Recent theses

Master of Sciences theses

MSc Spring 2012

• Kristina Durham, “ Ischemia reperfusion injury in isolated hearts from spontaneously hypertensive rats following chronic resveratrol treatment”  (Supervisor:  J. Rush)
• Daniel Gamu, “Examination of Voluntary Wheel Running and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism in the Sarcolipin Knock-Out Mouse”  (Supervisor:  A. Russell Tupling)
• Tej-Jaskarat Grewal,  “Quantifying the Shoulder Rhythm and Comparing Non-Invasive Methods of Scapular Tracking for Overhead and Axially Rotated Humeral Postures”  (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Dianne Ikeda, “Quantification of spine stability: Assessing the role of muscles and their links to eigenvalues and stability”  (Supervisor:  S. McGill)
• Iris Levine, “The Effects of Body Mass Index and Gender on Pelvic Stiffness and Peak Impact Force During Lateral Falls”  (Supervisor: A. Laing)
• Amanda Marlin, “Localization of cortical potentials evoked by balance disturbances”  Supervisor: B. McIlroy)
• Andrew Mitchell, “Morphological and Apoptotic Alterations in Skeletal Muscle of Mice Deficient in Apoptosis Repressor with Caspase Recruitment Domain”  (Supervisor:  J. Quadrilatero)
• Bryan Picco, “Quantifying the Effects of Humeral Elevation Angle, Plane of Elevation, and Motion Phase on 3D Shoulder Kinematics during Dynamic Humeral Movement in Multiple Vertical Planes”  (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Tracy Smith,” Comparison of the effects of docosahexaenoic acid and palmitic acid on ischemia reperfusion injury using an isolated perfused rat heart”  (Supervisor:  K. Stark)

MSc Spring 2011

• Alicia Belbeck, "An assessment of the interplay between the shoulders and the low back in occupational tasks: A manual patient handling example" (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Emily Brown, "Hand preference after stroke: The development and initial evaluation of a new performance-based measure" (Co-Supervisors:  B. McIlroy/E. Roy)
• Amy Chow, "Investigation of Hand Forces, Shoulder and Trunk Muscle Activation Patterns and EMG/Force Ratios in Push and Pull Exertions" (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Aaron Dam, "The effect of mitochondrial biogenesis on apoptotic susceptibility in L6 myoblasts" (Supervisor: J. Quadrilatero)
• Stephanie Freeman, "Can Altering Hip Joint Fluid Volume and Intra-Capsular Pressure Influence Muscle Activation Patterns?  Neuromuscular Implications on Clinical Practice" (Supervisor:  S. McGill)
• Kayla Hummel, "Vitamin D, Parathyroid Hormone and Bone Quality in Persons with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury" (Supervisor: L. Giangregorio)
• Deena Lala, "Determinants of fracture risk among individuals with spinal cord injury: a case control study" (Supervisor: L. Giangregorio)
• Crystal Lalonde, "The role of glutathione depletion in skeletal muscle apoptotic signaling in young and old rats" (Supervisor: J. Quadrilatero)
• Tracy McWhirter, "Effects of Aging in Reaching and Grasping Movements:  A Kinematic Analysis of Movement Context" (Supervisor:  E. Roy)
• Erin Mandel, "Changes in conduit artery blood flow and diameter post blood flow restriction" (Supervisor:  R. Hughson)
• Rupesh Patel, "Performance of a two-foot vertical jump:  What is more important hip or knee dominance?" (Co-Supervisors:  S. McGill/B. McIlroy) 
• Azra Premji, "Modulation of inhibitory and excitatory circuits in the primary motor cortex following theta-brust rTMS to area 5" (Supervisor:  A. Nelson)
• Marcus Yung, "Variation of Force Amplitude and its Effects on Muscle Fatigue" (Supervisor:  R. Wells)
• Angela Ziluk, "Influence of area 5 on primary motor cortex: a paired-pulse TMS investigation in healthy adults" (Supervisor: A. Nelson)

