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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Quastel, Noah and Mendez, Pablo
- Abstract:
- This article draws on Margaret Radin's theorization of 'contested commodities' to explore the process whereby informal housing becomes formalized while also being shaped by legal regulation. In seeking to move once-informal housing into the domain of official legality, cities can seldom rely on a simple legal framework of private-law principles of property and contract. Instead, they face complex trade-offs between providing basic needs and affordability and meeting public-law norms around living standards, traditional neighbourhood feel and the environment. This article highlights these issues through an examination of the uneven process of legal formalization of basement apartments in Vancouver, Canada. We chose a lengthy period-from 1928 to 2009-to explore how basement apartments became a vital source of housing often at odds with city planning that has long favoured a low-density residential built form. We suggest that Radin's theoretical account makes it possible to link legalization and official market construction with two questions: whether to permit commodification and how to permit commodification. Real-world commodification processes-including legal sanction-reflect hybridization, pragmatic decision making and regulatory compromise. The resolution of questions concerning how to legalize commodification are also intertwined with processes of market expansion.
- Date Created:
- 2015-11-01
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- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Oommen, B. John and Astudillo, César A.
- Abstract:
- We present a method that employs a tree-based Neural Network (NN) for performing classification. The novel mechanism, apart from incorporating the information provided by unlabeled and labeled instances, re-arranges the nodes of the tree as per the laws of Adaptive Data Structures (ADSs). Particularly, we investigate the Pattern Recognition (PR) capabilities of the Tree-Based Topology-Oriented SOM (TTOSOM) when Conditional Rotations (CONROT) [8] are incorporated into the learning scheme. The learning methodology inherits all the properties of the TTOSOM-based classifier designed in [4]. However, we now augment it with the property that frequently accessed nodes are moved closer to the root of the tree. Our experimental results show that on average, the classification capabilities of our proposed strategy are reasonably comparable to those obtained by some of the state-of-the-art classification schemes that only use labeled instances during the training phase. The experiments also show that improved levels of accuracy can be obtained by imposing trees with a larger number of nodes.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Yazidi, Anis, Oommen, B. John, and Hammer, Hugo Lewi
- Abstract:
- The problem of clustering, or unsupervised classification, has been solved by a myriad of techniques, all of which depend, either directly or implicitly, on the Bayesian principle of optimal classification. To be more specific, within a Bayesian paradigm, if one is to compare the testing sample with only a single point in the feature space from each class, the optimal Bayesian strategy would be to achieve this based on the distance from the corresponding means or central points in the respective distributions. When this principle is applied in clustering, one would assign an unassigned sample into the cluster whose mean is the closest, and this can be done in either a bottom-up or a top-down manner. This paper pioneers a clustering achieved in an “Anti-Bayesian” manner, and is based on the breakthrough classification paradigm pioneered by Oommen et al. The latter relies on a radically different approach for classifying data points based on the non-central quantiles of the distributions. Surprisingly and counter-intuitively, this turns out to work equally or close-to-equally well to an optimal supervised Bayesian scheme, which thus begs the natural extension to the unexplored arena of clustering. Our algorithm can be seen as the Anti-Bayesian counter-part of the wellknown k-means algorithm (The fundamental Anti-Bayesian paradigm need not just be used to the k-means principle. Rather, we hypothesize that it can be adapted to any of the scores of techniques that is indirectly based on the Bayesian paradigm.), where we assign points to clusters using quantiles rather than the clusters’ centroids. Extensive experimentation (This paper contains the prima facie results of experiments done on one and two-dimensional data. The extensions to multi-dimensional data are not included in the interest of space, and would use the corresponding multi-dimensional Anti-Na¨ıve-Bayes classification rules given in [1].) demonstrates that our Anti-Bayesian clustering converges fast and with precision results competitive to a k-means clustering.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Polk, Spencer and Oommen, B. John
- Abstract:
- This paper pioneers the avenue of enhancing a well-known paradigm in game playing, namely the use of History-based heuristics, with a totally-unrelated area of computer science, the field of Adaptive Data Structures (ADSs). It is a well-known fact that highly-regarded game playing strategies, such as alpha-beta search, benefit strongly from proper move ordering, and from this perspective, the History heuristic is, probably, one of the most acclaimed techniques used to achieve AI-based game playing. Recently, the authors of this present paper have shown that techniques derived from the field of ADSs, which are concerned with query optimization in a data structure, can be applied to move ordering in multi-player games. This was accomplished by ranking opponent threat levels. The work presented in this paper seeks to extend the utility of ADS-based techniques to two-player and multi-player games, through the development of a new move ordering strategy that incorporates the historical advantages of the moves. The resultant technique, the History-ADS heuristic, has been found to produce substantial (i.e, even up to 70%) savings in a variety of two-player and multi-player games, at varying ply depths, and at both initial and midgame board states. As far as we know, results of this nature have not been reported in the literature before.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Labiche, Yvan and Barros, Márcio
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Moos, Markus and Mendez, Pablo
- Abstract:
