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  • Hacking with Multi-touch for Java (MT4j)

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Noble, James, Marshall, Stuart, Anslow, Craig, and Biddle, Robert
    Abstract:
    Developing applications for touch devices is hard. Developing touch based applications for multi-user input is harder. The Multi-Touch for Java (MT4j) toolkit supports developing touch based applications for multiple users. In this paper, we outline our experience using MT4j for developing a number of software applications to support developers working in co-located teams. Our experience using the toolkit will help developers to understand the nuances of the toolkit and design issues that can be applied to other toolkits for developing multi-user touch based applications.
    Date Created:
    2016-10-21

  • Analysis of Piezoelectric Ice Protection Systems Combined with Ice-Phobic Coatings

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Pommier-Budinger, Valerie, Tepylo, Nicolas, Budinger, Marc, and Huang, Xiao
    Abstract:
    The aeronautics industry is looking for ice protection systems consuming less energy. Electromechanical and especially piezoelectric solutions are a promising area of research for reducing average consumptions. This article provides an analytical model of a simple structure to assess the power and voltage required to obtain the delamination of the accumulated layer of ice at the support/ice interface. This model also allows analyzing the impact of the resonance frequencies used for supplying piezoelectric actuators on the tensile stress into PZT materials. Finally, this article assesses the effect of different ice - phobic coatings combined with piezoelectric ice protection systems. Experimental measurements of ice adhesion for different ice - phobic coatings allow evaluating the shear stress at which ice is detached from the surface. These results are then used to estimate - thanks to the proposed analytical model - the additional gain of power that would be provided by the use of such coatings.
    Date Created:
    2016-06-10

  • Continuous approximate synthesis of planar function-generators minimising the design error

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Guigue, Alexis and Hayes, M. John
    Abstract:
    It has been observed in the literature that as the cardinality of the prescribed discrete input-output data set increases, the corresponding four-bar linkages that minimise the Euclidean norm of the design and structural errors tend to converge to the same linkage. The important implication is that minimising the Euclidean norm, or any p-norm, of the structural error, which leads to a nonlinear least-squares problem requiring iterative solutions, can be accomplished implicitly by minimising that of the design error, which leads to a linear least-squares problem that can be solved directly. Apropos, the goal of this paper is to take the first step towards proving that as the cardinality of the data set tends towards infinity the observation is indeed true. In this paper we will integrate the synthesis equations in the range between minimum and maximum input values, thereby reposing the discrete approximate synthesis problem as a continuous one. Moreover, we will prove that a lower bound of the Euclidean norm, and indeed of any p-norm, of the design error for planar RRRR function-generating linkages exists and is attained with continuous approximate synthesis.
    Date Created:
    2016-07-01

  • Full-scale Atlas motion platform: structure, actuation, and control

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Hayes, M.J.D., Jung, B., Langlois, Robert, and Copeland, Z.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Multinomial sequence based estimation using contiguous subsequences of length three

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Kim, Sang-Woon and Oommen, B. John
    Abstract:
    The Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian estimation paradigms work within the model that the data, from which the parameters are to be estimated, is treated as a set rather than as a sequence. The pioneering paper that dealt with the field of sequence-based estimation [2] involved utilizing both the information in the observations and in their sequence of appearance. The results of [2] introduced the concepts of Sequence Based Estimation (SBE) for the Binomial distribution, where the authors derived the corresponding MLE results when the samples are taken two-at-a-time, and then extended these for the cases when they are processed three-at-a-time, four-at-a-time etc. These results were generalized for the multinomial “two-at-a-time” scenario in [3]. This paper (This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Mohamed Kamel, who was a close friend of the first author.) now further generalizes the results found in [3] for the multinomial case and for subsequences of length 3. The strategy used in [3] (and also here) involves a novel phenomenon called “Occlusion” that has not been reported in the field of estimation. The phenomenon can be described as follows: By occluding (hiding or concealing) certain observations, we map the estimation problem onto a lower-dimensional space, i.e., onto a binomial space. Once these occluded SBEs have been computed, the overall Multinomial SBE (MSBE) can be obtained by combining these lower-dimensional estimates. In each case, we formally prove and experimentally demonstrate the convergence of the corresponding estimates.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • On the foundations of multinomial Sequence based estimation

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Oommen, B. John and Kim, Sang-Woon
    Abstract:
    This paper deals with the relatively new field of sequencebased estimation which involves utilizing both the information in the observations and in their sequence of appearance. Our intention is to obtain Maximum Likelihood estimates by “extracting” the information contained in the observations when perceived as a sequence rather than as a set. The results of [15] introduced the concepts of Sequence Based Estimation (SBE) for the Binomial distribution. This current paper generalizes these results for the multinomial “two-at-a-time” scenario. We invoke a novel phenomenon called “Occlusion” that can be described as follows: By “concealing” certain observations, we map the estimation problem onto a lower-dimensional binomial space. Once these occluded SBEs have been computed, we demonstrate how the overall Multinomial SBE (MSBE) can be obtained by mapping several lower-dimensional estimates onto the original higher-dimensional space. We formally prove and experimentally demonstrate the convergence of the corresponding estimates.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • On the online classification of data streams using weak estimators

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Tavasoli, Hanane, Oommen, B. John, and Yazidi, Anis
    Abstract:
    In this paper, we propose a novel online classifier for complex data streams which are generated from non-stationary stochastic properties. Instead of using a single training model and counters to keep important data statistics, the introduced online classifier scheme provides a real-time self-adjusting learning model. The learning model utilizes the multiplication-based update algorithm of the Stochastic Learning Weak Estimator (SLWE) at each time instant as a new labeled instance arrives. In this way, the data statistics are updated every time a new element is inserted, without requiring that we have to rebuild its model when changes occur in the data distributions. Finally, and most importantly, the model operates with the understanding that the correct classes of previously-classified patterns become available at a later juncture subsequent to some time instances, thus requiring us to update the training set and the training model. The results obtained from rigorous empirical analysis on multinomial distributions, is remarkable. Indeed, it demonstrates the applicability of our method on synthetic datasets, and proves the advantages of the introduced scheme.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Challenging established move ordering strategies with adaptive data structures

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Oommen, B. John and Polk, Spencer
    Abstract:
    The field of game playing is a particularly well-studied area within the context of AI, leading to the development of powerful techniques, such as the alpha-beta search, capable of achieving competitive game play against an intelligent opponent. It is well known that tree pruning strategies, such as alpha-beta, benefit strongly from proper move ordering, that is, searching the best element first. Inspired by the formerly unrelated field of Adaptive Data Structures (ADSs), we have previously introduced the History-ADS technique, which employs an adaptive list to achieve effective and dynamic move ordering, in a domain independent fashion, and found that it performs well in a wide range of cases. However, previous work did not compare the performance of the History-ADS heuristic to any established move ordering strategy. In an attempt to address this problem, we present here a comparison to two well-known, acclaimed strategies, which operate on a similar philosophy to the History-ADS, the History Heuristic, and the Killer Moves technique. We find that, in a wide range of two-player and multi-player games, at various points in the game’s progression, the History-ADS performs at least as well as these strategies, and, in fact, outperforms them in the majority of cases.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Comparing GUI Functional System Testing with Functional System Logic Testing - An Experiment

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Labiche, Yvan and Alkhalid, A.
    Abstract:
    The practitioner interested in reducing software verification effort may found herself lost in the many alternative definitions of Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing that exist and their relation to the notion of system testing. One result of these many definitions is that one may end up testi ng twice the same parts of the Software Under Test (SUT), specifically the application logic code. To clarify two important testing activities for the avoidance of duplicate testing effort, this paper studies possible differences between GUI testing and system testing experimentally. Specifically, we selected a SUT equipped with system tests that directly exercise the application code; We used GUITAR, a well-known GUI testing software to GUI test this SUT. Experimental results show important differences between system testing and GUI testing in terms of structural coverage and test cost.
    Date Created:
    2016-09-08

  • A systematic identification of consistency rules for UML diagrams

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Torre, Damiano, Elaasar, Maged, Genero, Marcela, and Labiche, Yvan
    Abstract:
    UML diagrams describe different views of one piece of software. These diagrams strongly depend on each other and must therefore be consistent with one another, since inconsistencies between diagrams may be a source of faults during software development activities that rely on these diagrams. It is therefore paramount that consistency rules be defined and that inconsistencies be detected, analyzed and fixed. The relevant literature shows that authors typically define their own UML consistency rules, sometimes defining the same rules and sometimes defining rules that are already in the UML standard. The reason might be that no consolidated set of rules that are deemed relevant by authors can be found to date. The aim of our research is to provide a consolidated set of UML consistency rules and obtain a detailed overview of the current research in this area. We therefore followed a systematic procedure in order to collect and analyze UML consistency rules. We then consolidated a set of 116 UML consistency rules (avoiding redundant definitions or definitions already in the UML standard) that can be used as an important reference for UML-based software development activities, for teaching UML-based software development, and for further research.
    Date Created:
    2016-07-01

  • The benefits of an Enrichment Mini Course for millennials in the library’s Discovery Centre

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Tudin, Susan
    Abstract:
    Every year, for over three decades, Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario has participated with other local educational institutions in providing a week-long instruction program that introduces young students to higher education. Highly motivated participants in grades 8 – 11 and numbering over 3,000 attend from several school boards in both eastern Ontario and western Quebec. The Enriched Mini Course Program has become an important recruitment tool for each institution, and at Carleton University, over 50 enriched mini courses are offered including one recent addition by the MacOdrum library staff. In this article, the author recounts how leading an enriched mini course for millennials in the university library's new Discovery Centre is an innovative initiative that demonstrates the significance of the academic library in the local community, and how staff collaboration helps to develop team building and positive vibes with the millennials.
    Date Created:
    2016-07-01

  • Documents on Canadian external relations: the Arctic, 1874-1949

    Resource Type:
    Book
    Creator:
    Kropf, Joel and Cavell, Janice
    Abstract:
    “The first volume of Documents on Canadian External Relations was published in 1967, as Canada celebrated its first century of nationhood. Since then, volumes in this series have dealt with various periods in the history of Canadian foreign policy, from the Laurier era up to the Pearson years in government. The series currently includes 29 regular volumes and has reprinted over 20,000 documents, totalling almost 40,000 pages of text, making it the largest historical documentary project in Canada. The subject of this special volume, the Arctic, has an ever-growing importance for Canada as we approach our federation's 150th anniversary. This volume illuminates how and why Canada asserted its sovereignty over the Far North between 1874 and 1949, and it demonstrates how much Canadians today owe to the nation builders of the past”--Preface, p. [vi].
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Risk taking personality traits on affect processing during modified versions of the Iowa Gambling Task. Technical Report 2016-02

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Humeny, Courtney
    Abstract:
    The Iowa Gamb ling Task (IGT) is widely used to assess the role of emotion in decision making. However, there is only indirect evidence to support that the task measures emotion. There are inconsistencies in performance within in healthy populations who display risk tak ing traits. Two hundred and fifty participants were assessed for psychopathy, sensation seeking, and impulsiveness. The IGT was compared with modified versions that directly manipulated emotion within in the task by indexing reward and punishment cards wit h images varying in emotional content. Participants continued to learn to avoid risky decks in all versions of the IGT. The manipulation of emotional content within the task did affect performance: fearful images contributed to greater risky deck selection s. Across the tasks, psychopathy showed the strongest relationship to risky deck selections, and lower levels of psychopathy was associated decreased risky deck selections. However, psychopathy did not affect learning in the modified versions. Exploratory analysis on image valance found that negative images (compared to neutral) benefited learning for individuals with higher levels of psychopathy. Discussion will center on the benefits of manipulating emotion directly within the task as a means to assess th e validity of the IGT.
    Date Created:
    2016-02-02

  • A Critical Review of the False Dichotomy Surrounding the Iowa Gambling Task. Technical Report 2016-01

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Humeny, Courtney
    Abstract:
    The debate surrounding how emotion and c ognition are organized in the brain often lead s to Damasio’s Somatic Marker Hypothesis. This theory endorses a highly interactive process between emotion and cognition, but has been criticized for being too broad to capture the specific links between the t wo. It also implies that emotion operates from a neural architecture that is dissociable from cognition. Although empirical findings from the Iowa Gambling Task lend support for the theory, this can promote a false dichotomy between emotion and cognition. Issues will be raised regarding the view that the theory and the task are ill - formulated to account for the phases of decision making. Further theoretical work may be required to align the task with Damasio’s view of emotion as integrated with cognition.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-05

  • Dataverse - A Data Sharing Platform

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Duimovich, George
    Abstract:
    Presentation to Data Science Seminar at Carleton University, Institute for Data Science, May 11, 2016.
    Date Created:
    2016-05-11

  • Threshold Concepts for Teaching Information Literacy in the Classroom

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Tudin, Susan
    Abstract:
    Poster presented at the Teaching & Learning Symposium, Carleton University, May 11, 2016
    Date Created:
    2016-05-11

  • Scottie Wilson's Canadian Legacy

    Resource Type:
    Article
    Creator:
    Miller, James D. and Johnston-Miller, Mary Margaret
    Date Created:
    2016-04-12

  • Women’s Leadership Matters: The Impact Of Women’s Leadership In The Canadian Federal Public Service

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Morris, Marika
    Description:
    The study was initiated as Canada’s contribution to the Wilson’s Centre Global Women’s Leadership Initiative Women in Public Service Project initiated by Hilary Clinton when she was Secretary of State. In partnership with the Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership, Gender Equality Measurement Initiative, and Centre for Research on Women and Work at Carleton University and the Public Service Commission of Canada.
    Abstract:
    This study was undertaken to determine whether women in leadership positions in the Canadian federal Public Service (PS) have had an impact on policy, programs, operations, administration or workplace conditions, what that impact might be, and how to measure it. Drawing from qualitative interviews with current and retired Executives and Deputy Ministers in the Canadian federal public service, it provides recommendations and considerations around gender and impact moving forward.
    Date Created:
    2016-06-22

  • Enhancing the Discovery of Digital Collections: A Linked Data Approach to Supporting Digital Content in Libraries.

