Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Forming Authentic And Purposeful Relationships With Racialized Communities From An Anti-Oppressive Lens: A Framework For African, Caribbean, And Black Communities, Jaimeson R. Canie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In collaboration with London InterCommunity Health Centre this research focused on identifying priority areas for anti-Black racism interventions in London, Ontario. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders from London’s African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities. Interpretive description methodology guided analysis and interpretation. Participants indicated that anti-Black racism is ever-present in the community, with systemic racism leading to the most harm. Racism should be addressed by creating ACB-specific services and education for non-Black communities; and increased representation, inclusion, and engagement of ACB people within organizations, especially leadership. A framework to direct how organizations can develop authentic and purposeful relationships with ACB …

Comparative Analysis And Integration Of Knowledge- And Data-Driven Multicriteria Models: A Case Study Of Landslide Susceptibility Assessment In Northern Iran, Seyed Vali Vakhshoori

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A landslide susceptibility index (LSI) can be used to identify the susceptible areas to landslides and prevent loss of lives and infrastructure. LSIs are generated in knowledge- or data-driven landslide susceptibility assessment (LSA) models. Literature review shows that neither of these models is the best for LSA, and both should be integrated. Accordingly, some studies are being done in this regard, but with some drawbacks. This study's objective is to integrate and compare knowledge- or data-driven models within a standard LSA framework. For constructing the framework, the reference point (RP) method from Spatial Multicriteria Analyses (SMCA) set was employed. This …

Autoethnography Of A Pregnant Doula: An Anthropological Investigation Of Birth Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Ontario And Quebec, Fattimah A. Hamam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in the existing systems and institutions people depend on in all areas of life. Birth is no exception. This research shows that COVID-19 replicated dominant North American cultural scripts treating birth as a risky and stressful medical event. It goes further to explore how birthers themselves described their experiences. Drawing on autoethnographic reflections, ethnographic interviews and a WhatsApp group chat, this thesis documents the nuance in predominantly middle class, cis-gendered women’s experiences giving birth in Ontario and Quebec during the pandemic. It uncovers the overarching non-birther centric nature of local birth culture and argues …

Legs And Hills, Aidan Attema

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Relatively longer leg length is a feature of the genus Homo that is often argued to have evolved due to selective pressures from a greater reliance on endurance running. Within the genus Homo, however, Neanderthals had relatively short legs with shorter tibiae – a characteristic that has been hypothesized to be a hindrance for running yet advantageous for locomoting on sloped terrains. This thesis tests three hypotheses relating to lower limb proportions and running performance: does morphological variability correspond with a) speed on flat and uphill terrain during a workout completed by cross-country athletes, or b) athletic performance during …

The Global Implications Of Xi Jinping’S Formidable Power, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

This abstract examines recent developments within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, highlighting its trajectory towards enhanced surveillance capabilities and centralized control. The CCP's emphasis on maintaining internal stability and ideological purity, exemplified by Xi's consolidation of power and suppression of dissent, raises concerns about the party's commitment to political reform and economic openness. The narrative explores implications for China's domestic governance, international relations—particularly regarding Taiwan—and global technological competition. It argues that while China's economic prowess continues to expand, its increasingly authoritarian governance under Xi Jinping poses challenges to global norms and multilateral institutions. …

The Spatial Concentration, Stability, And Specialization Of Mental Health Calls For Service: Evidence In Support Of Proactive, Place-Based Interventions, Jacek Koziarski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

For many decades the police have been the de facto responders to persons with perceived mental illness (PwPMI). However, having the police in this role has come with negative repercussions for PwPMI, such as disproportionately experiencing criminalization and use of force. In recognizing these issues, the police—and more recently, the community—have developed responses that either seek to improve interactions between the police and PwPMI or remove the police from this role altogether. However, in either case, these efforts are reactive in nature, responding to crises that arguably could have been prevented had a timelier intervention taken place. Further, evidence on …

Creative Common Worlding With Research Creation In Early Childhood Education, Sarah M. Hennessy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Creative Common worlding with research-creation in early childhood education engages with provocations that disrupt dominant understandings of children and their relations with more-than-human and human others. Reconceptualizing alternatives through art, this dissertation contemplates the potent possibilities beyond human stewardship, underscores the influence of an uncommoning lens, and emphasizes the difficulties with humancentric notions of research. If, by disrupting how we understand ourselves and our role in place, we modify our actions and change our habits, then perhaps we can live differently and contribute differently to the planet. Through a common worlds framework together with research-creation, this dissertation considers climate education …