- Current research depicts suburbs as becoming more heterogeneous in terms of socio-economic status. Providing a novel analysis, this paper engages with that research by operationalising suburban ways of living (homeownership, single-family dwelling occupancy and automobile use) and relating them to the geography of income across 26 Canadian metropolitan areas. We find that suburban ways of living exist in new areas and remain associated with higher incomes even as older suburbs, as places, have become more diverse. In the largest cities the relationship between income and suburban ways of living is weaker due to the growth of condominiums in downtowns that allow higher income earners to live urban lifestyles. Homeownership is overwhelmingly more important than other variables in explaining the geography of income across 26 metropolitan areas.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Cross, Emma, Smith, Robert, and Mould, David
- Abstract:
- The rise of game development and game studies on university campuses prompts academic libraries to consider how to support teaching and research in this area. This article examines current issues and challenges in the development of game collections at academic libraries. The gaming ecosystem has become more complex and libraries may need to move beyond collections largely based on console video games. This article will advance the discussion by considering emerging issues to support access to the full range of games. The article will use examples from Carleton University Library, Ottawa, which has been developing a game collection since 2008.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
-
- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Brubaker, Jed R., Handel, Mark, Yarosh, Svetlana, Bivens, Rena, Haimson, Oliver L., and Lingel, Jessa
- Abstract:
- Online systems often struggle to account for the complicated self-presentation and disclosure needs of those with complex identities or specialized anonymity. Using the lenses of gender, recovery, and performance, our proposed panel explores the tensions that emerge when the richness and complexity of individual personalities and subjectivities run up against design norms that imagine identity as simplistic or one-dimensional. These models of identity not only limit the ways individuals can express their own identities, but also establish norms for other users about what to expect, causing further issues when the inevitable dislocations do occur. We discuss the challenges in translating identity into these systems, and how this is further marred by technical requirements and normative logics that structure cultures and practices of databases, algorithms and computer programming.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
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- Resource Type:
- Other
- Creator:
- Draayer, Ingrid
- Abstract:
- This guide combines the knowledge gathered during my long career coordinating the Carleton University Library exhibits program and my recent sabbatical research on exhibits and events in academic libraries. Between 1983, when I was hired as Exhibits Librarian at Carleton University Library, and 2002, when the Library had little space available for exhibits and I became Head of Access Services, I was responsible for running the Library’s exhibits program. After the latest renovation to MacOdrum Library was completed in the Fall of 2013 and included dedicated space for exhibits, I was once again asked to coordinate and produce exhibits for the Library. During my 2014/2015 sabbatical I investigated the current state of exhibits and events in academic libraries through literature and Web searches and site visits to a number of universities. The end result is this guide, which I hope is both practical and inspirational.
- Date Created:
- 2015-09-10
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- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Yisa, Felix
- Abstract:
- My study attempted to find out if the old part of our brain (limbic system) had a significant role in influencing how we detect the valence of blurry words without conscious awareness of what the words are. 10 participants were shown blurry words that could not be read and were asked to guess valence, without a time limit. The hypotheses for this study was that participants would be accurate in detecting valence of blurred words and that participants would rate negative words the most accurately. I also predicted that participants would attempt to read words before rating valence and they would attempt to read the words only in the beginning. The stimuli were shown to the participants on printed-paper. There were 10 blurred words per page with accompanying 5-point Likert scales by each blurred word with a reference scale at the top of every page. My research data found that there was a significant statistical difference between people’s ability to detect the valence of blurred words compared to the normal ability (which is 100% accuracy). The comparison showed that the participants were significantly worse at detecting the valence of blurred words than unblurred words. There was no significant statistical difference between people’s ability to detect the valence of blurry neutral words compared to the valence of blurry nonsensical words. Participants were equally accurate at both of these word-types. Participant responses also showed that they were statistically better at detecting the valence of negative blurry words than positive blurry words. So they were better at detecting negative valence than those of other valences.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-06
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- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Daw, Jamie R., Mintzes, Barbara, Morgan, Steven G., Gagnon, Marc-André, Martin, Danielle, and Lexchin, Joel
- Date Created:
- 2015-07-15
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- Resource Type:
- Poster
- Creator:
- Hayward, Angela, Cross, Emma, and McGreal, Louise
- Abstract:
- Carleton University Library has an innovative staff development program to expand the skill set of e-book cataloguers to provide a comprehensive service to manage and expand access e-books. In 2009 Carleton University Library hired its first e-book cataloguer in response to the rapid growth of digital resources in the Library collection; a second position was added in 2011. These positions have successfully evolved to incorporate a wide variety of duties related to e-books in response to rapidly changing digital environment. Conference poster presented at the CLA annual conference, June 3 to 5, 2015 in Ottawa, Ontario.
