release, and binding of BDNF to its receptor. However, in AD, there is a reduction in synaptic plasticity, cognitive function, and BDNF content. The purpose of this thesis was to determine a viable method to elevate BDNF levels to modulate BACE1 activity and to determine the exact mechanisms by which BDNF can elicit this effect. In study 1 we aimed to determine if subcutaneous injections of recombinant BDNF would elicit a similar effect on amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing as observed with exercise. I found that peripheral BDNF injections improved cognitive performance, reduced BACE1 activity in the prefrontal cortex. In study 2, we explored a potential dietary intervention that may influence BDNF levels. Elevated beta-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) levels were previously established to elevate BDNF through epigenetic modifications. Therefore, we examined the effect of oral β-OHB supplementation on BDNF and (APP) processing. I determined that β-OHB supplementation was ineffective at elevating BDNF levels and did not improve cognition. However, β-OHB supplementation did reduce BACE1 activity. Finally, despite demonstrating a link between BDNF and BACE1 activity, the exact mechanism connecting them has remained elusive. The final purpose of this thesis was to examine how BDNF can modulate BACE1 activity. I conclude that BDNF appears to be eliciting a regulatory role on BACE1 activity through GSK3β inhibition. Taken together, this thesis highlights potential therapeutic strategies to target BACE1 modulation and elucidates a mechanism by which BDNF acts, thus allowing for more targeted therapeutic approaches in the future.
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Evoking A Soundscape: Inquirying Into Musician-Music Teachers' NarrativesI identify as a musician-music teacher, and my life experience of journeying to and through music provides a unique perspective, both in and out of the elementary music classroom. Growing up surrounded by music in my family has contributed to the way my story is grounded and how it has unfolded over time. In the classroom, I share my experiences with my students by retelling and reliving my story. Narrative inquiry supports sharing teacher perspectives, through a relational process. This research provides participants with an opportunity to share multiple perspectives on musician-music teacher narratives, offering a unique view into the stories of three elementary teachers (and myself as a co-participant) who work in the specialized field of music education. When musician-music teachers are provided the time to slow the day-to-day fast pace and reflect and express their story of journeying to and through music, what will we hear from their stories shared through a soundscape of experience? The synchronous nature of this collaborative research allows experience, analysis, and synthesis to become a place of understanding. Using the theoretical framework of the three-dimensional inquiry space of narrative inquiry supports an understanding of people, places, and events through temporality, sociality, and place (Connelly & Clandinin, 2006). Original to this research is the conceptual framework, evoking a soundscape, which invites musician-music teachers to weave original music with poetry and lyrics, as they retell and relive their story, drawing on the creative process as transaction (Rosenblatt, 1978). There is much to learn from listening to musician-music teachers as they share their journeys through music and the experiences that have influenced a deepened connection to their practice. Hearing musician-music teachers’ stories expressed through interviews and the music they created allows for what is resounding in their teaching craft to become apparent. Evoking a soundscape provides a new layer to the sensitive recounting and retelling of a narrative, igniting the possibility for other musician-music teachers to musically inquire into their lived experiences as a means of deepening professional practice. Keywords: Narrative inquiry, musician-music teachers, songwriting, transaction, professional learning
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Feasibility study using remote sensing technologies to improve zonal vineyard managementThe primary purpose of this research was to examine the feasibility of using remote sensing data to improve efficiency of zonal vineyard management. To achieve this goal, correlation analysis between the significant vineyard management variables and different remote sensing data analysis tools were undertaken. The variables included leaf water potential, soil moisture, canopy size, vine health, vineyard yield, and fruit composition, which further impacts wine quality. The remote sensing data analysis tools included normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and other indices extracted from electromagnetic reflectance data of grapevine leaves and canopies. In each site, sentinel vines (i.e., 72-81) were identified in a grid form. GPS-based geolocation was carried out for six Cabernet Franc vineyards in Ontario's Niagara wine country. Even though remote sensing data analysis tools were not associated with several other important variables for quality grape production, this research still confirmed that remote sensing data analysis has significant potential to differentiate specific zones of canopy size, water stress, yield, some superior fruit compositions, and the resulting wine sensory attributes within a single vineyard site. This study also confirmed that the mechanism of plant defense systems against biotic stress could have impacts on the spectral behaviour of grapevine leaves and hyperspectral remote sensing technologies could be applied as a tool to identify the spectral behaviour changes due to stress. Overall, this study verified the feasibility of remote sensing technologies to enhance the efficiency of vineyard management in the correlation of data from various remote sensing data-analysis techniques and viticulturally important variables for plant health and growth, and fruit and wine quality. As a first step to develop a site-specific crop management (SSCM) model for vineyard management, it also proposes future research opportunities to test and develop an efficient vineyard management decision making model.