(Un)Contained Breasts: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Flesh, Femininity And Feelings, Brittany Davey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis offers an original examination of the affective relations between bodies, clothing, and space by examining women’s experiences and feelings towards their breasts and wearing a bra in public. Exploring participants' contained and uncontained experiences with their breasts provided an opportunity to interrogate how heteropatriarchy requires a fashioning or containing of both feelings and flesh in public. Drawing on feminist and queer methodologies including ‘dirty participation’ and autoethnography, I report on insights gathered from twelve walking interviews conducted in Edmonton in the summer of 2019. Walking interviews included participants navigating their everyday geographies twice: once while wearing a bra …

Statistical Roles Of The G-Expectation Framework In Model Uncertainty: The Semi-G-Structure As A Stepping Stone, Yifan Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The G-expectation framework is a generalization of the classical probability system based on the sublinear expectation to deal with phenomena that cannot be described by a single probabilistic model. These phenomena are closely related to the long-existing concern about model uncertainty in statistics. However, the distributions and independence in the G-framework are quite different from the classical setup. These distinctions bring difficulty when applying the idea of this framework to general statistical practice. Therefore, a fundamental and unavoidable problem is how to better understand G-version concepts from a statistical perspective.

To explore this problem, this thesis establishes a new substructure …

Russia-Ukraine War Brings Nuclear Risk To Level Not Seen Since Cuban Missile Crisis, Erika Simpson

Political Science Publications

The current Russian-Ukraine crisis is marked by escalating tensions and heightened nuclear threats, reminiscent of Cold War anxieties. Vladimir Putin's strategic maneuvers, including partial mobilization and veiled nuclear warnings, underscore a perilous geopolitical standoff. The risk of nuclear use, potentially greater than during the Cuban missile crisis, looms amid fears that Russia might resort to tactical nuclear weapons. International responses, from stark warnings by Western leaders to diplomatic appeals from global powers like China and India, emphasize efforts to prevent catastrophic escalation. Amidst military developments and societal opposition within Russia, the crisis underscores the delicate balance between deterrence and conflict …

Understanding Transitional Mental Health And Interpersonal Needs Of Newcomer Youth During Resettlement: Seeking Guidance To Strengthen Mental Health Programming, Anjali Ruparelia

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the supports that newcomer youth may need to promote positive well-being and foster healthy relationships during early resettlement. This study employed qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with four newcomer youth between the ages of 14 and 21 years old who have been in Canada for at least two years. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). The results indicated that newcomer youth experience significant resettlement challenges and barriers including language barriers, culture shock, and feeling lonely and isolated within their new environments. However, newcomer youth participants also reported that they found various strengths and resources …

Investigating The Perspectives Of Early Years Professionals’ Anti-Racist Practices, Amy Williams

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative case study explored the perspectives and experiences of early years professionals engaging in anti-racist practices in Ontario licensed child care settings. Critical race theory and whiteness studies were the guiding theoretical frameworks for the study. The qualitative case study draws from semi-structured interviews with four early years professionals working in licensed child care settings. Based on the experiences of the early years professionals, there seemed to be an overall lack of in-depth continuous anti-racist practices among the participants. The findings highlight that the participants engage in anti-racist work using play materials, videos, and discussion-based learning with children. Some …

Motor Vehicle Collisions In London, Ontario: Estimating The Influence Of The Built Environment And Children’S Potential Exposure, David Lui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for children and youth worldwide. To effectively target interventions to improve child safety, it is necessary to identify where motor vehicle collisions occur most often and what factors make these areas more hazardous. Study #1 maps collisions in London, Ontario (2010-2019) and identifies hotspots using a network kernel density estimation method within a GIS. Logistic regression analysis revealed that bike lanes were negatively associated with hotspots, while sidewalks were positively associated. Study #2 estimated children’s risk of being exposed to a motor vehicle collision while commuting to and from school, by …

Essays On The Economics Of Education, Enrique Martin Luccioni

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My thesis consists of three chapters on the Economics of Education. In the first chapter, I take a structural approach to studying the extent to which teacher behavior and teacher interactions with students determine teaching contribution to test score growth in the classroom. Teachers’ contributions may differ across classrooms, as it may depend on the types of students taught and because teachers may adjust their effort to new contexts. The estimated model suggests that teacher and student efforts play a significant role in determining student knowledge. My findings indicate that teachers who are effective in teaching low-performing students may not …

The Psychotherapeutic Effects Of Consumer-Grade Eeg Neurofeedback On Mental Health And Well-Being, Madeline Slack

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study assessed whether pairing mindfulness meditation with consumer-grade neurofeedback (using Muse) would be a feasible and satisfying (i.e., fulfillment and pleasure) intervention for mental health and well-being. This was assessed via a four-day mindfulness program where participants (N=34) were assigned to mindfulness with neurofeedback (n=17) or guided meditation (control; n=17) group. On each day of the program, participants engaged in two mindful sessions (five minutes each) in the morning and afternoon. Participants were administered a series of affective measures before and after the program, as well as throughout. Upon completion, participants were asked to rate …