- Date Created:
- 2015-06-03
-
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Labiche, Yvan, Torre, Damiano, and Genero, Marcela
- Abstract:
- Context: The Unified Modeling Language (UML), with its 14 different diagram types, is the de-facto standard modeling language for object-oriented modeling and documentation. Since the various UML diagrams describe different aspects of one, and only one, software under development, they are not independent but strongly depend on each ot her in many ways. In other words, diagrams must remain consistent. Dependencies between diagrams can become so intricate that it is sometimes even possible to synthesize one diagram on the basis of others. Support for synthesizing one UML diagram from other diagrams can provide the designer with significant help, thus speeding up the design process, decreasing the risk of errors, and guaranteeing consistency among the diagrams. Objective: The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive summary of UML synthesis techniques as they have been described in literature to date in order to obtain an extensive and detailed overview of the current research in this area. Method: We have performed a Systematic Mapping Study by following well-known guide-lines. We selected ten primary studies by means of a search with seven search engines per-formed on October 2, 2013. Results: Various results are worth mentioning. First it appears that researchers have not frequently published papers concerning UML synthesis techniques since 2004 (with the exception of two papers published in 2010). Only half of the UML diagram types are involved in the synthesis techniques we discovered. The UML diagram type most frequently used as the source for synthesizing another diagram is the sequence diagram (66.7%), and the most synthesized diagrams are the state machine diagram (58.3%) and the class diagram (25%). Conclusion: The fact that we did not obtain a large number of primary stud ies over a 14 year period (only ten papers) indicates that synthesizing a UML diagram from other UML diagrams is not a particularly active line of research. Research on UML diagram synthesis is nevertheless relevant since synthesis techniques rely on or en force diagram consistency , and studying UML diagram consistency is an active line of research. Another r esult is that research is need ed to investigate synthesis techniques for other types of UML diagrams than those involved in our primary studies.
- Date Created:
- 2015-08-01
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- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Mehrfard, Hossein and Labiche, Yvan
- Abstract:
- Reverse-engineering object interactions from source code can be done through static, dynamic, or hybrid (static plus dynamic) analyses. In the latter two, monitoring a program and collecting runtime information translates into some overhead during program execution. Depending on the type of application, the imposed overhead can reduce the precision and accuracy of the reverse-engineered object interactions (the larger the overhead the less precise or accurate the reverse-engineered interactions), to such an extent that the reverse-engineered interactions may not be correct, especially when reverse-engineering a multithreaded software system. One is therefore seeking an instrumentation strategy as less intrusive as possible. In our past work, we showed that a hybrid approach is one step towards such a solution, compared to a purely dynamic approach, and that there is room for improvements. In this paper, we uncover, in a systematic way, other aspects of the dynamic analysis that can be improved to further reduce runtime overhead, and study alternative solutions. Our experiments show effective overhead reduction thanks to a modified procedure to collect runtime information.
- Date Created:
- 2015-11-01
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The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: Collection Growth Reports & Informed Decision-Making
- Resource Type:
- Poster
- Creator:
- Newton Miller, Laura
- Abstract:
- Collection space is an issue within the library. The assessment librarian examined statistics from various resources that are typically collected in the library, but not normally looked at as a whole. These Collection Growth Reports will help library staff to make evidence-based purchasing and weeding decisions.
- Date Created:
- 2015-07-20
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- Resource Type:
- Conference Proceeding
- Creator:
- Bucking, Scott and Cotton, James S.
- Abstract:
- Net zero energy (NZE) communities are becoming pivotal to the energy vision of developers. Communities that produce as much energy as they consume provide many benefits, such as reducing life-cycle costs and better resilience to grid outages. If deployed using smart-grid technology, NZE communities can act as a grid node and aid in balancing electrical demand. However, identifying cost-effective pathways to NZE requires detailed energy and economic models. Information required to build such models is not typically available at the early master-planning stages, where the largest energy and economic saving opportunities exist. Methodologies that expedite and streamline energy and economic modeling could facilitate early decision making. This paper describes a reproducible methodology that aids modelers in identifying energy and economic savings opportunities in the early community design stages. As additional information becomes available, models can quickly be recreated and evaluated. The proposed methodology is applied to the first-phase design of a NZE community under development in Southwestern Ontario.
- Date Created:
- 2015-01-01
-
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Lim, Merlyna
- Abstract:
- The article scrutinizes the complex entanglement of cyberurban spaces in the making and development of contemporary social movement by analyzing its imaginaries, practices, and trajectories. This issue of New Geographies, “Geographies of Information” (edited by Taraneh Meskhani & Ali Fard), presents a new set of frameworks that refrain from generalizations to highlight the many facets of the socio-technical constructions, processes, and practices that form the spaces of information and communication. In addition to Lim, contributors of the issue include prominent thinkers and scholars in various related disciplines such as Rob Kitchin (critical data), Stephen Graham (urbanism) and Malcolm McCullough (architecture/urban computing).
