bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Networking care : immigrant women's access to childcare
Authors: Frankowicz Agata
Published: May 2021

This MRP [major research paper] highlights some of the challenges experienced by a small non-probability sample of newcomer women with children when trying to access childcare. It begins with an overview of feminist theory in relation to social reproduction, as well as social capital theory. It outlines the current situation of childcare in Canada, including an emphasis on the gaps in service. I highlight research that has been conducted on various forms of informal childcare networks that immigrant women form. My own research focuses on the social networks immigrant women forge and to what extent forms of child minding have helped newcomer women participate in Canadian society. This project includes accounts of five mothers (status and non-status) as they struggle to find adequate, affordable childcare. In-depth qualitative interviews are used to examine the challenges, ingenuity and resourcefulness of immigrant women when it comes to accessing childcare in a new setting. My research found that although referred to as "weak-ties", non-kin are an important source of information and childcare support for newcomer women.
Does this shirt make me look gay? Exploring the Invisibility of Hegemonic Masculinity In Heterosexual Men’s Dress
Authors: Hardwicke-Brown Samuel
Published: May 2021

During the last fifteen years, men have become increasingly active consumers of fashion with over half of men in western societies buying their own clothes. While, studies have been conducted on the relationship between men and fashion there currently exists a gap in research on the consumption habits of young, style conscious, heterosexual men in the current shifting cultural landscape of men’s fashion. Through in-depth interviews, this study unpacks how these men engage with fashion against traditional cultural masculine dress codes. This study proposes that although these men do not actively subscribe to hegemonic masculine values they continue to follow this hegemony on a subconscious level. Through upbringing and cultural influence, heterosexual men are continuously primed to follow a hegemonic masculine ideal, leading to new mutation of hegemonic masculinity that is both invisible and powerful. Ultimately, this study contributes to the overall body of research on male fashion consumption habits as it tests societal assumptions on modern menswear.
Feng Shui: A Qualitative Approach To Healthcare Design
Authors: Rovika Irma
Published: May 2021

This thesis tests the effectiveness of Feng Shui to promote human health and well-being through the application of some of its key precepts to the design of an alternative Community Health Centre on Toronto Island, Toronto, Canada. Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese design methodology that was initially created to address many practical issues of site design. Over centuries it evolved to also address many of the same issues that contemporary design theories like Biophilia and Phenomenology seek to achieve, which is an architecture that is spiritually and emotionally engaging and integrated to its natural environment. This thesis uses the rules of Feng Shui to organize programme, site the buildings in its context, and address decisions related to scale, materiality, orientation, and geometry.

Feng Shui, Biophilia, and Phenomenology were researched as background preparation to the design thesis. The evolution of contemporary healthcare design was studied through a series of case studies of seminal hospital projects of the late nineteenth to twentieth century.

This thesis tests the effectiveness of Feng Shui to promote human health and well-being through the application of some of its key precepts to the design of an alternative Community Health Centre on Toronto Island, Toronto, Canada. Feng Shui is a traditional Chinese design methodology that was initially created to address many practical issues of site design. Over centuries it evolved to also address many of the same issues that contemporary design theories like Biophilia and Phenomenology seek to achieve, which is an architecture that is spiritually and emotionally engaging and integrated to its natural environment. This thesis uses the rules of Feng Shui to organize programme, site the buildings in its context, and address decisions related to scale, materiality, orientation, and geometry.Feng Shui, Biophilia, and Phenomenology were researched as background preparation to the design thesis. The evolution of contemporary healthcare design was studied through a series of case studies of seminal hospital projects of the late nineteenth to twentieth century. The results and experiences gained from this process are expected to be applicable to other types of buildings
An investigation into the free vibrations of carbon nanotubes using analytical and finite element methods
Authors: Khan Ishan Ali
Published: May 2021

Since their discovery, immense attention has been given to carbon nanotubes (CNTs), due to their exceptional thermal, electronic and mechanical properties and, therefore, the wide range of applications in which they are, or can be potentially, employed. Hence, it is important that all the properties of carbon nanotubes are studied extensively.

