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  • Techno-Economic and Environmental Performance of Two Distinct State-of-the-Art Solar-Assisted District Energy System Topologies

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Brunt, Nicholas Alec
    Abstract:
    This thesis introduces a novel, ambient-temperature district energy system topology that enables bi-directional mass flow to booster heat pumps and includes distributed solar-thermal generation. A detailed model of this system is developed in MATLAB-Simulink, and an equivalent model is developed for a conventional, supply-return district system. The systems are compared—with and without solar-thermal integration—in technical, environmental, and economic analyses. Annual simulations are conducted for the case study: a district energy system in Ottawa with 12 building clusters. The ambient system achieves an annual coefficient of performance of 1.40 without solar and 1.43 with solar. The conventional system achieves annual coefficients of performance of 1.26 and 1.28, respectively. The solar fractions of the ambient and conventional systems are 5.5 and 4.0% for heating and 9.3 and 10.0% for cooling, respectively. The ambient system (without solar) decreased annual carbon emissions by 32.16% relative to the conventional system, a significant improvement.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Sustainable Energy
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Reshaping Memory: Counter-Narratives in Kindertransport Literature

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Allard, Marie-Catherine
    Abstract:
    This study examines the literary narratives (both non-fictional and fictional) of child Holocaust survivors who were evacuated on one of the Kindertransports to Britain focusing in particular on the writing of Karen Gershon, Ruth Barnett, and Josef Eisinger. My focus is on the Kinder's numerous retellings of their experience across different genres. I demonstrate that by transposing their story from one genre to the next the Kinder's narratives make observable the constructive process of memory and its mediated character. I argue that by continuously rewriting their Kindertransport experience, Gershon, Barnett, and Eisinger shed light on generally silenced elements of their evacuation. Their retellings challenge the British celebratory narrative, and reshape discourses around the history and memory of this rescue operation. Together, Gershon, Barnett, and Eisinger's accounts provide alternative perspectives on the Kindertransport based on their age, gender, emigration, and postwar relationships with surviving parents and relatives. Each of their corpuses encourages new dialogues in Kindertransport studies and introduces different literary genres to Kindertransport literature. Gershon's publications, ranging from her poems on the Jewish condition to her novels on the estrangement of German Jewish refugees in Britain, complicates perceptions of the redemptive celebratory narrative by complicating Britain's hospitable image. Barnett's corpus, which began with her academic publications in the field of psychology and eventually came to include an autobiography and a play, challenges the selective celebratory narrative around the Kinder's survival and adaptation in Britain by describing the after-effects of the partitioning of families on the Kinder. Eisinger's memoir, Flight and Refuge, composed of his wartime diary entries and retrospective commentary on these entries, exposes the power dynamics at stake in the deportation of older male Kinder from Britain to Canada. His narrative addresses the transnational character of this operation and the Kindertransport memory of Britain's former colonies, despite the centrality of Britain in the memorialization of the Kindertransport. In addition to introducing new paradigms in Kindertransport studies, my analysis of Gershon, Barnett, and Eisinger's respective corpuses confirms the importance of literary representations of the Kindertransport in preventing its narrative from remaining an oversimplified and solely celebratory one.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Cultural Mediations
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Marketing Architecture in Canada: Exploring the Architecture Profession's Understanding and Use of Marketing: 1955 - 1985 to Present

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Campbell, Brynne Hope Ulluriak
    Abstract:
    Marketing, which includes the process of communicating and delivering value to its target audience, has struggled to find its footing within the architecture profession. Researchers have suggested that architects believe it is unprofessional to be associated with business and marketing. The term 'marketing' has often been used pejoratively in the books, professional journals, and documents written for and by architects. Professional architectural associations and advocacy organizations have perpetuated an urgency to properly communicate the value of architecture and the architect's role. However, the ethical guidelines have made promoting architecture and architects' roles challenging to implement. The shifting rules imposed by associations regarding marketing have contributed to the profession's persistent disassociation with marketing. This dissertation looks at the historical conversations regarding marketing within the context of contemporary questions raised through the 'project of architecture' - POP // CAN // CRIT 2017: Marketing and Promotion of Architecture in Canada, which took place on October 27, 2017, in Toronto, Canada. This national symposium brought together professionals in the architecture industry to discuss the role of marketing within the Canadian architecture industry. It sought to open the conversation on marketing for the profession and serves as a resource for the dissertation research. Building on this event, this dissertation analyses professional journals, resources, and documents written for and by architects between 1955 - 1985 to see how the profession's relationship with business and marketing has evolved. Emphasis is placed on The Canadian Architect magazine. This publication has served as a critical voice for the profession in Canada since its establishment in 1955. The research explores moments in architectural history that may have contributed to the profession's ongoing struggle with marketing. Finally, using two case studies, this dissertation looks at how architecture firms have historically used marketing in their practice and communicated their firm value to clients and the public.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2022

  • The Development of Students' Assessment Literacies as They Transition to University: An Exploratory Case Study

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Beynen, Tina
    Abstract:
    Changes in academic demands, expectations, and ways of demonstrating knowledge through assessments are among the challenges faced by students transitioning to university. There is transition research in the Canadian context, but little documenting students' experiences with assessment, or how they develop their assessment literacies (e.g., understanding assessment in the course context and how assessment information is used to monitor and improve learning). This research examined how first-year university students' experiences with, knowledge of, and expectations about assessment impacted the development of their assessment literacies as they transitioned to university. The exploratory case study was theoretically framed by social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1977a, 1986) and reflexivity (e.g., Ryan, 2015; Schön, 1983, 1987). Three data sources were collected from ten first-year student participants: course assessment documents that triangulated students' responses from two semi-structured interviews and students' assessment journal entries. These data were coded using Saldaña's (2016) structural, emotion, and values coding. Course assessment documents were compared and categorized (Maxwell & Miller, 2008), noting the social setting and social actors (stakeholders) involved (Coffey, 2014). The findings illuminated four primary impacts on students' development of assessment literacies: 1) multiple interacting literacies needed to facilitate success; 2) social (i.e., personal and academic) supports; 3) variability in teaching staff; and 4) assumptions made by institutional stakeholders about what students know and can do. These impacts resulted in navigational work (extra work beyond typical class and assessment preparation), but also the development and implementation of navigational strategies used to cope with the new academic expectations and demands of university. The findings led to a working model that characterizes how students learn and are empowered by collaborating with teachers and acting reflexively and autonomously within a cycle of teaching, assessment, and learning that is facilitated by formative feedback. This dissertation research adds to the literature on the development of students' assessment literacies, and highlights the navigational strategies that facilitated student participants' development of assessment and other literacies as they met the academic demands of university. Increased understanding of such development and what promotes it may facilitate greater student success in the first year of university and beyond.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies
    Date Created:
    2023

  • A System for Bounding the Execution Cost of Web Assembly Functions

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Shortt, John
    Abstract:
    WebAssembly is a programming language and virtual machine architecture that allows code to be executed in any environment that implements a WebAssembly runtime. WebAssembly has been formally specified using an abstract syntax, and a soundness proof of this specification has been written and mechanized. We build on this to create a system that determines a bound on the runtime cost of a WebAssembly function. We show that for a broad class of real-world programs this cost can be computed efficiently and we develop a software tool called WANALYZE that does so. The software tool is comprised of a set of algorithms that perform a series of transformations on the raw WebAssembly bytecode into forms that are more suitable for analysis. We test WANALYZE against a suite of programs of varying size and complexity and find that WANALYZE is able to successfully analyze over 99.9% of the functions in these programs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Depth-based Patient Monitoring in the NICU with Non-Ideal Camera Placement

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Hajj-Ali, Zein
    Abstract:
    Depth cameras can improve the performance of patient monitoring systems without the introduction of multiple sensors in the NICU. A method was developed to correct non-ideal camera placement. The mean absolute percentage error of the method tested on 28 patients was 5.58 for camera angles up to 38.58° away from the optimal camera placement. An ROI selection method was developed and tested for the use of extracting a respiratory rate signal. The ROI selection method was found to have an average Sørensen-Dice coefficient of 0.62 and Jaccard index of 0.46. The signal was compared to a simpler method resulting in an improvement to the percentage of acceptable estimates. An intervention detection method was developed using a vision transformer model, and the performance was compared to the state-of-the-art in the field. The best model was found to achieve a sensitivity of 85.6%, precision of 89.8%, and F1-Score of 87.6%.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Using Bipartite Matching and Detection Transformers for Document Layout Analysis Transfer Learning

