Extending ModCP for Change Propagation Analysis in Multilingual Systems

In software engineering, change propagation analysis is a technique that enables developers to identify and manage the ripple effects of software modifications. This process plays an important role in maintaining and evolving complex software systems, as the ripple effects of changes in such systems are often subtle and difficult to notice due to their size, complexity, and interdependencies. Without proper analysis, these hidden impacts can lead to unforeseen issues, such as functionality breakdowns and customer dissatisfaction. ModCP, an existing tool for change propagation analysis, excels in identifying the im-pact of changes within an environment that utilizes a single programming language. How-ever, modern software systems frequently integrate multiple languages for different purposes, which interact with each other, posing challenges that traditional change propagation tools are not equipped to address, particularly in managing cross-language change propagation. This thesis addresses this limitation of ModCP by extending its capabilities to support change propagation across multilingual systems. A general model for interactions among languages is proposed and two realizations of the proposed model are developed, specifi-cally for Java–TSQL and C#–TSQL interactions. These implementations enable ModCP to accurately trace and propagate changes across these language boundaries. The enhanced ModCP is evaluated through a number of examples from official sources and documentation to test its ability to handle inter-language change propagation, particularly in environments involving Java or C# and SQL. These examples compare the performance of the enhanced ModCP against the previous version of ModCP and an industrial tool, Find it EZ Dev Surge, using metrics such as precision, recall, and F1 score. The results demonstrate that the enhanced ModCP consistently outperforms its alternatives, achieving higher scores across all metrics by accurately identifying implicit dependencies and tracing inter-language data flows

Visualization of a Dimensional Model of Depression for Paper in the Journal of Clinical Medicine

This is a simulation model included in a paper (under review at the time of Archiving) with the Journal of Clinical Medicine. The intention of the model is to simulate the effects of treatment of depression in a population. The software saves a csv file into a specified directory, which would need to be modified by a user.Abstract: Depressive disorders are diagnosed using categorical defintions provided by DSM-5 and ICD-11. However, categorization for diagnostic purposes fails to account for the inherently dimensional nature of depression. Artificial categorization may impede research and obstruct the achievement of optimal treatment outcomes. The current study utilized a Canadian historical dataset called the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) to explore a simple alternative approach that does not depend on categorization. The NPHS collected complete data from 5029 participants using with biannual interviews conducted 1994 – 2010. Data collection included the K-6 Distress Scale as well as the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for Major Depression. A dimension representing vulerability to symptoms of depression and anxiety was quantified for each participant using their within-person average K-6 score over all nine NPHS interviews. Variability of symptoms across this dimension of apparent vulnerability was quantified using ordinal regression, adjusting for age and sex. Predicted probabilities from these models were used in simulations to produce a visualization of the epidemiology and to explore clinical implications. Consideration of of these two dimensional factors (estimated overall level of vulnerability to depression, and variability over time) is likely already a component of clinical assessment and is accessible to repeated application of existing instruments in contexts of measurement based care. More formal consideration of these elements may provide a complementary approach to categorical diagnostic assessment, and an opportunity for greater personalization of care and improved clinical outcomes

Spinal Reflex Modulation in Real and Virtual Environments: Investigating the Muscle Spindle’s Role in Sensorimotor Adaptation to Altered Visual Feedback, Sympathetic Arousal, and Postural Tasks

