Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, nucleic acid and antibody-based testing methods were heavily relied upon, but can be costly, time-consuming and exhibit high false -negative and -positive rates. Thus, alternative strategies are needed. Viral antigens such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein are critical in the function of the virus and useful as diagnostic biomarkers for viral… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis is part of an industry project which collaborates with an aviation technology company on pilot performance assessment. In this project, we propose utilizing the pilots' training data to develop a model that can recognize the pilots' activity patterns for evaluation. The data will present as a time series, representing a pilot's actions during maneuvers. In this… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Muir, Gillian, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Glen, Degree committee member (dgc): Nol, Erica, Degree committee member (dgc): Metcalfe, Robert, Degree committee member (dgc): Hu, Baoxin, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The fine-scale controls of active layer dynamics in the subarctic at the southern edge of continuous permafrost are currently poorly understood. The goal of this thesis was to understand how environmental conditions associated with upland tundra heath, open graminoid fen, and palsas/peat plateaus affected active layer thermal regime in a subarctic peatland in northern Canada. Indices of… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The following study measured dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total mercury (THg) concentrations in acid sensitive lakes in the Republic of Ireland. Sixty-eight upland lakes and 48 lowland lakes were sampled for DOC; the upland lakes were additionally sampled for THg. Spatial variability of DOC was explained by regional precipitation and soil organic matter. A subset of lakes was… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Objectives/purpose: The current study examined whether attending a 1-month virtual oncology camp (VOC)
improved resilience and hope in childhood cancer patients and parental/caregiver stress.</p><p>Methods:Childhood cancer patients/survivors and their parent/caregivers enrolled for VOC,
participated in an online anonymous survey: before, after and 3-months after VOC. The… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I used the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to monitor the fall migration behaviour and assess the underlying drivers of migration strategy in a small shorebird, the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), breeding at two subarctic sites: Churchill, Manitoba and Burntpoint Creek, Ontario, Canada. Semipalmated Plovers from both sites departed breeding areas between mid-July and early… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Giardia intestinalis is a waterborne enteric parasite that lacks mitochondria and the capacity for heme biosynthesis. Despite this, Giardia encodes several heme proteins, including four cytochrome b5 isotypes (gCYTB5-I – IV) of unknown function. The aim of this thesis is to gain insight into the function of the Giardia cytochrome b5 isotype III (gCYTB5-III) that is found in the nucleus,… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Memories pertaining to fearful events are some of the most salient and long-lasting memories, as they are critical to the survival of an organism. Seizures induce aberrant changes within temporal lobe and limbic brain structures that are critical for supporting fear memories. Seizures can occur at any time; therefore, it is imperative that research address how seizures impact previously… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Background: Researchers have provided evidence that attachment may be independently linked to early adversity and criminal behaviour. In this study, I examined the combined associations among these variables in a student and community sample. Method: The first study consisted of undergraduate students (n = 590) who completed surveys to assess early adversity (Felitti, et al., 1988),… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Amino acids make up proteins, which are the building blocks of life. A balance of amino acids is needed to maintain a healthy state. Tyrosine (Tyr) is synthesized from the metabolism of phenylalanine, which is an essential amino acid, meaning it can only be obtained from the diet. It is related to many metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Tyr can undergo post-translational… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>I drew on Bourdieu's theory of capital and theorized that different forms of economic, cultural and social capital which injured workers possessed and/or acquire over their disability trajectory may affect certain outcomes of permanent impairments. Using data from a cross-sectional survey of 494 Ontario workers with permanent impairments, I measured workers' different… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) recruitment has declined substantially in several regions of the Laurentian Great Lakes since the establishment of non-native dreissenid mussels in the early 1990's. In Lake Huron, the reasons for the observed recruitment declines are currently unknown and there is limited knowledge about larval life stage. In our study, we determined whether… more
Year: 2022, 2022
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): DeBues, Max, Thesis advisor (ths): Eimers, Catherine, Degree committee member (dgc): Watmough, Shaun, Degree committee member (dgc): Mohamed, Mohamed, Degree committee member (dgc): Mueller, Jessica, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Row crop agriculture and associated land use practices including tile drainage and conservation tillage have been cited as a probable cause of re-emerging eutrophication in the
lower Great Lakes. In this thesis, I sought to quantify and evaluate the effect of agricultural land
cover and land use changes on total phosphorus (TP) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N)
concentrations and export in… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Phytohormones, Cytokinin (CK) and Abscisic acid (ABA), are best known for controlling plant growth and stress responses; but they also mediate various developmental perspectives in alga. Yet, their mode of action in algal adaptive strategies to heavy metal responses, their involvement in orchestration of phytohormone crosstalk remain largely unknown and a molecular framework of… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In order to effectively manage recreational fisheries, it is important to understand how the resource is being used. In this thesis, long-term creel census data, collected on Lake Opeongo in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada was used to assess fine-scale angler dynamics within a recreational Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) fishery. The spatial distribution of angler reported… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Sudbury, Ontario is an epicenter of research on industrially degraded landscapes. Regreening efforts over the past 40 years have changed the landscape, leading to an increase in forest cover in the "barrens", that once covered more than 100,000 ha. This study characterized changes in plant and insect composition using a space for time approach in the pine plantations. A total… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p> The cost of reproduction refers to the use of resources for the production of offspring that decreases the availability of resources for future reproductive events and other biological processes. Models of sex-allocation provide insights into optimal patterns of resource investment in male and female sex functions and have been extended to include other components of the life history,… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Recent agricultural land use change in east-central Ontario, including the expansion of intensive agriculture (corn and soybean crops) and tile drainage (TD) infrastructure, may alter the fluxes of both phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) to the Lower Great Lakes. Through intensive monitoring of several sub-watersheds that encompassed a range of row crop and TD extents, this study examined… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Many emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens that possess free-living life stages, in which they interact with the environment directly rather than through the mediation of a host. These diseases represent major impediments to wildlife conservation; however, the dynamics of their interaction with the environment are poorly studied, often due to the difficulty of detecting… more
Year: 2021, 2021
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Ghahremani, Roya S, Thesis advisor (ths): Keefer, Kateryan, Degree committee member (dgc): Parker, James, Degree committee member (dgc): Nisbet, Lisa, Degree committee member (dgc): Fournier, Neil, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Recently, equine assisted learning (EAL) has emerged as a novel approach to building resiliency competencies in at-risk youth. This mixed-methods study presents evaluation results for an 8-week community-based EAL program with 83 young women (age 13-18 years) with a history of interpersonal trauma. Analyses examined changes in self-reported mental health symptoms (posttraumatic,… more