Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/handle/1828/12

For information on how to submit your thesis to this collection, please go to our UVicSpace Guidelines.

Access to the full text of some theses may be restricted at the request of the author.

All theses from 2011 to the present are in this collection, as well as some from 2010 and earlier years.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 11746

Investigation of an uncharacterized RNA binding domain in the neurodevelopment-associated protein methyl CpG binding protein 2
(2026) Good, Katrina V.; Ausió, Juan
Mutations in the gene encoding methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) cause the progressive neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome (RTT), for which there is currently no cure. MeCP2 is characterized as having 5 domains, although pathogenic missense mutation ‘hotspots’ cluster in the protein’s Methyl DNA binding Domain (MBD), and the NCoR Interaction Domain (NID), indicating these regions as critical for MeCP2 function. Adding to this, The MBD and NID expressed together as a peptide in RTT mice alleviates their phenotypes. Altogether, the central view of MeCP2 function is to bind methylated DNA and recruit the NCoR complex to repress gene expression. This however ignores the dozens of known MeCP2-interaction partners that involve MeCP2 in nearly all nuclear processes, indicating that there is likely some unknown facet of MeCP2 biology that can reconcile these paradoxical data. A putative RNA Binding Domain (RBD) was identified that overlaps with the NID, yet the role that RNA interaction plays in MeCP2 function remains underexplored. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to investigate RNA binding at this non-canonical RBD and identify how RNA interaction at this domain regulates MeCP2 function. Biochemical, biophysical, imaging, and immunoprecipitation approaches show that MeCP2-chromatin interaction is likely not regulated by RNA, but the MeCP2-protein interactome is modulated by RNA and the RBD, and interactions with the NCoR complex protein TBLR1 is negatively regulated by direct RNA interaction at the RBD. Cell-based and in vitro molecular assays were used to validate RNA interaction at the NID/RBD of MeCP2 to a dsRNA probe in vitro and to the lncRNA NEAT1_2¬ in cells. Intriguingly, all the evidence gathered indicates that the NID/RBD is not the only MeCP2 RBD, as its deletion does not totally abrogate RNA binding. The work is therefore left with many important knowledge gaps to fill in future directions, including where the other MeCP2 RBD(s) is/are and their relevance to MeCP2 function and RTT. The data presented herein however, validates regulatory RNA binding at a domain known to be pathogenically sensitive and therefore may be a key part of the pathophysiology of Rett syndrome.
Low-cost sensor networks for indoor wildfire smoke exposure: Design lessons and fine particulate (PM2.5) monitoring across residential buildings in Victoria, BC and Edmonton, AB
(2026) Saira, Tanatswa; Minet, Laura
Indoor air quality during wildfire smoke is an emerging public-health concern, yet there is limited data on how homes perform during smoke episodes and on how to design such large campaigns. This thesis addresses both gaps using a network of low-cost Scentroid CTmini sensors deployed across residential and infrastructure buildings in Victoria, BC and Edmonton, AB. Chapter 2 documents the design, calibration, and deployment of a network of low-cost Scentroid CTmini sensors and reference instruments across residential and infrastructure buildings. The design work covers sensor selection, laboratory and field collocation with regulatory monitors, data-logging and networking strategies, participant recruitment, and quality-control procedures, highlighting the importance of calibration, clear file-naming and close coordination with building operators and participants. Chapter 3 uses calibrated CTmini PM2.5 data from a subset of residential homes to quantify how indoor concentrations respond to outdoor levels during the 2024 wildfire season. Minute-level data are aggregated, distinguishing between “typical” conditions and smoke-impacted hours (outdoor PM2.5 ≥ 35 µg/m3). In Edmonton, homes show diverse behaviour under typical conditions but more consistent attenuation during smoke events and bedrooms tend to act as the most protective rooms. In Victoria, a relatively low-smoke year, most homes already maintain indoor PM2.5 at or below outdoor levels, and the impact of portable air purifiers is difficult to separate from mild variations in outdoor smoke. Chapter 4 extends this framework to infrastructure buildings, comparing building types and room uses as potential cleaner-air spaces. Overall, the thesis demonstrates how building characteristics and occupant activities jointly shape indoor exposure during wildfire smoke season and provides practical guidance for future large-scale indoor air-quality monitoring and cleaner-air interventions.
Comparing vanguard leaders: Exploring key Leadership attributes and their links to individual, group, and societal outcomes
(2026) Muzyka, Allison; Marcy, Richard
The prevalence of socio-political vanguard groups has grown in contemporary Western society. Although existing research has examined the ideologies, processes, and impacts of these groups, far less attention has been given to the leaders who shape them and to the attributes of vanguard leadership. Addressing this gap, this study compares and contrasts key characteristics of vanguard leadership through comparative case studies of George Lincoln Rockwell, Malcolm X, and Guy Debord. Using a most similar systems design, the research draws on biographical sources, archival documents, and qualitative and historical content analysis to assess each leader’s traits, skills, behaviours, goals, and strategies. The findings show that while all three cases exhibit core attributes from existing theories of vanguard leadership, there is variation in team leadership, team behaviours, establishing vanguard leader credibility, and shaping public influence. These differences affected the outcomes of one of the case studies, including their ability to build committed followings, sustain momentum, and affect cultural or political discourse. This study advances vanguard leadership theory by identifying specific leader attributes that help explain the variation in short- and long-term outcomes. By comparing and contrasting vanguard leader traits, skills, behaviors, goals, and strategies, this research identified similarities and differences in how these leaders operate and how their leadership attributes may relate to their broader socio-political impact.