This thesis studies the vibrational frequencies of double-walled and triple-walled CNTs, with and without an elastic medium surrounding them, by using Finite Element Method (FEM) and Dynamic Stiffness Matrix (DSM) formulations, considering them as Euler-Bernoulli beams coupled with van der Waals interaction forces.

For FEM modelling, the linear eigenvalue problem is obtained using Galerkin weighted residual approach. The natural frequencies and mode shapes are derived from eigenvalues and eigenvectors, respectively. For DSM formulation of double-walled CNTs, a nonlinear eigenvalue problem is obtained by enforcing displacement and load end conditions to the exact solution of single equation achieved by combining the coupled governing equations. The natural frequencies are obtained using Wittrick-Williams algorithm. FEM formulation is also applied to both double and triple-walled CNTs modelled as nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli beam. The natural frequencies obtained for all the cases, are in agreement with the values provided in literature.
Spatial and temporal assessment of soil nitrogen availability and relationships to biophysical variables in a high Arctic wetland
Authors: Hung Jacqueline K.Y.
Published: May 2021

Increased soil nutrient availability, and associated increase in ecosystem productivity,
could create a negative feedback between Arctic ecosystem and the climate system, reducing the
contribution of Arctic ecosystems to future climate change. This study explores the
environmental controls over spatial patterns of soil nitrogen availability in a High Arctic wet
sedge meadow and how they influence carbon exchange processes to predict whether this
feedback will develop. Ion exchange resin membranes measured available inorganic nitrogen
throughout the growing season at a high spatial resolution, while environmental variables and
carbon flux measurements were taken at frequent intervals during the 2016 field season.
Environmental measures correlated highly with total and late season nitrate with soil
temperatures having the greatest effect. The results suggest that finer scale processes altering
nitrogen availability may influence the C balance of wet sedge meadows in the High Arctic and
how these ecosystems may respond to changes in climate.
Use the CGA, Luke: oral and visual elements of narrative in Star Wars film trailers
Authors: Muschler Marc
Published: May 2021

CONCLUSION:

This MRP explores the relationship between narrative structure and oral and visual narration strategies as illustrated in three Star Wars theatrical trailers. The theatrical trailers for Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), and Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) provide an overview of the development of narrative structure strategies utilized throughout the franchise’s forty-year history. By applying William Labov’s theory of narrative analysis (1972) and Bordwell and Thompson’s film style analysis (2012) to the three trailers, this MRP demonstrates that marketers are increasingly attempting to elicit an emotional reaction and connection from audience members through the use of visually compelling narratives that rely on suspense and an awareness of the Star Wars brand in popular culture. This study additionally illustrates that Labov’s model of narrative analysis is useful in the interpretation of film trailers because it can be used to identify patterns of narrative structure which can help illuminate the narrative intent behind marketing strategy. In a broader context, this study is useful in understanding how narrative structures function in film trailers, a relatively understudied marketing paratext that is increasingly important in film marketing and promotional strategies.
Does social rejection increase susceptibility to peer influence? Testing a model of social rejection, physiological stress, and peer influence on risky driving among adolescents and young adults
Authors: Sutherland Jessica E.
Published: May 2021

Peer passengers are a significant risk factor for young drivers experiencing collisions and other adverse driving outcomes. A number of studies have tested the effect of peer passengers on driving behaviour, but few have manipulated contextual variables, such as social evaluation, that predict risky behaviour in other contexts. Further, it is not clear how individual susceptibilities to peer influence, such as physiological stress, interact with contextual variables to affect risky behaviour. The current study explored whether social evaluation (via social rejection or social acceptance) affect driving outcomes acceleration, speed, and lane positioning) and if the type of social evaluation affects perception of risky peer norms. Individual differences, including physiological stress and sensitivity to social evaluation, were measured to determine if they moderate the relationship between social evaluation and driving outcomes. A total of 75 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 17 and 25 years were randomized to complete the study alone or with a confederate who was instructed to socially accept or socially reject them, as well as model risky or risk-averse driving norms. Results indicated that peer passengers and peer driving norms, regardless of the social-evaluative context, did not generally affect mean values of driving outcomes, but did affect variability in driving outcomes, particularly in intersections. Physiological stress and perceptions of social acceptance also predicted driving outcomes, such that participants who had higher mean heart rates and felt more socially accepted by the confederate had more variability in their driving outcomes. These findings suggest that peer passengers increase variable, or inconsistent, driving patterns, perhaps due to passengers distracting young drivers from road conditions. Further, feeling socially accepted increases the strength of the relationship between presence of peer passengers and inconsistent driving patterns, indicating that social rewards may precede risky behaviour more often than social threats do.
Power and chip-area aware network-on-chip simulation
Authors: Gharan Masoud Oveis
Published: May 2021

