University of Lethbridge Theses
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- ItemExport-led economic growth: application to Canada, USA, and the UK(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Economics, 2025) Hasan, Aminul; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Rockerbie, DuaneThis thesis explores the Export-Led Growth (ELG) hypothesis by analyzing the relationship between exports and economic growth in three advanced economies: Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Utilizing annual time-series data from 1960 to 2016, the study employs unit root tests, Vector Autoregression (VAR) models, and Granger causality tests to determine whether exports drive GDP growth or vice versa. The model also includes labor, capital, terms of trade, and foreign output shocks to account for broader macroeconomic influences. The findings reveal bidirectional causality between exports and GDP in Canada, providing strong support for the ELG hypothesis. In contrast, no significant causal link is found in the United States, indicating that exports do not play a leading role in driving its economic growth. The United Kingdom demonstrates moderate evidence of export-led growth, with exports affecting GDP through specific lag structures. These results emphasize that the ELG hypothesis does not hold uniformly across countries, even among high-income economies. The thesis highlights the importance of considering country-specific factors and recommends that policymakers tailor trade and growth strategies based on domestic economic structures and external conditions.
- ItemHow domestication and selective breeding changed the cerebellar anatomy and play partner preference in rats (Rattus norvegicus)(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience, 2025) Waner Mariquito, Renata; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Iwaniuk, Andrew N.; Pellis, Sergio M.Domestication has led to many changes in how animals look, behave, and physiology. With time, selective breeding has added to these changes, creating different breeds and strains with their own traits. The brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) is a good example of this process, as laboratory rats were shaped by generations of breeding, and now show clear differences from wild rats. Here, we examined how domestication and selective breeding differentially affect: 1) cerebellar anatomy; and 2) play partner preferences. Using stereology, we compared cerebellar volumes, layer volumes, and Purkinje cell sizes and numbers in Long Evans (LE), Sprague-Dawley (SD), and wild rats. LE rats had larger cerebella but smaller Purkinje cells, while SD rats overlapped with wild rats in most measures. We also tested play behaviour in groups formed by LEs, SDs and Fischer 344 (F344) rats. We found that LE rats preferred playing with their own strain and with SD rats. Both LE and SD rats, however, consistently avoided playing with the F344s. These findings demonstrate that domestication produces a mosaic of neurobehavioural changes rather than uniform changes. We highlight the need for strain-specific approaches in neuroscience research and propose future studies comparing F344 cerebellar anatomy and olfactory influences on partner choice.
- ItemDonor-stabilised fluorido cations of groups 15 and 16(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 2025) O'Donnell, Felix; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Gerken, MichaelThe fluoride-ion donor properties of the strong Lewis-acids SbF5 and AsF5 were investigated. In the presence of the bidentate nitrogen base 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) SbF5 and AsF5 were found to autoionise generating [PnF4(phen)][PnF6] (Pn = As or Sb) salts; this is the first time that SbF5 has demonstrated the ability to act as a fluoride-ion donor. In the presence of the more flexible nitrogen base 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy), SbF5 was again found to autoionise yielding [SbF4(bipy)][SbF6], whereas AsF5 forms the neutral adduct (AsF5)2·bipy. In the presence of the tridentate base 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) SbF5 autoionises to form [SbF4(terpy)][SbF6]; the [SbF4(terpy)]+ cation is the first structurally characterised fluorido Sb(V) complex with a coordination number of seven and adopts a heavily distorted pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. The structure and bonding in these unique systems was studied using a combination of spectroscopic, crystallographic and computational techniques. The [SF3]+ cation forms 1:1 adducts with pyridine and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) which adopt different structures. Whereas pyridine coordinates in the axial position of the seesaw-geometry, DMAP is located in the equatorial position. The latter structure leads to facile dismutation to the [SF2(dmap)2]2+ cation and SF4, while [SF3(py)]+ is stable towards dismutation. Further dismutation afforded the square-pyramidal [SF(dmap)4]3+ cation. Attempts to form adducts of [SF3]+ cation with triphenylphosphine oxide, resulted in deoxofluorination.
- ItemDemocratic legitimacy through the lens of national identity: the Basque Country and Spain(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Political Science, 2025) Ayotte, Francis; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Kerr, StephanieIn the decades emerging after the creation of the liberal multicultural thesis in the 1990s, it has become increasingly apparent that various obstacles have greatly obstructed the development of pluralist and multicultural policies with Western liberal democratic states. Such policies have largely stagnated or regressed, and there has been a noticeable reemergence of majority nationalism and what has been termed ‘majority backlash.’ On the other side, these issues have only increased the sense of illegitimacy of these states from the perspective of minority communities, especially national minorities in multinational states. This thesis utilizes poststructural and agonistic democracy theories to consider and theorize how liberalism’s insistence on impartiality and rationality makes it struggle to account for tensions which emerge symbolically around identity, primarily in this case, national identity. This thesis highlights how these tensions around identity manifest in the real world by conducting a discourse analysis on two distinct national groups within one nation-state – Spain and the minority Basque nation. Examining diverging narratives regarding the constitution of the demos and the characteristics assigned to it during this period underscores the problematic assertion of universality in liberal democratic theory by first outlining the significance of the symbolic dimension of democratic representation and legitimacy. It is thus argued that the role of majority nationalism in liberal democracies cannot be sidestepped or ignored in multicultural and pluralist theories of democracy due to its foundational role in legitimating liberal democratic order.
- ItemBehavior analysis of catching using 3D pose estimation(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience, 2025) Mazrouei, AmirHossein; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Whishaw, Ian; Mohagerani, M. H.Catching, a complex and fundamental prehension task, is crucial for daily life yet remains understudied despite its implications for robotics, rehabilitation, and neuroprosthetics. This thesis investigates the intricate sensorimotor coordination involved in human catching, building upon theories like the Dual Visuomotor Channel (DVC) and Multiple Motor Channel (MMC) to understand how the brain orchestrates dynamic hand movements. Ten right-handed participants engaged in externally thrown, self-thrown, and visually guided "pretend" catches using four ball sizes. Behavior was recorded with three GoPro cameras, and 3D pose estimation was performed via FreeMocap (Matthis & Cherian, 2022), leveraging MediaPipe (Zhang et al., 2020) for 2D analysis and triangulation for 3D reconstruction. Three primary kinematic metrics were quantified: 1) Euclidean distance between the thumb tip and other fingertips (opposable distance); 2) Perpendicular distance from each fingertip to the palm plane (prehensile distance); and 3) The hand's rotation angle in the X-Z plane, derived from the palm's normal vector. Results revealed Maximum Pregrasp Aperture (MPA) scaled linearly with ball diameter, indicating anticipatory hand shaping. Distinct grasping strategies emerged for different ball sizes: larger balls elicited "precision catches" characterized by significant finger splay and thumb-pinky opposition, while smaller balls often resulted in "power catches" with minimal thumb involvement and greater finger flexion into the palm. Self-catches further highlighted the interplay of anticipatory and feedback control. These findings enhance understanding of human prehension, providing quantitative data valuable for advancing motor control models, developing adaptive robotic systems, and improving human-machine interfaces.