Understanding emotion regulation during negative experiences in online group work: A case study of groups with varying sense of belonging
(2026) Yeeun, Choi; Mariel, Miller
As online collaborative learning and teamwork becomes increasingly prevalent, it has become critical to understand how students regulate emotions in these settings. While previous research has highlighted the importance of emotion regulation in collaborative learning, little is known about how students regulate emotions during negative experiences, especially in online environments where varying levels of sense of belonging and limited face-to-face interaction shape the context. To address this gap, this study used a qualitative exploratory case analysis design to explore how students regulate emotions during negative experiences in an online collaborative case-based performance assessment (CCPA), with particular attention to learners’ sense of belonging. Participants were two groups of undergraduate students enrolled in an undergraduate learning-to-learn course. Data sources included self-reported sense of belonging on the Perceived Cohesion Scale (Bollen & Hoyle, 1990), students’ self-reported emotion regulation in a narrative constructor tool completed after the exam, and video recordings of group interactions during negative experiences. Findings indicate that emotion regulation was triggered by a range of emotions situationally embedded in negative experiences. In response to triggers, learners primarily used task- and interaction-focused strategies, rather than direct emotional modulation with different strategies used at the individual and group level. Individuals often used avoidance strategies, while group-level regulation strategies commonly focused on sustaining teamwork. Finally, patterns across groups indicated high belonging did not prevent negative emotion nor guarantee effective regulation. Findings advance understanding of how students with differing levels of belongingness navigated emotion regulation, offering insights for the design of supportive learning contexts that foster connection, care, and collaboration.
A Green Legal Theory for the X-Cene: Diffracting Canadian shelter, reconciliation, and Anthropocene discourses
(2026) Zion, Mark; Johnson, Rebecca
This dissertation joins with and extends Michael M’Gonigle’s Green Legal Theory (“GLT”), which insists upon deeper theoretical questioning, and which offers a fundamental relativization of the assumptions and practices we normally reinscribe around the signifier “law.” First, I engage with Canadian ‘right to shelter’ discourse, with a focus on shared assumptions that do crucial work but are sometimes unstated. I offer a ‘chrono-political’ framework to organize various claims made in the courtroom, in legal academic commentary, and by homeless people themselves. People sleeping outdoors have achieved noteworthy success in court, preventing immediate bodily peril. However, the ‘emergency’ temporality in those cases ultimately offers a limited politics. I evaluate proposals from legal academics who therefore prescribe court orders that aim to transcend emergency protection: the state ought proactively to provide some minimal level of shelter to everyone, thereby conjoining the emergency temporality with a longer term ‘progressive’ temporality. However, I argue that these proposals insufficiently formulate how judges understand their institutional role and the extent to which courtroom doctrine can redirect wider neoliberal trends. Regulative assumptions about ‘gradual improvement’ in the law must themselves be interrogated. Second, I conduct a preliminary chronopolitical interrogation of the term ‘reconciliation,’ emphasising the temporal/historical presuppositions in this (anti-)political watchword. Disclosing both ‘emergency’ and ‘progress’ assumptions, ‘reconciliation’ can be read as an apologia for EP-flux in the domain of Indigenous government, one that is therefore an ideal node for critical redescription. To draw out the conceptual inquiry, I engage with the Ktunaxa case, exploring how the ‘reconciliation’ jurisprudence naturalises certain assumptions about law, land, progress, and sovereignty. I consider the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, demonstrating the astonishing extent to which the Report channels a particular neoliberal political rationality, saturated with the vacuous terminology that operates as a lingua franca in these nihilistic times. Third, I interrogate the notion of ‘a relation,’ beginning with Rodolphe Gasché’s deconstruction and moving toward a transcultural eco-poetics with the help of Edouard Glissant and others. Next, I critique the new epochal grand narrative of ‘the Anthropocene,’ which subtends the intersection between law and ecology. I survey ‘altercenes’ proposed in the literature to qualify, relativise, or displace it, such as the Capitalocene and the Chthulucene. I offer my own playful altercene, drawing on those that already exist: the X-Cene, connecting it with the ecological, postcolonial, and Indigenous threads that have preoccupied this dissertation. To evaluate the status of law specifically in the X-Cene, I build on Michael M’Gonigle’s Green Legal Theory. He distinguishes between ‘legal law’ (familiar positivistic case law, legislation, etc.) and an unavowed but even more determinative ‘social law.’ It is only by transforming ecologically unsustainable social laws that the root dysfunctions of our time may be addressed.