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Wilson, Joshua Randy
    Abstract:
    Business documents represent useful information which could benefit from automatic interpretation. The task of document layout analysis seeks to identify and localize semantic structures in documents. Contemporary techniques approach this as a strictly visual task. However, recent progress in Natural Language Processing (NLP) has enabled the incorporation of language information. Multimodal techniques have been proposed for the task of document layout analysis. These models make use of region based object detection techniques which require defining surrogate tasks such as region proposals and non-max suppression. This thesis presents LayoutLMDet, a multimodal layout analysis model. LayoutLMDet approaches object detection as a direct set prediction task as described in "End-to-End Object Detection with Transformers". Using bipartite matching, LayoutLMDet removes the need for surrogate tasks, simplifying implementation. Leveraging a pretrained transformer encoder, LayoutLMDet is able to achieve a mean average precision of 49.5 on the DocLayNet test dataset. A qualitative comparison of LayoutLMDets performance on the DocBank dataset highlights the impact of data selection.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Design and Characterization of a Flame Spray Pyrolysis Apparatus to Compare Soot Emissions from Liquid Fuels

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Scott, Jason
    Abstract:
    This study investigates flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) as a simple bench-top tool for comparison of soot emissions from different liquid jet fuels. A sampling assembly is designed for soot collection and particle property analysis. Soot agglomerate size distributions and elemental to total carbon ratios (EC/TC) are measured for three liquid fuels and flame conditions with Reynold's numbers and burner equivalence ratios ranging from 6000 to 9100 and 6.7 to 13.1. Day-to-day variations in the dilution ratio resulted in up to 20% variability in the measured total agglomerate number density and mobility diameters. Geometric mean primary particle and mobility diameter values are below 21 and 113 nm, in excellent agreement with those emitted from jet engines and earlier works using FSP. EC/TC is higher than 0.8 for all flames burning Jet A1, but values as low as 0.55 are measured for soot emitted from SAF burning flames.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Cobalt and Ruthenium Complexes for Vapor Phase Deposition Processes of Metallic Thin Films: Precursor Design, Surface Reaction Chemistry and Thin Film Applications

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Zanders, David
    Abstract:
    Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are key techniques in the industrially highly relevant microelectronics sector. The quality of deposited thin films is strongly dependent on the precursors that are employed and the film-forming surface chemistries that they facilitate. Recently, cobalt (Co) and ruthenium (Ru) ALD and CVD processes for the deposition of thinnest metallic layers are garnering significant interest. For these materials, alternative film-forming surface chemistries other than the established ones are rarely studied. Herein, a novel ALD approach for Co is presented in which an intramolecularily stabilized reduction inducing zinc alkyl co-reagent is employed. Likewise a novel CVD route for Ru thin films using a divalent Ru precursor is presented. The resulting Co and Ru thin films are thoroughly characterized in terms of suitability for microelectronics manufacturing. Additionally, alternative Co precursor candidates are systematically synthesized, chemically characterized and their thermal properties evaluated.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Chemistry
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Routing Ratio of the Directed Yao-6 Graphs

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Kalnay, William Michael Zoltan
    Abstract:
    Given a set of points in the plane, a directed Yao-6 graph partitions the plane around each point into six disjoint cones. Each cone has an aperture of pi /3. The cones are oriented around each point in the same manner. Then, for each point in the graph, a directed edge is added to the closest point in each of its six cones if the cone contains a point. In this thesis we present a local routing algorithm with an upper bound on the routing ratio of 1+ (38 /√3) ≈ 23 when applied to the directed Yao-6 graph. In the context of this thesis, a local routing algorithm will use only the location of the destination and the location of the points connected to the current point by an outgoing edge.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Contribution of Ionophores to Clinical Antimicrobial Resistance

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Abdelgany, Amer
    Abstract:
    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributes to approximately 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, and this number increases annually. The use of antimicrobials in animals is an increasing concern in the spread of AMR. Ionophores are a class of antibiotic widely used in veterinary medicine for growth promotion and disease prevention, but they are not seen as a contributor to clinical AMR. Nonetheless, mechanisms of resistance to ionophores and their relation to clinical AMR are not well understood. To address these questions, we evolved the opportunistic pathogens Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus in the presence or absence of ionophores in the lab. We then assayed resistance to ionophores and to conventional medically important antimicrobials (MIAs). Ionophore resistance was found in S.epidermidis, but not in S.aureus. Collateral sensitivity and cross-resistance were also found in S.epidermidis, while S.aureus showed only a decrease in sensitivity toward some MIAs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Green Space, Physical Activity, and Complete Mental Health: Evidence from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Forget, Genevieve
    Abstract:
    Bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) suggests that local green space and physical activity may be associated with complete mental health; however, evidence is mixed. Mixed findings may be attributable to the different operationalizations of variables and/or covariates that have been used. The current study used specification curve analysis to assess the robustness of associations between green space, physical activity, and complete mental health among middle-aged and older adults. Data came from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (n = 28,635). Green space and physical activity did not interact in most instances. Main effects of green space were mixed (49.71 - 75.26%), and median effect sizes were small (β = -0.016, 0.025). Main effects of physical activity were robust (89.47 - 97.22%), and median effect sizes were small (β = -0.036, 0.036). Results highlight that specification decisions influence the strength of associations between variables.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Performance Evaluation of Transformer-based NLP Models on Fake News Detection Datasets

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Narendra Babu, Raveen
    Abstract:
    Fake news has the potential to have catastrophic effects because it is increasingly concerning how it spreads on social media. Due to the lack of available research on the performance of various transformer models using datasets that contain data samples from a wide variety of domains, it is essential to increase the research in this field. Hence, this research investigates the performance of various suitable machine learning algorithms implementations on three fake news datasets: LIAR, FNC-1 and Balanced Dataset for Fake News Analysis. Some pre-trained transformer language models, BERT, RoBERTa, ALBERT and DistilBERT, were chosen for this research. The experiments' results indicated that RoBERTa is the best performing model across all datasets. The results also indicated that DistilBERT trains in half the time as required by the other three models. RoBERTa obtained an accuracy of 69% when trained on the LIAR dataset.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Envisioning Post-Apocalyptic Futures: A Speculative Design Toolkit for Non-Designers

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Verhoeven, Anna
    Abstract:
    This thesis discusses the applications of speculative design within a non-design context, examining the potential of speculative design as a medium in expressing post-apocalyptic environmentalist visions of the future. This thesis primarily consists of literature reviews and analysis of environmental futures and current speculative and foresight methods to understand the current barriers post-apocalyptic environmentalists face when attempting to imagine their versions of the future as well as how speculative design and design foresight methods could address these barriers. Finally, this thesis concludes with a proposal for a toolkit that adapts methods from speculative design and design foresight to deconstruct speculative design as a practice used only by experts into a medium that non-designers can potentially practice their work through.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Carry-over Effects in Arctic-breeding Shorebirds: A Cross-species Perspective

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    English, Willow Bernadette
    Abstract:
    Avian studies have long been limited to single populations at a single time and place. However, such studies overlook carry-over effects, where conditions in one season cause fitness consequences in subsequent seasons. As technological advances make it possible to follow individual birds over a full year, it has become clear that carry-over effects can have fitness implications, and are therefore important to consider. In this thesis, I use tracking and physiological data from 14 species of Arctic-breeding shorebirds to link reproductive and timing variation to a bird's earlier experiences. In general, carry-over effects appear to influence important metrics of breeding and timing in Arctic-breeding shorebirds. The timing of nest initiation was influenced by both carry-over effects, measured by a bird's migration timing, and local weather conditions. While patterns were generally consistent across species, variation in the influence of carry-over effects among species merits further research. Tracking data also showed that delays in one season continue into the next, although seasonally variable mitigation means that birds generally reduced the extent of delays, potentially at a physiological cost. Winter is the exception, as birds appear able to fully "reset the clock" during this period, preventing delays from accumulating across years. Winter levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in feathers showed a positive relationship with nest success in the subsequent summer, supporting the idea that high levels of CORT may not always imply that an individual is struggling, or at least that the relationship between CORT and fitness may be complex. This thesis is one of the first multi-species studies of carry-over effects, and is unparalleled in number of species and sample size within the carry-over effect literature. It is additionally novel for the multiple methods used to assess carry-over effects across a similar group of species. The importance of carry-over effects demonstrated within this thesis highlights the need for using a whole year approach to assess what influences variation in fitness, especially in migratory species. Doing so will improve our ability to identify and understand the causes of factors affecting demographic rates and driving declines across taxa.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Exploring Latent Biometric Constructs in a Model Predicting Mental States of Aviators