MSc Spring 2010

• Payman Charkhzarin, Evaluation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Uptake, Distribution, and Incorporation into Specific Muscle Types  (Supervisor: K. Stark)
• Jaclyn Chopp, Radiographic Examination of Humeral Head Migration after Fatiguing the Rotator Cuff (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Marc DeRochie, Strategies and Adaptations Seen with Unilateral Lower Limb Weighting during Level Ground Walking and Obstacle Clearance Tasks (Supervisor: S. Prentice
• Anna Grinberg, Cardiovascular Reconditioning Resulting from 28-Hour Bed-Rest and the Efficacy of the Fluid Loading Countermeasure  (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Laurie Hall, Analysis of the effect of rotator cuff impingements on upper limb kinematics in an elderly population during activities of daily living (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Andrew Hopf, Examination of sex differences in quadriceps fatigability and Hsp70 content in response to intense intermittent isometric exercise (Supervisor: R. Tupling)
• Kevin Hurley, Statistical Power in Ergonomic Intervention Studies (Supervisor: R. Wells)
• Michelle Mackay, Factors that Influence Short-term Learning of Visual-Tactile Associations:  An Investigation of Behavioural Performance and the Associated Electrophysiological Mechanisms (Supervisor: R.Staines)
• Colin McKinnon, Quantification and Evaluation of Physical Shoulder Exposures in Police Mobile Data Terminal Operators (Supervisor: R. Wells)
• Julia Totosy de Zepetenek, Clinical Assessment of Body Composition After Spinal Cord Injury.  An Observation Study (Supervisor: L. Giangregorio)

MSc Spring 2009

• Nathalie Gagné, “Developing a Non-Invasive Method to Monitor Cardiovascular Control during Orthostatic Challenge Considering the Limitations of the Finometer TM”  (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Karen Lau, “Effects of Aging in Pointing to Visible and Remembered Targets” (Supervisor: E. Roy)
• Chris Ste-Croix, “Dynamic Control Strategies Used by ACL-Deficient Copers and Non-Copers During Stair Climbing” (Supervisor: J. Durkin)
• Riley Stewart, “The Role of Heat Shock Protein 70 in Protecting Muscle Mechanical Function & SERCA Function in Human Skeletal Muscle”(Supervisor: R. Tupling)
• Chris Vigna, “HSP70 Protects Against Peroxynitrite-Induced Inactivation of Serca2a by Preventing Protein Oxidation and Aggregation” (Supervisor:  R. Tupling

MSc Spring 2008

• Kevin Foley,“Acute Regulation of Na+-K+-ATPase Activity in Skeletal Muscles of Different Fibre Type Composition in Response to Insulin Exposure” (Supervisor: R. Tupling)
• Jeffrey Kroetsch, “Hydrogen Peroxide is Vasoactive in the Mesenteric Arteries of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats” (Supervisor: J. Rush)
• Kristen McFall, “A Psychophysical Investigation of Grip Types with Specific Application to Job” (Supervisor: R. Wells)
• Sachin Raina, “Modeling Shoulder Ligament Contributions and Their Effects on Muscle Force Predictions” (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)

MSc Fall 2012

• Kristin Marks, “Examination of the Effects of Sex and Sex Hormones on Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Biosynthesis”  (Supervisor:  K. Stark)
• Chantel Tessmer, “Cerebrovascular and cardiovascular responses to lower body negative pressure and posture change in the elderly”  (Supervisor: R. Hughson)

MSc Fall 2011

• Karlee Hall, "Examining the Relationship Between Whole Body Resting Metabolic Rate and the Efficiency of SR Ca2+  Handling in Human Skeletal Muscle" (Supervisor:  R. Tupling)                    
• Kathleen MacLean, "Comparing Knee Joint Kinematics, Kinetics and Cumulative Load between Healthy-weight and Obese Young Adults" (Co-Supervisors:  J. Callaghan/M. Maly)
• Navjot Rai, "Theta-burst rTMS over SI modulates tactile perception on the hand" (Supervisor:  A. Nelson)
• Chris Smith, "Endothelium-Dependant Vasomotor Function in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Following Chronic Dietary Treatment with Resveratrol" (Supervisor:  J. Rush)
• Alexander Wright, "Novel Compliant Flooring Systems from Head to Toes:  Influences on Early Compensatory Balance Reactions in Retirement-Home Dwelling Adults And on Impact Dynamics during Simulated Head Impacts" (Supervisor:  A. Laing)