Among different communication architectures employed in Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC), Network-on-Chip (NoC) is recognized as a state of the art paradigm that can overcome on-chip communication challenges. In this thesis, we introduce the simulation of NoC systems. The structure of a new SystemC based NoC simulator (FANOOS) is presented in this thesis. We discuss various components of the simulator by presenting their SystemC code. We also provide an analytical methodology that employs the micro-architectural level of NoC routers and links by considering their power and chip are requirements. An evaluation flow for early stage design of NoC is introduced.
Multicultural Nations: Issues of Race and National Identity in Britain and Canada
Authors: Bush Nicola
Published: May 2021

Nations remain the primary means of categorising people, despite talk of their demise in the globalised world. Taking as its premise that all nations are “imagined communities” (Anderson, 1991) this paper examines how two particular nation-states, Britain and Canada, have dealt with the challenges posed to their traditional national self-definitions by the increased influx of ethnoracial groups. Through key informant interviews with members of the state government in both countries and examination of the theoretical literature, this paper compares the means by which the state reimagines the nation, managing ethnoracial diversity to include or exclude these new members. This paper takes the position that fundamentally these two nations direct their nation-building project in a similar way, that at heart both nations retain their white cultural hegemony, various policies of multiculturalism existing as a means of controlling ethnoracial groups rather than creating a truly inclusionary framework.
Dior and digital storytelling: on the marketing of luxury brand narratives
Authors: Raymond Emily
Published: May 2021

A postmodern theory and contemporary marketing strategy, digital storytelling is the virtual means by which a story can be organized. Less traditional to the beginning, middle and end of conventional narratives, this framework suggests that individuals connect the dots of a story by comparing their reading with others. To conceptualize this model within fashion, this paper follows Christian Dior’s Secret Garden campaign as it is broadcasted and diffused through Instagram and YouTube. Carried out by consumers’ interpretations as the story unfolds, this study aims to measure the interaction of media and audience within the parameters of social network analysis following Rihanna’s casting as Dior’s newest protagonist. Characterized by its hyperrealistic nature and speeded-up cultural tropes, this case underlines the epistemic shift for luxury brand communities today. As a result, this paper indicates the success of e-word-of-mouth
marketing, and denotes the strength of fashion film as an illustrative medium of communication.
The Missing Voices-Mothers Raising Children With ADHD: A Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: Castillo Iris
Published: May 2021

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural disorder commonly diagnosed among children. The symptoms associated with the diagnosis not only affect the child, but everyone connected to the child. For mothers raising children with ADHD there are often various demands and pressures placed on them. This major research paper addresses some of these mothering experiences through a qualitative methodology known as narrative inquiry (NI). This study centers mothers’ stories of everyday encounters at home, school, in medical clinics, and within the community. It also takes up these narratives through the framework of critical feminist race theory (CRFT), with a pinch of Foucauldian philosophy addressing knowledge, power, and governmentality through bio-politics. Jonathan Gottschall said it best, “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the minds stays up all night, telling itself stories.” I invite you on a journey of stories through the eyes of every loving mother raising a child with ADHD.
Effective Quality Of Service Browsing For Web Service Selection
Authors: Verma Shilpi
Published: May 2021