- Date Created:
- 2015-10-20
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- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Creator:
- Kilberg, Joshua, Vidino, Lorenzo, Lefkowitz, Josh, and Kohlmann, Evan
- Abstract:
- Since the early 2000s the Internet has become particularly crucial for the global jihadist movement. Nowhere has the Internet been more important in the movement’s development than in the West. While dynamics differ from case to case, it is fair to state that almost all recent cases of radicalization in the West involve at least some digital footprint. Jihadists, whether structured groups or unaffiliated sympathizers, have long understood the importance of the Internet in general and social media, in particular. Zachary Chesser, one of the individuals studied in this report, fittingly describes social media as “simply the most dynamic and convenient form of media there is.” As the trend is likely to increase, understanding how individuals make the leap to actual militancy is critically important. This study is based on the analysis of the online activities of seven individuals. They share several key traits. All seven were born or raised in the United States. All seven were active in online and offline jihadist scene around the same time (mid‐ to late 2000s and early 2010s). All seven were either convicted for terrorism‐related offenses (or, in the case of two of the seven, were killed in terrorism‐related incidents.) The intended usefulness of this study is not in making the case for monitoring online social media for intelligence purpose—an effort for which authorities throughout the West need little encouragement. Rather, the report is meant to provide potentially useful pointers in the field of counter‐radicalization. Over the past ten years many Western countries have devised more or less extensive strategies aimed at preventing individuals from embracing radical ideas or de‐radicalizing (or favoring the disengagement) of committed militants. (Canada is also in the process of establishing its own counter‐radicalization strategy.)
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-01
-
- Resource Type:
- Research Paper
- Creator:
- Rowlands, Dane and Calleja, Rachael
- Abstract:
- The analysis of official development assistance has always struggled with the contradiction between its more altruistic motivations for global development and its easy adaptation as an instrument for the donor’s pursuit of self-interested foreign policy objectives. In the international system foreign aid may thus become a forum for both cooperative and competitive interactions between donors. This chapter explores the interdependence of aid by reviewing the literature on donor interdependence, with a particular focus on donor competition for influence in recipient states. We then present a simple theoretical framework to examine donor competition, and provide some preliminary empirical testing of resulting hypotheses. We conclude that while the evidence about competition is fixed, the behaviour of some donors is consistent with their pursuit of influence in certain recipient states.
- Date Created:
- 2015-03-01
-
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Mount, Phil and Knezevic, Irena
- Abstract:
- REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - Opportunity for on-site food production comes from public and political support for ‘local food’, combined with a shortage of land for new producers - GIS study of Ontario healthcare properties shows 217 with more than one acre of arable land available, and 54 with more than five acres - Case studies demonstrate the benefits of a ‘farmer’— independent, staff member or community group—and/or labour force dedicated to the project - Initial and on-going viability correlates to the extent of institutional support, particularly staff time for project coordination - Institutional motivations for on-site food production initiatives vary, include mental and physical therapeutic benefits See more at the Project SOIL website.
- Date Created:
- 2015-09-30
-
- Resource Type:
- Article
- Creator:
- Sarma, Nandini and Knoerr, Hélène
- Date Created:
- 2015-02-05
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- Resource Type:
- Poster
- Creator:
- Newton Miller, Laura
- Abstract:
- What contributions are considered sufficient to justify authorship credit? As universities show increasing interest in both interdisciplinary work & research metrics, the library is in a unique position to help researchers across disciplines navigate through this important area of scholarly communication.
- Date Created:
- 2015-04-10
-
- Resource Type:
- Report
- Creator:
- Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE)
- Abstract:
- In the winter of 2015, when the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project was in the preliminary stages of planning its transition to Phase II, the Community Food Security (CFS) Hub prepared a discussion paper to synthesize collective reflections from hub partners on their proposals for action priorities to be implemented over the next four years of the project (2015-2019). This discussion paper was developed based primarily on interviews conducted with approximately 30 individuals representing the broad array of community- and campus-based partners related to the CFS Hub and reflections from the CFS Hub Management Team. Following the release of this discussion paper, the CFS Hub gathered additional feedback from CFS Hub participants. at a CAFS meeting in May 2015, and via email for those unable to attend.
- Date Created:
- 2015-05-01
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Amos-Binks, Allen
- Abstract:
- This thesis presents a preliminary study to evaluate the ability of our sequence-based protein-protein interaction prediction tool (PIPE) to detect changes in the interactome caused by non-synonymous Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Sequence-based PPI prediction is not sensitive to SNP-induced interactome changes, however sequence-based PPI interaction site prediction can be used to extract information regarding interactome changes. PIPE on its own does not perform well on detecting the effects of SNPs. However, this lack of sensitivity is not limited to PIPE, but likely affects all sequence-based methods. Using the interaction site prediction feature of PIPE, PIPE-Sites, a number of interactions are identified for which there is reason to believe that they may, in fact, be affected by SNPs. To examine the effect of co-occuring SNPs, genotypes are extracted from the 1000 Genomes initiative. It appears that PIPE-Sites is able to identify subsets of interactions likely affected by particular genotypes.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Electrical and Computer
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Bashardoust Tajali, Maryam
- Abstract:
- This thesis grew from understanding the present common values of today’s contemporary society, where people are less unified and prefer their secluded private realm showing diminished interest in integrating with the public sphere. The significance of social values and the benefits of being and living with others are lost to many societies impacted by the consumer culture. The research focuses on the enduring patterns of social relations and the design aspects of the well-established cohousing model in order attain the desired sense of belonging in the proposed design. The thesis proposes co-housing+, a mixed-use community-oriented residential complex in Toronto, which is designed to promote a balanced private and public life for the inhabitants, creating an urban community.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Sandhu, Navjot S.
