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My practice consists of painting, ceramic sculptures, and performance to consider the construction of self-identity and the role of agency and labor in this construction. Mining my life experiences as a point of departure, I question how visual images, sculptural abstractions, and physical movement create a multi-dimensional representation of the self and how the body is a vehicle for the expression and formation of the self. I source images from family photos and film stills to question how I have embodied qualities from the women in these images. I will discuss my thesis exhibition My Pleasure (Forever Yours) to unpack particular decisions made within the works and how they relate to the larger narrative that I construct.

A marginal ice zone (MIZ) is characterised by distinct ice floes and its direct exposure to the open ocean. Sea ice is typically described as a continuous material but this description can be inappropriate in an MIZ due to the granular nature of the ice cover and the scale of processes acting on the ice floes. In this thesis, the kinematic behaviour of sea ice in an MIZ modelled as a granular material is investigated with an emphasis on the influence of ocean waves. The kinematic behaviour of a set of ice floes subject to ocean wave forcing was recorded in an experiment conducted in the Ross Sea. Kinematic data were recorded from each ice floe using a GPS receiver, tri-axial accelerometer, and compass. The data show (1) the influence of wave forcing and (2) collisions between neighbouring ice floes. It was also discovered that the GPS receivers were able to resolve the effects of ocean wave forcing despite their poor absolute accuracy. The number density and normalised structure factor (NSF) are introduced to describe the spatial structure of a set of ice floes. Four idealised distributions (in 1D and 2D) are analysed to gain insight into the way that different factors determine the shape of the NSF. It is shown that (1) a significant sinusoidal deviation causes a peak in the NSF, (2) ordered structure dominates low spatial frequencies, and (3) disorder dominates high spatial frequencies. A comparison of the contributions from these different factors is used to estimate the significance of a sinusoidal deviation in the positions of the ice floes. A granular model of an MIZ is developed using a novel set of equations of motion to examine the effect of ocean wave forcing. The equations of motion are derived for small ice floes and allows forcing by multiple waves. These equations predict a transient, wave-induced torque, which can be sustained by the application of a second force to the ice floe. Torque induced by the interaction of two forces on an ice floe may be a general feature of sea ice motion. The number density and NSF are used to analyse the distribution of ice floes in the granular model. At low solids-fractions the number density is correlated at the frequency of the wave forcing. As the solids-fraction is increased this correlation is destroyed by collisions between the ice floes and new correlations are created that are related to the packing structure of the ice floes. When the number density is weighted by the velocity of the ice floes, the correlations between floes are related to the convolution of the wave velocity field and the number density. These correlations may be incorporated into the thickness distribution of large-scale models using the maximum entropy method. The granular model was also examined as a percolating network of contacts and it was found that percolation was more likely to occur along the crest of a wave than in the direction of propagation.

Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus and the aetiological agent of epidemic polyarthritis (EPA). Arthropod borne-Alphaviruses that are related to RRV, such as Chikungunya virus, Sindbis virus and Barmah Forest virus, are usually associated with epidemics of infectious arthritides in different parts of the world. In humans, RRV-induced disease symptoms include fever, rash, myalgia and pain and stiffness of the joints. Muscle and joint pain are the most debilitating symptoms in RRV patients and the best treatment available is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Previous studies in mice have demonstrated that RRV infection results in inflammation of skeletal muscle and joints and that macrophages play a primary role in disease. The present study was carried out to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms mediating RRV-induced muscle and joint pathology. Previous studies have reported that encephalitic alphaviruses trigger apoptosis of brain cells in mice and that blocking apoptosis reduces mortality rates. In the present study, the ability of RRV to induce muscle apoptosis was investigated in vitro, using a murine myoblast cell line (C1C12), and in vivo, using a mouse model of RRV disease. RRV-infected C1C12 myofibres displayed an array of morphological and biochemical makers of apoptosis. Apoptosis was also observed in the skeletal muscle of RRV-infected C57BL/6J mice. Blocking apoptosis by general caspase inhibition resulted in milder disease symptoms, reduced myofibre damage and decreased inflammation of muscle and joint tissues. The total number of cell infiltrates as well as the number of macrophages infiltrating muscle was significantly reduced by the treatment with a caspase inhibitor. The effects of RRV infection on the skeletal system were also investigated. Primary human osteoblast cells were infected with RRV and monitored for viral-induced cytopathic effect. Osteoblasts supported rapid virus growth and, by 48 hours after infection, succumbed to viral-induced necrosis. In addition, histological examination of bone tissue from RRV-infected C57BL/6J mice showed clear evidence of bone resorption. Tibias from infected mice showed an increased number of activated osteoclasts, a reduction in bone density and thinning of cortical bone. The expression of host factors involved in inflammatory responses and bone remodelling was studied in RRV-infected myofibres and osteoblast cell cultures and in the muscle and joint tissues from infected mice. RRV-infected muscle cells and tissue showed elevated mRNA levels for the chemokines CCL-2, CCL3, CCL5 and CXCL1, all of which are known to mediate the migration of monocytic cells. With the exception of CXCL1, these chemokines were also found to be up-regulated in RRV-infected osteoblast cultures and in joint tissues from infected mice. Muscle and joint tissue from infected mice also showed elevated mRNA levels for type I and type II interferons, TNF- and NOS2. In addition, joint tissues from infected animals contained high levels of IL-6 and IL-1, two cytokines known to mediate bone remodelling. Finally, the therapeutic potential of the drug bindarit was investigated using the mouse model of RRV disease. Bindarit is a known inhibitor of CCL-2 and TNF- and has been found to prevent protein denaturation. Treatment with bindarit resulted in mice developing milder disease symptoms, reduced muscle damage and decreased inflammation of muscle and joint tissues. In particular, bindarit significantly reduced macrophage infiltration into skeletal muscle tissue. This thesis has contributed to the understanding of RRV pathogenesis. It has identified novel mechanisms of RRV-induced muscle and bone pathology and provided further evidence that associate pro-inflammatory host factors to RRV disease. This work has also demonstrated that bindarit should be considered as a candidate for treating RRV disease in humans.

