Trent University

This thesis presents the design, synthesis, and evaluation of activated carbon polyacrylamide (AC-PAM) composites for oil sands tailings remediation, integrating flocculation and adsorption functionalities. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) was employed to graft high molecular weight PAM brushes onto petroleum coke and commercial activated carbon, with SARA-ATRP yielding the most uniform architecture (Mn ≈ 5.2 kg/mol, Đ ≈ 1.25). Flocculation tests using mature fine tailings (MFT) revealed superior sedimentation and dewatering with SARA-ATRP composites, outperforming conventional PAM at lower dosages. Adsorption studies using benzoic acid and model naphthenic acids showed selective uptake governed by polymer brush morphology and molecular structure, with Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherms best capturing the behavior of ARGET-ATRP composites. Post-flocculation assays confirmed reduced metal and polymer contamination, validating dual-function efficacy. These findings underscore petcoke's viability as a sustainable substrate and highlight controlled polymerization as a critical driver for tuning composite performance in industrial water treatment.

Author Keywords: Activated Carbon, Adsorption, Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization, Dubinin–Radushkevich, Isotherm, Polyacrylamide

Due to climate change and managed care, birds may face interacting effects of novel diets and environmental temperatures. I examined how captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) responded to a 6-month acclimation to either thermoneutral or cool temperatures when provided with saturated or unsaturated fatty acid enriched diets. Body mass was lower on the unsaturated fatty acid diet, but only in cool conditions. Individuals in cool temperatures and saturated fatty acid enriched diets had heavier organs, but pectoralis mass and metabolic rate did not display an effect of diet. While birds on each treatments illustrated similar initial increases in plasma fatty acid unsaturation, composition and concentration of constituent fatty acid varied based on their diet and temperature. Individuals on the unsaturated fatty acid enriched diet and cool treatments had lower survivorship. Collectively, my research will allow researchers to better predict how birds will be impacted by shifting or novel environments.

Author Keywords: chronic acclimation, fatty acids, metabolic rate, Taeniopygia guttata, temperature, unsaturation

Beginning in the 1970s, games went from being trivial and innocuous elements of childhood culture to major touchstones of North American popular culture. Games came to symbolize the dangers of a rapidly shifting technological and cultural landscape. This led to a series of moral panics that were centered upon these new, often complex, and increasingly realistic games that were apparently a source of moral corruption for children and teenagers. This view of games as a moral hazard for young people was often taken up by the news and mass media, opening the path for many moral entrepreneurs to leverage 'common sense' Media Effects thinking and gamer stereotypes for their own personal gain. This thesis tracks the historical development of these interrelated phenomena from Death Race in 1976, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, the Mortal Kombat hearings and finally to Doom and the Columbine Massacre in 1999.

Author Keywords: Media Effects, moral entrepreneurs, moral panic, realism, role-playing games, video games

Mnoomin (Wild Rice) is an important ecological and spiritual Being, and a highly nutritious food source with deep spiritual and cultural kinship to Anishinaabeg. Gathering and processing Mnoomin engages the whole body, mind, and spirit, providing access to culturally nutritious food/s that also sustain a healthy environment. However, settler colonialism has disrupted these practices, damaging environments and undermining treaty rights. Responding to expressed interests by Michi Saagiig harvesters for more research, community education, and support for Mnoomin bed restoration, this thesis discusses the role of Mnoomin in strengthening kinship, community, wellness, and ecological relationships. It also responds to earlier calls to contextualize colonialism in the field of Aging. Grounded in Anishinaabe Four Hills of Life Theory and Gerontological Life Course Theory, this research brings Indigenous and Western social science approaches into collaboration. Based on 12 years of learning with local harvesters, this work advocates grassroots efforts to protect rice beds under the guidance of Michi Saagiig Knowledge Holders.

Author Keywords: Aging, Community-Based, Intergenerational Relationships, Manoomin, Well-Being, Wild Rice

This thesis concerns the history of the Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center (MAC) from 1992 to 2005. The MAC originated from the vision of Paul Bather, a local politician in Louisville, who proposed building it in 1992, incorporated it, and formed its Board of Directors in 1994. The planning of the MAC involved collaboration among Ali and his wife, Lonnie Ali, community leaders, local politicians, and architectural and design firms. This thesis will identify how Louisville's government helped create the MAC and how that connected to its larger efforts at boosting tourism in downtown Louisville from the late 1980s to the 2000s. It will also consider Lonnie Ali's involvement in creating the MAC, how the museum and cultural centre depicted the boxer, and how those parts of its history connect to the boxer's media portrayal since the late 1980s.

Author Keywords: Downtown Louisville, Lonnie Ali, Louisville, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali Center, Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center

Quantifying the impacts of environmental conditions on the abundance of wildlife populations is important for making informed management decisions in the face of increasing environmental threats. Managers require robust tools to estimate abundance and density of wildlife rapidly and with precision. Within the context of studying white-tailed deer, I evaluated the use of camera-traps and a recently developed spatial-mark resight model to estimate deer density and evaluate habitat and land use factors influencing deer density. The study was conducted in central Ontario, Canada on approximately 16 km2 of public land including the protected Peterborough Crown Game Preserve. Telemetry locations from 39 radio-collared deer were used and one hundred camera-traps were deployed for a total of 140 days from January 2022 to May 2022. Using telemetry locations and camera-trap photos I built a two-step spatial-mark resight model to estimate deer density. Deer density varied during the study as a portion of the population migrated to wintering areas outside of the study area. Despite fluctuations in precision, estimates improved towards the end of the study as more data became available and deer space use stabilized. The average deer density during the entire study was 3.0 deer/km2 (95% CI= 0.1, 5.8; SD= 1.7; CV= 55%; N= 238 deer). The lowest mean density was 0.2 deer/km2 (95% CI= 0.1, 0.4; SD= 0.1; CV= 50%; N= 15 deer) from February 26th to March 11th and the highest mean density was 4.8 deer/km2 (95% CI= 3.1, 6.2; SD= 0.8; CV= 17%; N= 378 deer) from May 7th to May 20th. When I incorporated spatial covariates into the model to estimate effects on deer density, higher proportions of mixed forest, deciduous forest, and road and trail density all had negative effects on deer density. While models contained some uncertainty, deer density appeared higher in the portion of the study area protected from licensed hunting. This thesis provides a framework for managers to use camera-traps and the spatial-mark resight model to monitor deer populations and link environmental covariates to spatial variation in density. As environmental threats such as habitat loss and infectious diseases increase in severity, monitoring wildlife population numbers will be vital for informed responses to these threats. The two-step spatial-mark resight model with environmental covariates provides managers with a long-term monitoring tool to evaluate management efforts and population health in forested areas.

