DalSpace Institutional Repository
DalSpace is a digital service that collects, preserves, and distributes digital material produced by the Dalhousie community.
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Communities in DSpace
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Recent Submissions
HUMANIZED MOUSE MODEL TO STUDY CYSTIC FIBROSIS-RELATED DIABETES
(2025-07-17) Neira Agonh, Daniel; Not Applicable; Master of Science; Department of Physiology & Biophysics; Received; Christopher Sinal; Not Applicable; Ferhan Siddiqi; Alejandro Lomniczi; Valerie Chappe; Younes Anini
Up to 50% of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop CF-related diabetes (CFRD), accelerating lung function decline and mortality, particularly among women. Our study validates the B6-Tg(CFTR508del)Cwr (hCF) mouse, expressing the human ΔF508del CFTR gene, to study CFRD. Glucose handling was assessed by oral (OGTT) and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTT); insulin and glucagon levels were evaluated via ELISAs; and islet structure was analyzed by immunofluorescence. Following IPGTT, hCF mice showed glucose intolerance with higher glucose area under the curve than WT mice; OGTT showed progressive glucose intolerance. hCF mice exhibited low fasting insulin, impaired insulin secretion, and reduced islet insulin signal intensity. Glucagon levels were generally similar across experimental groups; however, pancreatic glucagon levels were elevated in hCF males. hCF pancreata contained fewer and smaller islets than WT pancreata. These results demonstrate features of CFRD within the hCF mouse model: glucose intolerance, insulin insufficiency, and impaired islet architecture.
EMANCIPATE ME HARDER! LESSONS FROM THE BDSM COMMUNITY ON SAFETY, CONSENT, THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL, AND RADICAL SUBVERSIVE RESISTANCE
(2025-07-11) Rae, Madeline; Not Applicable; Master of Social Work; School of Social Work; Received; Dr. Elaine Brooks-Craig; Not Applicable; Dr. Neil McArthur; Dr. Raluca Bejan; Dr. Catherine Bryan
BDSM has developed as a recognized sexual sub-culture and has been the subject of considerable attention, notably by medical and psychiatric fields. Often pathologized, and even criminalized, the BDSM community’s self-definition differs greatly from those offered by early patriarchal psychoanalysts and contemporary mainstream institutions. A growing body of scholarship indicates that BDSM has therapeutic potential. The present study interviewed 6 professional practitioners of BDSM from across Canada. These professionals have practiced for over 10 years and have a well-established understanding of in-group best practices as well as the ongoing impacts of pathologization and discrimination. Over 15 hours of semi-structured interviews yielded findings that support that the S/M community remains misunderstood, misrepresented (in courts of law, mental health settings, and in media), that best practices and codes of conduct are taken extremely seriously, and that subversion largely contributes to BDSM’s cathartic, healing, and therapeutic potential.
The Wild Wild West: George Catlin's, Paul Kane's and Frederic Remington's Experiences of the West
(2023-04-07) Kelly, Emma
EXAMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF MINE THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE (MTES) IN NOVA SCOTIA: A CASE STUDY OF GLACE BAY
(2025-07-14) Sohrabikhah, Sara; No; Master of Applied Science; Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering; Not Applicable; Dr. Trevor Kelly; No; Dr. Yuan Ma; Larry Hughes
Mine Thermal Energy Storage (MTES) offers a promising solution for sustainable heating by repurposing abandoned, water-filled mines as underground thermal reser-voirs. This study assesses the feasibility of implementing MTES in Nova Scotia, with a focus on the Sydney Coalfield region, particularly Glace Bay. The research combines geological analysis, residential heat demand estimation, thermal storage capacity esti-mation, and cost-benefit evaluation to determine whether abandoned coal mines can support district heating applications. Results show that MTES can deliver substantial heating cost reductions compared to oil-based systems, while significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The study also explores the integration of MTES with local renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, to enhance energy system flexi-bility and reliability. International case studies from Springhill (Canada), Heerlen (Netherlands), and Bochum (Germany) are analyzed to illustrate the scalability, per-formance, and operational challenges of MTES systems. Key technical barriers—such as water quality management, infrastructure investment, and seasonal variability in heat demand—are discussed. Overall, the findings highlight MTES as a viable and sustainable energy storage approach for Nova Scotia and other regions with legacy mining infrastructure.
Synthesis and Characterization of Cationic Polyelectrolytes to Address Changing Source Water Quality
(2025-07-09) Sun, Zhisen; Not Applicable; Master of Applied Science; Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science; Not Applicable; n/a; Not Applicable; Professor Khaled Benis; Professor Graham Gagnon; Professor Alison Scott
This research focuses on developing novel cationic flocculants (polyelectrolytes) for drinking water treatment. Cationic flocculants are currently used in many municipal water treatment processes, but are not able to effectively address changing source water quality challenges. These challenges include increased concentration of humic substances and more frequent algae bloom occurrences. Changes in source water quality generally require higher dosing of traditional coagulants and flocculants, which increases treatment cost and sludge production. Hence, this research investigates novel cationic flocculants to determine how comonomer selection and copolymer properties impact treatment performance.
Nine cationic copolymers were synthesized and characterized according to copolymer conversion, molecular weight distribution, zeta potential, and jar testing. Of the materials evaluated, the most promising cationic flocculant was the copolymer of methacrylamide (MAA) and (p-vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride (VBTMAC), which shows great UV-254 results among other alternative cationic flocculants. These results demonstrate that utilities can adapt to changing source water quality through material innovation, instead of (or alongside) costly process innovation.
Further optimization is still possible through future work, including manipulating the molar ratio of neutral monomer and cationic monomer, improving understanding of intermolecular interactions between target contaminants and promising cationic flocculants, and extending results to bio-derived polymer flocculants. Through an iterative design approach, novel cationic flocculants can be optimized for specific water treatment challenges.
The Urban Quad: Reimagining Dalhousie Sexton Campus as an Open-Ended Landscape
(2025-07-14) Tillmann, William; Not Applicable; Master of Architecture; School of Architecture; Not Applicable; Rashida NG; Not Applicable; Niall Savage; Roger Mullin
This architectural thesis proposes the Urban quad as a new architectural type to mediate between Dalhousie University’s Sexton Campus and its host, the city of Halifax. Drawing from typological theory and Stan Allen’s field conditions, it develops a method that treats form as emergent from contextual pressures such as: social, environmental, and infrastructural. Strategies include deploying fields of material, reinterpreting precedent, daylighting and systematic and rhythmic ordering of walls, floors, roofs and columns. The design transforms a surface parking lot behind the Halifax Central Library into a shared academic and civic ground. It incorporates existing structures, notably Gerard Hall, while introducing new spaces: a public ramped landscape, interior atrium, and split-level commons. Represented through axonometric drawing, the outcome is a layered, porous framework that invites institutional and public life to overlap.