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Browning, Jennifer
    Abstract:
    The use of open linked data in libraries is quickly developing as means of connecting digital content from the web to local library collections. In the world of cataloguing, metadata, and authority control, using controlled vocabularies through open linked data presents the possibility of providing library patrons with access to a seemingly unlimited expanse of digital resources. Encouraged by this potential, the Carleton University Library is currently implementing open linked data models within its institutional repository in order to connect users to digital content within our repository, our ILS, and beyond. This poster presents the ideas and processes behind this innovative project, and hopes to inspire other libraries to implement open linked data concepts in order to enhance the discoverability of their own digital collections. Learning Outcomes: • Clear explanation of open linked data concepts using diagrams to illustrate key points • How libraries of all sizes can utilize linked data for authority control to expand access to digital collections • How libraries can use linked data to promote and expand access to OA publications
    Date Created:
    2016-01-28

  • Optimization under economic uncertainty using a net zero energy commercial office case study

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Bucking, Scott
    Abstract:
    Energy modeling and optimization studies can facilitate the design of cost-effective, low-energy buildings. However, this process inevitably involves uncertainties such as predicting occupant behavior, future climate, and econometric parameters. As presently practiced, energy modelers typically do not quantify the implications of these unknowns into performance outcomes. This paper describes an energy modeling approach to quantify economic risk and better inform decision makers of the economic feasibility of a project. The proposed methodology suggests how economic uncertainty can be quantified within an optimization framework. This approach improves modeling outcomes by factoring in the effect of variability in assumptions and improves confidence in simulation results. The methodology is demonstrated using a net zero energy commercial office building case study located in London, ON, Canada.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Carleton University emerging technology lending library

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Cross, Emma, Schramm, Cheryl, Skerlak, Steve, and Tucci, Ryan
    Date Created:
    2016-05-10

  • Building the Future: Minecraft and LeBreton Flats at Carleton University MacOdrum Library

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Tucci, Ryan
    Abstract:
    Libraries are quickly becoming spaces for more than just books and journals. At Carleton University MacOdrum Library, we used Minecraft to introduce elementary and high school students to the power of gaming as a tool to foster education, research and collaboration. In May 2015, we encouraged students to take part in a project that engaged them with a local project called the LeBreton Flats Redevelopment Project. The redevelopment project led by the National Capital Commission (NCC), shortlisted four developers and published their proposals for the community to see. Using the criteria presented by the four pre-qualified proponents, the students were asked to research and propose their own ideas for the space. Using a scale version of the space in Minecraft, the students built their proposed plan for the space in a 1:1 scale replica of LeBreton Flats.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-29

  • “Nothing changes if nothing changes”: Three User-Centered Collection Development Practices at Carleton University Library

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Neely, Colleen, Rumig, Joanne, Taylor, Christine, and Sharp, David
    Abstract:
    Since 2014, Carleton University Library has been adding to the ways it practices collection development. In addition to the subject liaison firm order model, we have added 3 successful user-centred ways to acquire material. We ended our approval plan and used its selection framework to create a DDA plan. We started a textbook purchasing program in Reserves, and we instituted print purchase on demand procedures in ILL. This poster provides an overview and key takeaways for each initiative.
    Date Created:
    2016-11-03

  • A History of Aboriginal Programming at Carleton University

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Lawless, Jo-Anne M.
    Description:
    Commissioned by: The School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, Carleton University. Prepared by: Jo-Anne M. Lawless, PhD Student, School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, Under the supervision of: Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller, Associate Professor
    Abstract:
    This history begins with an examination of Carleton's first acknowledgements of Indigenous peoples in their media offerings and course calendars, and follows the trajectory of academic and administrative initiatives in regard to Aboriginal programming, from the early 1940s to the present. While the report traces the ongoing efforts toward Indigenous inclusion at Carleton University, it is also a reflection of the contemporaneous social changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
    Date Created:
    2016-04-30

  • Community Environmental Sustainability (Ottawa) Hub Evaluation Synthesis Report

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Goemans, Magda and Ballamingie, Patricia
    Date Created:
    2016-08-29

  • Toward Decolonizing Community Campus Partnerships

    Resource Type:
    Research Paper
    Creator:
    Levkoe, Charles and Kepkiewicz, Lauren
    Date Created:
    2016-03-01

  • Closing the Loop: Community Engaged Pedagogy in Business Courses

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    McShane, Lindsay and Neilson, Leighann
    Abstract:
    Closing the Loop: Community Engaged Pedagogy in Business Courses is a CACSL and Carleton Raven’s Den-funded CFICE evaluation project that looks at the impact on Sprott School of Business’s community partners of adopting a community service learning approach to pedagogy. Over a number of years and across a variety of courses, Sprott has implemented projects ranging in duration and topic in order to facilitate a ‘practice’ perspective for the students in Sprott’s Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of International Business programs. Sprott has received lots of feedback from students, in the form of anecdotal accounts and more structured feedback exercises, and some feedback from community partners, but mostly the latter was limited to student performance during the actual project and anticipated benefits should the organization adopt the recommendations made by the student teams. Sprott therefore undertook this study to determine the impact their CSL projects made on community partners over a longer term. This project is still ongoing, with evaluations scheduled for the Fall/Winter term from 2016 – 2017.
    Date Created:
    2016-04-21

  • CFICE Midterm Review Report

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Andrée, Peter
    Abstract:
    Wondering what the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project has been up to for the past four years? Well you’re in luck. We just completed and submitted our SSHRC Midterm report on February 29, 2016 and it’s chock full of details about CFICE’s activities and learnings from Phase I!
    Date Created:
    2016-02-29

  • Webinar Best Practices

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Bedford, Nicole
    Date Created:
    2016-11-03

  • Responsibilities and Relationships: Decolonizing the BC Food Systems Network

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Morrison, Dawn and Brynne, Abra
    Date Created:
    2016-12-01

  • Climate Change and the Residential Development Industry in Ottawa, Canada.

    Resource Type:
    Report
    Creator:
    Ballamingie, Patricia and Martin, Gary
    Abstract:
    This paper is intended to inform discussions between industry and government policymakers in and beyond Ottawa, Canada about climate change and potential impacts on residential development regulations and corresponding industry practices. Ultimately, both private and public stakeholders must acknowledge the impacts of urban form on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and, conversely, the impacts of climate change on cities, for any meaningful progress on urban sustainability to ensue. Section 1 introduces the basic relationships between urban development and climate change. Urban form is directly tied to energy consumption and GHG emissions, mainly through building and transportation energy consumption. Section 2 summarizes regional changes from climate change projected by various research organizations. Projected weather changes include more severe heat waves, rain and freezing rain in the future, with flooding identified repeatedly as the main concern for the Ottawa region. Section 3 reflects on the potential impacts of more severe weather on buildings and on the building industry. Impacts may include risks to structures and workers, as well as shifting regulations and insurance liabilities. Section 4 provides an overview of changes to government environmental policies that may signal future regulatory change. And finally, Sections 5 and 6 pose questions of interest for future regulators and builders.
    Date Created:
    2016-09-26

  • Internationalization Strategies for the Global Knowledge Society

    Resource Type:
    Conference Proceeding
    Creator:
    Szyszlo, Peter
    Abstract:
    The purpose of this article is to improve understanding of internationalization as a strategic response to the catalysts of globalization and the knowledge society. The paper will attempt to critically identify and interpret how the aforementioned elements are being recontextualized and translated into responsive internationalization policies and systemic institutional change. The article takes a critical analysis approach on current internationalization efforts and provides a conceptual framework for developing a performance indicator set through a combination of institutional change theory (North 1990) and the Delta cycle for internationalization (Rumbley 2010). Recommendations on future research areas are made at the conclusion of the article.
    Date Created:
    2016-01-01

  • Assessing the Fire Integrity Performance of Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Panel-to-Panel Joints

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Dagenais, Christian
    Abstract:
    During the past few years, a relatively new technology has emerged in North America and changed the way professionals design and build wood structures: Cross-laminated Timber (CLT). CLT panels are manufactured in width ranging from 600 mm to 3 m. As such, fastening them together along their major strength axis is required in order to form a singular structural assembly resisting to in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Typical panel-to-panel joint details of CLT assemblies may consist of internal spline(s), single or double surface splines or half-lapped joints. These tightly fitted joint profiles should provide sufficient fire-resistance, but have yet to be properly evaluated for fire-resistance in CLT assemblies. The experimental portion of the study consisted at conducting ten (10) intermediate-scale fire-resistance tests of four (4) types of CLT panel-to-panel joint and three (3) CLT thicknesses. The data generated from the intermediate-scale fire tests were used to validate a finite element heat transfer model, a coupled thermal-structural model and a simplified analytical model. The simplified analytical model presented in this thesis is an easy-to-use design procedure for evaluating the fire integrity resistance of four commonly-used CLT panel-to-panel joint details and could potentially be implemented into building codes and design standards. Based on the test data and models developed in this study, joint coefficient values were derived for the four (4) types of CLT panel-to-panel joint details. Joint coefficients are required when assessing the fire integrity of joints using simple analytical models, such as Eurocode 5: Part 1-2. The contribution of this study is to increase the knowledge of CLT exposed to fire and to facilitate its use in Canada and US by complementing current fire-resistance design methodologies of CLT assemblies, namely with respect to the fire integrity criterion. Being used as floor and wall assemblies, designers should be capable to accurately verify both the load-bearing and separating functions of CLT assemblies in accordance with fire-related provisions of the building codes, which is now feasible based on the findings of this study.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Civil
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Use of 3D Viseme Transition Units for Improved Speech Animation

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Leflar, Meagan Virginia
    Abstract:
    A realistic speech synthesis tool could be used in dynamic therapeutic applications as well as revolutionize the animation pipeline in the entertainment industry. In this thesis, we propose a data-driven speech synthesis method that uses Viseme Transition Units (3D animation data describing the transition between mouth shapes) in the stead of the static visemes used in classic data-driven speech synthesis methods. To test this method, viseme transitions were recorded using optical flow and blob tracking algorithms, analyzed, and imported into Autodesk Maya to dynamically animate a custom mouth rig based on user input.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Human-Computer Interaction
    Date Created:
    2016