Author Keywords: camera-trap, chronic wasting disease, landscape ecology, spatial-capture recapture, white-tailed deer, wildlife management

This study aimed to develop a culturally responsive teacher framework and evaluation tool for educators at Seabird Island Community School (SICS) and other Stó:lō First Nations community schools in British Columbia. Drawing from the perspectives of educators at SICS, the research sought to provide direction for wise pedagogical practices and establish effective evaluation methods rooted in best practices from the literature (Calliou & Wesley-Esquimaux, 2015). Employing qualitative methods, the study was informed by Wilson's concept of relational accountability (2008) and Ermine's notion of ethical space (2007). The research included interviews with nineteen educators, unveiling a range of opinions on what constitutes effective teaching at SICS. While educators widely recognized the importance of integrating Stó:lō culture into their practice, there was uncertainty about how to deeply embed it as a core element of the day-to-day educational experience. The data revealed four key themes that are essential to promoting effective evaluation: (1) fostering a growth mindset and commitment to lifelong learning, (2) creating supportive and transparent evaluation processes, (3) effective instruction, classroom management, and holistic assessment, and (4) cultural responsiveness, community engagement, and family communication. Moreover, the study highlights that an effective teacher evaluation framework at SICS must prioritize meaningful community engagement and foster solid relationships with students and their families. This suggests that the educator's role in community schools is deeply interwoven with the broader social ecosystem.

Author Keywords: community engagement, culturally responsive teaching, holistic assessment, Indigenous education, Stó:lō, teacher evaluation

The Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) is a steeply declining shorebird that breeds across boreal North America. I studied nest survival in Anchorage, Alaska, USA and Churchill, Manitoba, Canada and nest site selection factors in Churchill. Nests were monitored at each site and daily nest survival rates (DSR) were calculated based on a maximum likelihood approach. Overall nest survival was ~63% for Anchorage (lcl–ucl = 0.450–0.773, n=49) and ~28% (lcl–ucl = 0.113–0.481, n=26) for Churchill. Earlier initiation dates, warmer mid-incubation temperatures and lower temperature variability during nesting were linked with higher DSR. I tested nest site selection at territorial and microhabitat scales using multiple logistic regression to compare nest sites with random points. Lesser Yellowlegs selected territories further from water and, at the microhabitat scale, taller shrubs. Projected climate-related shifts in weather and habitat will likely present both benefits and challenges to Lesser Yellowlegs.

Keywords: Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes, shorebird, nest survival, nest success, nesting habitat, breeding habitat, boreal, sub-arctic, climate change, Anchorage, Alaska, Churchill, Manitoba

Author Keywords: boreal, breeding habitat, Lesser Yellowlegs, nest survival, shorebird, Tringa flavipes

I used 31 years of Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) population data to assess the effects of vital rates on a local breeding population of plovers in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. I used three similar Bayesian Integrated Population Models (IPMs), with the last a coupled IPM population viability analysis (PVA) approach to predict the impact of changing spring temperatures on future population size. I estimated adult and juvenile apparent survival, fecundity, immigration rate, and yearly population size estimates, and I found that population growth rate was most highly correlated with immigration and adult apparent survival. Moreover, I found that the population remained relatively stationary with a slight decline in recent years. I also found a significant positive effect of spring average daily minimum temperature on juvenile apparent survival. I used this effect to inform my PVA and to evaluate the risk of quasi-extinction for 20 years after the end of the study. I found a low quasi-extinction risk and a greater probability of the population increasing in the next twenty years when informed by predicted spring temperatures from global climate models. My findings suggest some resilience of this species to one effect of climate change and emphasize the importance of continued monitoring to assess if declines in this species will change as multiple threats to their existence in the sub-arctic progress.

Author Keywords: Bayesian, Climate change, Integrated population model, Population dynamics, Population viability, Semipalmated Plover

In this study, twenty lake catchments surrounding Iqaluit, Baffin Island, were assessed for trace element concentrations (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, THg, V, Zn) in lake water, catchment soil, lake sediment, and moss (Hylocomium splendens). Additionally, the sources of each trace element were determined through the positive matrix factorization (PMF) model and enrichment factors (only in moss). Geogenic trace elements had the highest median concentrations (Fe>Al>Mn) throughout the study media and across the study catchments. Anthropogenic trace elements had the lowest median concentrations (Pb>As>Cd>THg) across the lake catchments, which were generally several orders of magnitude lower compared to geogenic elements. The PMF model identified trace elements associated with geogenic or anthropogenic sources, i.e., THg (47%), Cd (40%), Zn (34%), and Al (27%) were identified as originating from industrial emission sources deposited onto lakes because they accounted for a large proportion within the model.

Author Keywords: Arctic lake catchments, Biomonitoring, Enrichment factors, Positive matrix factorization model, Trace elements, Water chemistry