- Abstract:
- Three dimensional graphical user interfaces is a subject long studied, but due to its technical dependency on large amounts of processing power, it has not been possible to implement until recently. Due to these recent advances in computing technology there has been a recent research interest in the HCI realm focused on spatial interactive devices and complementary technologies. This paper introduces a technology system that was created after reviewing existing research and then used to create an application on top of the system framework that provides research data on 3D user interface applications.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Hopkins, John
- Abstract:
- Barbara Stanwyck’s performance as Phyllis Dietrichson is considered to be the quintessential femme fatale. Despite this, the consideration of her other femme fatale performances is minimal. Her contribution to the canon of the subversive figure can be located in her engagement with the domestic, specifically her disruption and transformation of domestic spaces through the utilization of her sexuality and sexualized image. This thesis will explore the ways her characters in the early 1940’s films BALL OF FIRE, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, and CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT are narratively and formally positioned as cinematic fatales in their representation and use domestic masquerade and gender performance in order to prove their narrative agency.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Film Studies
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Keogh, Andrew
- Abstract:
- The awkwardness of the suburban environs could be likened to a young teen: unsure, flippant, aggressive, and ill prepared, and for these we can forgive them. It takes time to refine character. How best to guide their development? The worry of course, is that the damage is done, and we've entered into the relationship too late to have any significant impact on the outcome. Or, have we caught it early enough, and we hope we have, that we could nurture and train it back into a healthy, productive and inspired place to be. This thesis will defend how to put an end at once to the nowhere of the suburban utopia, and a beginning to place, purpose and posterity.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Mooi, Jason
- Abstract:
- Within a hyper-culture, people suffer from mental fatigue caused by daily stress and strains. The airport is a prime example of a space that heightens anger, anxiety and stress unintentionally due to the unique nature of air travel. The environment of air travel exposes a series of potential adverse events within a brief and concentrated period of time that evokes negative emotions. The airport provides a unique situation where psychology, anatomy and architecture meet and overlap with the potential to resolve most of the situations leading to anxiety and instead create a space designed to be therapeutic rather than induce stress. The unplanned voids of waiting spaces have the potential to become spaces that will not only serve the purpose of waiting but also create a restorative environment rather than an uncomfortable void.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Naghikhani, Narsi
- Abstract:
- In the midst of all the political struggles in the Caspian region the only thing that is certain is that the resources will be exploited one day. All regional countries are hoping for a secure access to a largely untapped reservoir of oil. Rigs will be installed, pipelines will flow, and the oil will be sold. Yet as this process moves inevitably forward, it is also becoming clear that the petroleum economy and its associated operations will have a limited lifespan. Beyond that moment when the last barrel of oil leaves the seabed, the Caspian will remain. A wasteland of what once was a unique eco-system. This thesis proposes to develop a strategy for post-oil reactivation of the Caspian Sea (specifically in Iran) by reviving abandoned offshore platforms; a plan that identifies potential new resources and establishes activities that will form the basis for ongoing occupation of the sea.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Roma, Giovanna
- Abstract:
- Corruption is a central cause of economic, financial, and political risk and instability; depreciated social capital and trust; democratic deficit; and violence and terrorism. It is thus no surprise that as regionalization and the integration of global markets has intensified, the fight against corruption has become an important part of the global policy agenda. This thesis investigates Italy’s new Anti-Corruption Law (Legge n. 190/2012)—a law that was passed by Mario Monti’s technocratic government in 2012, as part of a series of structural reforms designed to stabilize the Italian economy. This thesis looks at the Anti-Corruption Law from a regional lens. By speaking to Italian academics, jurists, politically-engaged citizens, regional anti-corruption officials, and Transparency International Italia, this thesis evaluates the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Law in two regions and identifies factors that affect its implementation at the regional level.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Kumarasingam, Ajantha
- Abstract:
- Architecture and communities together create a ‘sense of place’. Communities transform over time due to the economic and social needs. Consequently, architecture should be transforming as well in order to respond to surrounding context, however it is not. Among many structures, schools are important to create a sense of community for neighborhoods. Schools today are under enormous pressure to maintain educational excellence meanwhile facing continuous budget cuts. Historic schools like any other form of architecture have layers of history, values and memories. The history behind a structure consists of forms of transformation based on alternation and recreation that continue the life of a building. This thesis seeks to explore the relationship between architecture and communities through adaptive reuse and participatory design in order to enrich the experience and meaning of the building.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Rockwood, Michael
- Abstract:
- As in other countries, Canada needs to be ready to care for an aging population. Innovation is needed to make health care more efficient and effective. One solution is to monitor health remotely using the Internet. Driving is a high-order function, and its loss can be catastrophic for an elderly person’s independence. Unfortunately, physicians do not have the tools they need to adequately determine their patients’ driving ability. This thesis details the design and implementation of a remote patient monitoring system that is capable of real-time monitoring, tests its performance, and utilizes it to observe aspects of driver behavior. Data were collected on sixteen acceleration/deceleration profiles using accelerometers, GPS, and dashboard velocity. The resulting acceleration waveforms were filtered with an adaptive filtering algorithm and compared. Differences between hard and soft acceleration profiles are clearly visible, and notable features of each may be characteristic of individual driver behavior.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Biomedical
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Williams, Robert
- Abstract:
- Aerodynamic and aeroacoustic prediction tools are developed for rigid rotor blades to provide insight into the aeroacoustics of vertical-axis wind turbine rotor blades. The aerodynamic component uses an unsteady inviscid panel method over the surface of the blades to predict the unsteady pressure distribution over the surface, with vortex particles shedding from the blades to represent their freely-convecting wake. The aeroacoustic component employs a non-penetrable version of Formulation 1C of the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation to predict the noise from surface-based acoustic sources called thickness and loading noise. The prediction tools are compared to accepted results for fundamental test cases and vertical-axis wind turbines before being used to investigate the aerodynamics and acoustic noise of vertical-axis wind turbine rotors. Investigations into the effects of the blade geometry, the geometric scale of the rotor, the number of rotor blades, and the tip-speed ratio of the rotor on the acoustic field are presented.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Aerospace
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Aqueel, Naureen
- Abstract:
- This thesis examines the role of Muslim media in providing unique discourses in the media landscape that differ from the mainstream media. Two print Muslim newspapers, The Muslim Link and Muslim Link, are used as a case study to explore how the journalism, goals and practices of the Muslim media differ from the mainstream media. A mixed method approach, comprising comparative content analysis, discourse and text analysis and interviews, is used in the study. The content of both Muslim newspapers is compared to the mainstream newspapers of their respective regions. Drawing from theoretical perspectives on alternative media, the findings show, in varying ways, that these Muslim newspapers are able to provide an alternative in terms of their coverage, representations and discourses. The newspapers are also able to foster social and political engagement in their communities and in many ways attempt to write the Muslim community’s own narrative about itself.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Journalism (M.J.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Journalism
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Stephens, Diana Lynne
- Abstract:
- 3-D has had a long and tempestuous relationship with mainstream cinema. From its early days as a parlour attraction to its use as a gimmick in the huge Hollywood blockbusters now being made, the cinematic standardization of 3-D has always been in question due to its cycle of success and failure. By examining what factors influenced the decline of other film gimmicks—notably economics, technology, and psychology—and examining how closely 3-D is being affected by those same pitfalls, it is determined that 3-D is seeing yet another downfall. The reason for the consistent renaissance of 3-D technology in particular is also considered, as the industry is doubtlessly using it as a stepping-stone for the development of cinema as a form of virtual reality.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Film Studies
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Breault, Vincent
- Abstract:
- Generation of narrative is a domain that is mostly exclusive to human authors. Most current narrative generators use planning to adapt or follow a human authored story or guideline. This work proposes an engine for Creation Of Novel Adventure Narrative (CONAN). It uses a procedural approach to story generation that uses series of quests to make a rich player – NPC (non-player character) interaction from which a structured narrative can emerge. The engine is tested on its ability to create quests, which are sets of actions that must be performed in order to achieve a certain goal, usually for a reward. Compared against human structural quest analysis, the current engine was found to be able to replicate the structure found in commercial video game quests.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Cognitive Science (M.Cog.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Cognitive Science
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Corbin, Darcy James
- Abstract:
- Species yields and combustion efficiency of lab-scale flares, turbulent non-premixed buoyant flames, were measured. A new facility was constructed allowing gas mixtures to be burned on 38.1 to 76.2 mm diameter flares at flow rates up to 410 standard litres per minute. A methodology was developed to quantify species yields and combustion efficiency within calculated uncertainties. Results showed combustion efficiencies greater than 97.8% in all cases, with up to 90% of the non-CO2 carbon emitted as soot. Soot yields were heavily dependent on flare gas chemistry, ranging from an average of 7.34∙10-5 kg-soot/kg-flare-gas for methane tests to 1.20∙10-2 kg-soot/kg-flare-gas for ethylene tests. NOX data suggest that average mass yield per energy content of the flare gas is 3.76∙10-2 kg-NOX/GJ and is independent of exit conditions and fuel chemistry for the range of fuels considered. Results are compared with published soot and NOX emission factors and potential scaling methods are discussed.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Mechanical
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Lamb, Megan
- Abstract:
- The current study examined the frequency and motivations for using social aggression and cyber-social aggression against a friend in the past school year. 429 students (females, n =227) completed a set of self-report measures. The majority of youth (86%) indicated using social aggression and half (51%) of students reported using cyber-social aggression against a friend in the past school year. Girls reported using more socially aggressive behaviours than boys, with no sex differences for cyber-social aggression. Factor analytic results indicated a five factor model for both the Motivations for Social Aggression Scale (Acceptance, Revenge, Amusement, Jealousy, Anonymity), and the Motivations for Cyber-social Aggression Scale (Jealousy, Revenge, Amusement, Social Image, Anonymity. Results have implications for the study of social and cyber-social aggression, and highlight the importance of addressing the motivations for using these behaviours when developing future interventions.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Dolihan, Hailey Anne