  • District Space: A Nineteenth-Century Technique of Rule

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Henry, Aaron
    Abstract:
    This dissertation traces the rise of the district as a system of administration across two historical periods: the deployment of districts by the Hudson’s Bay Company (1815-1840), and the spread of districts throughout England following the implementation of the New Poor Laws (1790-1860). By studying these episodes the project interrogates how what was initially a technique to rationalize the costs of administration became a system of documentation that supported the centralization of knowledge and the rule of population. I develop three theses on the effects of ruling through districts. First, I argue that administering through districts reworked 18th-century practices of Linnaean observation into 19th-century practices of inspection. Second, I argue that districts were used in both the HBC and in England to police the mobility of undesirable populations. Districts were used to document and control the mobility of unproductive labour and, thereby, solidified capitalist social relations. Last, I argue that as a system of spatial partition and documentation, the district formed the connective tissue that joined bureaucratic rule, the census of population, and biopower. I argue that ruling through districts supported the census of population through the creation of an administrative order where the surveillance of human beings was imagined to be continuous and equalized across time and space. The documentation of people, land, and things at the scale of the district made population visible as an object conditioned by the climate, means of subsistence, and topography of each district. As such, ruling through districts stabilized population as a biopolitical object of rule.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Sociology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Square Beam Antenna Using A Microstrip Patch Array for Stadium Applications

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Willis, Erik
    Abstract:
    In a stadium installation of Wi-Fi, ideally a single access point could be used to illuminate a section with little interference from adjacent sections. This can be done with the use of a square beam. This thesis explores the creation of a square beam. The size of the array was reduced by removing low power elements. The sparse array allowed space for a sub-array to be placed in order to reactively cancel out sidelobes. A feed network was designed to provide the correct power and phases to the elements without the use of amplifiers or phase shifters. A number of power dividers were also a focus of this design. A return loss reduction method facilitates determining additional lengths of microstrip line without the need to simulate the full array. While the results of this prototype did not meet all specification, it does however, provide a framework to further explore.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Reconfiguration of Eighteenth-Century Scottish Historiography: Dialogues Between the Present and the Past

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Martini, Ronald John
    Abstract:
    Changes occurred to the writing of History in eighteenth-century Scotland. Dissatisfied with traditional historical priorities Scottish historians changed the focus of their writing to reflect what was more relevant to contemporary sensibilities, giving new importance to the social aspects of daily life, the inward life of the sentiments, and the history of manners. This refocusing of historical emphasis was a response to a vibrant commercial society, to the era's social interests, to the period's predilection for delicate sensibilities and refined feelings, and to a burgeoning middle class. One of these new genres of historical writing was called conjectural history. This study discusses conjectural history, it asks a methodological question, and it looks at several different examples of the historical genres being written at this time.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    History
    Date Created:
    2016

  • An Experimental and Numerical Study of Three-Dimensional Fatigue Damage in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    ElAgamy, Naglaa Mostafa Hassan
    Abstract:
    A phenomenological experimental study was presented for understanding the effect of cyclic loading, generally experienced by typical modern aircraft structures during flight, on the propagation of micro-mesoscopic damage in carbon fibre reinforced composite laminates. Testing was carried out by employing ultra-high resolution SkyScan 1173 XR-micro computed tomography to identify and assess damage progression during fatigue testing. It provided qualitative as well as quantitative assessments of the damage in the composites which supported the analytical investigations. An in-house solution was developed for statistically analyzing the occurrence, frequency and geometry of cracks throughout the fatigue life. This methodology was used to process the data from scan for the purposes of visualizing damage initiation and propagation. Hence, quantitative analysis could be performed. Analysis resulted in the definition of fatigue crack growth rates, da/dn for each of the 3 orthogonal planes, which was interpreted in terms of the 3 damage modes; opening, in-plane shear and out-of-plane shear. By applying linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) laws, strain energy release rates were calculated, while differentiating between modes II and III in a novel manner. For verifying the parameters obtained, definite cracks were traced and analyzed. Finally, a methodology was implemented to import the damage model into a finite element analysis (FEA) tool to be used for crack growth analysis, and simulations were compared to experimental findings.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Mechanical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Fighters for New Life: Doctors, Medicine, and Modernity in Soviet Central Asia, 1925-1953

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Eby, Marek
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines Soviet medicine in Central Asia from the mid-1920s until Stalin's death in 1953, using this subject to explore the tensions and contradictions of Soviet socialism in the region. Previous studies have demonstrated how Soviet rule in Central Asia could appear simultaneously as a form of empire, reifying differences between ruler and ruled, and as a universalizing project of modern statehood, aimed at transforming diverse peoples into a homogeneous citizenry. Yet scholars have rarely explored why and how these contradictory tendencies could coexist within the Soviet project. Through the lens of medical discourse, this thesis examines the nexus of colonizing and modernizing impulses within Soviet power, arguing that these tendencies proved interrelated and even mutually supporting within the Soviet imagination of Central Asia. Considering medicine as an important element of socialist construction, it explores the seemingly colonial structure of the universalizing, anticolonial project of Soviet modernity.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    European, Russian and Eurasian Studies
    Date Created:
    2016

  • SMAD Transcription Factor Expression in Anoxia-Tolerant Trachemys Scripta Elegans and Dehydration-Tolerant Xenopus Laevis: A Comparative Study

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Girgrah, Ryan Abdul-Rahman
    Abstract:
    The TGF-β signaling pathway with its associated transcription factors (SMADs) was studied in the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans; liver, heart, white skeletal muscle, red skeletal muscle, and kidney) as a model for anoxia tolerance and the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis; liver and muscle) as a model for dehydration resistance. In addition, protein expression levels of precursor cytokines were measured, as well as known genes and proteins downstream of the SMAD signaling pathway, such as c-Myc, and AP-1 proteins. The data showed that selective control of different SMAD isoforms occurred in response to environmental stress, the mechanism being reversible protein phosphorylation. Cellular responses and signaling profiles were observed to be highly tissue-specific and stress-specific. SMADs were shown to play a role in the hypometabolic response of both animal models through the regulation of cell cycle arrest, angiogenic processes, and oxidative injury management strategies.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Chemistry
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Translating the Narrative: an Approach to the Conceptual Design of a Contemporary Orthodox Christian Church

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Burchevska, Anastasia
    Abstract:
    The conceptual design approach is meant to address the challenges faced by an architect when it comes to creating a contemporary Orthodox Christian church. The design would have to adapt to various urban, architectural and social conditions that significantly differ from those of the previous eras. This design approach establishes a framework that allows the integration of the various design aspects of such a complex architectural object as the Orthodox Christian church at the conceptual design stage. This thesis focuses on the creation of the architectural narrative or the information layer integrated in the building design as a method of communicating a theological concept in terms applicable to the current cultural and temporal context.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Immanuel Kant's Response to David Hume's Regarding Cause and Effect

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Highstead, Thomas Steven
    Abstract:
    When David Hume could not experience the impression of a necessary connection in the constant conjunction of two events, he reasoned that the necessity inherent in such a relation was the result of a feeling or desire; a determination of the mind to connect one event to another. Immanuel Kant, on the other hand, argued that the idea of cause was an innate structure of thought that provided the objective validity to a causal relationship. I argue that Kant’s combination of sensible intuition and the faculty of thought provides a more comprehensive and objective explanation of how we understand the necessary connection between a cause and its effect.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Philosophy
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Analysis and Design of a Rotary Travelling-Wave Oscillator for Integration in a Microwave Phased-Array Transmitter

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Taghizadeh Ansari, Kimia
    Abstract:
    The design methodology and phase noise analysis of a multiphase bipolar Ku-band Rotary Travelling-Wave Oscillator (RTWO) is presented. Lack of symmetry in an RTWO can result in oscillation in an unwanted mode rather than travelling-wave mode. In order to determine the oscillation mode and also measure the phase shift, we have proposed a frequency domain phase shift measurement technique, intended for an 18 GHz RTWO, which is presented. Using a 0.25 μm BiCMOS process from NXP Semiconductors, the fabricated RTW-VCO gives access to eight different phases in steps of 45 degrees and achieves a tuning range of 1.2 GHz centred at 17.5 GHz. A beam-forming technique that utilizes the RTWO for LO phase shifting is also presented. In order to configure a two-element-array transmitter to show the functionality of an RTWO for beam-forming, we have designed and characterized a high frequency distribution network, a switching bank, a power amplifier (PA) and also a patch antenna. All of these components, except the antennas, have been integrated on a single, 19 mm2, silicon die along with the RTWO. The measurement of the full system is performed with the aid of two off-chip antennas fabricated on a high frequency printed circuit board. The combined system is fully functional and the measurement results are provided. This research demonstrates the relevance of the RTWO for integration in phased-array transmitter systems.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Motion Control of a Robotic Arm of a Humanoid Robot with Perspective Difference

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Killby, Colin
    Abstract:
    This study examines the feasibility of a motion and haptic integrated system for the purpose of controlling a humanoid robotic arm. An Oculus head-mounted display was integrated to determine if there was an observable difference between third-person and first-person perspective control. We examine different methods of robotic control in humanoid robots and the precedence of head-mounted displays and motion control in current literature, as well as look at vibration as haptic feedback to relay the limitations of the robot. An experiment was completed with the prototype system in which 30 participants were able to complete the given tasks without fail. A learning period was observed when comparing completion times of the first task attempted to subsequent tasks. The majority of participants found the method of control to be intuitive, the inclusion of first-person perspective to be beneficial, and the vibration feedback to be either inconsequential or confusing rather than helpful.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Human-Computer Interaction
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Gas Turbine Engine Performance Estimation and Prediction

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Hanachi, Houman
    Abstract:
    Modern health management approaches for gas turbine engines (GTE) aim to acquire precise information about the health state of the GTE components to optimize the maintenance decisions with respect to both the economy and safety. The task becomes more challenging for the GTE parts inaccessible to direct measurements with the available sensors of the GTE control system. This article-based thesis integrates a set of five coherent research work to address this problem. A detailed nonlinear thermodynamic model for single shaft GTEs is developed to predict the expected cycle parameters for the GTE in the healthy condition. In reality, the measured cycle parameters gradually deviate from the prediction due to performance deterioration. Physics-based performance indicators are defined based on the deviations in the measured performance parameters, compared to the respective model predictions. The indicators can effectively monitor the GTE performance deterioration in both short-term and long-term regimes. In the next step, effect of the air humidity is taken into account to enhance the GTE model, and it is shown that the enhanced model can improve the performance monitoring by reducing the uncertainties. In order to separate the effects of different fault modes, an inference-based model is developed to predict the short-term recoverable performance deterioration due to the compressor fouling under different ambient and operating conditions. For the long-term non-recoverable performance deterioration due to the degradation mechanisms in the turbine hot section, two steps are undertaken; 1) a state estimation framework is developed for nonlinear/non-Gaussian systems with non-uniform time steps to track a degradation symptom of the turbine, i.e., loss of isentropic efficiency, using the observable performance indicators, and 2) the state estimation framework is extended to multidimensional dynamical systems with stochastic inputs for simultaneous tracking of two degradation symptoms, i.e., loss of isentropic efficiency and increase of the mass flow, using the observable parameters, provided by the GTE operating system. The developed techniques and frameworks are verified and validated, using a set of three-year operating data from an industrial GTE in a power plant.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Mechanical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Discrete Geometric Path Analysis in Computational Geometry

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gheibi, Amin
    Abstract:
    In this thesis, first, we study the weighted region problem (WRP), which is to compute a geometric shortest path on a weighted partitioning of a plane. Recent results show that WRP is not solvable in any algebraic computation model over rational numbers. Thus, scientists have focused on approximate solutions. We first study the WRP when the input partitioning of space is an arrangement of lines. We provide a technique that makes it possible to apply the existing approximation algorithms for triangulations to arrangements of lines. Then, we formulate two qualitative criteria for weighted short paths. We show how to produce a path that is quantitatively close-to-optimal and qualitatively satisfactory. The results of our experiments carried out on triangular irregular networks show that the proposed algorithm could save, on average, 51% in query time and 69% in memory usage, in comparison with the existing method. We also study some variants of the Frechet distance. The Frechet distance is a commonly used measure to capture the similarity of polygonal curves. Firstly, we study a robust variant of the Frechet distance since the standard Frechet distance exhibits a high sensitivity to the presence of outliers. Secondly, we propose a new measure to capture similarity between polygonal curves, called the Minimum Backward Frechet Distance (MBFD). More specifically, for a given threshold epsilon, we are searching for a pair of walks for two entities on the two input polygonal curves such that the union of the portions of required backward movements is minimized and the distance between the two entities, at any time during the walk, is less than or equal to epsilon. Thirdly, we generalize MBFD to capture scenarios when the cost of backtracking on the input polygonal curves is not homogeneous. Lastly, for a given graph H, a polygonal curve T, and a threshold epsilon, we propose a geometric algorithm that computes a path, P, in H, and a parameterization of T, that minimize the sum of the length of walks on T and P whereby the distance between the entities moving along P and T is at most epsilon.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Spatial Ecology and Biological Responses of Wild Fishes Relative to Hydropower Development on the Winnipeg River