The growing number of Services on the Web has made locating desired Web Services a sizable challenge. Web Service requestors deem a Quality of Service (QoS) based Web Service selection important in terms of providing a relevant and user centric service selection experience. In this thesis an interactive QoS based Web Service browsing mechanism is proposed, which makes use of three clustering algorithms including vector-based, preference-based and weighted clustering. We use symbolic interval data as the principle representation of QoS attributes. The browsing mechanism which was implemented as part of this research allows service requestors to prioritize their search by hierarchically clustering their web services. This is done in order of their preferences and also by attaching a weight to each QoS attribute, which is a beneficial compromise between performance-high preference-based clustering and time-efficient vector-based clustering, Along with several extensive experiments, a user study was conducted in order to test the usability of this browsing mechanism and to test the overall efficiency and performance of the three clustering algorithms in comparison. The result of the experiment led to evidences that preference-based browsing approach was the most efficient one when compared to vector-based or weighted clustering approaches.
Bull's eye : deconstructing the practice of targeting 'ethnic voters' during Canadian federal election campaigns
Authors: Hill Ryan Thomas
Published: May 2021

On May 2, 2011, the Conservative Party of Canada won its first majority government in decades. Throughout the last decade, the Conservatives have actively targeted 'ethnic voters' in order to achieve electoral victories over the Liberals and become the political voice of 'ethnic voters'. This research study deconstructs the practice of targeting 'ethnic voters' during Canadian federal election campaigns and analyzes the party identification of 'ethnic voters'. The research was executed using a combination of one-on-one key informant interviews and a selective constituency analysis. Some of the questions directing the research study include but are not limited to: Who are 'ethnic voters'? Through what means do Canadian federal political parties court 'ethnic voters'? Does the increased attention paid to 'ethnic voters' translate into substantive representation in the Canadian House of Commons? The findings suggest that the party identification of 'ethnic voter' constituencies has transformed over the last decade in large part due to the courting strategy employed by the Conservative Party.
Colour effects education through technology: colour-in project
Authors: Adams Richard
Published: May 2021

This paper represents the research and analysis of the psychological impacts of colour, as well as discusses the importance of the awareness of such effects. The theoretical rationale provides context and details plan for a proposed digital tool – a not-for-profit educational mobile iOS application Colour-In – that detects and measures colours from a supplied image, analyzes, and provides information about the psychological influence and significance of those colours. The overall goal of the project is to contribute to the education of colour effects and improve the learning experience by integrating digital technologies into the educational process in various academic and professional practices.
How the discourse of ableism functions in Canadian immigration policy: undoing discrimination against persons with disabilities
Authors: Blower Jenna
Published: May 2021

This paper makes a strong case arguing that Canadian immigration policy discriminates against persons with disabilities and their families due to Ableist modes of thought. Ableism is a discourse that can be understood as humans’ capacity to be productive (El-Lahib, 2015). Immigration policies, such as the excessive demand clause, can forbid persons with disabilities to enter Canada since they may rely on health care or social services. The excessive demand clause does, however, make exceptions to persons and families who can prove they can incur the necessary costs associated with one’s “disability” (Government of Canada, 2016a). Though efforts have been made to make
Canadian immigration policy more inclusive, immigration policies still discriminate against persons with disabilities (El-Lahib & Wehbi, 2012; Hanes, 2009). This paper emphasizes how the discourse of ableism hides from view the many ways persons with disabilities contribute to the economy and act as valued members of society.

Keywords: Ableism; Disability; Canada; Immigration Policy; Neoliberalism
The Impact of Violence and Acknowledgement of Trauma on the Mental Health of Black Canadians
Authors: Jones Karia
Published: May 2021

This research paper will explore the foci surrounding the Black community, particularly on violence and mental health, through a literature review of existing studies. The goal of this research is to create space for narratives that will encourage and enable participants to talk in new and potentially transgressive ways. Grounded theory used to ground the finding in the research while symbolic interactionism and Critical race theory were utilized as theoretical lens. This MRP demonstrates the various forms of violence, mental health stigma and hesitancy to access services, and resilience within Black individuals Thus, more research and programs need to be developed in order to be able to understand the diverse levels of violence the Black community faces and how to limit the barriers they face internally and externally in regard to outside assistance.
Launch minds: launch your child's future - a business case
Authors: Zaki Ramage
Published: May 2021

