Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Vaccine hesitancy continues to influence public health practice in Ontario, particularly within a system that requires parents to complete non-medical exemptions under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1990. The purpose of this study was to explore how vaccine-hesitant parents understand their decisions and navigate institutional processes during the exemption pathway. Using Thorne… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Ageism is pervasive and harmful, creating an urgent need to understand how ageist attitudes can be improved. Building on the novel age-conscious student concept, this thesis explored the outcomes of a pilot intergenerational classroom, aimed at reducing ageism, that integrated 13 older community participants into a university-based psychology of aging course alongside 60 younger students… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation into machine learning approaches forlandmine detection using thermal imagery. It addresses both classification and precise lo-
calization challenges that are integral for humanitarian demining operations. The research
encompasses two complementary methodological frameworks: comparative evaluation of
traditional machine learning versus… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Older adults with dementia experience higher rates of hospitalization than those without dementia, yet nurses in acute care frequently feel unprepared to support patients with responsive behaviours using non-pharmacological approaches. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses' using activity-based interventions, such as colouring, word games, therapeutic dolls… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Maladaptive fear can develop when nonthreatening stimuli are misinterpreted as dangerous. While fear extinction has been extensively studied, organisms can also learn safety through relief learning, in which cues signalling the termination of an aversive event acquire positive value. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in regulating responses to threat and safety… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Steinke, Leah Jade, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Liana E, Degree committee member (dgc): Paquette, Sebastien, Degree committee member (dgc): Henriques, Denise, Degree committee member (dgc): Fournier, Neil, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Freezing is a debilitating phenomenon that reduces quality of life for people withParkinson's disease (PwPD). This study tests the hypothesis that: 1) freezing is linked to
executive dysfunction; 2) freezing is a global motor phenomenon, not limited to gait. We
compared 14 PwPD to 16 controls. Several aspects of executive function were measured
using pro- and anti-saccade tasks… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Freezing of gait is a debilitating symptom affecting individuals with Parkinson's disease. Emerging evidence suggests freezing may represent a global motor control deficit beyond gait. We investigated freezing episodes in the upper limbs using spatially-constrained reaching tasks known to elicit freezing of gait. Fourteen people with Parkinson's disease and 13 controls… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The ᐃᓕᓕᐗᔅᑭᔾ | Ililiwaskiy (Moose Cree First Nation Territory) in Ontario's James Bay region has long faced industrial impacts on its ecosystems. Community concerns about mercury in culturally important fish prompted an interdisciplinary study bringing together chemical analysis and community knowledge. Researchers partnered with Moose Cree members through workshops, training, and… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Carr, Teagan A, Thesis advisor (ths): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J, Degree committee member (dgc): Zenkina, Olena V, Degree committee member (dgc): Katz, Michael J, Degree committee member (dgc): Stewart, Kate, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis presents the design, synthesis, and evaluation of activated carbon polyacrylamide (AC-PAM) composites for oil sands tailings remediation, integrating flocculation and adsorption functionalities. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) was employed to graft high molecular weight PAM brushes onto petroleum coke and commercial activated carbon, with SARA… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Diversified agroecosystems supporting greater genetic, structural, and functional diversity improve soil health and ecosystem function. However, there is limited understanding of how multiple forms of diversification, such as mixing cover crop species and adding arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), alter belowground carbon supply to soil. In a controlled environment experiment using… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, Nethma Thejani Dissanayake, Thesis advisor (ths): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J., Degree committee member (dgc): Bradac, Carlo, Degree committee member (dgc): Easton, Brad, Degree committee member (dgc): Ouzilleau, Philippe, Degree committee member (dgc): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Petroleum coke (petcoke) is a waste by-product of the upgrading process in the oil refining industry. It has limited utility in other areas of application.1 High carbon content (over 85 wt.%), low ash content, and softness make petcoke a potentially valuable precursor for graphitization, where amorphous carbon can be transformed into graphitic carbon. The synthetic production of graphite… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Stress during adolescence has profound effects on psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological outcomes in adulthood. This study investigates the impact of adolescent stress on safety learning, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, and associated neurocircuitry using a rat model. Adolescent male Long Evans rats underwent an unpredictable intermittent stress regimen, followed by… more