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Struthers, Daniel
    Abstract:
    Wild fish population are often impounded by hydropower dams, which can restrict migration and habitat requirements, while making fishes susceptible to deleterious harm from entrainment through spillways and turbines, stranding from dewatering, as well as hydrokinetic developments that are being proposed for installment within tailraces. With applying acoustic biotelemetry and using model selection, I investigated the spatial ecology and biological responses from Lake Sturgeon and Walleye relative to hydropower developments on a large river. The results in chapter 2 document the spatial ecology of wild fishes within a run-of-river impoundment. In chapter 3, biotelemetry was used to investigate the risk of impacts from hydrokinetic turbines on wild fishes. This information will help to enhance management for Lake Sturgeon and Walleye populations that are impounded due to hydropower developments, and help guide best practices for commercial operations for hydrokinetic turbines that are placed within tailraces of hydropower stations.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Hunting for the SNARC: Spatial-Numerical Associations in an Order Judgment Task are Surprisingly Elusive

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Verger, Dean A.
    Abstract:
    Spatial-numerical associations (SNA) have been studied in various numerical and non-numerical tasks. Classically, participants respond faster with their right hand to larger numbers and faster with their left hand to smaller numbers even when number identity is irrelevant. SNAs are often explained as activation of a left-to-right mental number line. SNAs may reflect magnitude processes, relative order, or both. In the present research, I explored the SNA in an order judgment task. In three experiments, participants judged whether three digit sequences were ordered or unordered. People with more efficient calculation skill are faster and more accurate on order judgments than those with less efficient skills. Thus this task is assumed to capture important aspects of the mental representation of numerical sequences. I hypothesized that participants would show a SNA similar to that in other number tasks (e.g., parity, number comparison), that is, faster right hand responses to number sequences that are assumed to activate the right side (e.g., 6 7 8) and faster left hand responses to number sequences that are assumed to activate the left side (e.g., 2 3 4) of the mental number line. In three experiments, ordered but not unordered sequences showed consistent evidence for a typical SNA. In Experiment 1, Asian-educated individuals showed a stable SNA effect on both ascending and descending sequences whereas Arabic-speaking participants showed no significant SNA effects. English-speaking participants showed a typical SNA on descending sequences and a reversed SNA on ascending sequences. In Experiments 2 and 3, individuals with better arithmetic fluency showed a typical SNA. In Experiments 2 and 3, analyses using a multi-factor ANOVA design did not show evidence for SNARC effects. Instead, SNARC effects were found only using slope analyses on differences in responses with the right versus the left hand. The results are discussed in relation to the processes involved in sequence judgments and how those might differ from the processes involved in other numerical tasks. In summary, the SNA was elusive, even though participants were quite sensitive to number magnitude and the task itself required order judgments, which presumably should have activated the mental number line.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Acoustic signalling in the destructive bark beetle genus Dendroctonus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) with emphasis on Dendroctonus valens

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Lindeman, Amanda
    Abstract:
    Acoustic signalling is common in bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) but has been underappreciated in the literature, resulting in many unanswered questions regarding their acoustic ecology. The goal of this work was to answer some outstanding questions in the economically important Dendroctonus genus using mainly Dendroctonus valens. Dendroctonus spp. produce complex and variable acoustic signals in many contexts. Addressing the question of why they signal, I found that during courtship the ultimate function of signals was linked to female mate choice. Not only did chirp characteristics correlate with signaller fitness, but females differentiated between and made decisions about potential mates based on chirp variability in courtship song performances. The question of how chirp variability is produced was then addressed. I found the proximate mechanism of chirp production is a form of ‘spring stridulation’, where elastic potential energy is stored as fuel for stridulation. Altering the number of times the energy store was reloaded during a chirp led to the variable pulse pattern of the distinct chirp varieties. Finally, I addressed the question of sexual dimorphism in sound production. I noted that females produced sound in the contexts of disturbance and territoriality and further that they do so by way of an alternative mechanism to that of sound production in males. However, female sounds were erratic and rare, and their presence did not evoke a conclusive behavioural response in conspecifics, leading to an overall lack of support for a communicative function of female sound. My thesis research forms the most comprehensive story of the ultimate and proximate nature of sound production in both sexes of a destructive group of tree-killing bark beetles.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Monitoring Breathing Using a Doppler Radar

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tworzydlo, Philip
    Abstract:
    Correctional institutions are looking to adopt a non-obtrusive method for monitoring the vital signs of inmates in Canada. Doppler radar has been previously investigated as a potential method of vital signs detection and monitoring. This thesis presents an algorithm which uses the baseband output signal received by a Doppler radar to estimate the breathing rate from the detected motion associated with breathing. A reliability measure is provided with breathing rate estimates through the analysis of various signal quality indices. Results demonstrate that the algorithm is able to estimate the subject’s breathing rate (with high reliability) when the subject is motionless and breathing normally (mean error of 6 breaths per minute). The algorithm cannot accurately estimate the breathing rate when the subject is moving or holding their breath (mean error of 21 breaths per minute). During breath holds, it was found that the algorithm can likely estimate the subject’s heart rate.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Biomedical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Improved Time Representation in Discrete-Event Simulation

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Vicino, Damian Alberto
    Abstract:
    Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) is a technique in which the simulation engine plays a history following a chronology of events. The technique is called ”discrete-event” because the processing of each event of the chronology takes place at discrete points of a continuous time-line. In computer implementations, an event could be represented by a message, and a time occurrence. The message data type is usually defined as part of the model and the simulator algorithms do not operate with them. Opposite is the case of time variables; simulator has to interact actively with them for reproducing the chronology of events over R+, which is usually represented by approximated data types as floating-point. The approximation of time values in the simulation can affect the time-line preventing the generation of correct results. In addition, it is common to collect data from real systems to predict future phenomena, for example for weather forecasting. When collecting data using metrological instruments and procedures, the measurement results include uncertainty quantifications, usually defined as intervals. However, sometimes, answering a question requires evaluating the results of all values in the uncertainty interval. This thesis proposes data types for handling representation of time properly in DES, including irrational and periodic time values. Moreover, we propose a method for obtaining every possible simulation result of DES models when feeding them events with uncertainty quantification on their time component.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Event-Scale Hydrologic Response in Urbanizing Watersheds of the Canadian Great Lakes Basin and Associations with Fish Richness

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Trudeau, Mary P.
    Abstract:
    The cumulative impacts of urban land use on stream flow regimes and lotic ecosystems are poorly understood. Moreover, flow assessments using daily or monthly flows cannot adequately characterize event-scale flow dynamics in urbanizing watersheds. Accordingly, this empirical research examined high temporal resolution (15-minute) growing season hydrologic records in the Greater Toronto Region, Canada. Hydrologic records were matched with rainfall records to include precipitation in models. The first phase of research identified temporal trends in total runoff, rising limb event flows and rising limb accelerations in two watersheds. Results indicated dramatic changes: over a 42-year period, total seasonal discharge increased 45% in the Don and Humber Rivers during a period of stable rainfall patterns. Peak event flows and event flow variability also increased temporally. The second phase of research comprised a spatial analysis of twenty-seven watersheds ranging from 38 km2 to 806 km2 undertaken along an urban land use gradient from less than 0.1% to 88%. Urban land use had a very strong influence on total runoff and event scale runoff. Changes in runoff characteristics began at urban cover under 4%. Event flow acceleration increased, causing maximum runoff to be reached sooner as urban cover increased. The total runoff model had an interaction between watershed size and urban land use. Smaller watersheds are disproportionately affected by urbanization, as also demonstrated by the fractal relationship of stream network length and watershed area. The third phase identified associations of fish species richness with event-scale hydrologic characteristics in eight watersheds using fish data spanning approximately five decades. Maximum event flow acceleration and skew in instantaneous runoff explained a higher proportion of variation than urban percent in empirical models. Historic fish data are difficult to obtain and pose analytical challenges. By using high temporal resolution flow data, the research provides a new understanding of changes in event-scale flow regime dynamics associated with urbanization and, in turn, association of event-scale hydrology with fish richness. Compromised hydrologic stationarity is attributable to urbanization.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Geography
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Geophysical Identification and Characterization of Mafic-Ultramafic Intrusions in Plume Centre Regions

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Blanchard, Jennifer
    Abstract:
    Gravity and magnetic data from the EGM2008 and EMAG2 datasets are used for a global study of geophysical anomalies in LIP plume centre regions with the goal of identifying mafic-ultramafic intrusions linked to those LIPs. Geophysical anomalies within eighteen LIPs are investigated. Four of these LIPs are selected for detailed modelling: the Mackenzie, High-Arctic, Kunene-Kibaran, and Deccan LIPs. Modelling supports that these anomalies are produced by large (radius >30 km) and generally deep-seated crustal intrusions, with densities consistent with mafic-ultramafic rock and magnetic susceptibilities consistent with serpentinized ultramafic rock. Modelling also indicates that these values remain consistent within a LIP, particularly regarding density and depth. Lastly, we recognize three types of spatial distributions for intrusions in plume centre regions: 1) intrusions that circumscribe the plume centre emplaced along circular fault systems, 2) intrusions emplaced along rifts, in some cases rifts that converge towards the plume centre, and 3) single/unclassified intrusions.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Statistical Properties of the Signal-to-Noise Crossover Dose Based on the Hill Model as a Point of Departure for Health Risk Assessment

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Sivathayalan, Ahalya
    Abstract:
    No-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) and benchmark dose (BMD) are widely accepted points of departure for human exposure guidelines. BMD has considerable merits to the NOAEL. However, BMD estimates could be model dependent if the estimation requires extrapolation beyond the range of experimental data. Signal-to-noise crossover dose (SNCD) is recently introduced to overcome this limitation, where the focus was point estimation of the SNCD using NTP data sets. In this research, we introduce three new approaches to estimate the SNCD. Further to illustrate the characteristics of the BMD to SNCD, a new analytical approach to estimate the BMD is introduced and comparison of these PoDs is carried out using the NTP data sets. The first part involves estimation and assessment of Hill model parameters and an introduction of an analytical approach to estimate the benchmark dose. Accuracy and precision of these estimates are investigated for all possible combination of four shapes of the Hill curves, two dose levels and four number of trials per dose and effects of these factors on these estimates are reported. The second part includes estimation and assessment of SNCD using three different methods. Results show that the analytical approach with bias correction is the best. To estimate the realized bias, multiple regression equation as a function of Hill model parameters, number of dose levels, number of trials per dose and maximum dose; and additional five new approaches to estimate the bias are introduced and compared. Our analysis show that the best approach to estimate the bias is the multiple regression approach. It is used in the application of the above illustrated theories. The developed theories are applied in the analysis of NTP datasets and the corresponding PoDs are estimated. Comparison of BMD to SNCD, BMDL to SNCDL and computation of extra risks at SNCD and SNCDL are carried out to illustrate the advantages of one PoD over the other. Results show that SNCD0.67 is comparable to BMD10 and SNCDL0.67 to BMDL10 and confirming the conclusion that there is a need to choose smaller p (< 0.67) of SNCD which could be comparable to BMD05 or BMD01
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Probability and Statistics
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Influence of Simulated Purge Flow on the Secondary Flow of a Low-Speed Turbine Cascade

