VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Distributed Coding of Compressively Sensed Sources

In this work we propose a new method for compressing multiple correlated sources with a very low-complexity encoder in the presence of side information. Our approach uses ideas from compressed sensing and distributed source coding. At the encoder, syndromes of the quantized compressively sensed sources are generated and transmitted. The decoder uses side information to predict the compressed sources. The predictions are then used to recover the quantized measurements via a two-stage decoding process consisting of bitplane prediction and syndrome decoding. Finally, guided by the structure of the sources and the side information, the sources are reconstructed from the recovered measurements. As a motivating example, we consider the compression of multispectral images acquired on board satellites, where resources, such as computational power and memory, are scarce. Our experimental results exhibit a significant improvement in the rate-distortion trade-off when compared against approaches with similar encoder complexity.

Keywords: Compressed sensing
Data compression
Distributed source coding
Multispectral image compression
Remote sensing
Advisor: Draper, Stark C
Improving the Understanding and Care Management of Mental Health High-Cost Patients

High-cost patients are a small group of health care users who account for a relatively large proportion of resources. Among these patients, our literature review confirmed that limited work has focused on those who use a high amount of mental health and addiction services. We found that the majority of these patientsâ costs were due to psychiatric hospitalizations, some of which could be reduced through better care management. Among this mental health high-cost subgroup, our predictive model identified those at risk of any psychiatric hospitalization in Ontario. Identified patients were more likely to be male, younger, and a first-generation immigrant; live in low-income neighbourhoods or rural areas; have a past hospitalization with a main diagnosis of mood disorder; and have a high number of recent psychiatric hospitalizations. For some of these identified patients, our business case analysis supported investments in interventions that could reduce unnecessary hospitalization costs.

Advisor: de Oliveira, Claire
Hydroacoustic Assessment of Fish Community Size Spectra Refinement of Hydroacoustic Estimates of Size

A fundamental purpose of ecology is to understand the underlying processes that give rise to community structure. For highly size structured systems, such as freshwater fish communities, a size-based approach can be more appropriate than a species-based approach. The size spectra framework is one such size-based approach. Size spectra represent abundance (or biomass) as a function of organism size. Log transformation of both axes often results in a characteristic negative linear relationship. This thesis explores the ability of size spectra to be used as a monitoring tool. Chapter One focuses on the ability of size spectra to detect change in fish community structure during a whole-lake manipulation. Chapter Two investigates how fish behaviour can impact the accuracy of hydroacoustic sampling methods. This thesis highlights the applicability of size-spectra monitoring for freshwater fish communities, as well as the importance of verifying the assumption of horizontal swimming through the acoustic beam.

Keywords: Climate Change
Fish
Foraging
Hydroacoustics
Lakes
Size Spectra
Advisor: Jackson, Donald
Shuter, Brian
Examining the Feasibility and Effects of a Pilot Online Physical Activity Intervention Targeting Social Cognitive Variables in Youth with Physical Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, and short- and longer-term effects of a four-week social cognitive theory-based online physical activity (PA) intervention on the social cognitions and PA behaviour of youth with physical disabilities. Intervention feasibility was supported by high implementation fidelity (100%), high compliance (95.32%), and positive ratings on indicators of acceptability. A series of one-way, repeated measures ANOVAs revealed significant: (a) small-to-medium-sized increases in participants’ task (F[2, 11] = 5.89, η2p = .28) and barrier (F[2, 11] = 4.66, η2p = .24) self-efficacy; (b) large-sized increases in the use of goal-setting (F[2, 11] = 11.01, η2p = .42), and scheduling and planning (F[2, 11] = 10.66, η2p = .42); and (c) a medium-sized increase in PA behaviour (F[2, 11] = 5.32, η2p = .26). Key study implications and contributions to a growing field of research on technology-based PA interventions for youth are discussed.

Keywords: online intervention
physical activity
physical disability
social cognitive theory
theory-based intervention
youth
Advisor: Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Kelly P
Vulnerability of Common Urban Forest Species to Projected Climate Change: A Case Study of Mississauga, Ontario

Changes in temperature regimes, precipitation regimes, and extreme weather events as a result of climate change can cause physiological stress to urban tree species. This study examines the City of Mississaugaâ s urban forest species composition to explore the vulnerability of commonly planted native and non-native species under projected climate change scenarios. A vulnerability matrix was created to highlight the potential vulnerability of species to particular climate conditions and weather. Interviews with urban forest professionals were conducted to gather current perspectives on urban forest management in relation to climate change. Results show that all species analyzed are impacted by the cumulative effects of climate change, but proper urban forest management can mitigate some of those effects. This study addresses a gap in our knowledge of how urban forests may respond to future climate conditions in Mississauga and which species may fare better in projected conditions.

