<p>The Grenville Province is a highly metamorphosed region of the Canadian shield which contains numerous lithotectonic domains of various ages and characteristics all affected by the c.a. 1.0 Ga Grenville Orogeny. The present study investigates, through reconnaissance neodymium isotope mapping, three under-mapped areas of the Province: the Weslemkoon study area of Ontario and the Saguenay and Baie Comeau study areas of central Quebec. These locations represent areas where previous studies have identified the presence of older crustal blocks which predate the Grenville Orogeny. But further detailed mapping is required to test and formulate interpretations regarding their evolutionary history.<br /> The Weslemkoon Study area is found within the Central Metasedimentary Belt (CMB) of Ontario. The CMB has been interpreted as a composite arc belt (on the basis of structural studies of shear zones) or alternatively, as a failed ensialic rift zone (on the basis of isotope evidence and geometrical relationships). The Grimsthorpe Domain found within the CMB is of major importance in investigating both of these interpretations. In the situation where the CMB is viewed as a composite arc belt, the Grimsthorpe Domain has been interpreted as an allochthon on the basis of its bounding shear zones. However, in current research which views the CMB as a juvenile rift zone, the Grimsthorpe Domain has been interpreted as a horst structure composed of remnant old crust that formed in situ. The latter situation considers evidence from isotope signatures as well as the en echelon geometry of marble domains which are predominant on either side of, but completely absent from the Grimsthorpe Domain. This raises the possibility that the Grimsthorpe Domain did indeed form in situ. The Weslemkoon Batholith largely lies within the Grimsthorpe Domain but extends past the eastern shear zone of the Grimsthorpe Domain. Thus it provides an ideal location to test whether the Grimsthorpe Domain is an allochthon or a horst. <br /> The present study finds that there are consistent Nd isotope signatures spanning the boundary of the Grimsthorpe Domain indicating that the shear zones are reflective of metamorphism, but not transportation of this block of crust. As well, the extent and geometry of old crust is defined and found to have isotope signatures relating this structure to the flanks of the rift zone and thus strengthening the argument that the Grimsthorpe Domain represents a horst structure. Further, the juvenile and old blocks have a ringed geometry in which inter-fingered lobes are identified.<br /> The Saguenay and Baie Comeau study areas of central Quebec are located within the Central Gneiss Terrain and Baie Comeau Segment found within the Allochthonous Polycyclic Belt. While anorthosite-mange ritecharnockite- granite suites have received much attention in the literature, the basement rocks have only recently been studied in any detail with identification of Quebecia. Quebecia, a broad juvenile 1.5 Ga arc terrane has been defined on the basis of relatively homogenous Nd isotope signatures indicating a common basement. Previous studies identified a few isolated areas of crust with signatures predating the Quebecia terrane and these are investigated in detail in this study.<br /> Through more detailed isotope analysis and mapping of the Saguenay and Baie Comeau regions, the extent and geometry of these old blocks of crust have been defined. These old crustal blocks are completely encompassed by the Quebecia arc terrane which the present study interprets as indicating that Quebecia represents a composite arc where fragments of old crust were incorporated into an area dominated by juvenile subduction-related magmatism. These fragments are possibly connected to form a 'panel' of old crust running through the younger Quebecia arc terrane. Hence their identification provides a critical piece of evidence in understanding the geological evolution of the central Grenville Province.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

<p>Additional files uploaded from CD</p> / <p>This study was conducted over two years (2005 and 2007) and consisted of data collected over one wet season and one dry season at two beaches, separated by a rocky headland, located along the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Although the beaches are concurrent along a 7 km stretch of coastline, both are characterized by a unique combination of: beach slope, length and shape; sediment composition, size and mineralogy; and vegetation. These beaches have discrete land uses. Playa Guiones is a tourist beach that is experiencing rapid development and Playa Pelada is the only local beach that provides boat access for local fishermen. It was hypothesized that the active tectonism in the region combined with the distinct wet/dry seasons will result in dynamic beaches with distinct morphology. <br /> The first objective is to quantify and explain changes in sediment accretion or deposition between the two distinct seasons. The second objective is to quantify longer term temporal coastline changes through analysis of air photos and satellite imagery from 1940 to 2005 for the region. It was hypothesized that this time series will