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    MacIsaac, Gordon David
    Abstract:
    The present thesis documents experimental measurements of a low-speed linear turbine cascade. The overall objective of the thesis was to enhance the understanding of turbine near endwall flows, termed secondary flows. Of particular interest were the loss generation and energy dissipation mechanisms present within the turbine blade row. Point measurements of the downstream pressure fields for different cascade configurations were made using a seven-hole pneumatic pressure probe. The generation of total pressure losses were examined in relation to the inferred secondary flow structures. Also, the corresponding turbulence field was measured for one of the cascade configurations using a hot-wire probe thereby providing insights into the role of the turbulence field in the generation of total pressure losses. The interpretation of the flow fields were aided with experimental oil film flow visualization and corresponding CFD simulations. In a real turbine engine there is an axial gap between the stationary and rotating bladerows. The term rim-seal refers to the geometry of the axial gap and the cooling flow, termed purge flow, which is typically injected into the mainstream from within the gap to prevent ingress of the hot mainstream gases. The present work examines the effects of the rim-seal geometry on the secondary flow and associated losses for different levels of purge flow. It was found that the presence of the rim-seal geometry significantly alters the secondary flow compared to that of a traditional flat endwalled turbine cascade. The addition of purge flow further enhances the secondary flow and the bladerow losses increase with increasing purge flow. It was therefore recommended that modern turbine designs consider both the rim-seal geometry and the purge flow during the design process. Previous studies have shown that a secondary loss mitigation technology, termed non-axisymmetric endwall contouring, significantly reduces the endwall losses generated through a turbine bladerow. The present work investigated a computationally optimized endwall design for the present turbine cascade for varying levels of purge injection. The experimental measurements found that the endwall contouring, with the upstream rim-seal geometry, was effective at reducing the bladerow losses for the range of positive net purge flows investigated.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Hydrogen Sensing with Long-Range Surface Plasmon Membrane Waveguides

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Fong, Norman R.
    Abstract:
    This integrated article thesis presents the full design, fabrication, characterization and testing of a long-range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) cladded membrane waveguide hydrogen gas (H2) sensor with integrated grating couplers. The sensor, which is the first of its kind to be demonstrated in the literature, features a thin gold (Au) stripe embedded in an ultra-thin free standing Cytop membrane with palladium (Pd) transducer. The design is performed through finite element method (FEM) optical modeling of the LRSPP waveguide and gratings. The non-trivial fabrication process utilizes facilities at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa and is presented in detail. The process involves multi-layer dielectric deposition, blind double-sided wafer alignment, multiple metal depositions using photolithography and ebeam lithography as well as a through-wafer silicon wet etch step. The devices are passively characterized using an optical cutback technique comparing the observed waveguide attenuation to that of simulated values showing good agreement. Sensing tests are performed with hydrogen concentrations up to 3%. A best detection limit of 290 ppm is observed with a response time of 7 s to 0.6% H2 (99.4% N2). The sensor has the capability of a higher dynamic range than other thin film sensors while other simple adjustments are discussed that can be applied to improve overall performance.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Marginalization of Child Care: A Pilot Atlas of Child Care in Ottawa

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McWhinney, Tara Leeanne
    Abstract:
    Coming from an ‘ethic of care’ perspective, this study utilizes a critical feminist approach to examine the use of participatory mapping technologies as potential tools for social policy analysis. The purpose of this research is to address whether advances in online mapping technologies can assist governments and communities with generating more experiential evidence-based policy-making. Focusing on government child care programs and policies in the Ottawa area, a cybercartographic atlas was created using information from focus groups with parents and a review of current child care programs and policies. This Pilot Child Care Atlas was successfully able to incorporate all of the child care programs and policies researched while also allowing for the imputing of the experiences of parents from the focus groups. However, in order to fully assess the usefulness of this technology for social policy analysis further research is necessary where the atlas is made available to the community.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Geography
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Cretaceous (Albian to Cenomanian) Strata of Eagle Plain, Yukon: Subsurface Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy, Regional Correlations and Paleoenvironments

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Quesnel, Alex
    Abstract:
    The Eagle Plain, located in the northeastern Yukon Territory, Canada, forms a northern segment of the Cretaceous Western Interior Sea. Its preserved mid-Cretaceous strata (Whitestone River Formation and Eagle Plain Group) document an active structural regime and sea-level fluctuations. Recent paleontological evidence suggested that Albian to Cenomanian aged strata are preserved. This study compares subsurface foraminiferal assemblages from two wells with those in outcrop, reported in previous studies, and integrates both with well log signatures. The emerging biostratigraphic framework correlates well with the fauna observed in outcrops. Three biostratigraphic zones are observed, suggesting an Early to early Late Albian age for the Whitestone River Formation. The studied well localities represent slope to distal shelf, and more proximal shelf settings. The Whitestone River Formation documents Albian sea-level fluctuations correlated to the Polar Sea, Western Interior Sea and globally. The latest Albian disconformity is believed to occur in the Fishing Branch Formation.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Minimizing nMOS Edge Leakage in Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator CMOS Using Poly-Buffered LOCOS Isolation

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Trifoli, Samantha
    Abstract:
    A process has been designed, implemented and tested to minimize edge-leakage effects in fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD SOI) nMOSFET (nMOS) devices encountered in previous student project SOI CMOS fabrication runs in the Carleton University Microfabrication Laboratory. A layout with test arrays, including enclosed geometry transistors, was designed to perform a test fabrication run. The process uses optimized oxidation steps and Poly-Buffered LOCal Oxidation of Silicon (PBL) isolation with minimal mask steps and fabrication time. The fabricated test transistors revealed that some subthreshold edge leakage was still present in the nMOS devices. SEM imaging showed that the field oxide had been almost entirely unintentionally etched away during processing. This reduction in the field oxide thickness creates parasitic edge transistors. Sentaurus simulations imply that if not for this field oxide loss, the fabricated nMOS devices would have had minimal leakage with no kink in the subthreshold curve.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The President of the European Council and the Quest for an EU Democracy

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Kroqi, Dorian
    Abstract:
    This dissertation deals with the impact of institutional reform on the democratic process. In particular, it examines the effects of the office of the Permanent President of the European Council on the democratic process in the EU’s multilevel polity. The Office of the President of the European Council is the outcome of the reform of the European Treaties concluded at Lisbon in 2008.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Political Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Trust and Risk in Website Legitimacy and Software Applications: Delving Into User Understanding of Internet Security Mechanisms

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    LeBlanc, Daniel
    Abstract:
    When people choose to visit a given website, they make a trust decision about the supplier and source. It appears that a large majority of users commonly place their trust in most, if not all, websites they encounter, and this causes significant security problems. Any solutions proposed to reduce the threat of malicious websites must include a consideration of the psychological processes of the end users. This thesis presents several studies with the aim of understanding how people interpret the available information when making a trust decision. This understanding will better support users in making appropriate decisions and should inform better design of security mechanisms. It was found that users show some understanding of some of the key concepts in Internet security, and often make reasonable decisions. However, there are important anomalies. For example, many users had important misunderstandings about malware, suggesting they had poor mental models about the capabilities of malware and the capabilities of antivirus software applications in protecting them from threats online. Moreover, participants showed lack of confidence across a range of issues, but in practice they were still willing to make decisions even with this uncertainty. Some evidence was found which suggests that users employ heuristics in making such decisions and judgments under uncertainty. Potential solutions to address this would include closed software markets with certificates, or improved design to help users build better mental models.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Mountains, Molehills and Mediation: Exploring the Affordances, the Drawbacks and the Facilitation of Presence Via Face-to-Face Communication and Texting

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Grieder, Rose
    Abstract:
    This thesis explores how social and corporeal presence is facilitated via texting and face-to-face communication. Face-to-face communication is considered to be the preferred means of communication among many scholars due to its sensorial, co-present, human-based means of exchanging physical and social presence.Texting is but another form of communication that facilitates social presence via the dehumanized machine rather than the physical being itself. Ultimately, this thesis illustrates how one is the ruler of one’s own fate. It is the individual who is responsible for understanding the contextual strengths and weaknesses of each respective means of communication.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Communication
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Surface Chemistry and Development of Group 11 and 13 Thin Film Vapour Deposition Precursors

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Pallister, Peter Jackson
    Abstract:
    Techniques for depositing thin films of metals or ceramics, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapour deposition (CVD), are well established and used in a wide variety of industries and applications, such as for dielectric layers, passivation coatings, surface functionalization, conductive layers, catalysis, anti-reflection coatings, optical property modification, etc. These techniques make use of a series of vapourous precursor/solid substrate interactions, typically at elevated temperatures and low pressures, to ultimately deposit a thin, conformal, uniform film of desired material. The nature of this vapour/solid surface chemistry is paramount to determining the what material is deposited as well as its properties. Determining the specific chemistry occurring at the vapour/solid interface is not a trivial task and typically requires expensive and potentially complicated characterization techniques. ALD and CVD processes of novel materials typically suffer from purity and uniformity issues that prevents them from being widely adopted by industry. By experimentally determining the surface chemistry of these processes it is possible to logically assess and modify existing processes to address these issues. This work examined the surface chemistry of several group 11 and group 13 vapour deposition precursors using a variety of characterization techniques, primarily solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (SS-NMR). In group 11, several novel Cu ALD precursors were studied, including a copper(I)-tert-butyl-iminopyrrolidinate and several copper(I)-hexamethyldisilazide-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes, as well as a novel Au ALD precursor; a Me3AuPMe3 complex. Using ex situ characterization techniques such as SS-NMR (13C and 29Si), HR-NMR, EDX, and elemental analysis, the initial chemisorption of these precursors on high surface area silica (HSAS) was determined. In group 13, a gallium complex (acetamidinatediethylgallium(III)) was exposed to HSAS and the initial chemisorption mechanism was quantitatively determined by using 29Si SS-NMR and the techniques used to study group 11 complexes. This work demonstrates the novelty of using SS-NMR to examine the chemisorption mechanism of ALD precursors on high surface area substrates quantitatively. The nature of precursor chemisorption can be used to develop new precursors and new deposition processes with more efficient deposition (no impurities, higher growth rates, better uniformity) with the results gathered in this work.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Chemistry
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Case Study of a Multi-Stage Filtration System for Remote and Northern Communities in Canada

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Charron, Celia Lee
    Abstract:
    A pilot multi-stage filtration system for water treatment was operated at two sites with phosphorous nutrient limited and nutrient rich source waters. The system had two parallel treatment trains: Train 1 consisted of pre-ozonation, roughing filtration and slow sand filtration (SSF); and Train 2 consisted of pre-ozonation, roughing filtration and biofiltration (BF). Nutrient limited conditions exhibited lower DOC removals than nutrient rich conditions when ozone was present (9.3% vs 26% DOC removal, respectively). However, there was no difference in removal when no ozone was present (5.6% vs 6.4% DOC removal, respectively). At the nutrient limited site, there was no overall difference between removals in the SSF and BF under conditions with and without ozone (p>0.05). At the nutrient rich site applied ozone resulted in a difference in removal between the SSF and BF trains (p<0.05), while there was no difference between the trains when no ozone was present (p>0.05).
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Environmental
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Abstract and Realistic Tree Modeling

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Xu, Ling
    Abstract:
    Tree models are widely needed in 3D movies, games, and artistic presentations. Their styles abound. Due to the complexity and the variety of trees, realistic tree modeling remains a challenge. For automated methods, the objectives of speed and controllability are elusive. Data-driven and manual approaches have their own drawbacks: it is inconvenient to obtain laser scans or photographs of a desired tree, and human intervention can be costly. Another different style of trees, abstract trees, possesses stylized branches and aesthetic patterns. However, abstract tree modeling with an emphasis on branching structures receives less attention. Abstract trees in the art style of Gustav Klimt has never been explored in computer graphics. In this thesis we provide procedural methods in two regimes -- realistic tree modeling and abstract tree modeling. For realistic tree modeling, our work is based on the idea of using least-cost paths -- in a weighted graph the least-cost paths between selected endpoints and a root point form a tree structure. Through the sophisticated design of graph creation, endpoint placement, and the setting of edge weights, our tree modeling system is capable of generating a wide range of realistic tree models. For abstract tree modeling, we propose magnetic curves, a particle tracing method to create stylized trees in the art style of Gustav Klimt. The method is also versatile to create many aesthetic forms with curves. Overall, this thesis contributes effective procedural tree modeling methods, and the resulting high-quality results can be used in many computer graphics applications.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Complex Fan Analysis : an Extension of ACT-R Fan Effect Model