Engaging Inuvialuit youth on global environmental changes using participatory arts-based methods
(2026) Gauthier, Maéva; Gutberlet, Jutta
Rapid environmental change in the Canadian Arctic has been affecting communities by altering their environments, resources, livelihoods, and cultural and biological diversity. Climate change affects multiple levels, from sea-level rise and coastal erosion to the distribution and accumulation of microplastics (and other contaminants) in the environment, ultimately affecting a range of human well-being factors. To understand the full extent of these changes, it is crucial to examine how Arctic coastal communities are experiencing and responding to these changes within their local contexts. This study focuses on engaging Inuvialuit youth on global environmental changes they are facing in Tuktoyaktuk, in the Canadian Western Arctic, using community-based participatory approaches. In my research, I employed an assemblage of theoretical frameworks to guide the exploration of these complex, intersecting themes. These frameworks include political ecology, resilience thinking, and community-based research. To better understand youth resilience and mobilization related to global environmental changes of concern in the Arctic, more specifically, to the community of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, I was guided by these questions: 1. In the context of escalating environmental changes affecting Arctic communities, what do youth identify as their primary concerns? 2. In what ways are youth mobilizing around those issues? 3. What strategies and tools might additionally support and possibly amplify those actions? To answer these questions, I used participatory video to document the youth’s perceptions and solutions on climate change, and used photovoice and StoryMap to engage them on plastics in their environment. Most of the engagement in person took place in the summer of 2019, followed by visits in 2022 and 2023. The study, focusing on the use of participatory video and its long-term impacts on youth, further elaborates on the reframing of resilience as deeply relational, aligning with Indigenous framings that identify the collective dimension of resilience. Our research identifies three interconnected domains in which participatory video fosters relational resilience: (1) Identity and Emotional Meaning-Making, (2) Collective Leadership and Intergenerational Learning, and (3) Policy Engagement and Knowledge Mobilization. This acknowledges the shift from viewing resilience as an individual psychological trait to viewing it as a deeply culturally and socially embedded dynamic process. Results from the engagement on plastics in their environment show that youth perceptions and solutions regarding plastic waste, and how participatory visual methods can support local action pathways. With their reflections and images, they emphasized the importance of being on the land and traditional practices, the beauty of their surroundings, and their growing concerns about plastic waste in the environment. Four interconnected themes emerged: 1) Place, belonging and well-being, 2) Cultural continuity and knowledge transmission, 3) Youth environmental awareness and observation, and 4) Pathways for collaboration and youth agency. These findings demonstrate the potential of participatory arts-based approaches to support community- and youth-led solutions grounded in their reality to strengthen local capacity for action towards the plastic waste issue in the North. Overall, the learnings from this research contribute to multiple spheres: advancing our understanding of youth-led participatory research in Arctic or Indigenous contexts; refining methodologies for community-based and arts-based research; informing practice and policy on youth engagement and climate communication; and expanding theoretical frameworks through feminist, political ecology, and relational resilience perspectives.
Bearing witness to neurodivergent Indigenous people with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Stories of belonging, strength, and resilience
(2026) Alder, Caitlin; Allan, Billie
This research bears witness to neurodivergent Indigenous storytellers with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), demonstrating the significance of how these intersectional identities have been influential in their development of a sense of belonging. Through the experiences of the researcher, who identifies as neurodivergent and Anishinaabe, and nine (9) other neurodivergent Indigenous people living in Canada, this research serves to contextualize the importance of belonging as a fundamental human need. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the growing conversations on the importance of belonging—particularly, how the development of a positive sense of belonging serves as an important indicator of social, mental, and physical wellbeing; and how negative experiences create a sense of unbelonging, contributing to poorer wellbeing and long-term outcomes. This work observes how belonging is used as a tool of oppression, arguing that conceptions of “normal” or “typical” are intentionally used as a method of “othering” to establish metrics of who belongs and who does not through colonial, white supremacist, and ableist ideologies—which are then supported by Eurocentric methods of research and data analyses that favour the medical model of disability. To challenge these notions, this research embraces frameworks that use the medicine wheel to guide the process of bearing witness to Indigenous storytellers and challenge misconceptions and stereotypes associated with both Indigeneity and neurodivergence that negatively impact belonging—as well as demonstrating how a positive sense of belonging requires a balance between our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves.