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Pejemsky, Anya Danilovna
    Abstract:
    Single-crew aircraft persistently have a high accident rate; these accidents are associated with high mental workload (MWL). The aviation industry would benefit from a passive MWL monitoring system that would predict flight performance. Passive biosensors offer an economical and non-intrusive method for indexing MWL. Many studies have overemphasized tonic data while ignoring phasic data. The present study explores the viability of a phasic data centered model in indexing MWL to predict flight performance. The study had non-pilots fly a simulator. Cardiovascular and epidermal data, objective and subjective MWL states, subjective reports of simulator sickness, and a variety of flight performance indicators were measured. The data were decomposed into several components to build formative latent variables that were pruned based on an objective MWL measure to then predict flight performance measures. The results indicate that phasic components explain more variance in flight performance than objective and subjective MWL and tonic data.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Exploration-exploitation Learning in Foraging Hummingbirds is Driven by Cumulative Experience and Energetic Costs

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Donkersteeg, Courtney Jane
    Abstract:
    Exploration is necessary to gain information about environments, but testing exploration is often overlooked. Previous studies of animal foraging have considered non-rewarded choices to be mistakes representing failure to exploit valuable resources. Here I define several ways to quantify explorative behaviour and use those metrics to test how the probability of explorative choices changes with experience and body mass. I exposed five ruby-throated hummingbirds to an artificial flower array and quantified their exploration across repeated foraging sessions with different reward positions in each session. As the birds gained experience with the experimental paradigm, explorative behaviour started higher at the beginning of each new session despite its overall decrease as the session progressed. Smaller birds were more explorative than heavier birds, consistent with previous tests of foraging success and body mass. These results show that a hummingbird's explorative behaviour changes with body mass and learning resource dynamics through experience.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Human Factors in Drone Delivery of Automatic External Defibrillators for Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Older Adult Considerations

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tierney, Lauren Jamie
    Abstract:
    Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) delivered by drone have the potential to improve survival rates of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) due to earlier access to defibrillation. There is a lack of user-centred, and older adult-focused research in this area. The present study evaluated the perceptions and interactions of older adults with a drone delivered AED operation to identify human factors considerations that may enable the design development of a more inclusive and accessible drone delivered AED service. A Drone Bystander Centred Design Framework (DBCD) was developed and informed design concepts for key service touchpoints, including the drone, the drop mechanism, AED packaging, and dispatch communication. Results from this study provide novel insight into older adult characteristics and how they may relate to this emerging service model, older adults' service experience of a simulated drone delivered AED, as well as cognitive, psychographic, sensory, perception, and movement control considerations.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Cluster-Based Information-Centric Wireless Sensor Networks Management for Enhanced User Security Satisfaction in the Internet of Things

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gharib, Anastassia
    Abstract:
    Many Internet of Things applications, such as smart cities and intelligent transportation, require accessible data to users (i.e., data consumers). To address users' timely data access needs, Information-Centric Wireless Sensor Networks (ICWSNs) were proposed that allow users to access data directly from cache nodes. Particularly, ICWSNs are clustered, and Cluster Heads (CHs) are selected to collect data from basic sensing nodes and act as cache nodes. Nevertheless, clustering and ensuring data security in ICWSNs is challenging. This is because sensor nodes are often resource-constrained, heterogeneous (i.e., perform different sensing tasks), and/or mobile. Driven by users' security and timely data access needs, in this thesis, cluster-based ICWSNs' management for enhanced user security satisfaction is investigated. First, a security-aware CHs selection algorithm is proposed to optimize network coverage that is subject to security and energy constraints. Then, cluster-based ICWSNs with heterogeneous communities are modeled analytically and compared to conventional cluster-based ICWSNs with heterogeneous sensor nodes. To overcome the identified energy-latency and security trade-off, a Security Level Aware algorithm for Cluster-based ICWSNs with Heterogeneous communities (SLAC-H) is proposed. In SLAC-H, community leaders collect and forward application-domain-speciffic data to CHs. Next, Node Embedding with Security Resource Allocation (NESRA) clustering algorithm for mobile ICWSNs is proposed. To improve user security satisfaction, NESRA allocates security resources to sensor nodes based on their location, mobility, and energy resources. Still, when security is set as a priority, many times, more energy is spent on security than is actually required. Therefore, along with the mobility-aware NESRA, User-aware clustering with Security Resource Allocation (USRA) algorithm is proposed. In USRA, a sink node determines which security resource each sensor node will be using for the next round to avoid over-utilization of network resources while satisfying user security needs. A summary of the proposed algorithms and some highlights for future work conclude this thesis.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2023

  • The petrology of the J-M Reef Pd-Pt deposit and the Lower Banded series of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, USA

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Jenkins, Michael Christopher
    Abstract:
    The J-M Reef, of the Lower Banded series (LBS) in the Neoarchean Stillwater Complex, is the highest-grade platinum group element (PGE) deposit on Earth. The J-M Reef is a ~1.5 m thick stratiform accumulation of high tenor disseminated sulfide and platinum group minerals hosted in coarse-grained heteradcumulates called the Reef Package. The grades and sulfide tenors of the reef vary from one part of the Stillwater Complex to another due to variable amounts of silicate and sulfide liquid equilibration. The cumulates in the LBS can be modeled by batch crystallization of a komatiitic parental melt contaminated by lower crustal rocks. Emplacement of crystal-bearing slurries produces the noritic and gabbronoritic cumulates that account for most of the rocks in the LBS. The olivine-bearing rocks of the LBS are modeled by infiltration and partial melting of footwall gabbronorites by an influx of hot, dense contaminated komatiitic parental melt. This infiltration and reaction process dissolves gabbronorite mush and crystallizes olivine. Dissolution of plagioclase crystals at smaller size fractions during reaction with the infiltrating melt, produces flatter, convex crystal size distributions in the Reef Package. The infiltration process that produces the olivine-bearing rocks in the LBS and the coarse-grained rock in the Reef Package, can also produce high PGE tenor sulfide mineralization. Mass balance calculations for S and Pd show that sulfides hosted within the footwall gabbronorite can be dissolved and upgraded by the incoming, sulfide-undersaturated and PGE-undepleted melt. This infiltration and upgrading of footwall disseminated sulfide has implications for the origin of other reef-type PGE deposits where erosional contacts are observed between the ore-hosting rocks and their footwall (e.g., the Merensky Reef of the Bushveld Complex). The top of the Reef Package, and the top of economic reef mineralization, is defined by a change in rock fabric known as the hanging wall contact. The hanging wall contact is determined by the change from the coarse-grained textures in the Reef Package to foliated, finer-grained cumulates in the hanging wall. This contact represents the most important marker horizon in mine operations because it is always present, even when the J-M Reef is not.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Three Essays in Econometrics