The Kinematic-wave model is one of the models proposed to simulate vehicular traffic. It has not received widespread use because of poor understanding of associated interface conditions and early use of incorrect numerical schemes used. This thesis analyzes mathematically correct boundary and interface conditions in the context of the Godunov method as the numerical scheme for the simulation software created. This thesis simulates a set of scenarios originally proposed by Ross, to verify the validity of simulation. The results of the simulation are compared against the corresponding results of Ross, and against intuitive expectation of the behavior of actual traffic under the scenarios. Our results tend either to agree with or improve upon those reported by Ross, who used alternate models.

This is an examination of the critical reception and canonical status of Ernest Bucklers <i>The Mountain and the Valley </i> and Sinclair Rosss <i>As For Me and My House</i>. While both novels have been regarded as important works of Canadian literature,<i> As For Me and My House</i> is currently regarded as a canonical novel and <i>The Mountain and the Valley</i> is not. This study examines the notion of the Canadian canon and its relation to Bucklers and Rosss novels to show how the specific case of Ross and Buckler illustrates the process of Canadian canon formation. Through a review of the critical work produced on each novel, an understanding of trends in Canadian critical practice and theory, and the application of canon theory, this thesis examines the reasons for the differences in the reception and status of the two works. This thesis argues that the interplay between critical trends, academic interests, and literary value ultimately determines the canonical status of a text.

This thesis presents a way of automatically generating a landscape painting in the artistic style of Bob Ross. First, a relatively simple, yet effective and versatile, painting model is presented. The brushes of the painting model can be used on their own for creative applications or as a lower layer to the software components responsible for automation. Next, the brush strokes and parameters used to automatically paint eight different landscape features, each with its own adjustable attributes and randomized forms, are described. Finally, the placement of all of the automated landscape features required to achieve the layout of one of Bob Ross's landscape paintings is shown.

Rossian moral pluralism’s rejection of a founding moral principle and use of ‘prima facie duties’ as opposed to absolute duties makes it unique from most other major ethical theories. It has been attacked in a myriad of different ways because of this. Brad Hooker has proposed two objections based on these ideas. The first is that moral pluralism is lacking justification because of its rejection of a founding moral principle. The second is that because of this, and its lack of absolute duties, moral pluralism is an indeterminate theory. In this paper I will look at Hooker’s objections as well as two responses that have been proposed as solutions. Having shown these solutions to be insufficient I will then propose a way to look at Ross’ moral pluralism that saves it from Hooker’s objections and clearly lays out Ross’ understanding of how we should deliberate about moral matters.

This thesis presents a way of automatically generating a landscape painting in the artistic style of Bob Ross. First, a relatively simple, yet effective and versatile, painting model is presented. The brushes of the painting model can be used on their own for creative applications or as a lower layer to the software components responsible for automation. Next, the brush strokes and parameters used to automatically paint eight different landscape features, each with its own adjustable attributes and randomized forms, are described. Finally, the placement of all of the automated landscape features required to achieve the layout of one of Bob Ross's landscape paintings is shown.

This is an examination of the critical reception and canonical status of Ernest Bucklers <i>The Mountain and the Valley </i> and Sinclair Rosss <i>As For Me and My House</i>. While both novels have been regarded as important works of Canadian literature,<i> As For Me and My House</i> is currently regarded as a canonical novel and <i>The Mountain and the Valley</i> is not. This study examines the notion of the Canadian canon and its relation to Bucklers and Rosss novels to show how the specific case of Ross and Buckler illustrates the process of Canadian canon formation. Through a review of the critical work produced on each novel, an understanding of trends in Canadian critical practice and theory, and the application of canon theory, this thesis examines the reasons for the differences in the reception and status of the two works. This thesis argues that the interplay between critical trends, academic interests, and literary value ultimately determines the canonical status of a text.