MSc Fall 2010

• Megan Bedbrook, Effects of Altering the Sequence of a Combined Aerobic and Resistance Exercise Session on Energy Expenditure and Metabolism (Supervisor:  M. Mourtzakis)
• Asmaa Dabbagh, The Impact of Training on Naming and Producing Actions to Novel Objects (Co-Supervisor: E. Roy/G. Desmarais)
• Nicholas Hogg, Design of Thumb Keyboards: Performance, Effort and Kinematics (Supervisor: R. Wells)
• Lauren King, A Model Based Approach to Apraxia in Parkinson’s Disease (Supervisor: E. Roy/Q. Almeida)      
• Eoghan Landy, Strategies utilized while Minimizing Ankle Bilaterally and Unilaterally during Level Ground Walking and Obstacle Clearance Tasks (Supervisor:  S. Prentice)
• Laura Mader, Attention and Age-related Components of Visual-Tactile Modulation of Somatosensory Cortex and Motor Implications (Supervisor: R. Staines)
• Ryan Sayer, Effects of High-Fat Feeding on Skeletal Muscle Insulin Ssignalling in Sarcolipin Knockout Mice (Supervisor:  R. Tupling)

MSc Fall 2009

• Keith Beavers, “Investigating the Efficacy of the NASA Fluid Loading Protocol for Astronauts: The Role of Hormonal Blood Volume Regulation in Orthostasis after Bed Rest” (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Hamid Izadi, “Development of a novel mass-selected internal positive chemical ionization quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry technique for the quantitative analysis of isotopic polyunsaturated fatty acids” (Supervisor: K. Stark)
• Jenna Johnson, “Treadmill Walking Capacity Among Older Adults in Assisted Living Settings: A Pilot, Feasibility Study” (Supervisor: L. Giangregorio)
• Lindsay Slater, “The Effect of Different Manual Task Simulation Methods on Hand and Forearm Demand Estimates” (Supervisor: R. Wells)
• Justin Yates, “Establishing the Effect of Vibration and Postural Constraint Loading in the Progression of Intervertebral Disc Herniation” (Supervisor: S. McGill)

MSc Fall 2008

• Rebecca Brookham, “Electromyography Evaluation of Rotator Cuff Muscle Tests”  (Supervisor: C. Dickerson)
• Justin Chung, “The Effect of Acute Exercise on Femoral Artery Vasoconstriction:  Involvement of Local Vascular Wall Renin-Angiotensin Systems” (Supervisor: J. Rush)
• Diana De Carvalho, “Time Varying Gender and Passive Tissue Responses to Prolonged Driving” (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Meaghan Goddard, “Movement-induced Motor Cortical Excitability Changes of Upper Limb Representation During Voluntary Contraction of the Contralateral Limb” (Supervisor: R. Staines)
• Leigh Marshall, “An Investigation fo the Role of Dynamic Axial Torque on the Disc Herniation Mechanism” (Supervisor: S. McGill)
• Amaya Singh, “Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Motor Cortical Modulation Associated with Bimanual Movements” (Supervisor: R. Staines)

PhD Theses

PhD Spring 2012

• Tyson Beach, “Firefighter Fitness, Movement Qualities, Occupational Low-Back Loading Demands and Injury Potential”  (Supervisor:  J. Callaghan)
• Rebecca Ford, Acute Regulation of Vascular Tone by AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in Arteries of Healthy, Hypertensive and Aged Rats”  (Supervisor: J. Rush)
• Jonathan Singer, “Age-Related Changes in the Control of Mediolateral Dynamic Stability During Volitional and Reactive Stepping” (Supervisor:  S. Prentice/B. McIlroy)
• Rodrigo Villar, “ Effect of Arterial Blood Perfusion Pressure on Vascular Conductance and Muscle Blood Flow at Rest and Exercise”  (Supervisor:  R. Hughson)