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The bipartite function of Clade I TGAs: involvement in basal immunity and systemic acquired resistanceWhen pathogens attack, each plant cell must mount its defense response against the pathogen. Understanding the process of pathogenic infiltration, detection, signalling, and defense is required to produce more resistant crop species and understand the complexities involved. The transcription factor family TGAs contains two members, TGA1/4, which were found to be basal immunity and systemic acquired resistance in plants by large-scale transcriptomic analysis. TGA1/4 were found to negatively regulate WRKYs 15, 40, and 48 genes, which are negative regulators of basal immunity involved in the growth and immunity tradeoff controlled by the phytohormone Brassinoteroid. TGA1/4 was found to directly associate with each WRKY gene promoter and negatively regulate their expression. As a proxy to basal immunity, reactive oxygen species were quantified in COL-0 and tga1tga4 double mutant lines, showing a reduction in ROS expression in the mutant lines when treated with the brassinosteroid-pathway inhibitor, brassinazole. Additionally, TGA1/4 was found to form a repressosome with GRX480 and NPR1 to negatively regulate early-SAR inducible genes, like the SAR marker gene PR-1, by TGA1/4 and GRX480 directly interacting with PR-1 gene promoter. How TGA1/4 mechanistically regulates basal immunity, and SAR is not entirely known, in part due to the lack of structural information about TGA family members as a whole. In silico derived TGA1 bZip homodimer-DNA 3D model, developed through molecular dynamics simulations and alanine scanning, identified essential amino acids required for TGA1-DNA association and stabilization. Some residues outside the range of DNA interaction are critical in DNA stabilization, namely Y106, V107 and E111. Through EMSA experiments TGA1 WT and mutant-dsLS7 dissociation constant (KD) values were determined, showing TGA1-DNA K¬D to be about 22 nM, with a melting temperature of 66.5°C. Continued development of the TGA1-DNA model is required. However, the current model was successfully validated. Taken together, clade I TGAs possess bipartite functions within plant immunity, now being rooted in both the growth and immunity tradeoff and early-SAR induction.
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Mechanisms of episodic simulation of helping behaviour in younger and older adultsThe ability to recall the past (i.e., episodic memory) and simulate hypothetical events (i.e., episodic simulation) are intrinsically linked, and individuals with diminished episodic memory abilities show similar deficits when imagining potential future events. For instance, age-related declines in episodic memory are mirrored in older adults’ simulations of future events, such that older adults produce fewer episodic details, and more semantic information, than younger adults when both remembering the past and imagining the future. Despite such deficits, recent research suggests that older adults can successfully imagine future scenarios in which they help people in need; however, these findings are limited, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present thesis examines whether episodic simulation of future helping behaviours differs between younger and older adults under several conditions. Chapter 2 demonstrates that episodic simulation of helping behaviour increases younger and older adults’ willingness to help even in the highly novel scenarios posed by the pandemic. Participants relied more on non-episodic details when imagining COVID-related scenarios for which they had limited similar experiences. Relatedly, in Chapter 3, both episodic simulation and similarity to one’s personal experiences increase willingness to help and phenomenological experiences, but the mechanisms differ between younger and older adults. Scene vividness and perspective-taking mediated the relationship between situation similarity and willingness to help in younger adults, but only perspective-taking had an indirect effect in older adults. Finally, Chapter 4 suggests that time-spent-imagining does not affect older adults’ ability to simulate future helping behaviours. However, time-spent-imagining did affect the number of internal details produced, but the proportion of internal details (correcting for total details produced) was not affected by time. As such, the often-used metric of a count of episodic details alone may not be the best measure to assess episodic simulation abilities in younger and older adults. Taken together, the present studies suggest that episodic simulation of helping similarly increases younger and older adults’ willingness to help, but the underlying mechanisms likely differ across the lifespan. Additionally, both subjective and objective measures of simulated events must be examined to accurately assess simulation abilities across the lifespan.
