When the human genome project was completed, it revealed a surprising result. 98% of the genome did not code for protein of which more than 50% are repeats— later known as ”Junk DNA”. However, comparative genomics unveiled that many noncoding elements are evolutionarily constrained; thus luckily to have a role in genome stability and regulation. Though, their exact functions remained largely unknown. Several large international consortia such as the Functional Annotation of Mammalian Genomes (FANTOM) and the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) were set to understand the structure and the regulation of the genome. Specifically, these endeavors aim to measure and reveal the transcribed components and functional elements of the genome. One of the most the striking findings of these efforts is that most of the genome is transcribed, including non-conserved noncoding elements and repeat elements. Specifically, we investigated the evolution and epigenetic properties of noncoding elements. 1. We compared genomes of evolutionarily distant species and showed the ubiquity of constrained noncoding elements in metazoa. 2. By integrating multi-omic data (such as transcriptome, nucleosome profiling, histone modifications), I conducted a comprehensive analysis of epigenetic properties (chromatin states) of conserved noncoding elements in insects. We showed that those elements have distinct and protective sequence features, undergo dynamic epigenetic regulation, and appear to be associated with the structural components of the chromatin, replication origins, and nuclear matrix. 3. I focused on the relationship between enhancers and repetitive elements. Using Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) and RNASeq, I compiled a full catalog of active enhancers (a class of noncoding elements) during myogenesis of human primary cells of healthy donors and donors affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Comparing the two time-courses, a significant change in the epigenetic landscape in DMD was observed that lead to global dysregulation of enhancers and associated repetitive elements.

Presently, extensive research supporting the overcrowding of emergency departments (EDs) and behavior disorder patients presenting to EDs are prevalent. There exists a knowledge gap between specific behavior disorders diagnoses associated to repeated visits to the ED. The purpose of this quantitative study was to address whether a relationship exists between patients with psychotic and/or substance abuse disorders and the repeated ED visits within 72 hours. The Andersen Behavioral framework model and the secondary data were used in the study. The cross-sectional archival data from the 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey was analyzed by using cross-tabulation with the 2 test followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. The author found that the primary independent variables were not significant in (un)weighted multivariate results. However, the primary independent variables were statistically significant in the unweighted cross tabulation analyses, along with the covariates of homelessness, geographical region, and gender. The findings also showed a strong likelihood of return to the ED for the primary independent variables and covariates. The implications of this study with regard to social change and health care practices are providing proper outpatient resources through behavior disorder urgent care facilities, behavior disorder travel clinics, follow-up communications directly to the patients’ care managers, and creating a treatment team, which will decrease future financial effects on the healthcare system.

Microsatellite repeats are a phenomenon found in DNA where a short sequence, usually 1-6bps, is repeated dozens to hundreds of times. Microsatellite repeats that are able to be transcribed are termed expanded tandem repeat-containing RNA (xtrRNA) [1]. xtrRNA have been associated with many diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), which are both caused by a repeat in the C9ORF72 gene. Recent research has been focused on trying to provide treatments for patients with these diseases. This study focuses on creating a drug screening process for therapeutics targeting transcription by stopping or slowing the transcription of C9ORF72 repeat expansions. One project has focused on interrupting the interaction of two transcription factors, SUPT5H and SUPT4H1, to slow transcription. Another project has focused on slowing transcription by using transcriptional inhibitors or nucleoside analogs at low concentrations. Our hypothesis is that if transcription rates are slowed enough, pausing or arrest of RNA polymerase will be induced at complex sequences, including GC-rich regions and repeats. This should reduce synthesis of xtrRNA and provide a starting point for therapeutic development.

Aloe pillansii populations in the biodiversity hotspot of the Succulent Karoo in Southern Africa are thought to be under threat of extinction. This study investigated the population at the type locality; Cornell's Kop in the Richtersveld, South Africa. It has been suggested that theft, animal damage and more recently climate change have caused a decline in the population by over 50% in the last decade, however very little is known about this rare species. Repeat photography and surveys were used to analyse life history patterns and dynamics of the population and thus establish what the potential threats to this keystone species actually are. Repeat photography indicates that there have been high rates of adult mortality over the last fifty years (1.8% of the population dies annually), which results in an average predicted lifespan of 39 years for the remaining adult population on Cornell's Kop. However, a recent survey reported that over 40% of the population recorded were seedlings, which weren't found in a 1995 survey, which is indicative of a recent recruitment pulse on Cornell's Kop and that conditions on the hill are still habitable for A. pillansii. Growth analyses suggest that A. pillansii has an average annual growth rate of 20 mm.yr⁻¹, which in tum means that 8 m individuals may be up to 453 years old. This long-lived strategy would require A. pillansii to only recruit infrequently, during periods of high rainfall, in order to sustain a viable population, which is consistent with findings on other large desert succulents. Seedling ages were estimated from their heights and it was found that 50% of the seedlings appear to have germinated five to ten years ago; this is consistent with rainfall records from the area which indicate that rainfall was consistently above the annual average for this same period. The findings indicate that although the adult A. pillansii population is declining, the presence of 30 seedlings suggest that the population is entering a recruitment phase after just coming out of a lengthy senescent phase. Although A. pillansii 's extensive lifespan makes it a potentially useful indicator species of climate change, the evidence presented in this study does not suggest that climate change has affected the dynamics of this population.