PhD Spring 2011

• Steve Denniss, "Mechanisms of Over-Active Endothelium-Derived Contracting Factor Signaling Causing Common Carotid Artery Endothelial Vasomotor Dysfunction in Hypertension and Aging" (Supervisor:  J. Rush)
• Jennifer Dionne, "Frontal and Parietal Contributions to the Modulation of Somatosensory Cortex by Relevance and Modality" (Supervisor: R. Staines)
• Azmy Faisal, "Oxygen Uptake and Blood Flow Kinetics Following the Onset of Exercise in Trained Humans" (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Steve Fischer, "A Biomechanical Investigation in the Link between Simulated Job Static, Strength and Psychophysical Strength:  Do They Share a ‘Weakest Link’ Relationship?" (Co-supervisors: C. Dickerson/R. Wells)   
• Sam Howarth, "Mechanical Response of the Porcine Cervical Spine to Acute and Repetitive Anterior-Posterior" (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Andrew Levy, "Influence of Acute and Chronic Glutathione Manipulations on Coronary Vascular Resistance and Endothelium Dependent Dilation in Isolated Perfused Rat Hearts" (Supervisor:  J. Rush)
• Jeremy Noble, "Development of Neuromechanical Model for Investigating Sensorimotor Interactions During Locomotion" (Supervisor: S. Prentice)
• Veronica Silva, "Role of Visual Information during Stair Locomotion" (Supervisor: B. McIlroy)

PhD Spring 2010

• Jeannette Byrne, An Investigation of the Biomechanical Factors Influencing Knee Joint Function Following Total Knee Replacement (Supervisor: S. Prentice)
• Nadine Dunk, Time-varying Changes in the Lumbar Spine from Exposure to Sedentary Tasks and their Potential Effects on Injury Mechanics and Pain Generation (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Ken Dyson, Exercise, Shear Stress, and Flow Mediated Dilation of Human Conduit Arteries” (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Wynn Legon, Sensory Information to Motor Cortices: Effects of Motor Execution in the Upper Limb Contralateral to Sensory Input (Supervisor: R. Staines)                  
• Alison Smith, Cortical and Behavioural Adaptations Induced by Bimanual Movement Training: An Electrophysiological Study in the Healthy Population (Supervisor: R. Staines)

PhD Spring 2009                       

• Sakineh Akram, “Coordination of Turning When Standing and Walking in Healthy Older Adults and Persons with Parkinson’s Disease” (Co-supervisors:  Jim Frank and Eric Roy)

PhD Spring 2008

• Steve Brown, “Examining the Neuromuscular and Mechanical Characteristics of the Abdominal Musculature and Connective Tissues: Implications for Stiffening the Lumbar Spine” (Supervisor: S. McGill)
• Janessa Drake, “Axial Twist Loading of the Spine: Modulators of Injury Mechanisms and Pain Generation” (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Sean Meehan, “Modulation of Sensory Processing During Simultaneous Bimodal Stimulation: Effects of Sensorimotor Integration” (Supervisor: R. Staines)

PhD Fall 2012

• Adam Metherel, “The Development and Assessment of Rapid Methods for Fatty Acid Profiling”  (Supervisor:  K. Stark)
• Kathryn Zuj, “Analysis of Transcranical Doppler Ultrasound Waveform Morphology for the Assessment of Cerebrovascular Hemodynamics”  (Supervisor:  R. Hughson)

PhD Fall 2011

• Laura Hauck, "Understanding the Influence of Fear of Falling on Balance Control - Efforts in Fall Prediction and Prevention" (Co-Supervisors: J. Frank/S. Prentice)

PhD Fall 2010

• Eric Bombardier, The Role of Sarcolipin in Calcium Handling and Obesity (Supervisor: R. Tupling)
• Heather Edgell, Cardiovascular Responses of Women to Orthostatic Stress, the Effects of the Menstrual Cycle and Age, and a Comparison to Men (Supervisor: R. Hughson)
• Janice Moreside, The effect of limited hip mobility on the lumbar spine in a young adult male population (Supervisor: S. McGill)

PhD Fall 2009

• Drew Graham, “Endothelium-dependent Vasomotor Responses of Hypertensive and Type 2 Diabetic Rats: Effects of Sec, Ageing, and Therapeutic Interventions” (Supervisor: J. Rush)
• Diane Gregory, “The Influence of the Tensile Material Properties of Single Annulus Fibrosus Lamallae and the Interlamellar Matrix Strength on Disc Herniation Initiation and Progression” (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Erika Nelson-Wong “Biomechanical Predictors of Functionally Induced Low Back Pain, Acute Response to Prolonged Standing Exposure, and Impact of a Stabilization Clinical Exercise Intervention”  (Supervisor: J. Callaghan)
• Karen Van Ooteghem, “Postural Motor Learning and the Effect of Age on Practice-Related Improvements in Compensatory Posture Control” (Co-Supervisors: J. Frank & R. Staines)    

PhD Fall 2008

• No Graduates