Introduction: Sensorimotor control is influenced by multiple sensory and emotional factors, including visual feedback and sympathetic arousal. Virtual reality (VR) provides a powerful tool to study these mechanisms by simulating immersive environments that can modulate static and dynamic motor control. However, the effects of VR on spinal excitability and muscle spindle function remain poorly understood. This dissertation examines how VR alters sensorimotor integration across different motor tasks and explores the potential role of fusimotor control in these adaptations. Methods: Four interrelated studies investigated VR-induced neuromuscular adaptations in the lower limb during stance and locomotion and in the upper limb during muscle contraction and at rest. Reflex responses were assessed in Studies 1—3 using electrical nerve stimulation (H-reflexes) and mechanical (noisy) tendon vibration (NTV), and microneurography was used in Study 4, to examine spinal excitability and muscle spindle sensitivity. Electromyography (EMG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) were recorded to monitor muscle activation and sympathetic arousal. Participants were exposed to various VR conditions, including simulated heights, dynamic motion, and VR/real-world transitions, to assess how altered visual environments influence sensorimotor function. Results: Across studies, VR exposure suppressed H-reflex amplitudes, suggesting reduced spinal excitability, while NTV-evoked responses remained stable, indicating preserved spindle function. The extent and the temporal patterns of VR-induced changes in reflex excitability were task-dependent, with H-reflex suppression and recovery emerging at various stages of VR immersion. Direct recordings of muscle spindles revealed variable but distinct modulations in afferent activity, suggesting independent fusimotor control in VR. In all studies, VR increased physiological markers of sympathetic arousal (e.g., EDA) and subjective discomfort (e.g., fear, anxiety, motion sickness), reinforcing the link between emotional arousal and sensorimotor adaptation. Discussion: These findings demonstrate that immersive VR environments can alter sensorimotor integration through modulations in spinal excitability and fusimotor drive. The persistence of some neuromuscular effects following VR exposure suggests potential implications for rehabilitation, occupational training, and motor learning. Understanding how VR influences sensorimotor control may enhance its application in clinical and performance settings

Phytoplankton ecology in a demonstration boreal oil sands pit lake

Microbial communities in Base Mine Lake (BML), an oil sands pit lake reclamation site in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, were examined with emphasis on phytoplankton. BML is a pilot reclamation site for fluid tailings within a boreal plains ecoregion. Essential for reclamation success is establishment of phytoplankton communities capable of supporting typical boreal lake food webs. Notable challenges include high salinity, turbidity, and oil-associated organics such as naphthenic acids, which can be acutely toxic to phytoplankton depending on concentration and species. Phytoplankton community composition in BML was compared to nearby freshwater reservoir and tailings storage sites using rRNA gene sequencing. Food web dynamics were explored through stable isotope probing, in which carbon-13 Chlorella dry biomass was incubated with BML water over time to identify eukaryotic and bacterial consumers via rRNA gene sequencing. BML harboured phytoplankton community members and seasonal patterns characteristic of boreal lakes with diverse phyla including Cyanobacteriota, Chlorophyta, Cryptophyta, Heterokontophyta, Dinoflagellata, Euglenophyta, and Haptophyta. Community composition and diversity were intermediate between BML and freshwater and tailings control sites. Seasonal patterns were identified for genera including Cryptomonas (Cryptophyta), Choricystis (Chlorophyta), and Euglena (Euglenophyta). Stable isotope probing revealed bacterial consumers of Chlorella vulgaris from the phyla Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Pseudomonadota, Myxococcota, Planctomycetota, and Verrucomicrobiota. Eukaryotic consumers included those belonging to phyla Amoebozoa, Arthropoda (Daphnia), Cercozoa, Ciliophora, Cryptomycota, and Ochrophyta (family Chrysophyceae). Many identified organisms are typical freshwater lake food web members and/or known hydrocarbon degraders

A Novel Statistical and Experimental Framework for Real-Time Single Cell Classification using Cell Vibrations