Hyperbolic vision–language embeddings and loss functions for multimodal meme classification
(2026) Warner, Ryan; Thomo, Alex
This thesis investigates whether hyperbolic geometry can improve multimodal Vision-Language Model (VLM) performance on the Facebook Hateful Memes dataset. The challenge of this benchmark stems partly from subtle semantic hierarchies in how images and text combine. For example, the phrase "you smell great" paired with a skunk conveys a fundamentally different meaning than the same text paired with a rose. Such shifts in meaning are often attributed to entailment relationships within and between the visual and textual components of a meme. We hypothesize that hyperbolic geometry, with its natural capacity to represent hierarchical structure, may capture these entailment relationships more effectively than flat Euclidean space. To explore this idea, we introduce Hyperbolic Flamingo, to our knowledge the first Flamingo-style architecture implemented in hyperbolic geometry. The model combines frozen MERU and CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training) encoders with hyperbolic gated cross-attention layers. We adopt Flamingo's frozen-encoder design because the benchmark requires rapid iteration, and lightweight adapters allow efficient experimentation across different geometric configurations. Initial experiments revealed a core difficulty for hyperbolic VLMs: boundary collapse, where embeddings drift toward the edge of the Poincaré disk and gradients vanish. Under these conditions, angle-based losses saturate and performance collapses toward randomness. To address this, our main methodological contribution is a discriminative prototype loss (L_proto). Instead of classifying via token-likelihood, the model predicts labels by geodesic distance to learnable class prototypes. This shift from generative prediction to geometric separation prevents boundary collapse and enables stable hyperbolic training where previous approaches failed. Experiments with centroid-regularised prototypes (L_proto-reg) show mixed, dimension-dependent effects: regularisation helps at high dimensionalities (e.g., +1.15% at 256d) but reduces performance in lower-dimensional settings. Initial experiments (Phase 3) with a simplified architecture demonstrate parity: the hyperbolic prototype head (63.44% ± 2.1% Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, or AUROC) matches the Euclidean baseline (63.4% ± 0.7%), with hyperbolic cross-attention and the LM head (63.9% ± 1.8%) slightly exceeding the baseline. Extended ablation (Phase 5) with the complete Flamingo architecture (Perceiver Resampler plus six interleaved cross-attention layers) reveals a stronger finding: the hyperbolic prototype head outperforms the LM head by ~3% (67.32% vs 64.37% AUROC), confirming the value of the discriminative pivot. The best configuration achieves 67.97% ± 0.35% AUROC with a best single-seed result of 69.50%. We view the Lorentzian distance losses explored here as a starting point; more advanced formulations (such as Accept-the-Gap's exterior-angle losses or HyCoCLIP's compositional entailment cones) may better realise the theoretical benefits of hyperbolic space. Overall, these findings establish Hyperbolic Flamingo as a practical and extensible foundation for further research on geometric inductive bias in vision-language models. Code availability: Source code is available on Hugging Face (https://huggingface.co/rkwarnerwsslskunkworx/Hyperbolic_Flamingo) with access granted upon request.
The science and art of feminist somatic sex education: Teaching pleasure in the mid- to late twentieth century
(2026) Koehn, Emilia; Cleves, Rachel Hope
Today, female orgasms promise freedom: freedom from bad sex, from unhappy relationships, and sometimes even from the patriarchy. For those who struggle to orgasm, a plethora of “sexperts” offer solutions often in the form of somatic sex education. “The Science and Art of Feminist Somatic Sex Education: Teaching Pleasure in the Mid- to Late Twentieth Century” explores the evolution of somatic sex instruction for pre-orgasmic women from a tradition of scientia sexualis to an ars erotica. Using archival texts, oral histories, and secondary literature, this thesis highlights the sexologists William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, the psychologist Lonnie Barbach, and the artist Betty Dodson as important shapers of the discourse of female sexuality. Dissatisfied with the psychoanalytic treatments of “frigidity,” they set out to create new methodologies. In the 1960s and 1970s, Masters and Johnson achieved nationwide fame for their physiological research into the human sexual response and their consequent method for treating couples’ sexual “inadequacies.” Building on their work, Barbach created “pre-orgasmic therapy groups,” a distinctly feminist alternative to Masters and Johnson. This positions her in a sexual scientific discourse which Foucault termed scientia sexualis. Dodson, on the other hand, created a more artistic and spiritual approach with her Bodysex workshops, which place her in the orientalist and essentializing discourse of ars erotica. This thesis argues that its subjects were not lonesome pioneers who rose against the oppressive mainstream, even though many like to frame them as such. Instead, it locates them within wider discourses, such as the sexual revolution, radical and cultural feminism, neo-spirituality, and oppressive structures of race and gender. Barbach and Dodson have been overlooked by historians, but their stories are an important part of second-wave pro-sex feminism and help us better understand how sex has been framed as a site of empowerment.
Visual and interactive tools in support of a hands-on introduction to quantum computing
(2026) Norrie, Samantha; Stege, Ulrike; Estey, Anthony
The rapid growth of quantum computing technology has created a need for educational tools that help foster intuitive understanding of quantum concepts. Although exploratory learning has demonstrated effectiveness in other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains, its role in quantum computing education remains underexplored. This thesis presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of two exploratory learning tools, QNotation and QGrover, which were developed to support introductory quantum computing instruction. QNotation is a browser-based application that displays quantum circuits written using quantum software libraries (such as Qiskit, PennyLane, or Cirq) in circuit, Dirac, and matrix notation. To ensure reliability and conceptual accuracy, QNotation incorporates a comprehensive automated testing and verification framework, including integration tests executed through continuous integration workflows. We conducted an exploratory study to examine how students interact with QNotation. Preliminary survey data and usage observations provide initial insights into learner engagement patterns within exploratory quantum computing environments. QGrover, another browser-based application, complements QNotation by allowing users to interact with Grover’s algorithm through dynamic visualizations. Users can configure the number of qubits, marked states, and iterations (or select the optimal count) used by the algorithm. This enables them to observe how the circuit and state vectors evolve step-by-step. By supporting exploratory manipulation, QGrover helps learners develop intuition about the algorithm’s dependence on its problem parameters. The contributions of this work is an overview of how the aforementioned tools have been designed according to software engineering best practices to align with modern industry needs. Additionally, we demonstrate that well-designed exploratory tools can meaningfully improve the teaching and learning of quantum computing. We also provide example material to enable these tools to be easily integrated into learning exercises and assessments.