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Kwok, Kam-Hung
    Abstract:
    The purpose of this study was to determine whether Anderson’s ACT-R fan model could account for the fan effect under more complex conditions. Specifically, overlapping datasets were used so that related facts learned in one experiment could potentially affect the fan in other experiments. The study of the overlapping datasets made it possible to study an inference task by combining facts learned in separate experiments. Four experiments with human subjects were carried out and human performance was compared to predictions from Anderson’s ACT-R fan model. The results showed ACT-R fan model could be used as a basic building block for explaining complex fan tasks (some high-level cognitive tasks); ACT-R fan model with no adjustments to the parameters provided a reasonable account for human performance across all of the experiments. The results suggest that recently learned related facts have an effect on the fan (Experiment 2). But, it was found that the related facts learned ten months earlier showed no interference due to fan but there was a main learning effect which affected reaction times (Experiment 4). In terms of relational inferences from overlapping datasets, the results indicated a dual retrieval process with additional search process is more consistent with Anderson’s fan model than with Radvansky’s mental models approach or a parallel retrieval approach. Both Radvansky’s mental models approach and a parallel retrieval approach predicted a single retrieval process (Experiment 3).
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cognitive Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • On The Control Of Opinion In Social Networks

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Runka, Andrew
    Abstract:
    Social networks are an ubiquitous element of our daily experience. A question that naturally arises in the operation of such networks is whether they can be controlled. With domains ranging from financial markets to extremism avoidance, the study of control of opinion in social networks is extremely relevant in modern social media culture. Automated control of the flow of information in large-scale non-deterministic social networks is a complex problem requiring both a search for the optimal configuration of connections to the network, and a behaviour that determines the required control signals. This thesis formalizes the Network Control Problem (NCP) as a means of describing the field of diverse social network control problems. To date, problems that can be described as NCP examples deal primarily with the configuration rather than behavioural component. The θ-Consensus Avoidance Problem (θ-CAP) is defined in this thesis as a novel NCP which has the objective of avoiding consensus in a social network of agents. It is an important problem representing the avoidance of extreme views that may lead to extreme behaviour, such as bubble or panic events in a socially-connected market. The θ-CAP is intended as a foundational benchmark problem in the NCP domain. Experimentation is developed to demonstrate the utility of the θ-CAP as a practical benchmark problem with scalable difficulty parameters. A number of heuristic and metaheuristic implementations of both configuration and behaviour are compared in this thesis. Special consideration is given to the application of evolutionary neurocontrollers toward learning to optimize the behaviour component. Analysis indicates a variety of conditions that affect the quality of given approaches, including network structure, instance difficulty parameters, and variations among control approaches. Consistent, observable trends were determined in the solution space that were verfied across behaviours, configurations, network structures, and objectives.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Eyewitness Identification of a "Familiar Stranger": The Influence of Personal Knowledge and Previous Interaction on Recall and Recognition Accuracy

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Pettalia, Jennifer L.
    Abstract:
    The purpose of the present program of research was to examine the influence of a previous interaction and personal knowledge of a culprit on eyewitness recall and recognition accuracy. In the main study, participants (N=184) watched a video of a crime wherein the culprit was someone who: (1) they previously interacted with and, during that interaction, the culprit shared personal information about herself (more familiar condition), (2) they previously interacted with, although they received no personal information about the culprit (less familiar condition), or (3) they had no previous exposure to (stranger condition). There were no significant differences in participants’ recall accuracy across the conditions. However, participants in the more and less familiar conditions were significantly more likely to correctly identify the culprit from a target-present lineup; there were no significant differences in the target-absent lineup. Also, more and less familiar participants were significantly more confident in their ability to correctly identify the culprit prior to the lineup task and during the lineup task than those in the stranger condition. Moreover, the confidence-accuracy relationship was strongest for those in the more familiar condition. A follow up study, completed approximately 14 months after the original study, was conducted to examine the influence of familiarity and delay on eyewitnesses who initially provided a correct lineup response. Delay was associated with a significant decline in accuracy rates and confidence for those in all conditions. Overall, results indicate that previous interaction, regardless of whether personal information is shared, may enhance eyewitness identification accuracy only when the culprit is in the identification lineup (i.e., when the suspect is guilty). Also, more familiar eyewitnesses may have a better sense of their identification accuracy, as indicated by their confidence judgements.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Compact SOI Polarization Rotators Based on Asymmetric Periodic Loaded Waveguides

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Sun, Yao
    Abstract:
    Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology is a promising platform for photonic applications with low-cost and large volume production due to its compatibility with the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. However, the high index-contrast between silicon and the top cladding (SiO2 or air) of the SOI waveguides leads to considerable modal birefringence. Consequently, SOI based PICs are in general highly polarization-sensitive, making polarization management a necessity. In this thesis, two polarization rotator (PR) designs on the 220 nm SOI platform are demonstrated through numerical simulations and experiments. The demonstrated PR designs are based on asymmetrical periodic loaded waveguide structures. The demonstrated designs feature compact device footprint and can be fabricated by CMOS compactable process. Both designs have shown promising performance over the C-band wavelengths by simulations. However, the fabrication requirements are stringent for these two designs, thus the performance of the fabricated devices are limited by the current fabrication technology.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Fighting Back After the Neoliberal Assault: Class Formation, Class Politics, and the Canadian Autoworkers

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Fowler, Tim
    Abstract:
    This dissertation examines the Canadian Autoworkers during an age of neoliberal globalization. The dissertation places emphasis on internal dynamics and the way these played a key role in shaping class formation within the union. Attention is focused on the CAW Council, an institution within the union that connects rank-and-file activists to the national leadership and acts as a ground for ‘mid-tier’ activists to organize, pursue strategy, and push for change within the union. A great deal of union policy and strategy was developed at Council, where the leadership would present reports, which were then subject to debate by the members. The dissertation argues that Council acted as an important meeting ground for members of the union to challenge the leadership. The dissertation also uses the CAW to look at how unions can constitute themselves as class actors but this does not mean that other identities were ignored. The CAW was frequently a leader on equity politics. Members of equity seeking groups pressed for inclusion within the structures of the union, and, in turn, the union was able to make gains for equity seeking members at the bargaining table. The equity politics of the CAW were based on the union shaping a common identity as members of the working class, while highlighting that equity seekers faced particular barriers on the job, in the union, and in the broader Canadian society. Attention is paid to the way the leadership embraced equity issues, often after being pushed by equity seeking activists, to and how they relayed the importance of equity issues to the broader union membership. In two areas – concessions bargaining and electoral politics – the union appears to have shifted from its original position. Although the CAW split from the international United Autoworkers over the issue of concessions at the bargaining table, the CAW ultimately accepted concessions. In addition, the CAW gradually embraced an strategy of strategic voting in response to the NDP’s inability to present a clear electoral alternative to neoliberalism. Both shifts reflected the union’s changing caluculus of how best to protect the automotive industry, and the jobs of its members.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Political Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Vanquishing the Victim: The Criminalization of HIV non-disclosure and transmission in Canada

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Charge, Noreen Joan
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines the legal complexities surrounding the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure and transmission in Canada, where, by law, an HIV-positive person (PHA) is required to disclose his or her HIV status before engaging in sexual activities where a potential risk of exposure to the virus exists. In analyzing how HIV/AIDS is treated under the criminal code, the thesis will focus on the HIV narrative over the past three decades; the rationale behind HIV criminalization; how media coverage of HIV has incited bouts of moral panic in society; the historical legal framework; the evolution of HIV non-disclosure laws; how past precedents have affected cases heard to date; and, importantly, the role of public health and the consideration of human rights in relation to HIV criminalization.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Journalism (M.J.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Journalism
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Microenvironment Analysis of Homes with Attached Garages using Volatile Organic Compound Source Apportionment Modelling

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Ostronic, Megan
    Abstract:
    This thesis is based on an extensive air quality study in homes with attached garages conducted by Health Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. The thesis used source apportionment modelling to resolve sources that contribute to the home, garage and ambient volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations, providing insight to common sources and infiltration between these microenvironments. Six sources were identified for each sampling location including those related to global persistent compounds, fuel and other combustion processes, fuel evaporation and solvent use. The presence of these factors in more than one microenvironment combined with the statistical analysis conducted using correlations and ratios confirmed the likelihood of infiltration between the microenvironments. This research supplements the Health Canada study and provides an alternative avenue for reducing the VOC concentration in homes by providing the opportunity to eliminate point sources within the home and garage.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Environmental
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Query-Answer Causality in Databases and Its Connections with Reverse Reasoning Tasks in Data and Knowledge Management

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Salimi, Babak
    Abstract:
    Causality is an important notion that appears at the foundations of many scientific disciplines, in the practice of technology, and also in our everyday life. Causality is crucial to understand and manage uncertainty in data, information, knowledge, and theories. In data management in particular, there is a need to represent, characterize and compute the causes that explain why certain query results are obtained or not, or why natural semantic conditions, such as integrity constraints, are not satisfied. The notion of query-answer causality in database was introduced in [86]. This notion is shown to be general enough to be applied to a broad class of database-related applications, such as explaining unexpected answers to a query result, diagnosing network malfunctions, data cleaning, hypothetical reasoning [86, 87, 84, 88]. In this thesis, we establish and investigate connections between query-answer causality and other important forms of reasoning that appear in data management and knowledge representation, e.g. consistency-based diagnoses [103], database repairs and consistent query answering [3], abductive diagnosis [35, 43], and the view-update problem [20, 77, 78]. These problems are classified in [83] as reverse data management problems. The unveiled relationships allow us to obtain new results for query-answer causality and also for the above mentioned related areas. Furthermore, we argue that causality in data management can be seen as a very fundamental concept, to which many other data management problems and notions are connected. In fact, we suggest causality as a unifying framework for reverse data management problems.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • The Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa: Constructing Public Memory and Preserving History in a Changing City, 1898-1932

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gunn, Connie
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines the membership and work of the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa from 1898 to 1932. Through commemorations, historical tableaux, exhibitions of artefacts, and the publication, Transactions, they participated in the construction of a nationalist and imperialist collective memory, celebrating connections to the British Empire, a mythologized settler past, and Ottawa’s evolution from lumber town to national capital. Analysis of the origins, class and ethnicity of the Society shows that French-Canadian participation fell and membership broadened as Ottawa became a government town. The thesis describes competition from the male-dominated Bytown Pioneer Association in 1923 over the commemoration of Colonel By, and it posits that the masculinization of the historical profession led the Society to abandon written accounts in Transactions, and focus upon the collection and display of artefacts in the Bytown Museum.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    History
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Non Reciprocal Passive Components on LTCC Ferrite Substrate

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Yang, Shicheng
    Abstract:
    This thesis investigates passive components (mainly circulators) based on ferrite LTCC substrate. The external magnets used in conventional circulators must be strong to overcome the ferrite's demagnetization factor. The novel circulator presented herein uses an embedded winding within the ferrite to magnetize the material from the inside, thereby significantly reducing the demagnetization effects. Because of the controllability of the bias field, the resulting device is also multifunctional: when the windings are energized by a current, the device operates as a dynamic circulator in which the circulation direction can be changed by switching the direction of the current. If an external magnet is placed on the circulator, its operating frequency can be changed by adjusting the bias current. Unlike other LTCC circulators with external magnets, the proposed device can even operate as a power splitter by removing the bias current. A circulator prototype has been characterized in three states: unbiased, biased by windings and biased by windings and external magnets. When no current is applied, the transmission of each port is about -5 dB with return loss better than 20 dB at 14.8 GHz. When a current of 300 mA is injected into the windings, the measured insertion loss and isolation of the circulator are approximately 3 dB and 8 dB, respectively, whereas the return loss is better than 20 dB at 14.2 GHz. When external magnets are added in addition to the current of 200 mA, the insertion loss and isolation improve to 1.6 dB and 23 dB, respectively at 14.2 GHz. The variation of the circulator's working frequency is 0.6 GHz. This is achieved firstly by the change of internal magnetization M when current is less than 120 mA, then the heat due to the winding increases the ferrite's μeff leading to more frequency shifting. The total size (L*W*H) is 8mm*8mm*1.1mm.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Efficient Projection-Based Stability Guaranteed Model Order Reduction for Active Circuits

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Deng, Xu
    Abstract:
    Moments matching model reduction method is an important tool for accelerating simulation of large scale system originating in circuit area. But this kind of method cannot guarantee the stability of the reduced model in the case of active circuits. To address this problem, a novel moments matching model reduction method is proposed in this thesis.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • An Examination of Dog Ownership in the Promotion of Walking as a Form of Physical Activity and Its Effects on Physical and Psychological Health