Cell vibrations are mechanical oscillations generated by living cells which have emerged as a promising biophysical marker reflecting cellular state, function, and identity. Previous studies have identified the presence of cell-specific vibrations; however, their clinical translation has been hindered by methodological inconsistencies and a lack of available analytical frameworks. This thesis presents a novel methodology for non-invasive cellular classification utilizing these vibrations through a technique called Cell Vibrational Profiling (CVP), wherein we acquire data on these nanoscale mechanical oscillations measured via Optical Tweezers (OT). Here we address limitations through three major contributions: first, we advance the real-time vibration acquisition technique through the integration of microinjectors supporting fluidic treatments during vibration experiments, next we perform a comprehensive analysis of experimental factors influencing cell vibrational data, and finally we develop a robust statistical framework called the Vibration Scanner Analysis Suite (VSAS). Using U251 glioblastoma cells as a primary model, significant vibrations were identified at 402.6, 1254.6, 1909.0, 2169.4, and 3462.8 Hz, which were statistically different from polystyrene bead controls (p<0.0001). Using a fixative (Paraformaldehyde) we observed a three-fold decrease in the Coefficient of Variance (COV) produced by U251 cells, confirming the metabolic origin of these signals. Next, we validate this technique by reanalyzing existing datasets and compare experimental conditions to find those that produce maximum differentiation. This was done using Partial Least-Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). We found that differentiation was maximized for A549 alveolar epithelium cells when data was collected in conventional petri-dishes (F1=0.89) and while their cell-cycle was synchronized in G0/G1 using serum-deprivation (F1 = 0.82). All findings were generated through the VSAS, which is an automated statistical analysis program purposefully designed to address heterogeneity and noise across CVP datasets and present objective, data-driven results. Together, this research combines both experimental and analytical advancements and establishes a comprehensive pipeline for cell vibration studies with potential applications in cancer detection, pharmaceutical testing, and realtime diagnostics in surgical settings

Parent Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Intergenerational Programs: A Psychometric Study

Intergenerational programs are designed to bring together two or more generations to engage in activities for the shared benefit and enjoyment of both generations. Increasing attention is being given to engagement of diverse program stakeholders to improve program outcomes and sustainability. A stakeholder group which has received limited attention is parents and guardians of the children who attend these programs, partly due to a lack of standardized tools to measure parental perceptions and attitudes. This thesis investigates the internal factor structure of a new tool designed to measure parent perceptions and attitudes towards intergenerational programs. Exploratory factor analysis shows a three-factor model of parent perceptions and attitudes, consisting of Support, Perceived and Expected Benefits, and Understanding. Descriptive analyses also show that parents generally report positive perceptions and attitudes towards intergenerational programs. The findings of this study provide insight into the factor structure of this instrument and emerging reliability, highlighting the possibility for further development and standardization of this tool. Further work on this tool may prove helpful for practitioners and researchers in the field engaged in intergenerational program evaluation and study of best practices for program sustainability

Bayesian Epidemic Models with Mechanisms for Behaviour Change

Infectious disease models are important tools for informing public health policy and gaining a better understanding of disease transmission dynamics. For them to accomplish these goals effectively it is important that models accurately represent the mechanisms that drive disease spread. During many epidemics, changing human behaviour is a driving force behind shifts in transmission patterns. In times of perceived higher risk people will often adopt protective behaviour changes to attempt to mitigate the impact of the disease on themselves or others in their community. These behaviour changes are typically complex, not well understood, and difficult to quantify. For these reasons behaviour change is challenging to incorporate into an infectious disease model. However, ignoring its effect can lead to inaccurate estimates of epidemic metrics and misleading forecasts of future trajectories. It is therefore important to develop methods that allow for the effect of behaviour changes to be adequately captured. We propose a flexible framework for incorporating epidemic-driven behaviour change into an individual-level model (ILM), which models individual probability of infection over time as a function of individual-level covariates. Focusing on spatially-based ILMs, we consider four potential so-called “alarm functions” for relating prevalence to population protective behaviour changes. We explore the impact of allowing behaviour changes to affect different model components, and of misspecifying the form of the alarm function or model structure. Methods are applied to a data set of the 2001 foot and mouth disease epidemic amongst livestock in the United Kingdom. Next we outline a framework to allow dynamic time-dependent adherence to behaviour changes in a population-averaged framework. Four adherence functions are proposed and investigated through simulation studies. These “dynamic behaviour change models” are then used to analyse four waves of COVID-19 in Calgary, Alberta. Finally, we conduct a data analysis of two waves of COVID-19 in four locations throughout Canada and the United States. We compare models that have either an epidemic history- or behaviour proxy covariate-driven behaviour change effect, or a behaviour change effect that is informed by both epidemic history and an external covariate

Desi Divas and Feminist Links: Print Culture Fostering Diasporic Connections in Canada

