Despite disaster managers’ best efforts, inter-organizational disaster management suffers from varying levels of success. One factor that is likely to account for these variations is team mutual understanding, also known as common ground. To validate the potential effect of common ground in disaster management, the thesis investigates common ground in several interviews with disaster managers and in an experimental study involving an inter-organizational disaster event scenario. Analysis of interviews revealed that disaster managers perceived gaps in understanding between responders, the importance of mutual understanding, and perceived common ground similarly to depictions in theory with a few exceptions. Analyses of the experimental study indicated that contextual factors of Team composition, Problem solving approach and Type of tasks differently impacted measures of performance and implicit coordination, and that implicit coordination partially mediated and supressed the relationship between contextual factors and decision quality. Findings suggest the variation in disaster managers’ performance can be ascribed to common ground, implicit coordination, and contextual factors. Moreover, results showed the satisfaction with outcome did not correlate with expert rated quality of decision; and that while satisfaction related to consensus and quality of the decision was linked to generating alternative ideas and debate. Collaboration proved to be more effective in public communication tasks, especially for homogenous team composition. The findings support initiatives for more cross-training and further lab and field experiments.

The literature suggest that many young and small firms are discouraged borrowers, that is, they need finance but do not apply because they fear denial. This research aims to investigate demand-side financing differences between male and female-owned small and medium enterprises in Canada from the perspective of discouraged borrowers using secondary data from the "Survey on Financing of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2004" conducted by Statistics Canada. Women-owned firms are found to be credit constrained according to some studies, but not so in others. To date, however, there remain a lack of studies examining if there is a relationship between gender and discouragement. The study uses multivariate research methods to examine such a relationship while controlling for various firm-specific (age, size, industry, etc.) and owner-specific characteristics (experience). The study finds that majority-female owned firms are more likely to be discouraged borrowers as compared to majority-male owned firms. The study also offers support to arguments that relationship banking is important in reducing the probability of discouragement in both young and established firms.

This thesis is concerned with the performance and measurement uncertainty of wire-mesh sensors in different air-water flow regimes in horizontal pipes. It also presents measurements of void fraction and interfacial velocity in such flows. It was found that the interfacial velocity measurements of the wire-mesh sensors were in good agreement with those taken with a high-speed camera and estimates of the uncertainties of these measurements are presented. Drift-flux models were fitted to the measurements and it was found that the parameters of these models were not only sensitive to the flow regime, but also to the liquid superficial velocity.

Abstract The objective was to assess Professional, Health Advocate and Scholar CanMEDS competencies in anesthesia residents using a Generic Integrated Objective Structured Assessment Tool (GIOSAT) during simulated scenarios. Methods Twenty one anesthesia residents participated in managing two scenarios: “do not resuscitate” and “morphine overdose”. Four trained blinded raters analyzed video recordings using the GIOSAT. Internal structure was examined using generalizability analysis. Results Results of the g-study focused on PHAS and ME components alone, participants accounted for 20% of the scores variance (G-coefficient 0.66). A D-study indicated two raters and eleven or more scenarios would be required for a G-coefficient > 0.80. Conclusion This study demonstrates construct validity for assessing PHAS competencies for low stakes assessment. Results address the gap of assessment performance for PHAS competencies, describe methodology and produce recommendations for summative assessments using simulation.

The process of identification for émigrés in host countries requires an investigation into the “politics of identity”, and epistemological tensions of how identity is conceptualized and practiced in the context of multicultural environments. Indeed, multiculturalism frameworks in Canada have emerged from attempts to manage coexisting cultures living in the nation-state. This research is a comparative theoretical discussion that mobilizes postmodern perspectives to open limited notions of Canadian identity, and describes the potential challenges that English Canadian and Francophone Quebec multicultural frameworks raise in cultural identification for Canada as a whole, and specifically for émigrés. Secondary literature for the analysis of multicultural frameworks is examined with citizenship markers from Census of Canada questionnaires, to conceptualize Canadian identity through discourse. The findings: (1) postulate how the multiculturalist framework in English Canada and the politics of intercultural identity in Quebec intervene in the meaning-making process of national identity and thus impede on the preservation and development of different cultural identities; and (2) discover that both frameworks of multiculturalism and interculturalism, as an institutionalization of social justice and equality, should be reframed or refined due to the limiting conceptualization of cultural identity as fluid. The findings conclude that multiculturalism, interculturalism, and citizenship frameworks may not provide effective strategies to balance the relationship between different groups with regards to ethnic and cultural rights and equality, and that these frameworks should be revisited to account for, and represent, the complexities of identity in Canada.