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Richard, Florian
    Abstract:
    In this thesis, I contribute to the literature on multiple comparisons and specification testing for multivariate models, through the lens of model selection procedures in asset pricing. In the first chapter, I provide a model selection procedure for multivariate models, generalizing the model confidence set (MCS) procedure to systems of N>1 dependent variables. A (1-α) level MCS collects the set of models with equal predictive ability, based on a sequential elimination procedure. I introduce supremum t and Hotelling T^2 statistics which account for correlation between loss differentials. I assess the performance of 14 candidate asset pricing models using monthly data for the period 1972-2013. I find that for out-of-sample tests, only a single model is selected by the procedure, but the MCS often includes multiple models for in-sample tests. Overall, out-of-sample tests and a larger number of more heterogenous test assets provide more information to disentangle models. The procedure shows good size and power properties in simulations. In the second chapter, we propose a multivariate extension of exact specification tests for non-nested models. Our test is finite-sample exact under the assumption of Gaussian errors, and is easily generalized to a multiple-model hypothesis via a combined alternative. We obtain valid inference results using bootstrapped Monte Carlo p-values, even when the distribution under the null hypothesis is intractable. We consider Gaussian and non-Gaussian errors through bootstrapping, and we show that our test possesses good size and power properties via simulations. Finally, we present empirical applications to asset pricing by testing benchmark factor models against single and multiple alternatives. In the third chapter, we offer an empirical assessment of the current beta-pricing literature, using non-nested tests for multivariate models and a MCS approach. Both methods can be used to assess either: (i) the statistical significance of a newly proposed non-nested model, or (ii) the statistical equivalence of their predictions, in the sense of equal predictive ability. We reconcile the MCS procedure of Hansen et al. (2011) with our empirical approach. We find that the test of Khalaf and Richard (2022) rejects many models empirically, while the MCS approach favours the Fama and French (2018) model.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Economics
    Date Created:
    2023

  • What is This Music? Musical Taste, Psychology, Sociology, Media, and Manipulation

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Fraser, Malcolm
    Abstract:
    Why do people like the music they like-and hate what they hate? Musical taste is connected to identity, personality, and community, as well as to marketing, semiotics, and technology. This thesis explores the many facets of musical taste-from the history of the recording business, to the way musical taste is framed in the media, to the body of research on musical preference and personality, to the way our tastes are measured (and shaped) in the era of big data-and how these threads are connected. Using extensive research into the study of music preference, as well as interviews with some of the leading researchers in the field, the thesis sheds light on the psychological and social factors that underpin our musical identities.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Journalism (M.J.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Journalism
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Participation during Deliberation as a Function of Individual Juror Traits: An Examination of the First Hypothesis of The Story Sampling Model from Devine (2012)’s Multi-Level Theory of Jury Decision Making

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Azad, Andleeb
    Abstract:
    Devine (2012)'s Multi-Level Theory concerning jury processes posits that the level of participation during jury deliberations is related to several juror factors. Specifically, the factors the current study tested are defendant gender, need for cognition, status as foreperson, and predeliberation cognitive state (regarding the verdict), a factor proposed by Devine. It was predicted that jurors who were women, the jury foreperson, those who had higher scores on the need for cognition scale, and those who had higher confidence in the verdict would participate more. Data from a larger project were used to test this set of predictions. Mock jury deliberations were used to observe deliberation behaviour. Analyses returned mixed results and partial support for the theory. This study is important because it begins to empirically test part of a model that is widely cited but has not been scientifically investigated. Legal implications and limitations are also discussed.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2023

  • No Decision About Us Without Us: Informing Rare Disease Policies in Canada with the Lived Experiences of Patients and Families with Rare Genetic Lysosomal Storage Diseases

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Khaddouj Awada, Nahya
    Abstract:
    Canadians born with rare diseases (RDs) experience a myriad of challenges as they navigate the healthcare system to access lifesaving drugs and related services. Canada lags behind other advanced industrialized countries in implementing a comprehensive national strategy to manage RDs and facilitate access to drugs for rare diseases (DRDs). The existing provincially managed system for accessing DRDs is fragmented, uneven, and uncoordinated. It is not reflective of patient experiences but rather aggravates patient challenges, including delayed access to treatment and inconsistent decision-making for drug coverage. The central purpose of this dissertation is to understand how lived experiences of RD patients can inform health policy and the healthcare system to improve RD care. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with RD (lysosomal storage diseases) patients and their families and a review of policy documents, this dissertation uncovers four major challenges encountered by RD patients beyond gaining access to DRDs. These include 1) difficulty in obtaining a timely correct diagnosis; 2) lack of coordinated, efficient, and holistic patient care; 3) lack of consideration of patient voice in decision-making processes; and 4) difficulty in navigating the healthcare system due to stigmatization. This dissertation also finds that the patchwork of programs that govern access to DRDs in Canadian provinces has been ineffective and has failed to support patients in receiving timely and equitable access to DRDs. The above factors demonstrate the necessity for a comprehensive national strategy for RDs that goes beyond an orphan drug framework and addresses the holistic needs of the patient population. Patients and families must be centrally included in the continuum of care and the policymaking process. Such a framework empowers people affected by RDs and reduces their marginalization and exclusion. This dissertation fills important gaps in the existing literature. It delivers important data and insights 1) by collecting extensive, hitherto unavailable, experiential data from RD patients and their families by bringing their unique voices to the policy table; 2) by making patient-centered recommendations for the proposed national RD strategy; and 3) by offering a structured patient engagement framework in the RD sector to meaningfully engage RD patients in decision-making.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Gender Equality Mythologized? Depoliticization, Discourse, and Policymaking in a Post-Crisis European Union

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Humniski, Akaysha Barbara
    Abstract:
    With the 2008 financial crisis, the European Union (EU) was launched into what has become over a decade of ongoing crises that has included the subsequent emergence of the refugee crisis, Brexit, and the COVID-19 pandemic, amidst austerity policies, reform efforts, and shifting political landscapes. Under these conditions of "polycrisis" the basis of the European project has been called into question, as recovery and reform efforts have dictated political priorities and constrained institutional capacity for fourteen years. The challenges that crises have posed to the EU's legitimacy draws attention to the foundational mythologies that hold the polity together and establish the uniquely "European" values and identities that undergird European integration. Gender equality has been continuously represented among these "European values" fuelled by the EU's longstanding commitments, however the scaling back of social provisions under the guise of crisis management prompted challenges to the EU's reputation as a gender equality leader. The election of the first woman Commission president in 2019 provided some optimism for gender actors and this dissertation interrogates the EU's presentation of its own gender equality project from 2009-2022 by investigating the "myth" of "gender equality" in the EU. "Mythologies," represent the norms and stories of the polity and are constitutive dimensions of politics, which is demonstrated in this study through the analysis of EU-level discourse. This dissertation focuses on the intra-discursive functions that "myths" serve in EU politics and policymaking, drawing attention to the disconnect between active and celebratory commitments. By employing different qualitative methods and engaging in discourse analysis, this project investigates the mobilization of "foundational myths" in both overarching EU programmes and targeted gender policies. It then analyzes the effects of mythologizing on the politicization (or depoliticization) of gender equality. This dissertation argues that to legitimate its supranational polity in "polycrisis," the EU discursively mobilizes mythic commitments to "European values" in place of substantive efforts. It finds that the repeated representation of gender equality in the "common sense" of "European values" obscures and naturalizes its secondary status as a political priority and, as such, currently renders gender equality "mythologized" in the EU.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Political Science
    Date Created:
    2022

  • The Role of Informal Communication Within Multinational Interior Design Teams During Virtual Collaboration

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Pouryousef Khameneh, Shiva
    Abstract:
    Nowadays, virtual teamwork has become a worldwide trend and Multinational Teams (MNT) remain an essential part of corporations. The cultural difference as the nature of MNTs causes misunderstandings. This research explores the influence of informal communication on team collaboration in MNTs during the early idea-generation phase of interior design projects in a virtual environment. An exploratory research methodology evolved from a combination of research methods. Qualitative data was collected from survey questionnaires and observations of two virtual ideageneration workshops with five participants in each group. According to the analysis, mandatory break time with participatory activities revolving around cultural differences increased informal communication amongst the team, and in turn improved participation and the exchange of ideas during continued collaboration. Informal communication has a positive influence on collaboration of MNTs. The conceptual framework was developed to illustrate its role by connecting the "creation of deeper relations" to "more of collaboration" in MNTs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Design (M.Des.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Industrial Design
    Date Created:
    2022