Long Term Outcomes After Norse: Treatment With Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Poul H. Espino, Jorge G. Burneo, Gaby Moscol, Teneille Gofton, Keith Macdougall, Ana Suller-Marti

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

New-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is associated with high mortality, therapy resistant epilepsy (TRE) and poor cognitive and functional outcomes. Some patients develop multifocal TRE, for whom surgery with a curative intention, is not an option. In these patients, Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is performed as a palliative treatment. We report the long-term outcomes regarding seizure frequency, functional and cognitive outcome, and effectiveness of VNS in two patients with TRE as a consequence of NORSE. In the first patient with cryptogenic NORSE, VNS implantation occurred during the acute stage, probably contributing to the cessation of her status epilepticus. However, in …

Understanding Changes To Human Mobility Patterns In Ontario, Canada During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ben Klar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transportation research has shown that socio-demographic factors affect people’s mobility patterns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some of these effects have changed in accordance with changing mobility needs adapting to the pandemic, including restrictions on in-person gatherings, closure of in-person businesses and working from home. We investigate two gaps in current knowledge in this area of transportation research: to what extent the association between socio-demographic factors and mobility metrics have changed, and how these associations vary across geographic space. We also investigate how closely Ontario’s Public Health Unit boundaries, based on which pandemic restrictions were applied, reflect actual travel regions, and …

Localized Activism In The Bangladeshi Garments Industry: Mobilizing The Labour Movement From The Ground Up, Raisa Masud

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is based on research conducted between the summer and fall of 2021, and it investigates the global garments industry from the perspective of local labour organizers and activists in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the second-largest producer of fast fashion and textile in the world, employing millions of garments workers across the country. Moreover, the long history of industrial disasters, such as the infamous case of the Rana Plaza collapse, make Bangladesh a valuable site for unravelling the layers of exploitation and vulnerability associated with wage labour in the global assembly line. The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse killed over a …

Essays On Disability And The Labour Market, Robert Geoffrey Millard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My dissertation consists of three chapters about the effects of disability and disability policy.

The second chapter analyzes the variation in labour market outcomes across disabilities by representing disability as a bundle of characteristics. Rich with information on the characteristics of a disabling condition, I use the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey to compare the relative importance of each {characteristic} and their interactions on employment, wages, hours worked, and annual employment income. The disability {characteristics} include the type of activity limitation, number of limitations, timing of onset, severity, and persistence. I find substantial cross-sectional variation in labour supply, wages, and …

Uni·Cen Documentation Report 4: Early Postwar Census Tract Digitization Project, Zack Taylor, Christopher Macdonald Hewitt

UNI-CEN documentation

The Unified Infrastructure for Canadian Census Research, or UNI·CEN, is a comprehensive database of historical and contemporary Canadian aggregate Census data, digital boundary files, and ancillary material, all provided in modern data formats. The goal of the project is to liberate Canadian Census data so that it can be easily used by academic researchers, students, and the public.

The documentation describes the processes used to digitize the 1951, 1956, 1961, and 1966 Census Tract boundaries and associated datasets.

For more information, visit: https://observatory.uwo.ca/unicen/

To access the data, visit: https://borealisdata.ca/dataverse/unicen

Uni·Cen Documentation Report 3: Digital Boundary Files, Zack Taylor, Christopher Macdonald Hewitt

UNI-CEN documentation

The Unified Infrastructure for Canadian Census Research, or UNI·CEN, is a comprehensive database of historical and contemporary Canadian aggregate Census data, digital boundary files, and ancillary material, all provided in modern data formats. The goal of the project is to liberate Canadian Census data so that it can be easily used by academic researchers, students, and the public.

The UNI·CEN Digital Boundary Files series contains versions of all publicly available digital boundary files with shorelines harmonized, at five levels of Census geography.

For more information, visit: https://observatory.uwo.ca/unicen/

To access the data, visit: https://borealisdata.ca/dataverse/unicen

Uni·Cen Documentation Report 2: Standardized Census Data Tables, Zack Taylor

UNI-CEN documentation

The Unified Infrastructure for Canadian Census Research, or UNI·CEN, is a comprehensive database of historical and contemporary Canadian aggregate Census data, digital boundary files, and ancillary material, all provided in modern data formats. The goal of the project is to liberate Canadian Census data so that it can be easily used by academic researchers, students, and the public.

The UNI·CEN Standardized Census Data Tables series contains reformatted versions of all publicly available digital Census data. This documentation report describes the data sources, tabular formats, and file types used.