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Antonacopoulos, Nikolina Margaret Duvall
    Abstract:
    The low percentage of Canadian adults who are sufficiently active is of concern in light of the detrimental health consequences associated with insufficient physical activity. Two studies were conducted in order to explore dog walking as a means of obtaining physical activity and the possible health benefits from dog walking. In Study 1, dog walking was examined from three perspectives through a week-long study of 61 regular dog walkers. First, summary statistics revealed that slightly more than half of the time spent dog walking was at a moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA1) level and approximately 2 in 5 dog owners met the Canadian physical activity guideline through dog walking alone. Second, analyses revealed that an important factor affecting time spent dog walking at a MVPA1 level is the size of the dog, as it is a factor that individuals who are acquiring a dog can take into consideration. Another key finding was that all of the dog walkers reported that they walk their dog for its well-being, which indicates that dog walking is a purposeful physical activity. This suggests that dog walking should be promoted in terms of its benefits for the dog. Third, analyses comparing dog walkers' psychological health before and after their dog walks revealed an improvement on six out of seven psychological health measures. In Study 2, results from an 8-month longitudinal study revealed that, as hypothesized, participants who acquired a dog (n = 17) increased their MVPA1 from baseline to 8 months, while there was no change in the control group (n = 28). Contrary to expectations, although individuals in the acquired-dog group became more active over time, they did not experience any improvements in their physical or psychological health over the course of the study relative to the control group. Taken together, these findings suggest that promoting dog walking may be one way of increasing physical activity. The short-term health benefits that occur after dog walking need to be explored further, while the possible long-term health benefits need to be examined using a larger sample over a longer time frame.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Using Classification Trees to Link Serial Crimes

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Mugford, Rebecca Lynn
    Abstract:
    In the investigative setting, police must often decide whether multiple crimes have been committed by a single offender. Using a variety of statistical techniques, studies have shown that it is possible to link serial crimes in a relatively accurate fashion using behavioural information (i.e., a process often referred to as behavioural linkage analysis; BLA). Despite this, practitioners often resist using these techniques, in a similar fashion to how clinical psychologists often resist actuarial techniques. In an attempt to develop an approach to BLA that may be better received by end users, this dissertation explored how classification trees (CTs) can be used to link serial crimes. Specifically, three variations of a CT approach were explored: a standard, single CT, an iterative CT (ICT), and the combination of multiple standard CTs and/or ICTs (i.e., a multiple model approach). Using separate samples of serial break and enters from Saint John, New Brunswick (N = 170) and serial sexual assaults from Quebec (N = 260), the ability of these approaches to link serial crimes were compared to one of the most commonly employed statistical approaches to BLA: main-effects logistic regression analysis. Generally, results revealed that all statistical approaches achieved high (and similar) levels of predictive accuracy; however, a number of potential advantages of a simple, standard CT approach were identified (e.g., transparency and ease-of-use). The findings reported in this dissertation have implications for BLA researchers (e.g., how behavioural domains are defined, how crime samples are selected, etc.) and police practitioners (e.g., the availability of a userfriendly statistical linking tool, the need for better data collection protocols, etc.). However, before a CT-based approach to BLA is implemented in practice, future research is required to address some of the limitations of the current research.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Sacred and Tradition: Spaces for Internal and External Reflection

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Orfan, Tahmina
    Abstract:
    We have an unquenchable thirst to explore — to go beyond the known and to expand our knowledge of the universe. This thesis investigates sacred architecture as a setting that inspires reflection and contemplation, connecting humans to the knowledge that they seek. The design proposal consists of an obser¬vatory tower and underground chapels. The tower makes palpable the motion of the sun and the unchanging nature of the cosmos, while the underground chapels are designed as places for hermetic reflection the cultivation of a sense of presence through meditation, prayer or simple solitude. The project is a balance between traditional knowledge and contemporary architecture. Today, tradition is either marginalized as outmoded technology or fetishized as ‘heri¬tage’. In order to maintain tradition, it needs to be defended and explained. The design proposal explores the relationship between a human being and the universe — mediated by architecture, connected by light.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2016

  • You Can't Spell Trust Without Rust

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Beingessner, Alexis Kenneth
    Abstract:
    Rust is a new programming language developed by Mozilla in response to the fact that C and C++ are unsafe, inefficient, and unergonomic --particularly when applied to concurrency. Version 1.0 of Rust was released in May 2015, and appears to be performing excellently. Rust code is memory-safe by default, faster than C++, easier to maintain, and excels at concurrency. Yet little analysis exists of the semantics and expressiveness of Rust's type system. This thesis focuses on one of the core aspects of Rust's type system: ownership. Ownership is a system for expressing where and when data lives, and where and when data can be mutated. In order to understand ownership and the problems it solves, we provide a novel analysis of both in terms of trust.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Exploring the Impact of the Segregation Intervention Initiative on Offender Outcomes

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Talisman, Emad
    Abstract:
    Administrative Segregation (AS) is the correctional practice of removing offenders from the general inmate population, and relocating them to an isolated cell for up to 23 hours a day. This is done for the safety and security of the individual or the institution. There are concerns around the use of AS including its impact on mental health and the lack of access to services for offenders. The purpose of the Segregation Intervention (SI) is to help transition offenders out of AS and to change problem behaviours. The current study explored the impact of the SI with data drawn from a Canadian sample of offenders. SI participants (n = 292) were 2 times more likely to participate in and complete correctional programs within a 6-month follow-up period, compared to a matched group of non-participants (n = 292). SI participants were also 1.5 times more likely to be employed by the institutions.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Numerical Investigation of a Novel RBCC Ejector Configuration Compared to a Traditional Circular Ejector

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gerber, Adrian
    Abstract:
    The rocket based combined cycle can be an alternative engine to power a vehicle into space. The engine has 4 stages and one of the more challenging stages to in crease performance is the first stage, the ejector stage. One proposed method to increase performance is by achieving higher entrainment performance and mixing at low free-stream velocities. The Exchange Inlet is used as an alternative nozzle to achieve this performance. The Exchange Inlet is compared to a conical nozzle within a RBCC engine with computational fluid dynamics at various pressures. The mixing and entrainment properties are compared between the two engine configurations and additional cases are investigated with shorter mixing sections to further investigate these properties. The Exchange Inlet is found to have better entrainment than the circular nozzle in all cases.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Mechanical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • A 0.78mm² Co-Channel Interference Canceller in 130nm SOI RF CMOS with Novel Passive Phase Shifters and Combiner Circuitry

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Cook, Mackenzie Brian
    Abstract:
    An increasingly congested frequency spectrum has presented an unfortunate opportunity for two independent radios on the same device to exist co-channel. Currently, co-channel coexistence requires temporal scheduling to prevent co-channel interference from disrupting downlink communications. This work develops a method of front end co-channel cancellation within the receive chain of a co-channel transceiver to allow for simultaneous operation. An extremely compact co-channel interference canceller (CCIC) is presented. A polar modulator in a feed-forward path creates an inverted copy of the on-board interference signal at RF and recombines in the front end LNA for cancellation. The system contains novel phase shifters and digital capacitor architectures and a novel front end combination circuit. The system provides 6 bits of phase control and 5 bits of amplitude control and 25dB of cancellation is demonstrated. The measured IIP3 was +7dBm and the measured noise figure was 1.5dB with 14dB of LNA gain at 2.2GHz.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Double Quadrature Mixer for Adaptive System-Level Spur Cancellation in UWB Radios

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Mack, Simon Zaner
    Abstract:
    Direct Digital Synthesizers (DDS) are known to be very spurious due to the use of Digital-to-Analog Convertors (DAC). This thesis presents the phase behaviour of spurs of the commercial AD9912 DDS and its SpurKiller cancellation system. A great variation in spur phase and a large variation in its Spurious-Free Dynamic Range (SFDR) was observed. As a result, an adaptive system is proposed using a Double Quadrature Mixer and a variable phase Local Oscillator (LO). The system is tested at an Intermediate Frequency (IF) of 1.2 GHz, simulating the input of an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio. In simulation, an increase in SFDR of 29 dB resulted. In system prototype, an increase in SFDR of 10 dB was achieved. The spur-carrier phase offset was found to be unrelated to the phase of the Double Quad LO to achieve maximum spur reduction, and to be with great variation.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Effect of Pre-Oxidation and Thermal Exposure on the Microstructure of Superalloys and Thermal Barrier Coating Systems

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Walker, Megan
    Abstract:
    Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) enable nickel-base superalloy gas turbine blades to run at their highest possible temperatures. Currently, a bond coat (BC) is utilized to adhere the yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coat to the nickel-base superalloy substrate. However, this increases cost. In this study, YSZ top coats were applied directly to the nickel-base superalloy René N5. The René N5 samples were pre-oxidized at 1150°C in atmosphere in order to form an α-Al2O3 layer to enhance bonding to the YSZ top coat. YSZ dense vertically cracked (DVC) and columnar morphologies were then applied. These samples were then cyclically and isothermally tested in atmosphere at 1150°C. Both SPS DVC and SPS Columnar coatings were found to have poor adhesion. The lack of adequate α-Al2O3 layer thickness, the rapid formation of spinel and the grit blasting process preceding coating deposition were determined to be the primary causes of poor performance.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Mechanical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Case Studies in Transition: Multiplatform Publishing in Three Western Canadian Magazines

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Patterson, Jessica
    Abstract:
    The media landscape in Canada has changed rapidly over the last 20 years with the rise of the Internet and digital platforms. This thesis explores how magazine publishers in Western Canada have adapted, adjusted to or accommodated the new digital reality. It uses case studies of three different magazines, Alberta Oil, a national business magazine on the energy sector, Avenue, an urban city magazine, and Western Living, a regional lifestyle magazine, to discover multiplatform publishing strategy. How are these publishers approaching, adapting to, or repositioning themselves for the digital reality? How are they dealing with transition and change? Lessons learned include use of social platforms, content native to digital platforms, alternative revenue streams, measurement and use of analytics data, and corporate culture that is innovation-friendly.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Journalism (M.J.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Journalism
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Detection of Forearm Muscle Fatigue During Piano Playing Using Surface Electromyography (sEMG) Analysis

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McCarthy, Karen Colleen
    Abstract:
    Musculoskeletal injuries of the forearm, wrist, and hand are a significant problem for pianists. Approximately 60% of piano players experience playing-related injuries at some point in their careers; yet, the cause of injury is not well understood. Muscle fatigue may be a contributing factor. The focus of this work was to determine if muscle fatigue is detectable in the forearm muscles used for piano playing, if there is a difference in the development of muscle fatigue between pianists and non-pianists, and if there is an effect on how a pianist plays when their muscles are fatigued. A piano exercise and fatiguing exercise protocol were established and 11 pianists and 6 non-pianists were tested. Results confirmed that muscle fatigue is detectable in the forearm muscles used for piano playing and that there are differences in the development of muscle fatigue between pianists and non-pianists.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Biomedical
    Date Created:
    2016

  • "The Kiss of Death Bestowed with Gratitude": The Postwar Treatment of Canada's Second World War Merchant Navy, Redress, and the Negotiation of Veteran Identity

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Moore, Matthew Joseph
    Abstract:
    This thesis focuses on the Merchant Navy’s redress campaign and appraises shifting government attitudes towards the mariners in veterans’ legislation. It traces the wartime experience of the mariners and discusses their postwar treatment. By examining the factors that contributed to the mariners’ initial exclusion as veterans, this study sheds light on the complex process whereby the state evaluates and then reassesses what is owed to those who serve. It demonstrates that concepts of “veteranhood” are fluid, and, that in the case of the Merchant Navy, once neglected wartime narratives can be reincorporated into the nation’s military past. In the case of the Merchant Navy, renewed public engagement with Canada’s social memory of its involvement in two world wars helped the merchant seamen find an audience willing to validate their claims. This study of Merchant Navy redress serves as an exploration into the nature of the state-veteran relationship.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    History
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Fourier-Bessel Analysis of Cylindrically Symmetric Dielectric Structures, Slot Channel Refractive Index Sensors

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jafari, Seyed Hamed
    Abstract:
    Maxwell’s wave equations can be solved using different techniques in order to extract optical properties of a variety of dielectric structures. For structures contain an extended axis which serve for reference for cylindrical symmetry, it is shown that an expansion of the fields and inverse of relative permittivity using a set of basis functions of Fourier-Bessel terms provide access to an eigenvalue formulation from which eigen-states can be computed. For cylindrically symmetric structures, computational technique provides a significantly reduced matrix order to be populated when compared to plane wave method applied to these structures. Steps used to convert Maxwell’s equation into an eigenvalue formulation are discussed and technique is tested on various dielectric structures. Several novel refractive index sensors based on slot channel configuration are presented and sensitivity of each structure is discussed. Using Fourier-Bessel technique eigenvalues are calculated and slot channel field profiles are plotted based on computed eigenvectors.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Aeromagnetic Surveying with Unmanned Aircraft Systems