Keywords: Climate change
Climate envelopes
Climate vulnerability
Urban forest
Advisor: Conway, Tenley
The Rouge Uncovered: Community Participation, Urban Agriculture and Power Dynamics in the Creation of Canada's first National Urban Park

Local food production has been a defining goal of a healthy and resilient food system. In 2011 the Canadian government and Parks Canada committed to creating Canadaâ s first national urban park. The space in which land is used to undertake conservation efforts and develop sustainable farming is often associated with inequalities of larger society; whereby hegemonic practices of inclusion and exclusion are produced and/or reinforced. By employing an Environmental Justice framework this thesis investigates if and how small-scale farmers and community members have been included in the creation of the park, and how power, particularly in relation to the axis of difference, influences green space planning, local farming and sustainability in the Greater Toronto Area. Findings show extreme contention between farmers and environmentalists over productive parkland use and definitions of ecological integrity. This research also discloses the need for a more inclusive approach to community participation processes in green space planning and management.

Keywords: agriculture
community participation
environmental justice
national urban parks
race
urban planning
Advisor: Wakefield, Sarah
Expanding Food Justice: Gender, Race and Hunger in Toronto

Hunger is a significant issue in Toronto, particularly among racialized individuals and female lone-parent households. Canadian critical food scholarship generally attributes hunger among these marginalized groups to financial insecurity, disregarding the ways gender and race intersect with poverty. To challenge this pattern, I argue that a food justice framework can elucidate how intersecting systems of oppression impact the ability of marginalized communities to access food. Drawing from participant observation at The Stop, a leading food justice organization in Toronto, and interviews with staff members from various food security organizations, this project examines the utility of a food justice framework in understanding how gender and racial inequality shape the experiences of The Stopâ s participants and analyzes how The Stop works to dismantle gender and racial injustices through food activism, and what barriers to this work exist. Doing so highlights the possibilities for re-framing how hunger is understood and addressed in Toronto.

Keywords: Feminism
Food justice
Gender
Hunger
Intersectionality
Race
Advisor: Wakefield, Sarah
Optimizing the Downlink of MIMO Networks via Fractional Programming

The optimization of the downlink of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) networks is well-known to be a challenging problem due to its inherent nonconvexity and NP-hardness. In this thesis, we present a new algorithm, based on fractional programming, that allows us to find a network-wide coordinated so- lution for scheduling, beamforming and power allocation across multiple time-frequency resource blocks. A proof for the monotonically nondecreasing convergence of the algorithm to a locally optimal solution is derived. Through extensive simulations, we show that the proposed algorithm can provide signif- icant gains to the network sum utility function over both coordinated and uncoordinated techniques, while simultaneously providing savings in computational complexity and running time compared to tech- niques like global WMMSE. Next, we compare the performance of various frequency reuse schemes while employing the proposed algorithm for resource allocation. We show that employing a universal reuse strategy provides better performance than the fractional reuse strategies. Finally, we apply the proposed framework to resource allocation and user association problems for heterogeneous networks. We intro- duce a novel technique to implement short-term user association and show that it provides enhanced performance compared to long-term association strategies utilized in the literature.

Advisor: Adve, Raviraj S
Yu, Wei
Feeling stressed? Emotions, stress, and the moderating role of physical activity in women treated for breast cancer

Diagnosis and treatment for cancer may increase experiences of stress among breast cancer survivors (BCS) by sensitizing individuals to changes in body image. Body-related self- conscious emotions may be modifiable sources of such stress, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) may moderate this association. This study examined these associations using an experience sampling method. Twenty women provided measures of body-related emotions and psychological stress six times per day for seven days, and wore accelerometers to measure MVPA. Multilevel modeling was used to test for day-level time-varying predictors of psychological stress. Within-person daily variability in body-related guilt positively predicted within-person daily variability in stress. Body-related shame and pride were not significant predictors of stress and MVPA did not moderate the effect. The time by MVPA interaction with psychological stress was significant. Based on these results, body-related emotions and MVPA are important to target in interventions committed to reducing BCSâ experiences of psychological stress.

Keywords: breast cancer
emotions
experience sampling
multi-level modeling
physical activity
stress
Advisor: Sabiston, Catherine M
Harmonic-Constrained Optimal Power Flow

Modern power systems incorporate renewable energy resources as distributed generation to reduce cost and improve reliability and efficiency. Power electronic converters are often utilized to couple renewable resources. However, power electronic devices create harmonic distortions, which cause power quality and device reliability issues. In this thesis, a new dispatch tool that promotes renewable energy while restricting harmonic distortions is developed. This tool combines system harmonic models with optimal power flow, and provides the optimal dispatch with limited harmonic distortions. Frequency coupling matrices are adopted as converter harmonic models. Relaxation is applied to transform the optimization problem to a semidefinite program, which can be effectively solved using a commercially available software. Numerical tests on two IEEE feeder networks verify the model and demonstrate that the system operator can reduce system harmonic distortions at small or zero additional generation cost by dispatching the renewable energy resources according to the new method.