provide evidence of the influence of tectonics on coastline position. <br /> This analysis involves a comparison of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) created from real-time kinematic GPS data collected in June 2005 and January/February 2007 with aerial photography and satellite imagery representing the period 1940-2005. Results show that from wet to dry season there is substantial net sediment accumulation for Playa Guiones and net sediment erosion for Playa Pelada. It should be noted that the seasons were particularly dry and particularly wet, thus, the results may indicate maximum levels of variation. The time series analyses of the digital imagery show little variation of coastline position during the period of record. The digital imagery was severely limited by the resolution and scale of the imagery. It appears that these beaches experience moderate to large amount of seasonal variation but are relatively stable over a longer time period.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

<p>PAH contamination is a significant threat to human and ecosystem health worldwide. The development of novel, efficient bioremediation systems can serve to reduce this threat by more effectively removing PAHs from contaminated environments. An improved understanding of the interactions between microbes and P AHs is essential to developing better methods to monitor P AH biodegradation, which should in turn lead to improvements in actual PAH biodegradation. This thesis developed novel process level and community-level understanding of the responses of microbes to PAH contamination, knowledge which could prove useful in the development of improved techniques for monitoring and enhancing PAH biodegradation. <br /> The first paper (Chapter 2) examined the response of microbial communities to P AH contamination, through PLF A analysis of specific microbial communities in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, Canada. Increased PAH contamination was found to have caused reductions in microbial biomass, and while community composition was different between sites exposed to high and low levels of PAH contamination, none of the differences in community composition could be definitively identified as having been caused by the presence of PAH. The PAH profile at the less contaminated study site was found to have changed relative to a previous study, suggesting either a change in PAH source occurred, or resuspended PAH-contaminated sediment from elsewhere in the harbour was deposited at that site.<br /> In the second paper (Chapter 3), a novel approach using stab le carbon and radiocarbon PLF A analyses was used to establish bacterial preference for P AH as a carbon source and identify microbial carbon cycling pathways in P. frederiksbergensis bacteria. Stable and radiocarbon isotopic analyses of P. frederiksbergensis PLF A suggested P. frederiksbergensis metabolism was heterotrophic, but it was found to primarily utilize dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) as a carbon source for PLF A biosynthesis. Isotopic data suggested metabolism of organic carbon was minimal, and as such, P. frederiksbergensis is most likely an unsuitable candidate organism for use in in situ PAH biodegradation projects. <br /> Increased knowledge of microbial carbon cycling pathways and microbial community responses to PAH contamination will lead to improvements in P AH remediation, in turnleading to improvements in ecosystem health and reduced exposure risks to humans.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

<p>In this study, the potential of using white-tailed deer archaeological bones as an additional climatic proxy to track droughts in the Maya area at a very local scale is assessed.</p> <p>The oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) on chronological series of numerous white-tailed deer bones, excavated from three Maya archaeological sites (Piedras Negras and Motul de San Jose, Peten region, Guatemala, and Lamanai, Orange Walk district, Belize) have been measured.</p> <p>It is considered that the isotopic composition of deer bones reflects a multi-year average of relative humidity and local precipitation amounts (δ^l8O ) as well as environmental conditions such as the type of food ingested by the animal (δ¹³C). The aim of the present work was principally to delineate the conceptual background needed to replace the obtained isotopic values in their context and understand their signification.</p> <p>The results of geochemical analyses of deer bones are considered as reliable, in accordance with predicted values. However, the number of analyzed bones must be sufficient to accurately describe the variations of past climate variations. The major findings of this study are: (1) the use of Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy is not a reliable way to detect diagenetically altered samples, (2) the climate during the apogee of the Classic Maya period was more variable than today, with more extremes pluri-annual wet and dry conditions, (3) no significantly dry climatic conditions occurred at the time the city of Piedras Negras started to decline and (4) dry conditions were probably responsible of the final abandonment of the site.</p> / Master of Science (MS)