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Cunningham, Michael
    Abstract:
    UASs have been under rapid development for applications in the mineral exploration industry, mainly for aeromagnetic surveying. They provide improved detection of smaller, deeper and weakly magnetic targets. A traditional system flying an altitude of 100m above ground level can detect a spherical ore body at a depth of 40m and magnetic susceptibility of 10-4, with a radius of ~16m. A UAS flying at 50m or 2m altitude AGL would require the radius to be 11m or 5m, respectively. Using the Venturer fixed-wing UAS and the SkyLance rotary-wing UAS, two aeromagnetic surveys were performed. The Venturer was stable in flight with a fourth difference noise level within industry standards of ±0.05nT. A magnetic map was produced showing local variations. The SkyLance flew over a zinc deposit with 3 magnetic anomalies. It produced repeatable data that compared well with upward continuation maps of ground magnetic data.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Class Implications of a Mortgaged Economy: Reflections on Building a Sociology of Debt

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Mondoux, Justin Robert
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines the democratization of debt and its role in the formation and maintenance of the new middle class (NMC) in Canadian society. Through explicitly linking the concept of debt to the intensification of labour, class discourse evolves beyond the economic reliance on income and property holdings to encompass the social trade-offs that accompany the decisions to enter into debt relations and assume repayment obligations. Drawing on the history of debt and shifting moral views on debt it is shown how debt provides a common language that mitigates class conflict and creates the conditions for life-long employment as oversight mechanisms regulating indebtedness parallel changes that accompanied the transformation of work. A case study of microcredit further depicts how the extension of debt provides individuals with the capacity to create their own ‘risk-biographies’ within a limited set of outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with retirees were conducted to supplement the secondary research and focused on the ‘lived-class’ experience. The interviews were analyzed using a phenomenographic approach that explored how debt knowledge is acquired, transmitted and used to maintain middle-class lifestyles. Topics of investigation included first experiences with debt, views on debtors, co-signing loans, comfort levels with financial instruments such as stocks and overall financial awareness. The research findings provide the foundational elements for the continued evolution of the sociology of debt as a means to locate the NMC and to assess the collateral being deployed to remain in good standing.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Sociology
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Hybridity is Dead. Long Live Hybridity!

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Derome-Masse, Valerie
    Abstract:
    In present cities, escalating land values and the growing pressure on developers to optimize the utilization of built areas are changing the way architects engage with projects in urban environments. Architectural ideas are now more likely to be driven by density, diversity and intensity of uses in order to revitalise urban centers. Some of the forms and ideas put forward by the Modern Movement failed to deal with urban engagement by imposing a segregation and rationalization of architecture which resulted in the alleged death of cities. The notion of hybridity has been blamed for the decline of Modernism and has been held responsible for some of its extremes. The thesis proceeds to explore the potential, and re-emergence, of hybrid architecture to create invigorating synergies between programs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Three Essays on Chinese Two-Stage Firms in the U.S.

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Sun, Chengye
    Abstract:
    This study investigates the three puzzles with regards to a two-stage IPO strategy in the U.S., namely, underpricing, IPO timing, and long-term performance. Firstly, we find that a two-stage IPO strategy may be suitable for firms who expect to raise public equities, but are highly cost-sensitive. In such an IPO strategy, firms can significantly reduce IPO cost. The public status before IPO might cost extra due to filing cost, etc... We can consider it as the price of an option; an option to conduct IPO with lower cost. Secondly, we find two-stage firms are similar to the conventional IPO firms. They have similar long-term stock market performance, operating performance, use similar level of earnings management and have similar amount of frauds. Thirdly, through the investigation on two-stage firm’s earnings management, we find that higher earnings management relative to domestic firms, can increase IPO valuation and doesn’t affect after market performance. But higher earnings management relative to the firms in the listing country does not increase IPO valuation. Even worse, it reduces after market performance. Lastly, we find the two-stage firms with longer time interval between public listing and IPO are likely to have low IPO cost and low earnings management. The two-stage firms with CEO-chairman duality are likely to commit frauds and have long-term underperformance.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Management
    Date Created:
    2016

  • A Method for Optical Tracking of On-Orbit Servicing Operations in Geostationary Orbit Using Speckle Interferometry

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Scott, Robert
    Abstract:
    On-Orbit Servicing (OOS) missions in geostationary orbit with inter-satellite separations less than one kilometer pose a problem for ground-based electro-optical space surveillance sensors. The tight separations between space objects subtend angles comparable to the size of turbulence (seeing) cells of Earth’s atmosphere making classical ground-based space surveillance detection approaches problematic. Speckle interferometry using a cross-spectrum approach was explored in this research to overcome atmospheric turbulence and enable ground-based measurement of the relative positions of OOS satellites without use of adaptive optics. Field testing of this technique using a medium aperture telescope on co-located geostationary satellites, acting as OOS proxies, found that cross-spectrum speckle interferometry measurements can obtain in-track and cross-track relative position precisions better than 100 meters when the satellites’ apparent angular separations were less than 5 arcseconds. The cross-spectrum method was found to be susceptible to high fringe rotation rates inducing incorrect separation measurements during times when the co-located satellites were at their closest point of approach. While this effect produced spurious fringes during co-located satellite observation tests, this effect is not expected to be encountered during observation of a true OOS mission. Brightness differences did not pose a significant observational limitation as brightnesses of Mprimary = 10.2, Δm = 0.3 and Mprimary = 9.1, Δm = 1.5 were speckled successfully and relative position estimates obtained. Additional testing with small aperture telescope achieved similar brightness and positional measurement performance. Due to the plane-of-sky differential angle observations of the objects a partial observability condition is encountered where the radial component of the servicer’s motion requires more than three hours of observations to converge on a relative orbit solution. The near collinear alignment of the detector with the in-track and cross-track directions causes this partial observability condition. Fortunately, due to the dynamic coupling between the in-track and radial directions of relative orbital motion, the radial component can be estimated and the time to converge is largely dependent on the measurement precision.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Sex and LRRK2 Genotype Differences in Inflammation and Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration in a Multi-Hit Model of Parkinson's Disease

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Bellevue, Shannon
    Abstract:
    Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifactorial condition precipitated by environmental insults in conjunction with genetic vulnerabilities, sex differences, and aging. The objective of the current thesis was to explicate potential additive/synergistic effects of genetic LRRK2 anomalies and environmental risk factors as they pertain to motor behaviour, nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration, and neuroinflammation. Moreover, since the male sex represents a significant risk factor in PD, sexual dimorphisms were addressed. To achieve this, male and female mice bearing the G2019S-LRRK2 mutation were exposed to a systemic lipopolysaccharide+paraquat (LPS+PQ) neurotoxicant challenge. Contrary to expectations, no additive/synergistic effects were observed between the G2019S mutation and LPS+PQ exposure. In fact, male G2019S mice appeared to be protected from the degenerative effects of LPS+PQ at this age. Moreover, an unanticipated sex by treatment interaction was found, such that female mice displayed greater deficits in gait and loss in nigral TH+ neurons compared to males.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Neuroscience
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Three Papers on Childhood Disadvantage and Child Policy in Canada

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McEwen, Anne Margaret
    Abstract:
    Over the past twenty years, child and family policy has become one of the most active areas of Canadian social policy. However, our understanding of whether children’s lives have actually improved is limited. This dissertation addresses this research gap in three papers that examine the politics of Canadian child policy, evaluate child policy outcomes, and explore the determinants of child well-being that policy attempts to affect. The first paper examines the evolution and politics of child policy in Canada from 1995- 2015. During this period, federal government spending targeted to families with children has more than doubled in real terms with a focus on increasing family income. To explain this focus, I identify four perspectives on the child in the Canadian political discourse: child as family responsibility, child as deserving poor, child as rights bearer, and child as investment. I argue that the scope of child policy in Canada has been constrained to a family income paradigm that sits at the intersection of these perspectives. The second paper evaluates the significant expansion of Canadian child benefits from 1994 to 2010. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) and the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, I compare measures of poverty and inequality with indicators of young children’s well-being. I find young Canadian children have not seen significant change in their relative economic position. Indicators of children’s physical, emotional, developmental well-being and family context remain essentially stable, as do gaps between the outcomes of poor and rich children. Understanding how household income and socioeconomic (SES) status affect child outcomes is crucial for designing effective public policies to reduce the disadvantage of growing up in poverty. In the third paper, I use structural equation modeling of NLSCY data to disentangle the different pathways of income’s and other elements of SES’s effect on children’s cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavourial outcomes. Applying theories of family stress and family investment, the analysis examines children’s activities, parenting, and family functioning as potential mediators. I find that SES has a consistently larger effect on child outcomes than income, with parenting emerging as a key mediation pathway.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Basic Income and Housing Satisfaction: Evidence from the Mincome Experiment

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jarosiewicz, Scott
    Abstract:
    This thesis explores two related research questions concerning the Manitoba basic income experiment (Mincome). First, why did the experiment focus on the potential for labour market withdrawal in response to a guaranteed income? I place the history of the basic income idea in the context of the changing paradigm of knowledge and policy production beginning in the late-nineteenth century to show that incorporation into mainstream economic thought leads poverty and basic income researchers to focus narrowly on individual behaviour. Second, in response to the narrow focus on labour supply, I examine Mincome data and use a series of multiple regressions to explore the impact of a basic income on housing satisfaction. While the results are negative, the investigation highlights the importance of variegated knowledge production in the consideration of policy changes and outlines some areas in which future social experimenters might learn from Mincome and its U.S. variants.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Political Economy
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Using Discourse Genres for Knowledge-Building Activity in a Government Organization

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Murphy, Lauren
    Abstract:
    Building knowledge in professional organizations involves complex discursive practices. In 2014 a group of employees at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), including senior managers, project facilitators, and other staff members, collaborated in managing a communication problem involving PHAC’s scientists and policy writers, an effort known as the Science to Policy Project. This study investigates how an activity system, with its genre set, was used to build knowledge regarding the causes of the problem and also possible solutions. As well, the study looks at key genres from the government-wide genre system in which this activity of knowledge-building was situated. At the same time, the study describes PHAC’s attempt to implement a new organizational culture to facilitate the knowledge-building activity the employees were engaged in.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Changing Course: Commercializing Canadian Airport, Port and Rail Governance- 1975 to 2000

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Davis, Mark Douglas
    Abstract:
    This thesis examines the historical public policy circumstances surrounding the Government of Canada’s decision to commercialize Canadian National (CN) Railways, as well as federal airports and ports over the period 1975 to 2000. Its focus is on testing one specific empirical hypothesis: That the commercialization of federal airport and port assets between 1975 and 2000 occurred primarily due to: (i) federal government concerns over the growing size of the national debt and deficit; and (ii) the emergence of the neoliberal ideology in Canada and its growing influence throughout federal policy making, as witnessed by the swift 1995 privatization of CN Railways.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2016

  • Backwash Optimization for Drinking Water Treatment Biological Filters

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Ikhlef, Sarra
    Abstract:
    A lab scale study was conducted to examine the impacts of backwashing on biofiltration performance. Collapse pulsing resulted in significantly higher DOC removals (21%) compared to the water only backwash (13%). Three backwash procedures were investigated under nutrient supplemented conditions. Employing a lower bed expansion of 20% compared to the 30% reference bed expansion lead to similar DOC removals (30%). However, employing a 40% bed expansion lead to significantly lower DOC removals (24%). A backwash strategy that reduced the backwash water volume usage by about 20% resulted in similar DOC reductions observed with the reference backwash. The investigated backwash procedures were also terminated by the extended terminal subluidization wash (ETSW). ETSW demonstrated no impact on DOC removals, however, ETSW successfully eliminated the filter ripening sequence. Phospholipids and adenosine tri-phosphate methods showed no correlation with DOC removal. On the other hand, dissolved oxygen uptake showed a direct correlation with DOC removals.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Environmental
    Date Created:
    2016