Keywords: FCM
harmonics
optimal power flow
optimization
SDP
VSC
Advisor: Taylor, Joshua Adam
Achieving Collaborative Advantage in Innovative Public-Private Partnerships: A Case Analysis of the Red Door Family Shelter Project

This research examines the ways in which collaborative advantage outcomes are successfully realized (or not) in innovative multi-sector partnerships between the public, private and third sectors. It builds upon existing research in both public-private partnerships and collaborative advantage by explicitly linking these two bodies of literature within an urban planning context. Document analyses and in-depth semi-structured interviews are used to examine how the theory of collaborative advantage can be applied to a unique case study â the Red Door Family Shelter partnership in Toronto, Ontario. By constructing an in-depth case study narrative of the formation of the Red Door partnership, this research examines how specific factors may contribute to the initial successful realization of collaborative advantage in a partnership context. These case study findings are then presented in the broader context of innovative multi-sector partnerships, with consideration given to the need to consider longer-term outcomes for these types of projects.

Keywords: Collaborative advantage
Public management
Public-private-community partnerships
Public-private partnerships
Urban planning
Advisor: Siemiatycki, Matti
Farewell Manly Strength: Masculinity and the Politics of Emotion

Masculine identity has been historically defined through invocations of various forms of negative emotions within the domain of psychoanalysis, psychology, gender studies and American history. By theorizing men and masculinity as seemingly perpetually in crisis, theorists of masculinities do a disservice to the members of our society who have historically been disenfranchised by the bearers of patriarchal privilege, regardless of how these men feel. This text explores the relationship between masculinity and emotion, urging readers to consider the ways patriarchy has modulated in response to the feminist movement using the concepts of crisis masculinity, post-truth politics and gaslighting.

Keywords: affect
crisis masculinity
emotion
gaslighting
post-truth
Advisor: Boler, Megan
Bialystok, Lauren
Effects of multiple stressors on historical changes in the fish communities of the Credit River watershed

Watersheds in southern Ontario are of high conservation concern due to their diverse fish communities, productive environments, and threats from numerous anthropogenic stressors. The Credit River watershed, located west of the Greater Toronto Area, has 63 fish species and multiple stressors, including urbanization, climate change, and aquatic invasive species (AIS). This research examines fish community change in the Credit River watershed in relation to these multiple stressors. Historical fish datasets collected in the watershed from 1954 to present were analyzed to examine richness patterns and homogenization at the site and subwatershed levels. Richness and faunal homogenization increased at the site and subwatershed level over time. AIS and temperature were responsible for causing the most variation in the fish communities over time. The cumulative effects of AIS and temperature also caused increased variation in the communities over time.

Keywords: Anthropogenic Stressors
Conservation
Fish
Historical Change
Advisor: Mandrak, Nicholas E
A Geographic Investigation of a Critical Care Patient Transfer Network

The movement of critical care patients from areas of low treatment capacity to areas of specialized care has become a common practice, with over half a million critical care patients being transferred between hospitals every year in the USA. Despite the growing number of transfers and networks formed between hospitals, to-date there is a limited amount of evidence guiding this field, especially when it comes to best practices regarding the efficient use of helicopter resources without compromise to patient outcomes. While geography is central to devising a system that minimizes helicopter use and reduces any variation in patient outcomes, the spatial component of critical care transportation has been commonly overlooked within this body of research. In this thesis, a geographical approach is used to analyze a critical care transfer network centered around Maryland. It was found that the use of helicopters varies by hospital as a result of hospitals being located in varying proximity to the receiving facility. Patient outcomes were found to be even throughout the network.