  • (Re)Producing military mythology at the Canada Army Run

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Desjardins, Bridgette Marie
    Abstract:
    This thesis offers a novel exploration of militarism in amateur sport. I analyze the 2019 Canada Army Run - an annual road race organized and hosted by the Canadian Armed Forces - to explore how embodied interaction with the event's pro-military messaging affects participants' political orientation to the Canadian military. I draw on ethnographic data gathered while running in the 5k race as well as 40 semi-structured qualitative interviews with race participants and three interviews with event organizers. Theoretically, I utilize Barthes' (1972) work on mythology to conceptualize the ideological significance and political affects of military myth and explore the ways myth is circulated and produced at the Army Run. The most predominant Canadian Armed Forces myths described by participants are: having a standing, armed military is necessary and inevitable; the military only uses force when necessary and primarily engages in aid work and is thus moral; and the military is misunderstood by most civilians and as a result is under appreciated. These myths circulate at the Army Run in myriad ways. The opportunity to build civilian-military connections via interpersonal interaction was the event's most effective tactic in generating civilian support, encouraging participants to see the military not as a faceless institution, but rather as the sum of its parts: individual servicepeople. Ultimately, I argue that the Canada Army Run (re)produces myths of military necessity, morality, and under appreciation via participants' embodied engagement in military themed spaces and with military members. Through physical engagement in the Army Run's military-saturated event space and interaction with military servicepeople, participants come to feel connected to the military, and it is through this felt connection that increased support is generated and attention is shifted away from military politics and practices and toward the interpersonal. The Army Run's presentation of a depoliticized, individualized Canadian Armed Forces allows for increased public support that remains constant as it is not grounded in the reality of military action, thus enabling the proliferation of military power and investment.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Legal Studies
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Design and Delivery of Public Mental Health Programming for First Nations Youth: Federal, Provincial, Regional, and Community Approaches to Youth Engagement in Northwestern Ontario

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Root, Ariel Elizabeth
    Abstract:
    Public mental health programming aims to address mental health at a population level, and must therefore consider the interconnectedness of determinants of health, and their distinctions between First Nations communities. In Ontario, public mental health programming on-reserve has been described as a piecemeal of policies and legislation between governments, regional authorities, and community-based services. Regional organizations publish publicly about their program development processes, many of which highlight the importance of youth engagement. Youth engagement in decision-making that affects their lives can improve program relevance, and influence participating youths' wellbeing. This project was guided by three lines of inquiry: how federal, provincial, regional, and community-level organizations approach public mental health programming for First Nations youth living on reserve in northwestern Ontario; the ways in which they each use youth engagement methods, and; the experiences from engagement opportunities as perceived by both youth and adults. Interview data were collected between May 2019 and January 2022 to unpack programmatic approaches to public mental health and youth engagement methods used as defined by the McCain Model of Youth Engagement (Heffernan et al., 2017). The Youth-Adult Survey (Jones & Perkins, 2006) and the Youth Experiences Survey (Hansen & Larson, 2002) were administered to First Nations youth and youth workers in community between June and July 2021 to compare engagement experiences between participating youth and adults. Findings from this project reveal that public mental health programming is mostly designed and delivered by regional and community-level organizations, though rigorous reporting and evaluation requirements to sustain funding were significant challenges. Funding and designing programs for youth living on-reserve must be rooted in strengths-based approaches, as well as informed by challenges in community contexts. Regional and community-level organizations in northwestern Ontario most often engaged with youth, and used various methods of engagement; however, contextual factors, as well as historical and ongoing trauma, influenced both youth and adult allyship. Renewing the approach to public mental health for First Nations living on-reserve in northwestern Ontario will require renewed relationships between First Nations and governments that ensure inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies throughout design and decision-making.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Public Policy
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Privacy, Biological Relatives, and at-Home DNA Testing

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Baig, Khadija Nawal
    Abstract:
    At-home DNA testing remains popular amongst individuals today. These direct-to-consumer services come with several privacy risks, that can extend far beyond the individuals taking the test. How do participants attribute risk to biological family members? How do users and non-users differ in comfort with their data being shared, and their understanding of privacy risks? How do privacy perceptions differ for ancestry and health data? To investigate these questions, we conducted a 2x2 survey, and discovered non-users were significantly more privacy conscious, and that health data was considered more beneficial overall. We then interviewed 10 biological family members of users who had not taken a test themselves; though many were unconcerned or indifferent towards privacy, privacy-conscious participants were frustrated by, and resigned to, the loss of control over their data. We discuss our findings, the implications of our research, offer recommendations to improve privacy, and identify areas for future research.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Computer Science (M.C.S.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Overbrook Renewal: The Redevelopment of Shallow Lot Public Housing

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Farhat, Alia
    Abstract:
    Ottawa's public housing stock, most of which is owned and maintained by Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCH), is reaching the end of its life cycle and is increasingly costly to maintain. This thesis focuses on the redevelopment of OCH's holdings in the Overbrook neighborhood. Unlike more notorious post-war examples,1 this housing consists of low-rise, family-friendly dwellings integrated with private-sector housing. When evaluated against current municipal standards, however, the density is low, and energy performance of this housing is poor. Moreover, current residents, many of whom have raised families in their units, would benefit from a greater range of housing choices. Among the challenges facing the redevelopment of OCH's Overbrook properties is the shallow configuration of some lots. This thesis uses design as a form of research to explore higher-density solutions for these parcels while integrating a variety of unit types.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Architecture
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Experimental Investigation of Colloid-Facilitated Metal Transport in Mine-Impacted Wetland Sediment

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Harper, Colleen Olivia
    Abstract:
    Metal mining operations can release toxic metals to surrounding environments, often necessitating remediation. Contaminant transport can increase the area impacted, but site-specific conditions control the movement of contaminants. Colloid-facilitated transport, the transport of contaminants with small, mobile particles, has been recognized as a potential contaminant transport vector in groundwater, but it remains unclear whether it is important in all situations. This work presents two laboratory experiments that study the effect of colloids on metal mobility in saturated, wetland sediment using mixed and single metal solutions and neutral to acidic solution pHs. Results indicate that colloid-facilitated transport is only important when small, humic acid colloids are present and at pH ≥4. Larger particles were found to be largely immobile, so could aid in the immobilization of metal contaminants. These findings imply that colloid-facilitated transport is important in wetland sediment and should be considered when remediating mine sites.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Clinical Model for Cerebral Vasospasm Prediction

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Hsu, Janine Shao Chen
    Abstract:
    Cerebral vasospasm is a neurosurgical emergency that occurs after aneurysm rupture. Rapid diagnosis allows for initiation of management. CT angiogram is the mainstay diagnostic modality when vasospasm is suspected. Our group aims to develop an automatic segmentation model followed by a clinical model to detect vasospasm using CTa. Unfortunately automatic segmentation outputs can be noisy. Using the predicted segmentation, we propose a clinical model which extracts 13 different clinical features to improve the vasospasm prediction. Our purpose is to develop this Clinical Model and test its robustness to noise and clinical feature ablation with 403 manual segmentations trained using a decision tree classifier. Our model improves F1 scores at certain distributions of noise and with higher levels of noise. We show that a Clinical Model subsequent to an Automatic Segmentation Model may be useful in further optimizing performance of vasospasm diagnosis.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Biomedical
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Examining Driver Behaviour at Freeway Ramp Terminals Based on Trajectory Data Collected Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Video Image Processing

