This thesis mainly deals with the synthesis and characterization of arenebased π-conjugated systems. The content can be divided into three major parts. In the first section, a series of tetraaryl-anthraquinodimethane derivatives (Ar₄-AQs) was synthesized via Suzuki coupling reactions, and these compounds were subjected to intramolecular cyclization reactions under chemical and photochemical conditions with the aim of making highly π-delocalized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The Ar₄-AQs and their cyclized products were investigated by various spectroscopic analyses,...

Parkinson Disease (PD) is a progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disease characterized by the inadequate function or the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the human midbrain. PD has a complex etiology including aberrant protein inclusion, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and defects in protein trafficking, which may occur due to genetic or non-genetic factors. Recently identified PD causative genes can be evaluated in model organisms, through which pathophysiological interactions with previously discovered PD genes may be determined....

The past decades have seen a decline in the production and export of both pulp and newsprint partly due to technological substitutions such as digital newspaper subscriptions and newspaper (media) apps. The potential development of a new bio-based product (lyocell pulp fluff) at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited (CBPPL) is one way to build a new bio-based industry in western Newfoundland. Since its inception in 1972, Lyocell (a cellulose fiber) has been used for...

The effects of climate change are likely to have a significant impact on environmental flows, which are often represented by alterations in hydrologic and ecological indices. Changes in ow regimes caused by climate change have implications for river ecology, and projections of future ow regimes must be reliable. In this study, the performance of hydrological models was evaluated with hydro-ecological indices to determine if stream ow characteristics could be reasonably modelled with RCM (Regional Climate...

Aim The Progression Rule, that older lineages inhabit older islands and colonize newer ones as they emerge, has seldom been tested in the Caribbean due to its geological complexity. Here we use the conifer genus Podocarpus to explore this hypothesis. We infer the evolutionary history, biogeography, and diversification rates of this genus under a hypothesis testing framework. Location The Caribbean archipelago (Antilles) Methods We present the most comprehensive sampling for Caribbean Podocarpus to date in...

Most anti-predator strategies increase survival of individuals by signalling to predators, by reducing the chances of being recognised as prey, or by bewildering a predator's perception. In fish, bobbing and fin-flicking are commonly considered as pursuit‑deterrent behaviours that signal a predator that it has been detected and thus lost its surprise-attack advantage. Yet, very few studies assessed whether such behavioural traits are restricted to the visual presence of a predator. In this study, we used...

Our group recently observed that male mice containing a deletion for the gene encoding the thiol oxidoreductase glutaredoxin-2 (GRX2) were protected from diet-induced obesity (DIO) and the development of related disorders (e.g. fatty liver disease). This effect was associated with increased fuel combustion in muscles. In the present study, I assessed if deleting the Grx2 gene protected female mice from DIO. Unlike male mice, in this study female wild-type (WT) littermates were completely resistant to...

Most agricultural soils in Western Newfoundland are acidic and need lime to raise the soil pH to be productive. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd produces a substantial amount of fly-ash which is being disposed at a local landfill. This study was conducted to assess the potential for using fly-ash as a liming material for an agricultural soil (pH:5.5) in Western Newfoundland with the addition of biochar for heavy metal stabilization. Heavy metal concentration in...

Virtual consultation (VC) can be simply referred to as a telemedicine service that enables patients to access doctors remotely. It has been largely used by patients with many potential benefits. Nevertheless, many patients still have uncertainties regarding the consultation processes and results, which mostly concern communication with doctors. This thesis aims to answer the following two questions: 1) What uncertainties do patients have during VC, and how do these uncertainties affect patients’ satisfaction towards the...

Strategy games are a unique and interesting testbed for AI protocols due their complex rules and large state and action spaces. Recent work in game AI has shown that strong, robust AI agents can be created by combining existing techniques of deep learning and heuristic search. Heuristic search techniques typically make use of an evaluation function to judge the value of a game state, however these functions have historically been hand-coded by game experts. Recent...

In the present study, the mechanical properties of a single crystal and nanocrystalline aluminum were investigated. The systems were deformed under uniaxial loading at atomistic level. First, the investigation was performed to predict the accuracy of various many-body interatomic potentials available on estimating the mechanical properties of single crystal aluminum. As such, results from the current simulations were compared with available experimental data from references. From the study, it was demonstrated that potentials which were...

