Research Repository

LU|ZONE|UL distributes and preserves the scholarly work of LU faculty. It is a space for faculty to support the dissemination of knowledge created at Laurentian.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Repository This section preserves Master's theses and doctoral dissertations accepted at Laurentian University and is a mechanism for making this form of scholarly work widely accessible.

 

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Recent Submissions

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From sonic space to sonic place: an architectural and urban design approach to enhancing community soundscapes in Northern Ontario
(2024-04-13) Duffy, Teresa Marie
Whether it is a piece of architecture, the urban environment as a whole, or the natural world, sound is an ever-present condition of the physical environment in which it exists. Despite this integral relationship, the role that sound plays in how people interact and understand their surroundings is often vastly undervalued and even ignored. Thus, noise pollution has become a growing global concern, de-sensualizing human reality through negative impacts on human health and well-being. As the ‘Gateway to the North’, the city of North Bay is a transportation hub, featuring multiple highways and rail lines that contribute to a noisy environment dedicated to the convenience of high-speed travel rather than the cultivation of engaging public places. This thesis explores how a soundscape design framework can address these issues in North Bay’s city centre, connecting the area’s downtown waterfront through urban design elements and a Performing Arts Center located on the shores of Lake Nipissing.
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The impact of temperature and pH on lipid production of seasonally bioprospected microalgae
(2024-04-29) McGrath, Samantha Jade
Microalgae produce economically valuable metabolites that can be used in the renewable energy and biopharmaceutical industries. In particular, microalgae have been identified as promising lipid producers, where total quantities and profiles can be enhanced by subjecting microalgal cells to stress conditions such as temperature and pH. However, while cultivation conditions can influence the feasibility of mass production of microalgae, harvesting them from their growth medium remains a significant economic hurdle. Therefore, this thesis initially presents a literature review of available harvesting methods and their associated costs. The review is followed by a study on bioprospected microalgae from various industrially impacted aquatic environments. The thesis also examines factors impacting lipid production on microalgae bioprospected over a year and investigates the effect of exposure to variations in temperature and pH culture conditions. The impacts on growth rate, total lipid accumulation and lipid profiles were determined. It was found that changes in temperature affected microalgal biomass and lipid production more than changes in pH. However, the samples' lipid profiles varied significantly as a function of both temperature and pH. Therefore, the economical production of biofuels using microalgae requires a careful selection of strains to match growth conditions to enhance productivity.
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Motherhood journeys on and off the ice: a narrative analysis of digital media stories of professional hockey mothers
(2024-04-09) Hladun, Willa
Feminist scholars have problematized the media’s portrayal of elite athlete mothers for downplaying athletic accomplishments in favor of highlighting motherhood statuses. The focus of this thesis was how the intersectional identities of heterosexual and queer hockey playing athletes as women and mothers are constructed and circulated in sport media. A focused case study of high-profile North American ice hockey players (n=7) was used to examine the social constructions of their identities. 101 stories were gathered, with 32 images accompanying stories. Media stories were subjected to a thematic narrative analysis and theorized using relativist narrative inquiry. The key findings are three narrative themes: be outstanding, a new generation, and queer mothers: they’re just like us! Recommendations are made regarding re-framing stories that uphold patriarchal ideals of motherhood, creating policies in sport that support athlete mothers’ autonomy, and the continued research into athlete mother identity construction using an intersectional lens.
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L'impact du confinement et des mesures d'éloignement durant la pandémie de covid-19 sur la santé mentale des élèves: le cas des élèves en 12e année au secondaire
(2024-05-02) Mballa Mboussi, Brigitte Ornella
La pandémie de COVID-19 entraîne au Canada, la mise sur pied d’une série mesures pour freiner l’expansion du virus. À travers un cadre conceptuel sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé, ce mémoire explore l’impact du confinement et des mesures d’éloignement sur les élèves du secondaire, en mettant en lumière les inégalités sociales et les disparités qui affectent ce groupe vulnérable. Dans ce cadre, nous adaptons les six dimensions de l’échelle de mesure des manifestations du bien-être psychologique (ÉMMBEP) pour explorer le vécu des jeunes autour de l’estime de soi, de l’équilibre, du contrôle de soi et des évènements, de la sociabilité, de l’engagement social et du bonheur. Cette étude qualitative exploratoire repose sur des entretiens semi-dirigés effectués auprès de quatre participants en 12e année. Les résultats montrent que l’isolement cause chez eux un sentiment de perte de contrôle, des tensions familiales, des habitudes de vie néfastes, une perte d’intérêt. Les difficultés auxquelles ils font face s’accentuent lorsqu’ils sont confrontés aux difficultés d’accès aux soins, issus de familles pauvres, ou vivant avec des parents souffrant de problèmes de santé mentale. Ils démontrent ainsi un niveau de stress, dépression et d’anxiété élevé, des troubles du sommeil, une détresse émotionnelle, divers problèmes de santé mentale. Étant donné qu’on note une anxiété qui perdure, il est suggéré de sensibiliser les intervenants de premières lignes afin de développer plus de programmes en santé mentale, mettant l’accent sur les besoins des jeunes francophones.
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Impacts of wildfire and windfarm construction and operation on herpetofauna community ecology
(2024-04-30) Maloney, Aidan J.
Climate change and its associated impacts threaten global biodiversity. Increases in wind energy harvesting to reduce carbon emissions, coupled with increases in wildfire frequency and severity, may pose risks to wildlife. I investigated potential impacts of windfarm operations and wildfire on herpetofauna biodiversity, anuran calling behaviour, and snake health, in an area where both impacts occurred simultaneously. I measured biodiversity metrics using squamate cover surveys and anuran acoustic monitoring across 4 replicated site treatments: Control, Wind, Burn, and WindBurn (double impact). Anuran diversity, evenness, richness, and relative abundances were lowest in Wind sites, whereas metrics in Burn sites did not differ from those in Control sites. Squamate total abundance was lowest in WindBurn sites, but other investigated metrics did not differ between impacted and non-impacted sites. More research using a Before- After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design is needed to understand the acute and chronic impacts of these disturbances on at-risk wildlife species.