MSc, PU vir CHO, 1993

As transportation is a key component of economic success, it is crucial that the transportation systems in the Lower Mainland accommodate, and shape the projected increases in population. This paper has two main objectives. The first is to explore the factors and variables influencing demand for automobile transportation that are unique to the Lower Mainland of BC. General trends and statistics are explored for peak a.m. period automobile demand. The second part of this paper looks at the policies affecting demand for automobile transportation. Economic theory is introduced to two prominent traffic demand management (TDM) policies: road pricing and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Conceptual models are proposed for both policies. In 1993 the GVRD completed the Transport 2021 study. Using data that was generated by the EMME2 model, empirical estimates of consumer surplus changes (resulting from various T DM policies being implemented) are considered under a range of elasticities. Empirical estimates of consumer surplus changes are also calculated for the conceptual models.

The Lower Mainland of British Columbia is growing rapidly resulting in a dramatic alteration of the landscape. Associated with this growth is the loss of community heritage structures and properties. This destruction is occurring at a rapid rate even though conservation mechanisms, tools and strategies exist. This thesis examines the practice of heritage conservation and identifies the heritage conservation tools that are presently being utilized by a number of selected Lower Mainland municipalities. It then outlines the necessary conditions that a community must possess for existing conservation tools to be effective. A literature review of existing heritage conservation statutes was conducted to identify the statutory tools available for conservation purposes. The primary method of investigation involved interviewing 13 prominent heritage professionals from the Provincial Government, selected Municipal Governments, and the private planning sector. The survey allowed the author to generate a ‘tools chest’ of mechanisms available for conservation purposes. In total 23 conservation tools were identified from both the literature review and survey. Research indicated that the perceived responsibility for heritage conservation in British Columbia rested with local governments. To date these governments have had limited success in ensuring long term management and protection of heritage properties within their jurisdictions. Conservation tools presently being applied to manage these community resources are limited in scope and applicable only under specific ownership conditions. In general, local governments are under utilizing the conservation tools available to them. Reasons for this may include the lack of political and public support, in addition to, monetary and time restraints directed for this purpose. This study concludes with recommendations for local governments and the planning profession regarding the direction which these groups should embark on with future conservation activities.

This thesis places the growth management, specifically the urban growth boundary, policies of the Greater Vancouver Regional District and the Province of British Columbia in comparative perspective. The operative problem statement for this study is that current efforts at managing urban growth in the Lower Mainland are ambitious, but that they need to be made more robust. The specific methodologies used to address this problem statement include: a detailed review of the literature on urban growth boundaries and on growth management; a review of growth management policies relevant to containing urban growth in the Lower Mainland; and a detailed examination of the urban growth boundary policies of two case studies (Thurston County, Washington and Metro Portland, Oregon). The literature review reveals that urban growth boundaries are a simple concept, yet they are potentially troublesome policy considerations. As defined in the literature, urban growth boundaries are lines on a map that demarcate urban from rural land, thus setting a limit on urban expansion. The literature generally concludes that urban growth boundaries can be an extremely effective component to broader growth management programs, given a number of policy design considerations are taken into account. A thorough examination of current growth management initiatives in the Lower Mainland reveals that the substantive content of both the Livable Region Strategic Plan (1996) and the Growth Strategies Statutes Amendments Act, 1995 is "sustainable", albeit somewhat incomplete. In placing these policies in comparative perspective with the urban growth boundary policies of the two case studies, it is generally concluded that urban growth boundaries would contribute to current efforts at managing urban growth in the Lower Mainland by containing sprawl and ensuring the contiguity of urban development. Furthermore, it is argued that Provincial legislation should be amended in a way that outlines province-wide urban containment goals, ensures better interjurisdictional coordination of policies, and establishes enforcement mechanisms that include provisions for the application of sanctions upon noncompliant jurisdictions. Finally, while the case studies revealed some important information regarding urban containment in the Lower Mainland, they also served to confirm the information presented in the literature review, thus demonstrating consistency between theoretical notions of urban containment and practical experiences with urban growth boundaries.

The long-term goal of this study is to improve the ability of designers and prosthetists to match the mechanical characteristics of prosthetic feet to patient specific parameters, including, needs, abilities and biomechanical characteristics. While patient measures of performance are well developed, there is a need to develop a practical method by which non-linear and time-dependent mechanical properties of the prosthetic component can be measured. In this study, testing methodologies were developed that separately evaluated the elastic and time-dependent properties. Three styles of feet were tested to span the range of designs of interest: a standard solid ankle cushioned heel (SACH) foot, two energy return feet for active users and a new prosthetic foot designed to provide partial energy return. The first testing regime involved mechanically characterizing prostheses under conditions similar to gait. The heels and toes of four sample feet were loaded to peak forces based on their design mass at a series of angles and forces that the prosthetic system would go through during the gait cycle, based on the waveform in ISO 22675. Tangential stiffnesses of the samples were determined using numerical differentiation. The force-displacement responses of prosthetic feet reflect increasing stiffnesses with increasing loads and a decreasing pylon angle. Key features reflecting foot design are: the relative stiffness of the heel and toe and the displacement gap at midstance. Stable feet tend to exhibit lower heel stiffnesses and higher toe stiffnesses, whereas dynamics energy return (DER) feet tend to exhibit higher heel stiffnesses and lower toe stiffnesses. The differences in heel and toe loading at midstance suggest that DER feet can aid in the transition from heel to toe, providing a smooth rollover whereas SACH feet provide greater stability. A second testing regime examined the time-dependent properties of the heel and toe. A three-parameter reduced relaxation response of the form was able to capture the force-relaxation characteristics with RMS differences ranging from 0.0006 to 0.0119. In this model, A is the initial decay, B is the decay coefficient, a linear decay term, and τ is a time constant. While the model is practical for comparing various prostheses at a single load level, a fully non-linear model is required to model the time-dependent response at all loading levels. / Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-16 11:27:02.51 / Otto Bock® Dupont Niagara Prothetics and Orthotics International Health Technology Exchange (HTX) Ontario Centres of Excellence