Carbon capture and storage technologies are necessary to start lowering greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to utilize existing thermal power generation infrastructure. Calcium looping is a promising technology based on cyclic calcination/carbonation reactions which utilizes limestone as a sorbent. Steam is present in combustion flue gas and in the calciner used for sorbent regeneration. The effect of steam during calcination on sorbent performance has not been extensively studied in the literature. Here, experiments were conducted using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and subsequently a dual-fluidized bed pilot plant to determine the effect of steam injection during calcination on sorbent reactivity during carbonation. In a TGA, various levels of steam (0-40% vol.) were injected during sorbent regeneration throughout 15 calcination/carbonation cycles. All concentrations of steam were found to increase sorbent reactivity during carbonation. A level of 15% steam during calcination had the largest impact. Steam changes the morphology of the sorbent during calcination, likely by shifting the pore volume to larger pores, resulting in a structure which has an increased carrying capacity. This effect was then examined at the pilot scale to determine if the phase contacting patterns and solids heat-up rates in a fluidized bed were factors. Three levels of steam (0%, 15%, 65%) were injected during sorbent regeneration throughout 5 hours of steady state operation. Again, all levels of steam were found to increase sorbent reactivity and reduce the required sorbent make-up rate with the best performance seen at 65% steam.

In this thesis we are concerned with estimation of clustering probabilities for univariate heavy tailed time series. We employ functional convergence of a bivariate tail empirical process to conclude asymptotic normality of an estimator of the clustering probabilities. Theoretical results are illustrated by simulation studies.

Clinical Issue Health Canada recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months post birth and then the addition of complementary foods with breastfeeding extending to a minimum of two years. Breastfeeding initiation rates in Canada are currently at around 87% but, by one month, about 21% of women have stopped breastfeeding. Engorgement and edema in breast tissue can lead to breastfeeding challenges which may contribute to early weaning. Purpose The purpose of this pilot research study was to explore the relationship between intravenous (IV) fluids given to mothers during the peripartum period and postpartum breast or nipple swelling in the first ten days postpartum and determine if a larger study was warranted and feasible. The research question for this pilot study was, "What is the relationship between the amount of IV fluids given to labouring women and edema of the breast and areola complex experienced by breastfeeding women in the first 10 days postpartum?" Methods It is a prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort pilot study with repeated measures and a within-subjects design. Participants are first time mothers who planned to exclusively breastfeed and gave birth to a single, healthy newborn by means of a spontaneous vaginal birth, Mother and baby were discharged home together with no contraindications to exclusive unrestricted breastfeeding. Descriptive statistics are reported and linear regression analysis is used to model the relationship between IV therapy and postpartum breast edema. Results Women who received IV fluids during labour had higher levels of edema postpartum and rated their breasts as firmer as and more tender than women who did not receive IV fluids. Participants who had IV fluids appeared to be less aware of the fullness associated with lactogenesis II, and the pattern of fullness they described appeared to be related to edema noted. Participants who did not have IV fluids appeared to have unrelated patterns of fullness and edema, and therefore appeared more aware of the onset of lactogenesis II. The results support a larger study about the relationships between maternal perinatal IV fluids and breast or nipple changes.

In the present study, we characterized the ability of a novel oncolytic rhabdovirus - Maraba MG1 to boost Natural Killer (NK) cell activity. In tandem, we addressed the ability of this enhanced NK cell functionality to reduce the incidence of post-cancer surgery micrometastases. Due to the potential safety barriers associated with the use of a live virus immediately prior to surgery in cancer patients, we generated a single cycle replication virus (MG1-Gless) and UV-inactivated MG1 to stimulate NK cell function and reduce post-operative metastases. Our in vivo data demonstrate that significant NK cell activation and a similar level of reduction in postoperative tumor metastases was achieved with live MG1, MG1-Gless and UV-inactivated MG1, concluding that viral replication is important, but not necessary for NK cell activation. Mechanistically, we observed that dendritic cells (DCs) are necessary intermediates for MG1-induced NK cell activation. Finally, we characterized and compared a panel of UV-inactivated MG1 (2mins to 2hrs) to better understand the requirements for NK cell activation. Our results suggest that intact viral particle and cellular recognition and association are essential for NK cell mediated anti-tumor responses. These findings provide the preclinical rationale to develop safe and viable virotherapy-based interventional protocols that might reduce the risk of metastatic disease after cancer surgery.

Sigma-1 receptors (σ-1Rs) are chaperone-like proteins that are broadly distributed throughout the central nervous system and in other tissues. They have been implicated in several physiological and pathological processes, primarily by their ability to modulate certain voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels. Growing evidence suggests that σ-1Rs regulate the functions of ion channels, such as voltage-gated K+ 1.2 (Kv 1.2) and the human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene (hERG) ion channels, by modulating their expression, trafficking, and targeting. While it is well documented that σ-1Rs enhance the function of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), the mechanisms of this enhancement remain poorly understood. Using biochemical methods, we show that 90 minutes after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of σ-1R agonists such as (+)-SKF 10,047 (SKF) or (+)-Pentazocine (PTZ) (2 mg/kg), there is an increase in the expression of GluN2 subunits of NMDARs and postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) in the rat hippocampus. Following activation of σ-1Rs, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments reveal an increased interaction between σ-1Rs and NMDAR subunits; sucrose gradient centrifugation demonstrates an increase in the protein levels of GluN2 subunits in vesicular compartment; and biotinylation shows an increase in the surface levels of GluN2A-containing NMDARs. Taken together, our results suggest σ-1Rs may enhance NMDARs function by increasing their expression, trafficking, and surface levels. This σ-1R-mediated increase in NMDAR expression and surface levels might be involved in several physiological processes such as learning and memory. Our findings also suggest that σ-1Rs could form a potential target for designing novel antipsychotics.