- Abstract:
- Cette thèse examine le contact culturel dans l’Autobiographie du Père Jésuite Pierre Joseph-Marie Chaumonot (1611-1693). Elle est divisée en trois parties. D’abord nous examinons les transformations culturelles de Chaumonot pendant sa jeunesse, sa nature nomade, et la façon dont le récit de sa vie est modelé sur le Bildungsroman et la vie de Jésus Christ. Ensuite, dans les deux chapitres qui suivent, nous analysons le contact entre ce Jésuite nomade et les Nations amérindiennes de Nouvelle-France, d’abord avec les Hurons, et ensuite avec les Iroquois et les Neutres afin de trouver des transferts culturels bidirectionnels ainsi qu’un rapprochement culturel.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- French and Francophone Studies
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Lyncaster, Juhli Yvurnn
- Abstract:
- Ritual murder in the Venda region of South Africa is both real and imagined; it is spoken about, ‘real’ cases are identified by officials and the lay public, and the act of ritual murder articulates wider tensions that persist within this region post-Apartheid. This thesis will show that people in Venda talk about ritualized murder in a way which speaks to wider socio-economic, gendered, class, ethnic-national and global conceptualizations and practices and how they saw themselves fitting in to these processes. Drawing on Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Margret Lock’s (1987) “three bodies” framework, in this thesis I will examine discourses and practices about ritual murder as a way to understand the interplay between the individual, social, and political spheres of organization.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Anthropology
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Menard, Lisa Marie
- Abstract:
- Although identity development is most active during late adolescence and emerging adulthood and post-secondary education is regarded as a normative experience for the majority of individuals in Westernized societies, there remains a lack of longitudinal research investigating identity development during the transition to university. In his formative writings, Erikson emphasized the need for researchers to account for the influence of social context and environment in the examination of identity development. The aim of this study was to explore the process of identity development within early emerging adulthood (18-24 years of age), during the transition to university using Eriksonian-measures. More specifically, this three-wave longitudinal study examined the influences of social capital (social belongingness and university fit), psychosocial maturity (ego strength development), coping strategy use, and perceived stress on identity development. The study included 771 first-year university students at large Canadian university, with 554 females and 217 males aged 18 to 24 (M = 18.35, SD = 1.47). Using the Identity Issues Inventory (I3, Côté and Roberts, 2005), identity formation was assessed from two broad perspectives, each with two developmental task domains: self-identity with Integration and Differentiation; and social identity with the domains of Work roles and Worldview. Multivariate multiple regressions, with interaction terms, were conducted to examine identity development, during the first year of university, after controlling for incoming levels of identity formation in each of the four task domains (Integration, Differentiation, Work roles, and Worldview). Research findings highlighted the importance of social belongingness, perceived fit, and psychosocial maturity, in particular, as capital resources that were supportive of identity development during the first year of university. In addition, participants’ perceived levels of stress were found to impede identity formation in both phases of the study (Time1-2, Time 2-3). Finally, the results highlighted some unexpected gender differences in the identity development of university students. Evidence from the present study would suggest that it is from within this complex social context that emerging adults must develop a distinct, cohesive, and adult sense of self. Keywords: identity development; social belongingness; ego strengths; psychosocial maturity; social capital; emerging adulthood; transition to university
- Thesis Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Psychology
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Kedare, Siddharth
- Abstract:
- CubeSats and nano-satellites provide flexible low-cost platforms for the academic and scientific communities to conduct cutting-edge research in the harsh environment of space. The mission life of nano-satellites is often limited by the attitude actuators, and it is therefore beneficial to reduce torque and angular momentum usage during reorientation maneuvers. In this capacity, a computationally lightweight torque-optimal guidance algorithm was formulated, solved using pseudospectral methods, and validated in a MATLAB-Simulink environment. A low-computation atmospheric density model, developed in support of this research, was extensively validated via performance assessment of passive CubeSat aerostabilization. Results indicate that this torque-optimal guidance algorithm demonstrates substantial improvements in performance and pointing accuracy over an Eigenaxis controller for similar maneuvers, with low to moderate computational overhead. In doing so, it presents a significant advancement towards the development of intelligent GN&C systems for small satellites.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Engineering, Aerospace
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Rocca, Vera
- Abstract:
- This paper presents evidence on the gender differentiated effects in the nucleus-estate outgrower arrangement from a case study of a sugarcane outgrower scheme in the community of Magobbo, Zambia. Specifically, the paper explores women’s participation in the scheme, access to employment, decision-making, control of household income, and access to natural resources. Women are disadvantaged in these areas overall, though there is a key generational difference. As well, both women and men enjoy increased economic stability and improvements in family diets. I find that the outcomes observed are influenced by: 1) the existing inequalities in access to land and discriminatory gender norms; 2) the institutional arrangements of the outgrower model; and 3) the gendered division of labour. These findings contribute a nuanced discussion of the gender differentiated effects of agricultural investments to the literature on women in contract farming and large-scale land acquisitions for agriculture.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- International Affairs