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Alamry, Fayez
    Abstract:
    This research utilizes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to examine real-life speeds and behaviour of drivers at freeway entrance and exit ramp terminals. To achieve this goal, a total of 1,127 minutes of high-resolution aerial video data were collected for traffic movements at thirteen single-lane ramp terminals (seven entrances and six exits) using single and multiple UAVs. A complete space-time trajectory was extracted for each vehicle as it moved on the freeway right lane (FRL) or speed-change lane (SCL) and ramp using a combination of computer vision and deep learning tools. The trajectories were processed to extract relevant driver-vehicle behaviour measures (e.g., merging/diverging location, merging/diverging speed, acceleration/deceleration distances, SCL utilization rates, and accepted merging gaps). A descriptive analysis was performed for better understanding of driver behaviour over the entire stretch of the freeway ramp terminal segment, including FRL, SCL, and ramp. The trends of driver behaviour measures and their relationships with the SCL and ramp geometric characteristics were investigated under free-flow and platoon conditions. Results of the descriptive analysis highlighted differences between taper and parallel SCLs in terms of merging/diverging location, merging/diverging speed, and SCL utilization. Observations of data also confirmed the importance of accounting for the effects of ramp controlling features on the behaviour and vehicle acceleration needs, especially at exit ramps. Several statistical models were developed using regression analysis to model drivers' behaviour measures on SCLs and ramps. Moreover, a set of the observed merging accepted gap data were fitted to the models proposed in the literature to check which models provide the best fit. Results revealed that the models developed using trip data from SHRP-2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) database relatively fitted the data better than other models in the literature. This finding is significant in validating the transferability of models developed using the NDS to other study areas in North America. Finally, the research concluded with a demonstration of the practical application of the developed regression models in reliability analysis, considering actual drivers' behaviour and speeds on SCLs and ramps.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Civil
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Geometric Modelling and Control of Slow-Fast Realization of Nonholonomic Mechanical Systems

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gzenda, Vaughn Michael
    Abstract:
    This thesis studies geometric formulations of a slow-fast realization of nonholonomic mechanical control systems mediated by strong friction forces. Such realization is motivated by wheeled mobile robotic systems and viewed as a singular perturbation of nonholonomic dynamics. For sufficiently strong friction forces, the dynamics emit an attractive invariant manifold interpreted as the perturbation of the constraints. This invariant manifold describes small slip velocities at the wheel contact points. We propose a systematic decomposition of the control system into slow and fast directions. The invariant manifold is approximated with a power series, which can be recursively computed. Accordingly, we develop a novel recursive procedure to input-output linearize the slow subsystem by dynamic-state feedback transformations. Using this procedure, design a trajectory-tracking PD controller to compensate for the violations of constraints and closed-loop stability analysis is performed. Our approach is illustrated through a numerical case study.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Aerospace
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Region-of-Interest Detection for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Kyrollos, Daniel George
    Abstract:
    Noncontact monitoring of neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) relies on accurate region-of-interest detection (ROI) detection for various downstream tasks, such as vital sign estimation and motion detection. This thesis investigates ROI detection for the NICU under adverse vision conditions, such as complete darkness and full occlusion by blankets, whereas traditional methods, using colour imagery, only consider ideal vision conditions. Pressure and depth imaging were leveraged as alternative imaging modalities since they are not affected by these adverse vision conditions. This thesis develops techniques for multimodal spatial registration between pressure and colour images. This work also establishes the benefit of transfer learning from adult data under different pretraining and fine-tuning strategies. Lastly, this thesis demonstrates that it is possible to estimate full pose from neonates even when the patient is fully occluded, using a combination of pressure and depth imagery.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Morphological Effects of the Microenvironment Structure on Human Fetal Lung Fibroblast Cells

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Shakir, Shahad
    Abstract:
    The Extracellular Matrix (ECM) provides physical and chemical cues that regulate cell behavior and influence cellular function in tissue formation and homeostasis. In recent years, the importance of the ECM microenvironment on cells has been emphasized with research tracking changes due to injury, disease and treatments. Using texture and shape feature analysis, collagen, an important structural protein of the ECM, was characterized in different ECM microenvironments. Additionally, Human Fetal Lung Fibroblast (HFL) cells morphology alterations due to changes in microenvironment were studied. The analysis involved tracking changes in a static, mechanically stimulated, and 3D bioprinted microenvironment. Results indicated that the ECM may trigger signals that control essential physiological processes and cell activity, such as differentiation, adhesion, and migration. Additional assays (e.g., methods to protein and gene expression) are required, but this valuable information provides an opportunity to explore disease development in different tissues, and treatment strategies of chronic diseases.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Biomedical
    Date Created:
    2023

  • Evolution of Hadrosaurs in the Campanian of Laramidia: New Information from the Skull Roof and Braincase

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    McFeeters, Bradley
    Abstract:
    This project seeks to investigate the morphology, ontogeny, and evolution of skull roof and braincase characters in hadrosaurids from the Campanian of northern Laramidia (Alberta and Montana), a setting in which they have been historically recognized as having a high abundance and diversity. New material is evaluated to clarify the distribution and informativeness of morphological character states, allow further testing of previous hypotheses about how the ontogenetic development of these characters evolved within clades, and enable the identification of previously unrecorded taxa. Five partial skulls of Maiasaura peeblesorum are described from a bone bed in the Two Medicine Formation of Montana, providing the basis for a description of the braincase morphology of this taxon, and an ontogenetic series allowing the development of the crest to be compared to related taxa. Two new partial skulls from the middle unit of the Oldman Formation at the Milk River Ridge Reservoir near Warner, southern Alberta both represent first occurrences of a taxon in that unit. The first is described as the first diagnostic occurrence of Maiasaura in Canada. Maiasaura and Brachylophosaurus in the middle unit of the Oldman Formation are the first example of co-occurring brachylophosaurins. The second is described as a new taxon of Parasaurolophini, and is the oldest diagnostic lambeosaurine in Alberta. A phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods supports these identifications, and also re-identifies a previously described specimen from the Dinosaur Park Formation as the geologically youngest brachylophosaurin in Alberta.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Earth Sciences
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Exploring the Role of Trust during Human-AI Collaboration in Managerial Decision-Making Processes

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tuncer, Serdar
    Abstract:
    Despite the growing popularity of using Artificial Intelligence-based (AI-based) models to assist human decision-makers, little is known about how managers in business environments approach AI-assisted decision-making. To this end, our research is guided by two questions: (1) What facets make the Human (Manager)-AI decision-making process trustworthy, and (2) Does trust in AI depend on the degree to which the AI agent is humanized? Our results show that (a) AI is preferred for operational versus strategic decisions, (b) the ability to interpret the decision-making process of AI agents would help improve user trust and alleviate calibration bias, (c) humanoid interaction styles such as conversations were believed to improve the interpretability of the decision-making process, and (d) organizational change management was essential for adopting AI technologies.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Human-Computer Interaction (M.H.C.I.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Human-Computer Interaction
    Date Created:
    2022

  • An Examination of How Various Statistical Weighting Methods Impact Predictive Validity of the Service Planning Instrument for Women (SPIn-W)

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Robb, Colleen
    Abstract:
    Risk assessments are vital within the criminal justice system, yet research regarding the optimization of these instruments for women is limited. Currently, minimal research is available on the impact various statistical weighting methodologies may have on the prediction of recidivism for women. Using two-year fixed follow-up data from 656 justice-involved women from Maine United States, the current study explored the predictive validity of the Service Planning Instrument for Women (SPIn-W; Orbis Partners, 2007) at the item level and the predictive accuracy of four weighting methodologies. Results from the present study showed that 19 of the 98 items of the SPIn-W were significantly predictive of recidivism. Further, the gender-responsive Nuffield 2.0 weighting method most often evidenced the greatest levels of predictive accuracy across aggregate and domain level scores. Pending replication and cross-validation, the current study suggests that the SPIn-W be updated with the gender-responsive Nuffield 2.0 method to optimize predictive validity.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Arts (M.A.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Psychology
    Date Created:
    2021

  • Three Essays on Causal Analysis of Banking Regulation and Monetary Policy

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tang, Haowei
    Abstract:
    As the second largest financial crisis after the "Great Depression", the 2007/8 financial crisis posed great challenges to policy makers. To respond to such challenges, new policies are adopted. In my dissertation, I conduct causal analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of some of the newly proposed regulations following the financial crisis. In the first chapter, Professor Lynda Khalaf and I examine the impact of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) on bank lending in the U.S, using a Difference-in-Difference framework. with a variety of identification methods. Available evidence on the LCR is scarce and is restricted to standard event studies. In this paper, we compare standard dynamic TWFE estimates to recently proposed alternative specifications. We find no effects of the LCR on bank lending, and the assumptions embedded in the TWFE models make meaningful empirical difference. In the second chapter, Professor Lynda Khalaf and I study the dynamic causal effects of a monetary policy shock on the US economy within the Local Projection - Instrumental Variable [LP-IV] framework. Our reassessment is motivated by the emerging concerns in the literature about popular IVs that are based on high-frequency identification. We provide weak-instruments robust inference on the traditional LP-IV coefficient which we denote as the direct causal effect [DCE]. We define, estimate and test an alternative response parameter, denoted as the total causal effect [TCE], that accounts for the inherent unobservable endogeneity factor resulting from the first stage regression error. The TCE is identified whether the considered IVs are weak or strong. Our view is that both effects play an important role in capturing the net impact of a policy shock. Using identification-robust approaches produces economically more plausible results. Estimates of the TCEs suggest that DCEs may miss important responses. In the third chapter, Professor Hashmat Khan and I examine the flow view of quantitative easing (QE) using monthly data on Federal Reserve's pre-announced asset purchases from the second and third rounds of QE. We determine both average and cumulative purchasing effects using structural VAR and local projection methods, respectively. We find statistically significant effects on various financial variables and macro aggregates.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Economics
    Date Created:
    2022