Stair negotiation has been identified by older adults as one of the most challenging locomotor tasks, one that is associated with a high risk for falls and serious injury. Currently lacking is a comprehensive understanding of the lower limb during stair negotiation in an older adult population. It has been identified that more research is needed to determine key determinants of difficulty and safety on stairs. The objective of this thesis was to investigate lower limb kinematics and kinetics during stair negotiation and evaluate the impact of handrail use on stair ambulation in young adults, older adults, and older adults with a fear of falling (FOF). The four studies that make up this dissertation provide a detailed picture of the lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics during stair ambulation, as well as provide insight into the role of handrail use and FOF in performance of stair negotiation. Specifically, in the first study principal component analysis (PCA) was used, of the scores generated from the PCA models four principal component (PC) scores were identified that could be used to correctly classify 95% of young and older adults. The second study provided a comprehensive data set of lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics during stair negotiation. The third study identified comparable centre of pressure velocities (VCOP) between young adults and older adults during stair negotiation with and without a handrail. Whereas older adults with FOF demonstrated reduced VCOP during stair negotiation without a handrail and further reduced VCOP when using the handrail. Furthermore, no significant difference in lower limb moments during stair negotiation with and without a handrail were found in older adults, as was similar for older adults with FOF. However, a gait assessment revealed that older adults with FOF demonstrated differences from ‘normal’ gait patterns during stair negotiation with and without a handrail. These studies provide a comprehensive normative dataset of the lower limb joint kinematics and kinetics during stair negotiation, as well as provide insight into the role of handrail use and fear of falling in performance of stair ambulation. It is important to appreciate the nature and extent of normal age-related adaption and compensatory strategies to identify unique patterns of movement due to the superimposition of pathology. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2010-09-24 14:50:22.242

Although the 1837-38 Rebellions and the Union of the Canadas have received much attention from historians, the Special Council—a political body that bridged two constitutions—remains largely unexplored in comparison. This dissertation considers its time as the legislature of Lower Canada. More specifically, it examines its social, political and economic impact on the colony and its inhabitants. Based on the works of previous historians and on various primary sources, this dissertation first demonstrates that the Special Council proved to be very important to Lower Canada, but more specifically, to British merchants and Tories. After years of frustration for this group, the era of the Special Council represented what could be called a “catching up” period regarding their social, commercial and economic interests in the colony. This first section ends with an evaluation of the legacy of the Special Council, and posits the theory that the period was revolutionary as it produced several ordinances that changed the colony’s social, economic and political culture This first section will also set the stage for the most important matter considered in this dissertation as it emphasizes the Special Council’s authoritarianism. During this period, Lower Canadians lost all political rights and the decisions taken by the Special Council were made by non-elected councilors. The second section therefore considers the various ordinances the council passed, its obvious favoritism and authoritarianism, and the opinions of Lower Canadians towards them. The following questions are considered: did the British and French-Canadians react differently to the dissolution of their legislature and the suspension of their constitution? Considering the fact that many people, habitants and British alike, did not support the rebellion, did they view the council as a necessity in restoring peace and stability to the colony, and therefore accepted its authoritarianism, and even supported it? More importantly, did French-Canadians submit to the Special Council and all of the new laws and institutions it imposed in the years following the failed rebellions? Evidence suggests that French-Canadians were very vocal in their opposition to the Special Council.

In the first chapter “Impact of Quantitative Easing at the Zero Lower Bound (with J. Dorich, R. Mendes)”, we introduce imperfect asset substitution and segmented asset markets, along the lines of Andres et al. (2004), in an otherwise standard small open-economy model with nominal rigidities. We estimate the model using Canadian data. We use the model to provide a quantitative assessment of the macroeconomic impact of quantitative easing (QE) when the policy rate is at its effective lower bound. In the second chapter “Impact of Forward Guidance at the Zero Lower Bound”, I consider alternative monetary policy rules under commitment in a calibrated three-equation New Keynesian model and examine the extent to which forward guidance helps to mitigate the negative real impact of the zero lower bound. The simulation results suggest that the conditional statement policy prolongs the zero lower bound duration for an additional 4 quarters and reverses half of the decline in inflation associated with the lower bound. It even generates a period of overshooting in inflation three quarters after the initial negative demand shock. Alternatively, the effect of price-level targeting as a forward guidance policy at the zero lower bound is slightly different. In the third chapter “Impact of Quantitative Easing on Household Deleveraging”, I extend the DSGE model in the first chapter with some financial frictions to explore the effects of QE on asset prices and household balance sheet. There are two effects of QE on aggregate output originated from the model. First, QE leads to a decline in term premium, which increases current consumption relative to future consumption. Second, it leads to a lower loan to collateral value ratio and a decline in external finance premium. Favorable financing condition encourages further accumulation of household debt at cheaper rates, in turn, leads to an immediate higher household debt to income ratio. In the consideration of the future withdrawal of any stimulus provided from QE, this would pose greater challenges as it implies much intensive household deleveraging process. I provide some sensitivity analysis around key parameters of the model.

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The trends of degradation and aggradation are measured in this study for the Lower Mississippi River. Historical riverbed elevation and stage data from the past hundred years were used from six gages in order to measure changes in riverbed gradation. It was found that using stage data to measure gradation changes is a superior method to using riverbed elevations, due to stage data’s reliability, length of record and daily measurements. Degradation in the Lower Mississippi River was seen during the