Theses & Dissertationshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/90032024-03-29T06:23:13Z2024-03-29T06:23:13ZProvenance and geochronology of Lomonosov Ridge: A contribution to the geology and tectonic history of the Arctic Ocean from dredged rock sampleshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318952024-03-26T15:00:51Z2022-04-26T00:00:00ZProvenance and geochronology of Lomonosov Ridge: A contribution to the geology and tectonic history of the Arctic Ocean from dredged rock samples
This thesis analyzes the OD2016-D2 dredge rock samples collected from a flank of Lomonosov Ridge, a major topographic feature in the Arctic Ocean. U-Pb- and Hf-isotopes were analyzed for 719 detrital zircon grains from ten sandstone samples using the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe. The dredge rocks have similar detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions, a Neoproterozoic maximum depositional age, and Scandinavian provenance. Ten lithologies were defined from 176 samples and ten lithofacies from a selection of 96 samples to categorize the rocks and use as a basis for comparison. Two lithofacies associations are present: one indicates a tidal-influenced delta setting with fluvial input and the other indicates a tidal flat setting. The lithologies
have similar heavy mineral assemblages, whole-rock geochemistry, and have a largely granitic component to their provenance. Overall, the results suggest that there are two Neoproterozoic units unconformably overlain by a possible Lower Paleozoic unit.
2022-04-26T00:00:00ZComputational biochemical study of the prebiotic selection of nucleic acidshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318932024-03-20T19:00:56Z2024-01-31T00:00:00ZComputational biochemical study of the prebiotic selection of nucleic acids
This thesis addresses fundamental questions related to the prebiotic evolutionary selection of the building blocks of nucleic acids. The structural tendencies and propensities in today’s nucleic acids are rationalized based on thermodynamics as a principal driver of evolutionary selection. The free energies of the possible reaction paths available to prebiotic Nature are calculated from quantum chemistry. As one example (of many), the β-anomers of the nucleosides(tides) - predominant in modern nucleic acids - are found to be slightly more stable than their αcounterparts. This small thermodynamic advantage operating over millennia may have contributed to the observed dominance of today’s canonical forms. Calculations also suggest the possibility that non-canonical N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine (AEG) and glycerol nucleosides(tides) may have assisted in the synthesis of today’s nucleosides(tides) if the prebiotic environment has been aqueous. Energetic comparisons of ancestral nucleic acids containing arsenate instead of phosphate indicate no thermodynamic advantage for the phosphate, raising an important open question as to the reason for Nature’s selection of the latter. It is also found, computationally, that barbituric acid may have well been a prebiotic precursor of today’s nucleobases reinforcing earlier proposals. A more fundamental question may be about the choice of nucleic acids as the carriers of genetic information, in the first place, instead of other contenders such as proteins. A partial answer is formulated by proposing a quantitative account of the “value” of information as a new dimension to be added to the traditional “amount” (bits) in Shannon’s information theory. Thus, the thesis addresses certain aspects of evolutionary biochemistry from the standpoint of thermodynamics
under differing conditions of solvation. Meanwhile, the rates (kinetics) were not considered in this work since the synthetic and mechanistic steps from reactants to products of most of the proposed reactions remain largely unknown. Several other potential factors have not been considered but, with these variables being constant, our results remain valid and so are the questions they open for future investigations.
2024-01-31T00:00:00ZPerforming diversity: Black bodies in Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutionshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318902024-02-28T16:00:55Z2024-02-12T00:00:00ZPerforming diversity: Black bodies in Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions
This thesis argues that the Black student experience in Atlantic Canada is explicitly
limited by racist practices. Kuwodza further argues that Atlantic Canadian post-secondary
institutions are built on a legacy of systemic racism which sanctions the conscious performance of race. The research delves into the multifaceted issue of the exploitation of
Black bodies within Atlantic Canadian higher education through the student-athlete lens. The thesis traces the historical roots of exploitation, and analyzes how colonial legacies, racial biases, and economic disparities have contributed to the marginalization of Black individuals in Atlantic Canadian education and sport. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, Kuwodza draws on sports sociology, racial and literary theory, and cultural studies, to investigate how exploitative practices manifest at various levels of the Black post-secondary student experience.