  • The Bucolic, the Backwoods, and the In-Between: Navigating Desire in Atlantic Canadian Literature

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Marr, Gemma
    Abstract:
    Representations of Atlantic Canada in media, popular culture, and literature often depict the region as a space of rural simplicity or stagnancy. To contest these assumptions, this dissertation considers Atlantic Canadian literature from 1908 to 2019, with attention to what I see as a complex sense of identity emerging in the region which intersects with broader ideas about sexuality. For much of this period, discourses of normative sexuality spread across the country at the same time aspects of Atlantic Canadian experience were commodified and canonized. This dissertation identifies a limited archetypal spectrum of representations running from bucolic nostalgia to backwoods ignorance. Despite the persistence of images which privilege understandings of the region as a heterosexual monolith, I suggest that within Atlantic Canadian literature there are texts that, in differing ways, trouble this view. To make this point, I explore a range of representations and their reception, from Anne of Green Gables (1908) and the Netflix adaptation Anne with an E (2017), to writing by Alistair MacLeod, David Adams Richards, and Wayne Johnston. To differing degrees, these texts remain popular in the nation's cultural imaginary, and I outline how their recognition influences which bodies, relations, and values become accepted as part of the social fabric of Atlantic Canada. I also explore the work of R.M. Vaughan, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Jaime Burnet, and others who complicate narratives of heteronormative space which are privileged in the national imagination. This push-pull of representation embodies, I assert, a regional desiring, a concept which troubles binaries of insider/outsider, here/there, and rural/urban. Over time, this regional desiring impacts what is understood as an 'authentic' narrative of Atlantic Canadian experience. Ultimately, I argue that a complex desire for normative narratives of Atlantic Canada from arbiters of culture, funding bodies, and the reading public come into tension with the diverse reality of sexualities that exist in the region. Despite perceptions of Atlantic Canada as inherently conservative and traditional, an attitude that the region's literature is assumed to reinforce, the texts I explore raise questions about the intersections of space, time, and sexuality in an Atlantic Canadian context.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    English
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Complex Yet Coordinated: Regulation of Transcriptional Factors and Cell Signaling Pathways to Endure Anoxia in Rana sylvatica

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Gupta, Aakriti
    Abstract:
    Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) are a well-studied vertebrate model of natural freeze tolerance, surviving several months of winter subzero temperatures with 65-70% of total body water frozen as extracellular ice. Freezing halts blood circulation, heartbeat and breathing, restricting oxygen availability throughout the body and requiring a switch to anaerobic glycolysis for energy production, with its much lower ATP yield. To survive, wood frogs suppress their metabolic rate by about 90% to match ATP availability from glycolysis alone. Multiple cellular processes are regulated and suppressed, sustaining only pro-survival pathways until thawing occurs. Episodes of anoxia/reoxygenation also elevate reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that can surpass the antioxidant capacity of cells causing oxidative stress and tissue damage. This thesis examined a network of stress-responsive transcription factors (NRF2, OCT1, OCT4, YAP/TEAD, and RBPJ) and their associated pathways to determine their response and regulation over the anoxia/reoxygenation cycle. Decreased binding of transcriptional complexes to the promoter regions of target genes indicated a global reduction in transcription/translation processes. The data show also "functional switching" of OCT1, OCT4, and MAML while selectively upregulating antioxidants in a stress/organ specific manner. The present studies also shed new light on tissue repair mechanisms by demonstrating upregulation of selected pathway proteins. An increase in AHCY levels in liver also suggests maintenance of redox control, and elevated JMJD2C, TAZ, and MAML in skeletal and cardiac muscles indicates a potential increase in the expression of MyoD for muscle regeneration. Overall, the findings of this thesis document a complex yet coordinated network of transcriptional factors that support metabolic rate depression during freezing, combat oxidative stress, and initiate tissue repair mechanisms to endure prolonged anoxia and maintain cellular homeostasis in frozen wood frogs.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Oral Health Access and Inequities in Rural Regions

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Tovar Hidalgo, Maria Alejandra
    Abstract:
    This thesis aims to systematically examine the patterns of, and factors associated with, dental utilization among rural Ontario residents by collating, integrating, and interpreting data from the Canadian Community Health Survey. A scoping review across three high-income countries was also undertaken to determine which interventions are most efficient in closing the gaps in dental utilization previously identified in the CCHS data analysis and identify possible barriers and facilitators. This thesis provides evidence that oral health is influenced by geographical factors, socioeconomic status, and self-reported health behaviours. Equity in dental care was also influenced by structural factors like insurance and dental coverage. Rural Ontario residents visit their dentists less frequently and have more problem-oriented dental visits. The oral healthcare sector has experienced significant improvements in recent years through different oral health promotion and prevention programs, educational interventions, alternative delivery models and greater community and public health partnerships.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Health Sciences
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Principles and Properties for Reducing the Prevalence of Implicit Interactions in System Designs.

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Newton, Luke Antony Ashley
    Abstract:
    Early security considerations are essential to ensuring a system is adequately protected, but their ever-growing size and complexity often leaves full comprehension of a system's interconnections out of reach. This gives rise to implicit interactions. These unplanned or unforeseen communication sequences between components are security vulnerabilities that can be exploited to mount a cyberattack. Existing design-phase formal methods-based approaches exist to identify implicit interactions, but formal methods see limited adoption and the root cause of implicit interactions is not well understood. In this work, we extend the existing formal approach to suggest areas of a system to focus redesign efforts, while also providing alternative approaches that do not require formal expertise. These focus on graph-based measurements and providing a set of properties, quality attributes, and design principles with goals in line with the reduction of the prevalence of implicit interactions within a system design.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Applied Science (M.App.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Graph-based Knowledge Modeling and Analytics for Capturing and Predicting Customer Behaviour

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Zahran, Heba Hegazy Abdelzaher
    Abstract:
    Understanding customer behaviour is a challenging problem. While the customer produces a large amount of data with each touch point, most of the proposed models focus on one data source in their predictive analysis approaches. This research proposes a customer profile model based on 360 customer view. To this end, we first model a simplified data model and the basic entities based on the existing models. Then, we perform extensive feature engineering techniques, including extracting new features and transforming features to enhance their behaviour in the predictive model. Through the experimentations, we show that the models based on graphs achieve good performance. To this end, we propose a graph-based neural network capable of multitasking without sacrificing the task's performance. We examine three tasks to predict customer intentions. The final results reveal that the set of features with customer information from different data sources positively influences the predictive algorithms' performance.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Information Technology (M.I.T.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Digital Media
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Evaluating the Consequences of Physical Barriers on Fish During Long-distance Upstream Migrations Through Rivers