Cyclic electron illumination and beam response measurement using < 1 μs multi trigger exposures on the Merlin-Medipix detector
(2026) Fang, Zekun; Blackburn, Arthur M.
There is a need to observe dynamic microscopic phenomena and reduce sample damage in electron microscopy to enable better understanding of physical phenomena and to allow higher-fidelity microstructure determination for materials science and biological applications. This need is driving advances in time resolved electron microscopy and creates the requirement to characterize the dynamic response of the electron beam at the upper frequency limits of the microscope’s scan deflection system. Here we advance time resolved electron microscopy using the previously little-explored multiple-trigger frame mode of the Medipix-Merlin detector on a transmission electron microscope (TEM). We use this detector at trigger rates up 200 kHz with shutter or count-enable durations down to 100 ns, to determine the voltage to beam-deflection transfer function, including the frequency-dependent phase response. Following this, we describe and test a scheme for providing a 50 kHz pulsed illumination mode in a TEM, using a cyclic orbital beam trajectory synchronized with multi-trigger frame acquisition on a Medipix-Merlin detector. This allows us to obtain time or electron-dose resolved series of selected area diffraction data. We apply this scheme to investigate electron damage in C36H74 paraffin (hexatriacontane). This is a model highly electron-beam sensitive material that has previously been characterised using a pulsed-laser excited electron beam source in the TEM. However, owing to experimental uncertainties of our method on this very sensitive material, our damage rate results on this material are inconclusive. Nonetheless our advancement and demonstration of a new pulsed electron beam illumination mode for TEM, and a new method of determining the amplitude and phase response of the beam deflection system, should be useful for those seeking to develop high-speed and lower-cost dynamic electron microscopy systems.
Synthesis and optical applications of ferrocene-containing polymers
(2026) Young, Harrison K.S.; Manners, Ian; McIndoe, J. Scott; LaPierre, Etienne
From commodity plastics which enable large-scale manufacturing of consumer products to the nucleic acids and proteins that allow for biological function, polymeric materials are essential for modern life. However, polymers which display functions beyond low-density structural components has been a well-established challenge due to the synthetic difficulty of creating purely organic polymers which feature technologically relevant properties such as electrical conductivity or magnetism. Therefore, further exploration into the incorporation of elements aside from carbon into polymeric systems, and the properties of such compounds, enables the expansion of the applications of these species. This thesis explores optical applications of iron-containing polymeric compounds known as polyferrocenes to showcase larger applicability for inorganic polymers, in addition to investigating new methods for the inclusion of elements which are underexplored in polymer materials to further enhance the optical properties of the polyferrocenes. Chapter 1 gives a background of the structure of ferrocene, the methods for the inclusion of ferrocene in polymers, and some relevant applications of these polyferrocenes. Chapter 2 discusses the first example of a metallopolymer used in the detection of magnetic field strength via Faraday rotation, using chemically oxidized polyferrocenylsilane thin films. Chapter 3 describes the acid-induced degradation of polyferrocenylsilanes and the use of this property to fabricate photoresists for deep ultraviolet (254 nm) and extreme ultraviolet (13.5 nm) photolithography, as well as electron beam lithography, further expanding on previous polyferrocenylsilane photoresists which undergo photon-mediated crosslinking. Chapter 4 explores the synthesis of a new class of polyferrocenes, linked by antimony atoms, which represents an increase in atomic mass of the linker atom compared to the previously reported polyferrocenylstannanes, as well as the second example of a polymer which contains antimony within the main chain. Chapter 5 outlines the synthesis of polyferrocenes which contain bismuth linkers, the heaviest stable element which can be incorporated into the backbone of a polymer and the only example of a polyferrocenes linked by atom with a principal quantum number greater than 5. Chapter 6 concludes the work described in Chapters 2-5 and discusses potential directions for future work, with emphasis on the use of the antimony- and bismuth-linked polyferrocenes in magnetic field sensing and extreme ultraviolet lithography.