2024-02-12T00:00:00ZThe radicalization of young white men: dominant emotional characteristics and traits of online hatehttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318872024-02-20T16:00:47Z2024-01-01T00:00:00ZThe radicalization of young white men: dominant emotional characteristics and traits of online hate
On August 12, 2021, a tragic mass shooting occurred in Plymouth, England, starting the
exploration into the roots of hatred and extremism, particularly among young white men. This investigates the intersectionality of white supremacy and toxic masculinity, focusing on the emotional characteristics leading individuals to online hate groups. Centered on three major groups – Incels, the Proud Boys, and America First and Canada First – the study addresses three key questions on the motivations for joining, dominant emotional characteristics, and the variations between the groups. Guided by A General Theories of Hate Crime, this research employs qualitative methodologies, analyzing the online free spaces for each group. The findings highlight the hate and anger each group possess, and feelings of isolation, sadness, and joy. The discussion chapter uses the identified themes and emotions linking them to theory and literature to provide a nuanced understanding of the motivations fueling online hate.
2024-01-01T00:00:00ZTransnational feminisms and the politics of international development in Ghanahttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318852024-02-07T20:00:43Z2024-01-23T00:00:00ZTransnational feminisms and the politics of international development in Ghana
International development organizations have been argued to be sites of contestations where power is invoked to maintain the othering of developing countries. Guided by Western liberal feminist ideas, international development projects are argued to situate in the othering of African women. Critiques have called for an alternative development that ensures accountable practice. The study used critical discourse analysis and in-depth interviews to examine how power is invoked and assumed when development projects are implemented in Ghana and how African feminist scholars and Ghanaian women development workers navigate and interrupt such power relations. Informed by a transnational, intersectional African feminist theoretical framing, the study found that
international development was perceived as a social control mechanism through its hierarchy, governance, rhetoric, political positioning, and conceptualization. It highlighted how women resisted, negotiated, and strategized within international development spaces. The study recommends synergizing African feminist scholarship and development practice to ensure accountable development.
2024-01-23T00:00:00ZInvestigation of the excitation spectrum of 8He via deuteron inelastic scatteringhttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318842024-02-06T20:00:45Z2023-12-12T00:00:00ZInvestigation of the excitation spectrum of 8He via deuteron inelastic scattering
Halo nuclei form due to weak binding at extreme proton-neutron asymmetries near driplines and these uncovered alterations in nuclear shell structure. These halos can exhibit a phenomenon known as a soft dipole resonance. It was postulated that 2+ state of 8He may be a mixed with lowlying soft dipole resonance state but it is an unsettled issue. In this work, the deuteron inelastic scattering off a neutron halo nucleus, 8He, has been studied in inverse kinematics at the IRIS facility at TRIUMF. This study presents findings of first excited state at E = 3.57 ± 0.02 MeV with resonance width of 0.64 ± 0.06 MeV along with the ground state. The possibility of absence of low-energy soft dipole resonance in the extracted excitation spectrum might be due to the stronger binding of 8He. There is also no intruder s-orbital known in 8He which can allow L=1 particle-hole
excitation.