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Lu, Wenzhe
- Abstract:
- Graben–fissure systems can have radiating, linear or arcuate/circumferential geometry and are generally interpreted as the surface expressions of underlying dyke swarms on Venus. Coronae on Venus are large, circular surface features and form in response to magmatic loading of the crust over zones of partial melting at the tops of mantle plumes that impinge on the base of the thermal lithosphere. This project has mapped 32 different graben-fissure systems in the study area (10°-20° N, 30° -50° E) within the Mead Quadrangle: 24 of these systems are spatially associated with 4 different coronae (Didilia, Pavlova, Isong, and Ninmah), and in 8 cases are genetically linked. Eight remaining systems are not related to coronae. Five have foci associated with known magmatic centers (corona or volcano). Two others radiate from a cryptic magmatic center. Additional arcuate systems are interpreted to be circumferential about magmatic centers.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Earth Sciences
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Marquis, David
- Abstract:
- We give new results for the problem of deterministically and unconditionally factoring polynomials over finite fields. We give efficient algorithms for the factorization of some odd degree polynomials over finite fields. We remove the assumption of the Extended Riemann Hypothesis from a well known algorithm for factoring polynomials over finite fields in the case that the degree of the polynomial to be factored is coprime to phi(p-1) where p is the characteristic of the field and phi is the Euler totient function. We also give new results on the factorization of polynomials of bounded degree. Using new tools we give a concrete proof of a result from the literature that a polynomial of degree n over the finite field can be factored deterministically in a number of operations that is polynomial in n^l where l is the least prime factor of n and log(p).
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Mathematics
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Kelly, Peter Fredrick
- Abstract:
- Technology has always been a double edged sword. In the very near-future domestic drones will operate commercially, far beyond the current confines of military applications. This creates a radically new social and spatial condition. Our existing transportation infrastructures and our built environment will need to evolve in response to the wide spread integration of autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [UAV/Drones]. UAV's are a controversial technology that boldly embodies many of societies concerns; challenging our notions of privacy, security and surveillance in both private and public space. Drones can inflict unimaginable terror and oppression upon an entire population when weaponized. Conversely the same technology can produce incredible new efficiencies in both communications and distribution on a global scale. Drones have proven themselves incredibly useful for Architects in various ways, but how will the presence of UAV’s in our skies affect the ways we design and build in the near future?
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Architecture
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Sklenar, Simona Jane
- Abstract:
- We will be considering two dimensional queueing systems which can be equated to a random walk in the quarter plane. For simplification, we use a bivariate generating function $\pi(x,y)$ to represent the stationary distribution and we derive a functional equation that will incorporate the unknown bivariate generating function and two unknown univariate generating functions, $\pi_{1}(x)$ and $\pi_{2}(y)$, which represent the two boundary stationary distributions. Employing suitable conditions and adhering to certain values, we are able to reduce the functional equation to one which only contains both $\pi_{1}(x)$ and $\pi_{2}(y)$. Various techniques exist to compute $\pi_{1}(x)$ and $\pi_{2}(y)$, however, in order to successfully employ these methods, the original domains of analyticity for $\pi_{1}(x)$ and $\pi_{2}(y)$ need to be expanded. In this instance, analytical continuation is critical.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Mathematics
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Sakr, Rasha Ibrahim
- Abstract:
- A model of the smart grid system with two different energy sources - the main grid and the energy storage units - is considered. The arriving power demands can be activated by either type of energy sources, with differing rates and costs. Finding an optimal policy that minimizes the expected long-run operational cost of the system is the main interest of this work. The problem is considered in a so called heavy traffic regime, and is solved using fluid approximation techniques. The formal scaling limit of the problem leads to a simple deterministic optimization problem, whose solution is shown to be an achievable lower bound on the limiting cost of the stochastic problem. Three different scenarios are considered according to whether the batteries are disposable or rechargeable and whether the arrival rates are homogeneous or nonhomogeneous. The solution method provides a good alternative to numerical methods such as Markov Decision Processes.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Mathematics
- Date Created:
- 2015
-
- Resource Type:
- Thesis
- Creator:
- Sonley, Laura
- Abstract:
- In this thesis I investigate the effectiveness of promoting competition through a reduction in consumer switching costs in the mobile telecommunications market. I modify an analytical model by Shi et al. (2006) to determine whether a reduction in switching costs can stimulate competition in Canada’s wireless telecommunications market. More specifically, I use the example of eliminating fees for unlocking mobile phones. Given the results of the analytical model, I survey the empirical research of switching costs in mobile telecommunications and find evidence that supported the conclusions of our model. From this evidence I am able to make several policy suggestions for future consideration.
- Thesis Degree:
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Thesis Degree Discipline:
- Economics
- Date Created:
- 2015