<p>As cities continue to expand, the environmental impacts associated with increasing car usage remains an issue of concem. However, telework, an altemative form of working arrangement, has the potential to reduce the impacts associated with driving. In this study, we investigate how social interaction impacts the decision to telecommute. Data are obtained from the McMaster Telework Online Survey, which collects detailed information from McMaster University employees concerning their knowledge and experience with telework, feelings and opinions about home-based work and other lifestyle choices, and other information related to telecommunications. A unique characteristic of the survey is that it captures interactions among colleagues at work. The "colleague connection" measures the extent to which social interactions influence an individual's decision to adopt telework. The results of this research indicate that social interactions at work, as well as socio-demographic and work-related characteristics, do influence an individual's decision to adopt telework.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The Puna Plateau is the second highest continental plateau on Earth and is bordered by the Eastern Cordillera to the east. The growth of this plateau in a non-collisional tectonic setting is not well understood and requires an understanding of the deformation mechanisms and kinematics of its margins, notably the Eastern Cordillera. Deformation in the Eastern Cordillera is characterized by basement-involved folding and reverse faulting during the Tertiary and Quaternary. However, the orientation and kinematics of first-order structural elements of the Eastern Cordillera are not well known. This is addressed in this thesis by a comprehensive structural analysis of three key areas, La Poma, Southern Luracatao Valley and Cachi, in the Eastern Cordillera. Specifically, my structural analyses encompassed (1) field mapping and remote sensing of first-order fold structures and faults, (2) 3D modelling of these structures and (3) a detailed analysis of small-scale brittle shear faults (828 faults at 79 stations). Examination of first-order structures revealed that the Eastern Cordillera was affected by two deformation regimes: Non-cylindrical deformation, i.e., doming of upper crust, followed by cylindrical deformation, notably formation of km-scale folds with straight hinge lines in the hanging walls of orogen-parallel thrust and reverse faults. 3D modelling of these faults at La Poma and Luracatao Valley in the Eastern Cordillera revealed that west-dipping faults are consistently shallower than east-dipping ones. Displacement on shallow « 15°) west-dipping thrust faults in the La Poma area amounts to 2.4 kn1 and likely exceeds displacement magnitudes on east-dipping reverse faults. Analysis of brittle shear faults indicates that doming occurred during E-W shortening. This was followed by NE-SW -shortening on west-dipping thrust and reverse faults and later by NW-SE shortening on east-dipping reverse faults, which induced also a component of left-lateral displacement on N-S striking reverse faults. Brittle fault analysis indicates that shortening directions vary greatly in space and time and seem to depend rather on the local kinematic regime of first-order structures (domes, thrusts and reverse faults) than on far-field stresses related to plate boundary forces. Collectively, the structural analysis suggests that deformation was controlled by the local structural complexity of upper crust, including higher-order, pre-Andean mechanical anisotropies (such as aplitic dikes, foliation surfaces and cretaceous normal faults).</p> / Master of Science (MS)

<p>Despite the many individual and community benefits to cycling, commuter cycling rates across Canada are relatively low. This research seeks to understand how this can be changed by examining the motivations and cycling behaviour of cyclists residing in Hamilton, Ontario, a mid-sized Canadian city with below average levels of commuter cycling. This thesis is divided into two separate studies of commuter cycling behaviour. The first study employs a multiple logistic regression model to explore how the perceived availability of cycling facilities influences commuter cycling. The second study uses cluster analysis to classify respondents into groups based on the factors that motivate them to cycle. This research highlights the importance of bicycle-friendly workplaces and the need for municipalities to focus on creating areas of high density, mixed-use development in order to encourage cycling. This research also discusses the potential to promote cycling by targeting specific people with positive messages about cycling that are relevant to them. The researcher argues that, in addition to encouraging non-cyclists to start cycling, municipalities need to focus on getting recreational cyclists to start commuting by bicycle and encouraging existing cyclists to cycle continuously throughout their lives. The data for this study was obtained through a revealed preference survey that was designed and administered by the researcher.