No Statistical Learning Advantage In Children Over Adults: Evidence From Behaviour And Neural Entrainment., Christine N Moreau, Marc F. Joanisse, Jerrica Mulgrew, Laura J. Batterink

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Explicit recognition measures of statistical learning (SL) suggest that children and adults have similar linguistic SL abilities. However, explicit tasks recruit additional cognitive processes that are not directly relevant for SL and may thus underestimate children's true SL capacities. In contrast, implicit tasks and neural measures of SL should be less influenced by explicit, higher-level cognitive abilities and thus may be better suited to capturing developmental differences in SL. Here, we assessed SL to six minutes of an artificial language in English-speaking children (n = 56, 24 females, M = 9.98 years) and adults (n = 44; 31 females, M …

Using High-Resolution Geospatial Datasets To Investigate The Role Of Geomagnetic Cues During Long-Distance Bird Migration, Aranya Iyer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Earth’s magnetic field is an orientation and navigation cue for migratory animals, especially birds. However, current experiments used to test this hypothesis are limited. In my thesis, I compare different methods for combining animal tracking data with high-resolution satellite geomagnetic data by using an open-source software called MagGeo. I use the best-performing MagGeo algorithm to investigate if white storks Ciconia ciconia use geomagnetic cues to cross the eastern Sahara. Crossing this inhospitable and featureless habitat has likely selected for unique strategies that facilitate successful bird navigation during migration. I show that MagGeo can reliably be used to annotate animal …

Cnn-Lstm Vs Ann: Option Pricing Theory, Edward Chang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The modern derivatives market has been steadily growing since the development of the first accurate option pricing model by Fischer Black, Robert Merton, and Myron Scholes. Since then, there have been many different approaches to more accurately price options like the binomial option pricing model and approaches using technology such as machine learning. There are many different research papers on option pricing with artificial neural networks (“ANN”) but not many with other neural network types. We contribute to the existing literature by developing a convolutional neural network – long short-term memory (“CNN-LSTM”) model to price options and compare it to …

The Birth Of A Fempreneur: A Neoliberal Guide To Going Viral And Making Millions, Liana S. Forsyth

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Social media has created a new way of feminist activism in the world, including a rapid rise in 'fempreneurs' feminist entrepreneurs. With many fempreneurs turning to social media apps such as Tik Tok and Instagram as a platform to post their activism, and turn it into a profitable career for personal financial gains.

I analyzed a popular Tik Tok influencer who is famous for being a feminist advocate on the platform calling out men, and analyze her posts in order to observe the types of feminism that goes viral on social media. Overall, it is evident from my research that …

Toward Understanding Culturally Safe Health Care For Transgender People: A Scoping Review Of Health Care Provider Knowledge, Terrie Butler-Foster

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transgender is an umbrella term for individuals whose gender differs from the sex assigned at birth. Health disparities among transgender individuals are described in the literature. Concurrently, transgender people describe unmet health care needs due to access barriers, medical mistrust, and fear of mistreatment. These barriers may indicate challenges in providing culturally safe care to this group. Little is known about the knowledge and experiences of health care providers (HCP) in providing culturally safe care for transgender patients. To begin to address this, a scoping review applying Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework was undertaken to identify studies involving HCPs and …

Investigation Of Neurotransmitter’S Knockdown Effect On Drosophila Melanogaster Female Aggression, Asil N. El Galad

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) is a popular model organism in neurobiology. While aggression has been studied heavily in male drosophila, there's minimal research on aggression in female drosophila. Neurotransmitters influencing aggressive behaviour in female D. melanogaster are poorly understood. Various neurotransmitters such as dopamine, octopamine, and serotonin influence aggression in D. melanogaster Further investigation of the role of neurotransmitters on aggression is thus important. The purpose of our experiment is to observe the effect of the knockdown of dopamine, octopamine and glutamate on aggression in female D. melanogaster.

Cracking The Shell Of White Fragility: Priming Employees For Anti-Oppressive/Anti-Racist Learning, Martha Jansenberger

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Despite the adoption of AO/AR practice frameworks by most human service organizations, consistently integrating the practical elements of AR work into professional interactions continues to challenge many organizations (deFinney, 2011; Saraceno, 2012). This OiP considers the barriers to AO/AR praxis for staff in a crisis shelter, drawing from relevant leadership theory, CRT, change management research, and education research to develop a comprehensive plan aimed at building capacity among employees. With a focus on diminishing the impulse to deny or refute the impacts of systems of oppression on racialized and equity seeking groups, this project uses Kolb and Frohman’s model for …

The Relationship Between The Big-Five Personality Traits And Depressive Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis, Parisa Chavoshi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. While multiple etiological factors contribute to depressive symptoms, personality traits have been hypothesized to play a crucial role. To determine the strengths of this association and provide a new approach compared to prior meta-analyses, we conducted a set of meta-analyses to examine the association of the Big-Five personality traits as the most widely accepted personality model and depressive symptoms. We also examined the effects of the facets of each personality dimension in addition to the effects of the moderating variables, including the proportion of females and the type of depression …