Keywords: critical care
geographic information systems
medical transportation
Advisor: Widener, Michael J
Higher-Order Game Dynamics in Population Games and Reinforcement Learning

Evolutionary game theory is a game-theoretic framework which attempts to describe the outcomes of competitive scenarios involving large populations of anonymous agents, also known as population games. A significant portion of evolutionary game theory is devoted to the study of evolutionary game dynamics. These game dynamics are often posed as first-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in continuous-time, and the equilibria of these ODEs can coincide with certain solution concept associated with a game. Research into the class of higher-order game dynamics presents an opportunity to potentially significantly enlarge the set of well-behaved game dynamics and may reveal many features of game dynamics that are not present in their first-order counterparts. We begin our design and analysis of higher-order game dynamics using a novel control-theoretic approach. The utility of such a control approach manifests itself in three major ways. First, by representing the learning rule as a state-space system, we provide a generalization to the class of higher-order game dynamics previously considered in the literature, most of which were studied with respect to very specific forms of learning rules. Secondly, we can design control laws through well-established control techniques that allow us to overcome non-convergence issues associated with certain types of higher-order game dynamics. Last but not least, we show that by posing reinforcement learning schemes as feedback control systems, we are able to leverage a host of powerful tools from convex analysis, monotone operator theory, and Lyapunov theory to systematically design higher-order game dynamics with guaranteed convergence in large classes of games.

Keywords: Control Theory
Convex Analysis
Evolutionary Game Theory
Nonlinear Control
Population Games
Reinforcement Learning
Advisor: Pavel, Lacra
In-Between Cultures: Becoming Latin American Canadian

Rooted in my own experiences and extending to phenomenological interviews with seven Latin American Canadian youth between the ages of 18 and 29 in the Greater Toronto Area, this thesis examines how the dominant educational and cultural narratives shape the heterogeneous ways in which they perceive themselves and others. Findings show that such narratives engender a sense of in-betweenness among Latin American Canadian youth that both inhibit and empower them in pursuing self-fulfillment. This study juxtaposes these findings to feminist pedagogies of “third space” and “critical spirituality” which have the ability to enhance the educational experiences of not just Latin American Canadian students but all participants in education. The overarching objective of this thesis, however, transcends the case study and explores the intersections between discourse, identity formation and agency, proposing critical spirituality as a practice enabling agency and as a transformational “punctum” that embraces the process of becoming over being.

Keywords: agency
critical spirituality
cultural identity
discourse
youth identity
Advisor: Todorova, Miglena
The Curation of Difference, Diasporas in Archive: A Living Document Breathing Through Memory

This document is a dialogue of questions in the erasure of racialized Muslimah from the state-sanctioned institution, the Aga Khan Museum, settling on colonial Canada. Its framework is founded in an understanding of memory as having physical qualities, and material implications in its moment of recollection, museumization, and visualization. In juxtaposition to the critique of the Museum, and the colonial visual landscape of Canada more broadly, a public memoir through a collection of artwork, and a dialogue to follow. In it, three Muslimah-Canadian artists: Faduma Mohamed, Nasim Asgari, and Hiba Abdallah, which not only illuminate the variances of (mis)representation which claim a cultural production of knowledge in Canada, but also speak and curate themselves into existence, and thus enact resistance. This thesis is written to be a document of doing; an active public space which divests of whiteness, and the colonial inclination to erase, commodify, and barter bodies of difference in its presence.

Keywords: art
Canada
colonialism
memory
museum
Muslimah
Advisor: Todorova, Miglena
UNTOLD STORIES: IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND STUDENT PARTICIPATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF ASIAN ORIGIN IN GERMANY

Although the second largest racialized population after Turks, the experiences of Asians living in Germany have been largely absent in the literature. This study addresses this gap by examining university students of Asian origin at German universities, specifically focusing on the association of participation in student organizations and the development of cultural identity. A total of 13 undergraduate students between the age of 19 and 23, who were either German citizens or permanent residents of more than 12 years, were selected for an interview from two research institutions in Southwestern Germany. Using Renn’s (2004) adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecology Model as a theoretical framework, the participants’ stories were analyzed as an individual case study with a phenomenological approach. Results showed that while renegotiation of students’ identity occurred in a higher education space, it was not directly linked to participation in student organizations.

Advisor: Dei, George
Social Movement Theory and Transboundary Conservation in Eastern North America: A Case Study of the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative

Conservation is currently undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditional, centralized approaches are becoming increasingly questioned for their inability to address the broad spatial and temporal problems that are characteristic of new large-scale understandings of ecology. Transboundary conservation models have been steadily gaining traction around the world as the more suitable alternative given their wholesale rejection of artificial, anthropogenic boundaries in favour of scales determined entirely by ecological processes. A case study approach was used to examine a proposed transboundary corridor from Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada to Adirondack Park in New York State, U.S.A. The central argument for this thesis, supported by insights from the projectâ s organizational trajectory and lackluster relationship with media outlets, is that conservation practitioners must foment social change themselves by aggressively pursuing dialogue with members of the public â rather than waiting for political opportunities to present themselves â if they are to gain support for transboundary conservation.

Keywords: Ecology
North America
Social Movement Theory
Transboundary Conservation
Advisor: Olive, Andrea