Metramorphic borderlinking in Aliyeh Ataei’s “The Alcove” and Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul
(2026) Zarvasi, Fatemeh; Bancroft, Corinne
This thesis explores subjectivity and violence in Aliyeh Ataei’s “The Alcove” and Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul through Lacanian psychoanalysis and post-Lacanian critiques in the context of Afghanistan. Focusing on these two works, the study explores how heteropatriarchal, phallocentric socio-symbolic orders shape subjectivity and perpetuate violence. Lack-driven desire operating through asymmetrical dialectics between the Self and the Other, produces multiple forms of violence—from gender-based violence at the micro level to broader political violence structuring contemporary encounters between East and West. While literature and sociopolitical discourses appear distinct, a dialogue between them becomes significant. I argue that the meta-narratives of these two works reveal literature’s potential to shift from a phallic gaze to a matrixial one. In other words, the texts move from phantasmatic, phallic representations to those of trauma, structured by a matrixial logic that opens access to an innermost human capacity for compassion—what Bracha L. Ettinger terms co-naissance, co-response-ability, and metramorphic borderlinking. Co-naissance, which means “to be born-with,” refers to a mode of subjectivity generated through co-emergence in difference. Drawing on the intrauterine relation between mother and fetus, Ettinger conceptualizes matrixial stratum in which the subject and the Other are linked without fusion. Thus, in encounters between the Self and the Other, subjectivity emerges within a differential relationality through the process of metramorphic borderlinking that bears co-naissance and co-response-ability rather than through lack and separation. In this matrixial sense, “The Alcove” and Homebody/Kabul provide the opportunity of contemplating the possibility of relationship with the Other in alternative non-violent manners that can add to the socio-political domain.
Spatial and temporal characterization of 6PPD-Q in urban waters using condensed phase membrane introduction mass spectrometry
(2026) Jaeger, Angelina; Krogh, Erik
In 2020, 6PPD-Q (a p-phenylene diamine quinone) was identified as the contaminant associated with urban runoff mortality syndrome, with acute toxicity in the low ng/L range. The quinone compound is an ozonation product of an antioxidant, 6PPD, used to extend the life of rubber products, including tires. 6PPD-Q has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems, atmospheric particulate matter, and biological samples (including humans). Characterizing environmental risk and developing mitigation strategies for this toxicant requires an understanding of rain-driven pulses of road runoff and stormwater into receiving environments. The ubiquity of tire-derived contaminants and the inherently dynamic nature of their release to the environment requires rapid and scalable detection methods. This thesis applies condensed-phase membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP-MIMS) for environmental surveillance of this emerging contaminant. CP-MIMS has previously been applied for several pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and naphthenic acids (NAs) in oil sands process water, and commercial sunscreen UV filters in recreational waters. This direct mass spectrometry method has been adapted to provide trace level 6PPD-Q analysis. Method selectivity is provided through tandem MS, analytical duty cycles are only 2.5-minute/sample, and 1 ng/L limits of detection meets required sensitivity. This allowed for the spatiotemporal studies of the pollutant’s distribution in Nanaimo, BC, a medium sized city on Vancouver Island at the meter – kilometer spatial scale, and minute – hour time scales. Characterizing the concentrations of 6PPD-Q has implications for understanding the in-stream exposure durations for vulnerable species such as coho salmon. Lastly, rain-driven pulses of 6PPD-Q were measured continuously in real-time and on-site using a mobile lab outfitted with a field-operable CP-MIMS system for the first time.
The impact of sub-resolution modelling on brightest group galaxies in cosmological simulations
(2026) Barré, Ruxin; Babul, Arif
Deep in the dense central regions of galaxy groups reside some of the most massive galaxies in the universe: brightest group galaxies (BGGs). Galaxy groups occupy a crucial position in the cosmic structural hierarchy, bridging large isolated galaxies and massive galaxy clusters, and collectively contain the bulk of all galaxies and baryonic matter in the local universe. The evolution of BGGs is intimately tied to their environments through interactions with neighbouring galaxies and the hot diffuse atmosphere of gas that permeates the halo. In turn, BGGs shape their surroundings through energetic outbursts from their central black holes known as active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback. This complex interplay of internal and environmental factors makes BGGs ideal laboratories for testing how accurately cosmological simulations model the diverse, multi-scale physics driving galaxy evolution. This thesis investigates how BGGs are represented across four different galaxy formation models used by the ROMULUS, SIMBA, SIMBA-C, and OBSIDIAN cosmological simulations. My core analysis involves comparing stellar properties of the simulated BGGs to those of real BGGs observed in the universe. Through this, my work isolates how specific choices made in modelling unresolved physical processes influence the properties and evolution of the BGG populations produced by simulations. The simulated BGGs are profoundly impacted by the strength and mechanism of the AGN feedback model. The thermal energy injection used by ROMULUS is inefficient at suppressing cooling flows, leading to unregulated star formation in BGGs. SIMBA and SIMBA-C use a two-mode kinetic outflow model that is heavily dependent on the activation and calibration of powerful jet feedback, which abruptly quenches BGG star formation. The OBSIDIAN simulation incorporates a more physically realistic three-regime kinetic AGN feedback model that directly links the physics of the black hole accretion flow to properties of the resulting outflows. Through this model, OBSIDIAN achieves the highest overall agreement with observations, producing a BGG population that quenches through a gradual decline in star formation that is the most representative of real massive galaxy evolution. My findings reinforce the critical role of AGN feedback in regulating the assembly and growth of massive galaxies within group environments. The success of OBSIDIAN demonstrates the importance of developing physically motivated models that can capture the nuanced evolutionary processes underlying global galaxy properties. Improving the realism of galaxy formation models will not only enhance the predictive power of cosmological simulations but also advance our understanding of the complex physical processes governing the formation and evolution of galaxies.
