Expanding on the fields of bio-mimicry, morpho-ecologies, and dynamics and fluidity in architecture, this thesis proposes architecture as organism. It suggests that as organism, architecture is inherently responsive to the thresholds it exists on and within, thresholds which are composed not just of the physical but of the ephemeral; of time and of space. The existence, metabolism and morphology of an architectural organism becomes a function of the dynamic world into which it is born, inextricable from the ecology of the space it will inhabit. This thesis explores the architectural organism in the context of a visibly and significantly changing threshold, how connections are made between it and the world around it, and how it might engage those who are its inhabitants. The thesis is located in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy, at the mouth of the Gaspereau River.

Research on green roofs has shown their potential to moderate stormwater runoff and excessive heat in large cities. This has supported the implementation of a bylaw in Toronto, Canada which mandates large scale green roof construction. However, designers lack knowledge on appropriate plant selection for local green roofs. European research has demonstrated that healthy plant cover can significantly improve stormwater capture and cooling on green roofs. This thesis employed two methodologies to select native plants suitable for green roofs. Plants species were first identified from Ontario ecosystems with conditions similar to extensive green roofs including alvars, rock barrens, talus and cliffs. Secondly, plant surveys of existing extensive green roofs in Toronto and other southern Ontario locations to discover plant species already in use. Formal testing of the plant species generated from both methodologies can eventually provide designers with knowledge of dependable plant assemblages for extensive green roofs in Toronto.

Brick Lane has stimulated a wide range of debates regarding Monica Ali's portrayal of the inhabitants of the area from which the novel has taken its title. This essay claims that assimilation is the key theme of the novel, and that the desire to achieve it is represented most strongly in the character of Chanu. The latter's primary goal is to assimilate himself into the English society in which he now lives. In order to demonstrate just how complex this assimilation process is, Chanu is discussed in relation to society's influence on him and four concepts of post colonial theory, namely double consciousness, unhomeliness, mimicry and hybridity.

A revision and a phylogenetic analysis of the genera Zelomorpha Ashmead, 1900 and Hemichoma Enderlein, 1920 were conducted. Phylogenetic analyses used molecular and morphological data. A total of 39 sequences were obtained for COI (887 bases long) and 57 for 28S (1254 bases long). DNA sequences were aligned manually and also aligned with ClustalW (Thompson et al. 1997). Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian approaches were applied to phylogenetic analyses with each gene region analyzed separately and in a combined analysis. The phylogenetic analysis analyses supported the monophyletic status of the genera Zelomorpha, as defined by Sharkey et al. (2006), and Hemichoma; they upholdseld the hypothesis that the the New World species formerly placed in Biroia belonged to Zelomorpha, and corroborated the synonomy ofgenus Dichelosus with Zelomorpha (Sarmiento and Sharkey, 2005). A total of 3,242 specimens of Hemichoma and Zelomorpha collected through the New World representing 113 species were examined. In addition to the 29 species of Zelomorpha described originally in diverse genera and now moved into the Zelomorpha, 74 new species are described. Seven new species are described for the genus Hemichoma for a total of 10 species. All species are fully redescribed. Fully illustrated keys to the species of Zelomorpha and Hemichoma are provided. The phylogenetic results based on maximum parsimony suggest that, despite the colorful nature of the sister group Hemichoma, species of Zelomorpha were nocturnal and became diurnal secondarily in one lineage. The change to diurnality is linked to a decrease in eye size, to an increase in body size, and to the emergence of colorful patterns. Palatability field tests using lizards as predators of Zelomorpha concinna, a common species with one of the more characteristic and bright color patterns, suggest that the coloration has a warning function and that this wasp is highly unpalatable. Evidence was found that the short ventrally curved ovipositor is an effective defensive structure. DISCLAIMER: The text of this dissertation does not constitute the publication of new species as defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The newly estrablished species names in this work will be/have been recognized as valid upon their publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Facial expressions provide valuable information in making judgments about internal emotional states. Evaluation of facial expressions can occur through mimicry processes via the mirror neuron system (MNS) pathway, where a decoder mimics a target’s facial expression and proprioceptive perception prompts emotion recognition. Female participants rated emotional facial expressions when mimicry was inhibited by immobilization of facial muscles and when mimicry was uncontrolled, and were evaluated for self-expressiveness level. A mixed ANOVA was conducted to determine how self-expressiveness level and manipulation of facial muscles impacted recognition accuracy for facial expressions. Main effects of self-expressiveness level and facial muscle manipulation were not found to be significant (p > .05), nor did these variables appear to interact (p > .05). The results of this study suggest that an individual’s self-expressiveness level and use of mimicry processes may not play a central role in emotion recognition.

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Empathy is an essential prerequisite for the development and maintenance of close interpersonal relationships. Given that older adults are particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of loneliness and social isolation, it is surprising that few studies have assessed empathy in this group. The current programme of research addressed this gap in the literature by testing competing predictions derived from Socioemotional Selectivity Theory and the Ageing-Brain Model for age-related sparing and impairment of empathy, respectively. Study 1 compared young (N = 80) and older (N = 49) adults?? self-reported levels of cognitive and affective empathy, and engagement in social activities. It was found that although affective empathy is spared, cognitive empathy is subject to age-related decline, and this decline mediates reductions in social participation. These data therefore affirmed the importance of further investigation into the nature, causes and potential consequences of age-related differences in empathy. Since disinhibition is one mechanism contributing to difficulty taking the perspective of another, and is known to increase with age, in Study 2, behavioural measures sensitive to inhibitory failure and to cognitive empathy were administered to young (N = 36) and older (N = 33) adults. One of the measures of cognitive empathy directly manipulated inhibitory demands, involving either high or low levels of self-perspective inhibition. The results indicated that older adults were selectively impaired on the high-inhibition condition, with cognitive disinhibition mediating this association. Study 2 therefore provided important evidence relating to one potential mechanism that contributes to age-related difficulties in perspective-taking. Studies 3 and 4 provided the first behavioural assessments of age-related differences in affective empathy by using electromyography to index facial expression mimicry. Study 3 found that young (N = 35) and older (N = 35) adults?? demonstrate comparable mimicry of anger, but older adults?? initial (i.e., implicit) reactions were associated with reduced anger recognition. Thus, to test the possibility that despite explicit recognition difficulties, implicit processing of facial expressions may be preserved in older adulthood, Study 4 compared young (N = 46) and older (N = 40) adults?? mimicry responses to subliminally presented angry and happy facial expressions. As predicted, the two groups demonstrated commensurate subconscious mimicry of these expressions. Taken together, these studies indicate that separate components of empathy are differentially affected by healthy adult ageing. Implications for competing perspectives of socioemotional functioning in older adulthood are discussed.

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No description available.