2023-12-12T00:00:00ZTo make memory material : preliminary geophysical surveys at two potential burial sites in Birchtown, Nova Scotiahttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318832024-02-06T16:00:46Z2024-01-05T00:00:00ZTo make memory material : preliminary geophysical surveys at two potential burial sites in Birchtown, Nova Scotia
By invitation from the community, a geophysical survey was performed on two potential Black Loyalist burial sites in Birchtown, Nova Scotia, in a preliminary effort to verify local traditions regarding their existence and location. This thesis investigates the suitability of geophysical techniques on these late 18th -century burial sites; drawing on oral histories, historical documentation, and comparison against similar burial sites to explore potential social and geographic influences on early Black Nova Scotian burial traditions. Longstanding oral traditions and ethnographic observations of memorial behaviours exhibited by members of the Black Loyalist descendent community appear to support one surveyed site as a memorial space, despite ambiguous geophysical results obscuring its historicity. The results highlighted a contrast in how materiality is used to define Black Loyalist burial landscapes from the archaeological, historical, and community perspectives, and underscores the importance of community engagement in guiding archaeological investigations where physical and historical evidence is sparse.
2024-01-05T00:00:00ZThe social and economic impact of co-creation: sub-Saharan African enterpriseshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318752024-01-16T20:00:52Z2023-12-20T00:00:00ZThe social and economic impact of co-creation: sub-Saharan African enterprises
Co-creation is a collaborative innovation process that involves stakeholders in product or
service development, ensuring offerings align with customer needs. It can create adaptable, responsive, and market-relevant solutions. However, its implementation is
constrained by factors like the innovation ecosystem, country infrastructure, and resources, with developed countries supporting it through regulations and initiatives.
This thesis explores the social and economic impacts of co-creation in sub-Saharan
African businesses. It uses World Bank Enterprise and Innovation Surveys to measure cocreation intensity and its effect on financial and social performance. The results show that co-creation fosters democratization by fostering inclusive environments where diverse
voices can shape outcomes. Co-creation enables more democratic and inclusive structures, enhancing collaboration and solutions that better represent the needs and
aspirations of all involved.
2023-12-20T00:00:00ZChanges in adult atlantic salmon (salmo salar) run timing in the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, in relation to river temperature and discharge rates over seven decadeshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318742024-01-15T20:00:42Z2023-12-13T00:00:00ZChanges in adult atlantic salmon (salmo salar) run timing in the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, in relation to river temperature and discharge rates over seven decades
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is a culturally, economically, and ecologically important species in Eastern Canada. Populations have been declining in recent decades, which can have negative implications for livelihood, ecosystems, and local tradition. Ecological factors associated with climate change in aquatic systems including temperature and river flow can alter the upstream migration behaviour of adult salmon. River entry during upstream migration for spawning, or “run timing”, is a critical life history event for this species. This project found that run timing has significantly changed in the Miramichi River between 1952-2021. To investigate whether this change is associated with ecological factors in freshwater, I examined the relationship between freshwater environmental predictor variables – temperature and discharge rate – and Atlantic salmon entry to the estuary. Unlike previous work on smaller freshwater tributaries, there were no strong relationships found between entry to the estuary from the ocean and freshwater variables.
2023-12-13T00:00:00ZBenchmarking native collagen: evaluation of structural differences between tendon types and across animal modelshttp://library2.smu.ca/xmlui/handle/01/318732024-01-11T20:00:52Z2023-12-07T00:00:00ZBenchmarking native collagen: evaluation of structural differences between tendon types and across animal models
Tendons perform two very distinct functions that require different mechanical properties and are categorized into two types based on these functions: positional (PTs) and energy storing (ESTs). Structural differences between PTs and ESTs enable these distinct functions. Within bovine and equine animal models, both structural and mechanical differences between PTs and ESTs have been noted. However, the extent of these differences is unclear, as is how well conserved any such differences are across species. The present research aimed to understand the structural differences and similarities between the most commonly used PTs and ESTs in three animal models: bovine, ovine, and rat. Tendons were structurally evaluated by four methods: Hydrothermal Isometric
Tension (HIT), NaBH4 reduction with HIT, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and scanning Electron Microscopy. Overall, results from all four methods of analysis show that there are distinct differences between tendon types and across models: particularly between large and small animal models.
2023-12-07T00:00:00Z