Methionine regulates the antitumor function of CD8+ T cells through polyamine synthesis
(2026) Zhao, Tian; Lum, Julian J.
As an essential amino acid, methionine (Met) is critical for T cell activation. While methionine restriction (MR) combined with immune checkpoint blockade has been shown to enhance T cell function, the impact of Met on adoptive T cell therapies is unknown. Here, we examined the functionality of T cells under MR and methionine cycle inhibition (MAT2Ai) using in vitro models and a murine adoptive T cell therapy model. In vitro, transient MR or MAT2Ai increased interferon gamma (IFNγ) expression in CD8+ T cells, whereas prolonged MR or MAT2Ai led to the upregulation of T cell exhaustion-associated markers. Mechanistically, transient MR suppressed the polyamine synthesis pathway, and genetic ablation of a key gene in this pathway resembles the effect of MR on gamma (IFNγ) expression, indicating that transient MR enhanced T cell function by inhibiting polyamine synthesis. Despite this, pre-infusion transient MR of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific (OT-I) CD8+ T cells had no measurable impact on antitumor efficacy against EG7-OVA tumors in vivo. In contrast, an MR diet reduced intertumoral Met levels and promoted EG7-OVA tumor growth in mice treated with OT-I T cells, thereby confirming that Met is essential for the activity of adoptively transferred T cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that enhancing Met availability in the tumor microenvironment may improve the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapies.
Strategies for increasing the durability of platinum electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications.
(2025) Tremblay, Christopher D.; Buckley, Heather
This thesis explores two different methods for improving the durability of platinum catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), through both carbon support modification and alloying the platinum catalyst with rare earth elements (REs). Nanoparticles are synthesized through burst nucleation and high temperature H2/Ar treatment, and characterized using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrocatalysts are then screened for their electrochemical activity for the oxygen reduction reaction at a rotating disk electrode, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is used to elucidate information about the electrokinetics of each electrocatalyst. Chapter 1 introduces the relevant background for the thesis, starting with the proton exchange membrane fuel cell and the oxygen reduction reaction. The thermodynamics and mechanisms of nanoparticle synthesis are then covered, along with platinum alloy formation. Lastly, the key characterization methods are covered in detail, including voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Chapter 2 details our work done in collaboration with XLynX Materials, where we have investigated the effects of hydrogenation of a carbon support in relation to platinum nanoparticle growth and electrochemical stability. It was hypothesized that due to hydrogenated graphene’s intrinsic hydrophobicity, carbon corrosion could be reduced by using a hydrogenated support. We found that when growing hollow porous PtNi on hydrogenated graphene, controlling the mole ratios of the metallic precursors was key in affording the desired nanostructure due to the interactions of hydrogenated graphene with the initial crystallite formation. Moreover, we found that the hydrogenated composite was less susceptible to carbon corrosion, as indicated by electrochemical methods, Raman spectroscopy and identical location TEM (IL-TEM). Chapter 3 details the work on optimizing carbodiimide synthesized PtGd catalysts for use in PEMFCs. It has been identified that the conventional carbodiimide route results in Pt-RE catalysts that are unsuitable for use in a PEFMC, as the nanoparticle formation occurs on the outside of the carbon black, and not inside the pores. We have proposed a key synthesis intervention: through introducing a wet mixing step, we allow precursors to diffuse into the pores of the carbon black. This allows for nanoparticle nucleation and growth to occur in the pores of the carbon support, leading to a catalyst material that is less susceptible to ionomer poisoning. We demonstrate the increased ionomer poisoning resistance using electrochemical methods and in-situ PEMFC studies, as well as extensively characterize the nanoparticle formation using X-ray and spectroscopic methods. Chapter 4 builds upon Chapter 3 and targets the toxic C-N precursor used in the carbodiimide route. Since cyanamide is identified as a human health and environmental hazard, it must be replaced with a greener precursor for scale up to viable. We explore two new C-N precursors for the carbodiimide route, dicyandiamide and melamine, and investigate how they affect the nanoparticle formation and electrochemical ORR behavior. A comprehensive hazard analysis is also conducted, in which we compare the relative hazard level between cyanamide, dicyandiamide and melamine. Chapter 5 builds on both Chapters 3 and 4, and uses the modified carbodiimide route along with melamine to explore platinum-alloy systems with “variable valence” rare earth elements. Variable valence transition metals like Cr, Nb and V have recently been identified to act as electron buffers in platinum electrocatalysts, reducing surface polarization and extending their durability. We hypothesized this could be extended to the rare earth elements, and investigate the crystal structure, surface composition and electrochemical behavior of Pt-Eu and Pt-Yb systems. Lastly, Chapter 6 details the conclusions from each chapter, outlooks and the planned future work. This includes the use of earth abundant cerium and calcium as alloying agents.