Amentoflavone, robustaflavone, 2″,3″-dihydro-3′,3‴-biapigenin, 3′,3‴-binaringenin, and delicaflavone are five major hydrophobic components in the total biflavonoids extract from Selaginella doederleinii (TBESD) that display favorable anticancer properties. The purpose of this study was to develop a new oral delivery formulation to improve the solubilities, dissolution rates, and oral bioavailabilities of the main ingredients in TBESD by the solid dispersion technique. Solid dispersions of TBESD with various hydrophilic polymers were prepared, and different technologies were applied to select...

Natural selection and social selection are among the main shapers of biological diversity, but their relative importance in divergence remains understudied. Additionally, although neutral evolutionary processes may promote phenotypic divergence, their potential contribution in speciation is often overlooked in studies of comparative morphology. In this study, we investigated phenotypic differentiation in two allopatric shorebirds: the Palearctic Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago and the Nearctic Wilson’s Snipe G. delicata. Specimens of Common Snipe (n = 355 skins,...

Climate change is altering disturbance regimes outside of historical norms, which can impact biodiversity by selecting for plants with particular traits. The relative impact of disturbance characteristics on plant traits and community structure may be mediated by environmental gradients. We aimed to understand how wildfire impacted understory plant communities and plant regeneration strategies along gradients of environmental conditions and wildfire characteristics in boreal forests. We established 207 plots (60m2) in recently burned stands and 133...

We consider the problem of shape formation in a decentralised swarm of robots trained using a subfield of machine learning called reinforcement learning. Shapes are formed from ambient objects which are pushed into a desired pattern. The shape is specified using a projected scalar field that the robots can locally sample. This scalar field plays a similar role to the pheromone gradients used by social insects such as ants and termites to guide the construction...

No Subject for the Inexperienced is a collection of poems that explores the commodification of disaster narratives in the tourism industry and how these curated narratives influence our understanding of place. Focusing primarily on the relationship between the city of Halifax, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Halifax Explosion, the poems investigate how history is experienced and consumed by those within and without the culture, using a range of perspectives and materials. Museum artifacts,...

Time–lapse (4D) seismic monitoring is to date the most commonly used technique for estimating changes of a reservoir under production. Full–Waveform Inversion (FWI) is a high resolution technique that delivers Earth models by iteratively trying to match synthetic prestack seismic data with the observed data. Over the past decade the application of FWI on 4D data has been extensively studied, with a variety of strategies being currently available. However, 4D FWI still has challenges unsolved....

Fish harvesting in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is prominently a small-scale industry. This is an important activity in the rural NL, providing a mean of livelihood and identity to many coastal communities. Fishing is also one of the most dangerous professions both in the province and worldwide, with high incidence of reported casualties, accidents, and injuries. Among many health and safety issues of the fish harvesting profession, elevated noise levels pose a subtle threat. Prolonged...

Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) systems are becoming rapidly mature and accessible to customers, and it is expected that they are going to take a large share of the electrical equipment market around the world in the near future. Many tech companies and university research labs have recently focused on design, development, and optimization of different blocks of these systems. WPT systems can be designed to transfer power either through electric fields or magnetic fields. Operating...

To better prepare the offshore workforce for emergencies, operators and regulators need to use evidence-based safety training. This research aims to provide such evidence by employing an experimental program to evaluate virtual environment (VE) training as a plausible means to enhance mandatory offshore egress training. Combining VE technology with a well-designed, pedagogically informed training program, and carefully selected data-mining tools, can support the development of trainee competence in emergencies by providing artificial experience in credible...

In recent years, the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) for diverse purposes has increased exponentially. As a consequence, the uncertainty created by situations turning into a threat for civilians has led to more restrictive regulations from national administrations such as Transport Canada. Their purpose is to safely integrate RPAs in the current airspace used for piloted aviation by evaluating Sense and Avoid (SAA) strategies and close encounters. The difficulty falls on having to rely...

With the frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions, the safe operation of offshore facilities has been seriously challenged. Previous research attempted to simulate hydrodynamic performance or structure dynamic analysis to single environmental load. The present thesis proposes two methodologies to assess the operational risk quantitatively with combined wind and wave loads in a harsh environment considering the dependence structure between the real-time environmental parameters. The first developed model calculates the environmental loads using wind load...

The occurrence of offshore oil spills can induce various negative effects on marine environments. Oil fingerprinting is a key technology to identify the sources of crude oil and associated refined products spilled into the environments. Spill oil fingerprinting can be achieved by investigating the diagnostic relationships among specific hydrocarbons, known as biomarkers. Biomarkers in oils can be uniquely distributed to pinpoint the oil geographic source and weathering status. Dispersants are widely used marine oil spill...