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Lie-telling during adolescence: A multi-method approachLie-telling commonly occurs in interpersonal interactions. Lie-telling has been suggested to be most prominent during adolescence, as research suggests that lie-telling frequency increases throughout childhood, peaks in adolescence, and decreases during adulthood. The goal of my dissertation was to use a multi-method approach to explore this peak in lie-telling during adolescence by examining the frequency, characteristics, and patterns of adolescent lie-telling, as well as aspects of individual differences and social development that relate to lie-telling. Study 1 used an experience sampling method to examine adolescent and young adults’ lie-telling across a one-week period, examining both the overall frequency of lie-telling as well as the recipients, reasons, and topics of lies. Study 2 used a longitudinal approach to examine the association between children and adolescents’ evaluations of lies for autonomy and their lie-telling frequency. Study 3 used a latent class analysis to identify groups that differed in patterns of lie-telling, as well as individual differences that predicted group membership. The results provide support for the u-shape developmental trend of lie-telling, but only in some contexts; specifically self-serving lying to parents was more common in adolescence than young adulthood (Study 1), and frequent lying to parents was more likely for older than younger adolescents (Study 3). The results also demonstrate the importance of considering individual differences and social development when examining and understanding adolescent lie-telling. Variation in lie-telling was explained by individual differences, including relations with others (Study 1, Study 3), lie evaluations (Study 2), well-being, and externalizing problems (Study 3). Furthermore, the importance of adolescent social development for lie-telling was demonstrated across all three studies. Specifically, social context (lying to parents vs friends) was found to be important for understanding the development of lie-telling frequency as well as individual differences associated with lie-telling. Taken together, the results of my dissertation demonstrate the ways in which adolescent lie-telling is unique, the variation in lie-telling that exists during adolescence, and the importance of accounting for social context when understanding the development of lie-telling.
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Three Papers on Patient Experiences with Symptom Persistent Lyme Disease in CanadaThis dissertation consists of three empirical papers on patient experiences with symptom persistent Lyme disease in Canada. Lyme disease infection rates are rising across the country, a phenomenon attributed to climate change and the northern migration of ticks. The focus of this dissertation can advance knowledge in this area by addressing a gap in the current academic literature (a lack of patient voices). It is important that researchers continue to seek representation of patients’ embodied experiences in health research to advance equity and inclusion in healthcare. Study 1, an autoethnographic study, explores one researcher’s embodied experiences with co-occurring identities as a researcher, health professional, and patient living with chronic illness (symptom persistent Lyme disease). Study 2, a case study, explores the experiences of one young person, who is a patient with symptom persistent Lyme disease in Canada through collaborative research. Study 3, a qualitative study utilizing descriptive exploratory methodology, explores mothers’ experiences with symptom persistent Lyme disease in Canada. The findings from all three papers suggest that the government and public health agencies across the country should, on an ongoing basis, endeavor to advance public education on the risks of tick-borne illnesses. Further, the findings from each paper suggest that health professionals would benefit from continued education and training on tick-borne illness, and that ongoing collaboration between health professionals can be beneficial in the care and treatment of patients’ persistent Lyme disease symptoms. Finally, this dissertation highlights the benefits of collaborative healthcare (between alternative and Allopathic medicine) and may inform policy and decision-making focused on the prevention and treatment of Lyme disease in Canada.
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Uncovering the Psychological and Physiological Factors that Influence Performance and Choking Under PressureResearch suggests that there are more complex psychophysiological influences occurring when an athlete chokes under competitive pressure (Hill et al., 2010; Mesagno et al., 2015). Although the main choking under pressure theories have been researched independently for decades, both Hill et al. (2010) and Lewis and Linder (1997) suggested that these theories are no longer mutually exclusive, with the potential to converge providing insight into the same psychological and physiological factors that influence performance and choking under pressure. Therefore, this dissertation examines the psychological and physiological factors that influence performance and choking under pressure for those who are susceptible to choking, while also exploring different contexts for performers under pressure. This dissertation also investigates how sport psychology interventions such as a pre-performance routine, that integrate breathing, muscle relaxation, attention and self-talk, could help to improve the psychological and physiological factors that influence performance and choking under pressure. In conclusion, all three studies provide insight into the psychological and physiological factors that influences performance and choking under pressure. In particular, the results from study 1 suggested that athletes who are choking susceptible have a lower working memory capacity, and self-confidence, as well as higher cognitive and somatic anxiety than those athletes who are non-choking susceptible. In study 2 results provided insight into how pressure is experienced by athlete and non-athlete performers, and how pressure may be experienced differently between performance contexts. The results from study 3 demonstrated that learning to use a pre-performance routine at the proper time during competition, could help to improve factors contributing to performance under pressure and ideally could help to alleviate a choke.