Literacies in the more-than-human world: A thesis through autobiographic and post-qualitative inquiries
(2026) Waliszewska, Aleksandra Krystyna; Harvey, Lyndze
This thesis is composed of two related studies. First, I reflect on the past decade as an educator and graduate student to highlight the joy that accompanied my shifting understanding of literacy. Through an autobiographical narrative inquiry, I use selections from blog entries and graduate coursework to reflect on my “moments of turning”. I begin with a logocentric understanding of literacy as a white settler in two Indigenous communities, but over time embrace a multimodal, embodied, emergent, place-based, and more-than-human conception of literacies within a context of the climate and nature emergency. In a second, post-qualitative inquiry I explore what kinds of literacy practices do learners in an elementary outdoor program engage in, and how are they shaped by the more-than-human world? I situate my research within the context of a socially and ecologically precarious world, from a posthuman theoretical perspective in conversation with Indigenous literacies, to build an argument for an embodied, sensory, multimodal, emergent, relational, and more-than-human conception of literacy. The study focuses on the experiences and literacy practices of fifteen elementary aged children in a multi-grade, forest school program in southern British Columbia, Canada. Using photographs and field notes, this study interrogates logocentric literacies and employs literacy as event, a process-based concept with meaning-making and sense-making occurring relationally, often in surprising ways that defy prior predictions, and therefore contain multiple possibilities. Meaning and sense-making interact to create powerful literacy experiences that transcend language. With these two studies, I argue that more-than-human literacies bring joy and open possibilities in a precarious world.
Abnormal otoliths: Causes and consequences of vateritic otoliths in hatchery-reared coho salmon
(2026) Gaffney, Leigh P.; Juanes, Francis
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are ecologically, culturally, and economically vital throughout the North Pacific, yet many populations have experienced long-term declines in productivity and marine survival. To offset these losses, large-scale hatchery programs such as Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP) rear and release millions of juveniles each year. However, hatchery-origin coho salmon (O. kisutch) consistently exhibit lower marine survival and behavioural competence than their wild counterparts, suggesting that artificial rearing environments can impair sensory and physiological development. One well-documented difference is the high prevalence of vateritic otoliths—abnormal calcium carbonate formations in the inner ear that disrupt hearing, balance, and orientation. This dissertation investigates the environmental factors that drive vateritic otolith formation in hatchery-reared coho salmon and examines the behavioural and ecological consequences of these deformities. To evaluate the scope of the problem, vaterite prevalence and percent coverage were quantified in smolts and adults from eleven stocks across eight SEP hatcheries in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia (Chapter 2). Vaterite occurred in 29–91% of hatchery fish, with consistent hatchery-specific patterns indicating that local rearing conditions are primary drivers. Because unidirectional flow, barren rearing environments, and high stocking densities are standard but welfare-limiting hatchery practices, their effects were tested directly. Alternating tank water flow (reversed weekly) reduced both vateritic and asymmetrical otoliths relative to constant clockwise or counterclockwise flow (Chapter 3). Early-life structural enrichment using artificial gravel redds produced the strongest reduction in vaterite prevalence—from over 60% to less than 5%—while post-ponding enrichment had smaller benefits and density effects were weaker and non-linear (Chapter 4). Finally, behavioural trials showed that fish with vateritic otoliths displayed weaker and shorter-lived predator-avoidance responses to harbour seal vocalizations and boat noise (Chapter 5). These results link a structural deformity to reduced antipredator performance, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing to the poor marine survival of hatchery-origin coho salmon. Collectively, this dissertation provides the first comprehensive assessment of vateritic otolith formation, its causes, and its consequences for hatchery-reared coho salmon. The results demonstrate that small, practical adjustments to common rearing practices—particularly early enrichment and alternating water flow—can substantially reduce sensory deformities and have the potential to improve welfare, behaviour, and post-release performance.
Optical microcavity surface roughness modelling
(2025) Qin, Heming; Lu, Tao
Surface roughness at the sidewalls and top surfaces of whispering-gallery mode (WGM) microdisk cavities causes scattering loss that degrades the cavity quality factor. This thesis presents a three-dimensional full-wave electromagnetic modeling framework implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze the impact of surface roughness on WGM microcavity performance. A statistical roughness generation methodology produces Gaussian-distributed surface profiles with controlled root-mean-square height and correlation length. The simulation results reveal systematic trends in quality factor degradation with increasing surface roughness, showing more than three orders of magnitude reduction for moderate roughness levels. The scattering field extraction formalism is also implemented, allowing detailed analysis of roughness-induced scattering. Comparison with established semi-analytical models demonstrates that the three-dimensional full-wave approach captures comprehensive surface scattering interactions from all cavity surfaces, while semi-analytical models typically focus on specific dominant scattering sources such as disk-edge roughness. The results provide actionable guidance for microcavity fabrication optimization and establish a foundation for predictive modeling of surface-scattering effects in high-Q optical devices.

Browse

Recent Submissions