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Twardek, William Milan
    Abstract:
    Migration allows animals to exploit conditions across distinct habitats to maximize their potential fitness. These movements are dependent on connectivity between habitats that make it possible for animals to move unencumbered. In freshwater ecosystems, dams and other barriers can compromise connectivity and restrict the movement of migrating fish (among other organisms). The central objective of this thesis was to evaluate the consequences of physical barriers on fish during long-distance upstream migrations through rivers. This thesis generates multiple lines of evidence to evaluate that objective, including a literature synthesis, as well as ecological, social science, and physiological data, with much of this research focusing on Chinook salmon of the upper Yukon River that undertake one of the world's longest inland salmon migrations. First, I conducted a synthesis to identify the broad scale impacts of hydropower barriers on inland fish. Next, I evaluated the potential for a fishway to restore connectivity for upper Yukon River Chinook salmon beyond a hydropower barrier situated in a terminal reach of their migration. I then considered how the knowledge developed in the preceding chapters can inform the practice of fish passage by surveying fish passage engineers and scientists on the state of collaboration and knowledge dissemination in the field. Finally, I assessed the efficacy of an ex-situ approach to off-setting the impacts of barriers - hatchery production. This research revealed that the impacts of barriers on long-distance fish migrations (and the broader ecosystem) can be severe, but that approaches can be taken to minimize these impacts (Chapter 2). Fishways are one such approach, but they are not always effective for long-distance migrants like the upper Yukon River Chinook salmon (Chapters 3-5). Part of the solution may be more frequent collaboration and knowledge dissemination amongst fish passage professionals to enhance the effectiveness of fish passage facilities (Chapter 6). Hatcheries may complement fish passage efforts, though the physiological differences between hatchery and wild fish should be considered (Chapter 7). Findings from this thesis highlight the importance of maintaining connectivity for migratory fish to the benefit of the ecosystems and people that depend on them.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Biology
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Landscape Analysis in Environmental Impact Assessment: Is there Potential to Improve Biodiversity Conservation through Better-Informed Decisions?

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Rehbein, Christina K.
    Abstract:
    Biodiversity is in severe decline globally, attributed in a large part to anthropogenic land use change. The conservation literature refers to the landscape scale as important in mediating biodiversity. However, environmental impact assessment (EIA), a prevalent tool to inform decision-making with respect to ecological considerations such as biodiversity impacts, rarely takes a landscape perspective. Decisions are often made for individual projects, at local scales, with little attention paid to landscape contexts. The cumulative impact of project-by-project decision-making all too often results in alteration of ecological networks in the landscape with associated losses in biodiversity. A disconnect is apparent between scales of analysis for biodiversity conservation and those used for impact assessment. Landscape ecology studies landscape patterns and processes at a range of scales and has potential to bridge this disconnect. This thesis examines the potential to improve biodiversity conservation by better incorporating landscape ecology-based analysis into project EIA. The mixed-methods research follows three lines: (1) identifying gaps between the science of landscape ecology and the practice of EIA, (2) examining the challenges faced by EIA practitioners when considering broader-scale analysis in EIA and associated opportunities for overcoming them, and (3) testing an accessible approach to landscape analysis that incorporates a scenario-based simulation model of cumulative project decision-making. Research was focused on Ontario, Canada, and its multi-jurisdictional EIA regime. Results revealed gaps in how landscape context was considered in EIA, such as the ability of the whole landscape to support species movement and dispersal, and in comparing project-induced land use change to landscape-based ecological targets and thresholds. Quantitative and spatial analyses were infrequently used to assess landscape composition and configuration. Challenges exacerbating these gaps are both policy- and science-based. Weak policy and guidance for broader-scale analysis and a lack of multi-level policy support undermine practitioners' ability to incorporate landscape analysis into EIA. Better multi-jurisdictional data and data management systems are recommended, as well as increasing knowledge of ecological thresholds within the science-practitioner communities. If these challenges can be overcome, the modelling exercise demonstrated that incorporating even simple landscape considerations in project-based decision-making can have a positive effect on biodiversity indicators.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Geography
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Deep Generative Models for Unsupervised Scale-Based and Position-Based Disentanglement of Concepts from Face Images.

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Abdolahnejad Bahramabadi, Mahla
    Abstract:
    Among the different categories of natural images, face images are very important because of the role they play in human social interactions. It is recognised that despite all the recent advances of artificial intelligence using deep neural networks, computers are still struggling at achieving a rich and flexible understanding of face images comparable to humans' face perception abilities. This thesis aims at finding fully unsupervised ways for learning a transformation from face images pixel space to a representation space in which the underlying facial concepts are captured and disentangled. We propose that it is possible to utilize clues from the real 3D world in order to guide the representation learner in the direction of disentangling facial concepts. We conduct two studies in order to test this hypothesis. First, we propose a deep autoencoder model for extracting facial concepts based on their scales. We introduce an adaptive resolution reconstruction loss inspired by the fact that different categories of concepts are encoded in (and can be captured from) different resolutions of face images. With the help of this new reconstruction loss, the deep autoencoder model is able to receive a real face image and compute its representation vector, which not only makes it possible to reconstruct the input image faithfully, but also separates the concepts related to specific scales. Second, we introduce a new scheme to enable generative adversarial networks to learn a representation for face images which is composed of the representations for smaller facial components. This is inspired by the fact that all face images display the same underlying structure. As a result, a face image can be divided into parts with fixed positions each containing specific facial components only. Learning a separate distribution for each of these parts is equivalent to disentangling these components in the representation space.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Engineering, Electrical and Computer
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Therapeutic Effects of Flibanserin in Rat Activity-Based Anorexia

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Stanford-Toonen, Ashley
    Abstract:
    Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex disorder with high morbidity and mortality. Given that multi-modal rehabilitation programs are the only effective AN treatment, the discovery of new drug treatments is essential. Core to researching new treatment options for AN is the use of animal models, specifically, activity-based anorexia (ABA). ABA reproduces three of the core symptoms of AN: caloric restriction, increased exercise, and rapid weight loss. Flibanserin is a drug that increases sexual activity in women, and we hypothesized that it might increase another rewarding motivated activity, eating, in juvenile female ABA rats. Our findings indicate that flibanserin treatment reduced weight loss by decreasing hyperactivity and increasing food intake. Further examination of the complex pharmacological profile of FLIB is required to understand the pharmacological mode of action underlying the behavioral changes in ABA, however this research provides clinically relevant evidence that flibanserin may be effective in combatting ABA symptoms.
    Thesis Degree:
    Master of Science (M.Sc.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Neuroscience
    Date Created:
    2022

  • Material and Digital Identity Negotiation of Francophone Music Artists: Decolonizing Diversity-Focused Festivals in Canada

    Resource Type:
    Thesis
    Creator:
    Thompson, Michelle
    Abstract:
    Since the 1950s, a new wave of music festivals has emerged in North America in response to the systematic exclusion and cultural gatekeeping cultural organizations have historically conducted. This has created a more inclusive space for marginalized artists and communities in which political discourse and anti-discrimination movements have become the focus (Getz, 2010; Duffy & Mair, 2021; Quinn, 2005; Li, Moore & Smythe, 2018; Wilson, Arshed, Shaw & Pret, 2016; Bekenshtein, 2020; Fernandez, 2006). This study highlights some of Canada's diversity-focused festivals, which are founded on the principles of multiculturalism and support the national narrative of a welcoming nation. However, these events sometimes reproduce existing societal conditions that position racially marginalized people as the "Other". The study applies a digital ethnography (DE) methodology (Pink, 2012, 2013, Postill, 2008, 2010a, 2010b, 2011) to investigate the promotional activities festivals and marginalized music artists conduct as they negotiate existing power imbalances, cultural hegemony, and language hierarchies. Between July and November 2019, I carried out field visits to five Canadian festivals that focus on diversity and multiculturalism. I collected field notes, photos, videos, and audio recordings, and captured 1083 Facebook posts from the events and the artists who performed there. Through digital content analysis and ethnographic inquiry, the data revealed that racially marginalized francophone music artists express fluid and hybrid identities constructed by multilingualism, geographic mobility, and their musical influences. These identities are evident in the music styles artists express, the languages they use, and the symbolic meaning of their Facebook content. The findings show that festivals are largely apolitical and focused on the commodification of diversity and multiculturalism. This commodification can nationalize, fetishize, exotify, and culturally appropriate the identities of marginalized communities. As a result, festivals can reproduce difference rather than create the social cohesion they aspire to. Music artists use strategies like hashtag activism, code-switching, music remix, public speaking, and content curation to negotiate these social constraints. In doing so, they challenge the compartmentalization of the music industry and introduce positive representations of marginalized communities.
    Thesis Degree:
    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
    Thesis Degree Discipline:
    Canadian Studies
    Date Created:
    2022