Veterans’ preference policies in government employment, at all levels, have existed for the intention of providing advantages for veterans who consider employment in public service after military service. While the purpose of these policies is well intended for veterans who have served, there exists the potential that this practice can be perceived as an endorsement to hire from a pool of candidates that consists of mostly white males. From a representation standpoint, for women and minority groups, this creates the potential to undo much of the progress that has been made in terms of better representation within the public workforce. However, overall, veterans have experienced a wage premium in the public sector compared to the private, which creates the challenge that veteran employment can have a negative effect on one area of employment equity while maintaining a positive effect in another. Furthermore, external factors, both market-based and employment-based, may influence these effects as well. This research examines how veteran employment has impacted public-private representation among veteran women and minority groups, overall veteran public-private wage gaps, and the explanatory factors that affect veteran hiring and pay variances. Using public use data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files this research looks to fill in the gap in the literature related to public-private veteran employment representation and wage variances. The findings of this research first indicate that even though veterans are overrepresented in government service, veteran women and minorities have an even higher likelihood of representation in government service compared to the private sector. The explanatory factors that influence this finding are GSP, per capita income, and the unemployment rate, while union membership illustrates mixed results. Second, this research indicates that veterans are paid a wage premium working in the public sector compared to the private sector. The explanatory factors that influence this finding are per capita income, the unemployment rate, and union membership, while GSP does not. The overall contribution of this research builds upon the literature related both the composition and compensation of veterans and the external factors that influence public-private employment equity.

This thesis explores variation of ecological design preference due to the population demographics: urban, city, small town and rural areas in public gardens under four major paradigms of landscape preference: mystery, legibility, complexity and coherence. The findings of this study reveals that high ecological design preference has a significant relationship with mystery category. Ecological design preference in complexity and mystery has a statistically important relationship with rural areas and cities respectively. The outcome of this study shows that the preference of ecological design has considerable possibility to differ according to the paradigms of visual landscape preference and respondents’ population demographics.

Different taste preferences and genetic variations may lead to particular food patterns that contribute to nutrient-related health outcomes such as hypertension. The objective of this study was to investigate single polymorphism of taste genes and salt taste perception in order to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the salt taste receptor genes (SCNN1B, TRPV1) affect salt taste perception in hypertensive participants. A cross-sectional study of 253 adults age 20-82 from each group, hypertensive (49%) and normotensive (51%), were enrolled. Salt taste recognition threshold, food preference score, and salt taste receptor genotype were determined. The hypertensive group had a higher salt taste recognition threshold than the normotensive group. However, there was no correlation between salt taste recognition threshold and salty food preference. Results also provide evidence that the polymorphism TRPV1, rs4790522 with AA genotype is associated with a lower sensitivity threshold of salt taste.

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Using a large dataset of digital music downloads, this thesis examines the extent to which cognitive-psychology research can generate and predict user behaviours relevant to the distinct fields of computer science and music perception. Three distinct topics are explored. Topic one describes the current difficulties with using large digital music resources for cognitive research and provides a solution by linking metadata through a complex validation process. Topic two uses this enriched information to explore the extent to which extracted acoustic features influence genre preferences considering personality, and mood research; analysis suggests acoustic features which are pronounced in an individual's preferred genre influence choice when selecting less-preferred genres. Topic three examines whether metrics of music listening behaviour can be derived and validated by social psychological research; results support the notion that user behaviours can be derived and validated using an informed psychological background, and may be more useful than acoustic features for a variety of computational music tasks. A primary motivation for this thesis was to approach interdisciplinary music research in two ways: (1) utilize a shared understanding of statistical learning as a theoretical framework underpinning for prediction and interpretation; and (2) by providing resources, and approaches to analysis of "big data" which are experimentally valid, and psychologically useful. The unique strengths of this interdisciplinary approach, and the weaknesses that remain, are then addressed by discussing refined analyses and future directions. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / This thesis examines whether research from cognitive psychology can be used to inform and predict behaviours germane to computational music analysis including genre choice, music feature preference, and consumption patterns from data provided by digital-music platforms. Specific topics of focus include: information integrity and consistency of large datasets, whether signal processing algorithms can be used to assess music preference across multiple genres, and the degree to which consumption behaviours can be derived and validated using more traditional experimental paradigms. Results suggest that psychologically motivated research can provide useful insights and metrics in the computationally focused area of global music consumption behaviour and digital music analysis. Limitations that remain within this interdisciplinary approach are addressed by providing refined analysis techniques for future work.

Lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round (Prosopium cylindraceum) whitefish are two species of cold-adapted freshwater fish that spawn in shallow (<10m) cobble beds in the Laurentian great lakes. Developing whitefish embryos are potentially exposed to various anthropogenic sources of warming, including climate change and thermal effluents discharged in the nearshore environment. Several studies have investigated the effects of elevated incubation temperatures on whitefish embryos (particularly lake whitefish) but little work has been done to examine post-hatch effects. Thermal preferenda (temperature preference) describe the range of temperatures an organism will occupy when given a choice and are traditionally thought to be species-specific. Temperature preference can be modulated by a variety of abiotic and biotic factors including environmental temperature and is typically correlated with optimal growth temperature for a species. Assays for thermal preferenda require at least 24 hours, which includes a long tank-acclimation period that limits throughput and thus impacts replication in the study. A shuttle box thermal preference assay was optimized from 24-hours to 4-hours; length of acclimation time and trial length had no significant impact on thermal preference. Whitefish were incubated at natural and elevated temperatures until hatching; all groups were moved to common garden conditions (15°C) during the post-hatching stage. Temperature preference was determined at 12 months of age; lake whitefish were also tested at 8 months. Round whitefish displayed a significant decrease in temperature preference when incubated at 2°C and 6°C compared to 0.5°C. Lake whitefish had similar temperature preferences regardless of age and incubation temperature. This suggests that there is a difference in thermal tolerance between these species, as round whitefish were more sensitive to elevated incubation treatments. This thesis identified a persistent effect of elevated incubation treatments on the thermal preference of juvenile round whitefish, lasting up to 12 months post-hatch, which highlights the importance of examining sub-lethal thermal effects and thermal plasticity of cold-adapted species. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Lake and round whitefish are cold-adapted freshwater species that spawn in shallow coastal water in the Laurentian great lakes. Anthropogenic warming from various sources (e.g. climate change, thermal effluent) has been shown to reduce survival of whitefish embryos, but few studies have investigated the effects of elevated embryonic incubation temperatures on surviving juveniles. Fish typically prefer a small range of temperatures (temperature preference) that they will occupy if given a choice, which can be affected by a variety of factors including early life thermal exposure. This thesis shows round whitefish incubated at elevated temperatures (2°C, 6°C) display decreased temperature preference up to 12 months post-hatch, while lake whitefish had similar temperature preference regardless of incubation temperature. Therefore, this thesis provides more evidence that round whitefish are a more thermally sensitive species.

The restoration of natural wetlands is a wonderful, noble and pragmatic idea, but such efforts often meet resistance from certain segments of society. One reason for this is that the public perceives the environment in different ways than do the experts, such as landscape architects and land managers. This dissertation analyzes people's preferences for wetlands in comparison to those of landscape architects. It specifically studies the conflict about the wetland restoration program in the Malaysia's Kelana Jaya Municipal Park. This dissertation is based on data obtained from a preference survey using photo questionnaires that polled both the public's and landscape architects' group preferences for wetlands. The data was analyzed using the Content Identifying Method (CIM) to determine group preferences for wetlands and factors that influence these preferences. Park managers from several local authorities also were interviewed to determine their expectations of public preferences and attitudes toward wetland restoration and public participation. The public and landscape architects have significantly differed in stated preferences for wetlands. The public strongly prefers park-like landscapes that demonstrate human influences and provide the potential for human involvement; in contrast, landscape architects prefer natural wetlands that are visually pleasing, with well-defined spaces, visual coherence, and visual complexity. In addition, park managers did not accurately predict the public's view of wetlands. Their prediction was similar to landscape architects' preferences. Attitudes toward wetland activities and safety, knowledge about wetland benefits, the motivation to use urban natural open spaces, and familiarity with nature significantly affected the public's preferences. Further, the motivation to use urban natural open spaces was the best predictor of public's preferences. The primary implications of this dissertation are that environmental education should be a core activity in changing people's perceptions of natural wetlands and that opinions of local people should be incorporated in many aspect of wetlands restoration, planning, design, and policymaking, especially in Malaysia. / Ph. D.