In the 1980s in the prairies and Toronto, ethnic media flourished providing information to the growing South Asian diaspora. Two source bases are examined here: The Prairie Link (1982- 1991) founded by Gurcharan S. Bhatia to cater to the needs of South Asians in the prairies and DIVA: A Quarterly Journal of South Asian Women, a Toronto feminist queer magazine founded by Suman Goyal. Print media acted like a bridge for South Asian Canadians to adapt to Canada, while also maintaining their connections to their homelands. I consider three unique expressions that were present in both papers to assess how South Asian Canadian women formed their sense of identity and built community. South Asian theatre, foodways and hybridization, women’s grassroots organizations and humour editions are examined using affect theory to understand the role of print culture in formations of identity and community. I argue that The Prairie Link and DIVA are emotional archives with layers of affect and I trace emotional communities. Coverage of Surjeet Kalsey’s Ajmer Rode’s, and Sheila James’ plays are researched along with the healing process of theatre for the women who watched, directed, acted in, and read about the plays. Food and foodways were modified due to pressures from children and women wrote about these tensions and how to resolve them through food alterations, like spicy spaghetti. Women’s grassroots organizations were pivotal for fostering relationships and fighting feelings of loneliness with purposeful friendships. From these gatherings women collectively agreed on initiatives, like a humour edition, which allowed them to combat negative stereotypes of racism, but also homophobia within the community. While both sources had significant differences, they both held space for feminist organizing and relations. The importance of these sources in the historiography is that they are reclamative, providing insight into how South Asian Canadians promoted unity, collectively exercised quiet agency, and refuted racism to find and create community

Coping Through Creativity: Artmaking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges to well-being, including heightened levels of isolation, anxiety, and stress. Even amidst social distancing measures and isolation, there was a sudden and widespread surge in artistic activities, as people turned to artmaking in the face of these unprecedented challenges. This thesis examined how self-directed artmaking aided in coping and enhancing well-being during the pandemic. While previous research has explored the benefits of art on well-being, this thesis focused on the specific role of self-directed artmaking to cope during the novel crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), I conducted interviews with five participants, including both professional and non-professional artists, who engaged in art independently without formal guidance. The analysis revealed that participants used artmaking as a crucial coping mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three overarching themes, Art for Survival, Art for Revival, and Art for Revolution, highlighted how artmaking facilitated creative connections, embodied healing, emotional processing, self-reflection, and personal discovery, while also serving as a platform for advocacy and social justice. These findings demonstrated art’s capacity to support well-being in multifaceted ways, helping participants navigate the complex challenges posed by the pandemic. Implications for government policy, education, and counselling psychology are discussed, including the potential of artmaking as a versatile, practical, and independent tool for enhancing well-being during challenging times, and importance of art-based initiatives in public health strategies and educational curricula

A Glutamatergic Circuit Between the Medial Zona Incerta and Cuneiform Nucleus

Movement and locomotion are fundamental for goal-directed behaviours in diverse invertebrate and vertebrate organisms. Integrating higher brain centers with evolutionarily conserved descending brainstem locomotor command centers plays a key role in orchestrating context-specific behaviours. The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), primarily comprised of the cuneiform nucleus (CnF) and pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is one such conserved descending locomotor center in diverse vertebrate species shown to produce locomotion. Excitatory glutamatergic neurons of the CnF have been shown to set both speed and gait for high-speed locomotion implicated in defensive flight when activated. The medial zona incerta (mZI) is an important hub, allowing for rapid responses to sensory inputs. Projections from the mZI to CnF exist, forming a critical inhibitory circuit for the expression of exploratory behaviours. Less is known on the information however evolved around excitatory afferents to the CnF and their functional implications. Using both a retrograde and anterograde viral tracing approach, I identified a glutamatergic circuit between the mZI and CnF. Activation of the mZI-CnF glutamatergic circuit did not provoke an increase in locomotion within an open field. However, an increase in aversive behaviour with less time spent in a conditioned chamber as well as exhibited heightened levels of anxiety with increased grooming and immobility was observed. Mouse grimace scale (MGS) testing did not reveal any significant difference in pain-related facial expressions. Together, these results highlight that glutamatergic afferents from the mZI to CnF elicits aversive behaviour that is independent of locomotion. My thesis provides evidence that activation of this circuit is sex-specific, with females showing significant aversion compared to male mice