Three studies conducted in Vermont yielded data on 82 sexual recidivists’ index offenses (Time 1) and sexual reoffenses (Time 2) across 16 modus operandi (MO) characteristics. The current study examines the stability of these 16 characteristics between Time 1 and Time 2 offenses. Probabilities of Time 1–Time 2 characteristic combinations are reported, including when controlling for static risk as measured by the Static-99R and Vermont Assessment of Sex Offender Risk–2 (VASOR-2). Overall, considerable stability of offenders’ MO was evident between Time 1 and Time 2 offenses. Victim characteristics and offense behaviors were the most stable MO characteristics, and degree of force used and victim injury were less stable and trended toward less forceful and less injurious reoffenses. Controlling for static risk had little impact on the patterns of MO stability.

Bush encroachment or the thickening of woody vegetation is a phenomenon occurring throughout savannas, which tends to be more pronounced in small protected areas. The consequences of bush encroachment are often negative for the conservation of biodiversity, for the promotion of tourism and the prevention of wildfires. Hence, effective monitoring of woody vegetation and the factors which influence its spread are essential. This is particularly the case for protected areas such as that of Bwabwata National Park (BNP) in north-east Namibia. With a complex land use history and different fire management approaches being adopted throughout the area, the effect of fire on woody vegetation in BNP is currently poorly understood. This study used a 20-year-old repeat photography monitoring project and satellite-based remote sensing products to explore woody cover dynamics in BNP. Results revealed that woody cover has increased by 13% since 1999 in BNP. Furthermore, the results show differences in the structure of woody vegetation. Repeated late dry season fires in the west of the park have driven an increasing dominance of 3m in eastern sections of the park. This influence of different fire regimes spatially across BNP, suggests that local fire management is a significant determinant of woody vegetation change. Woody vegetation change differs spatially across BNP due to frequent late dry season fires prevailing in the west and less frequent earlier season fires occurring in the east. Therefore, in order to reduce the mortality of woody species and conserve heterogenous height structure in the west, a reduction of frequent late dry season fires is required. Early dry season fires are shown to reduce the rate of increasing total woody cover change and, therefore, this fire management strategy arguably contributes towards the reduction of wildfire risk, conservation of biodiversity and promotion of tourism.

In 2017 the Kenow wildfire burned thirty-eight percent of Waterton Lakes National Park (WLNP) in southern Alberta at high to very high severity in mere hours. The ecological impacts of the fire will have implications for resource management, including the practice of ecological restoration, for decades to come. In this thesis I ask two main questions. First, in what ways are people who are involved in managing WLNP’s ecosystems experiencing the effects of the Kenow wildfire, and how does their experience combined with the severity and extent of the Kenow wildfire influence park management and ecological restoration approaches in WLNP? Subsidiary to this, I ask, what is the role of history, and the role of future climate projections in managing the post-fire landscape? This research is part of the larger Mountain Legacy Project (MLP), which is systematically repeating historic survey photographs taken in the early 1900s across Canada’s mountain landscapes. I use third-view photographs in photo-elicited semi-structured interviews with park staff to answer my first question. In my second research question I ask what broader themes and specific issues do third-view repeat mountain photographs elicit about ecological restoration and park management. As a follow up, I inquire into what ways photo-elicitation functions as an effective method in park management research? Fourteen participants were interviewed, the majority were resource conservation staff, in addition to one retired park warden, a member of the cultural resources unit, a communications staff, and a former staff member. Participants felt wide-ranging emotions relating to the Kenow fire including grief over loss, happiness about regrowth, excitement about learning, anxiety about people’s safety, and stress over increased workloads. Park management frames vegetation regeneration after the Kenow fire as renewal, accepting that the landscape may look different than it did before the fire. Climate change is only beginning to be integrated into ecological restoration, though park management is adapting to climate change by encouraging renewal under a new climate. Historical knowledge still guides decision making in several ways. Major restoration projects including invasive species management, whitebark and limber pine restoration, and prescribed burning, were all impacted by the Kenow fire. Participants shared their thoughts on unconventional approaches such as novel ecosystems, highlighting misunderstandings and misapprehensions about the concept. Parks Canada has an opportunity to learn from Waterton Lakes’ experience to help streamline their post-emergency response in the future. Findings relating to my second question show these themes and issues were discussed most often by participants when looking at the third-view mountain photographs: fire behaviour, regeneration/renewal, and ecological impacts of the Kenow fire; encroachment; prescribed burning; personal narratives; ecological effects of climate change; and other snapshots. Just less than half the participants did not engage significantly with the photos, which highlights a challenge in using researcher chosen photos. However, many participants did engage and had much to say about the photos, including sharing memories and personal stories. Pre-determined interview questions were essential in unearthing the findings in this thesis, as the photos did not elicit this information alone. / Graduate

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