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>Canada's rising aging population in addition to the de-institutionalization of palliative care services to the community-level has placed increased pressure on employed family members to provide care. Canada's federal government has responded through the creation of the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB), enacted in 2004 with the goal of providing family caregivers with job-secured time away from work as well as six weeks of employment insurance (El) benefits of up to 55% of their average earnings while they take leave to provide care to a dying loved one. Individual workplaces have been aware for years of the need to accommodate their employees' family needs through the adoption of Family Friendly Work Policies (FFWPs). Traditionally, these policies have been associated with assisting female employees with maternity and childcare supports. With the rising elderly population and emphasis on family care giving, more workers will have the dual role of being a worker and a caregiver to a loved one, which suggests that workforces need to be prepared by offering suitable supports to accommodate their workforces who are also terminal caregivers. The objectives of this thesis are twofold. First, it attempts to uncover the expectations and realities that employers and HR professionals had of the CCB, specific to how it meets their employees' needs, how it meets the informational needs of the workplace, and its ability to be incorporated within existing features. The second objective specifically focuses on palliative or end-of-life (P/EoL) care giving situations in the workplace through addressing how workplace size and employee characteristics determine how 'family caregiver friendly' a given workplace can be. Five focus group discussions occurred in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador with employers/human resources (RR) professionals in an effort to gain input from diverse employers representing various workplace sizes and sectors. All focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>URM-MicroSim is a prototype system for a micro simulation model of urban residential mobility. It is developed for the city of Mytilene, Greece. However, it is only a prototype and fails to meet the requirements of practical use, especially with regard to execution time. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis is first presented to fully understand the required improvements to the existing system. These are divided into functional and non-functional requirements, which are discussed separately. On the basis of the analysis, several functions (such as user interface and logging system) have been implemented and the time consuming functions were indentified and revised without affecting the simulation results. The revised system was tested for consistency in performance, and the results were convincing.</p> <p>Within this context, URM-MicroSim is calibrated for the city of Hamilton. The calibration methods include identifying the probabilities of demographic events and rebuilding the immigration sub-model. After URM-MicroSim is applied for Hamilton, simulation results from the system are validated against census data from Statistics Canada. Results from the validation provide evidence that URM-MicroSim is able to capture the overall trend of residential mobility at both aggregate and disaggregate levels. Lastly, some directions for future research are indicated, that focus on reducing system execution time and broadening the scope of the model.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>The design of policies for increasing public transit ridership is integral for strategies leading to sustainable transportation in large metropolitan areas. Assessing the availability of public transit (i.e. supply) as a viable mode of transportation can help in the design of such policies. In this respect, this study examines transit service intensity at the census tract level by assembling and analyzing a suitable GIS database for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). This research utilizes an improved version of the 'Local Index of Transit Availability' (LITA), which derives service levels based on the coverage, capacity, and frequency of the transit system. Transit service levels as measured by LITA, are linked to a number of socio-economic and spatial characteristics via a simultaneous auto-regressive (SAR) model. Results indicate that the core areas of municipalities were not necessarily well serviced by public transit. Suburban peripheral tracts and those adjacent to the shoreline were characterized by average transit service at best, and tracts adjacent to municipal borders indicated discontinuity in transit service. Furthermore, previous studies often overlooked the impact of spatial effects by utilizing the conventional OLS regression modeling technique. The use of the SAR model in this study corrected for that and enhanced the overall explanatory power of the modeled data. The estimation results indicate that variables such as population density, income, percentage of recent immigrants, percentage of young adults and percentage of elderly population are key variables to explain transit availability in the GTHA.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)