According to a 2018 Ipsos survey 7 in 10 parents (70%) advocate the idea of having their children involved in extracurricular activities because of their perceived benefits (Simpson, 2018). However, many of them face the problem of spending countless hours researching available activities, leading to much wasted effort with no valuable results in return. The Launch Minds business case focuses on how a digital solution aimed at aggregating and filtering information, can allow parents to research, find, and register all their children within one platform. In turn, it discusses how this can lead to a cost-effective solution that encourages children to get involved in a diverse range of activities.
A Real-Time Augmented Reality System Using GPU Acceleration
Authors: Tam David C.C.
Published: May 2021

Augmented Reality (AR) is the act of overlaying 3D virtual objects into a real-world scene. Using robust computer vision algorithms, it is possible to perform AR using only a single video camera. However, these algorithms are very computationally expensive, and most proposed systems have to sacrifice accuracy for speed.

Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), originally designed to power graphics-intensive 3D video games and now commonplace on most gaming PCs, can also be used for general purpose computations. We developed a computer vision-based AR system accelerated by a single GPU, allowing robust feature detection and matching to be performed in every frame.

We conducted performance evaluations in both indoor and outdoor environments, with parameters optimized for maximum possible accuracy of recovered poses. Our AR system achieves a stable 10-12 frames per second at 640480 resolution on a laptop.
Multicultural Sexuality: Immigrant Seniors’ Attitudes Towards Sexuality Post Settlement
Authors: Hawkins Zoe Alyssa
Published: May 2021

This comprehensive literature review serves as an exploratory overview of previous research conducted on senior sexuality and the effect on immigrant seniors’ sexuality of settlement in Canada. Content analysis was used to systematically uncover similarities and differences among the various sources. The findings show that sexuality and aging are important emerging issues, that healthcare professionals and other care providers need to become more informed about this area and to take a more active role to converse with senior clients about healthy sexuality. Additionally, some cultures and religions, regardless of time of settlement, may be more conservative than Canadian born seniors, with the cautionary note that these cultural differences are not representative of members of immigrant senior populations generally.
The Application of Two Models of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Transition to the Low-Carbon Economy: a Case Study in the Aluminum Industry
Authors: Trenton Elizabeth
Published: May 2021

This study examined two approaches that account for recycled materials in LCA studies, the recycled content (RC) approach and the end-of-life recycling (EOL) approach, which were reviewed with reference to aluminum. Interviews were conducted to obtain best practices in using these two approaches and carbon footprinting was used as an environmental performance metric. The interview results showed that across the stakeholder groups there was no unanimity or preferences regarding either approach where LCA studies involved metals/aluminum. The case study of aluminum recycling applied a custom computer model developed for a Canadian primary producer that compared the carbon emissions of producing 1 metric ton (mt) of aluminum for the two approaches. The average value of mt CO2 eq. produced per mt aluminum was lower using the EOL approach versus the RC approach in every scenario. Percentage differences indicated substantial differences in the results when the two approaches were compared.
The relationship of resilience with social connectedness and self-esteem in street involved youth: a secondary analysis
Authors: Albert Karen
Published: May 2021

Resilience, the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity or trauma, plays a crucial role in street-involved youth’s (SIY) capacity to overcome risks. Social connectedness and self-esteem have been identified as possible protective factors in the lives of SIY. A secondary analysis of 155 SIY was conducted to explore the relationship between social connectedness and self-esteem with resilience. Correlations of study variables with demographic characteristics and mental health descriptors were also examined. Results indicate that resilience is positively and significantly correlated with social connectedness and self-esteem. Additionally, those with higher levels of resilience, social connectedness and self-esteem had lower levels of depression, hopelessness, suicidality and substance misuse. Enhancing social connectedness and self-esteem may strengthen resilience, enabling youth to move forward despite the deleterious conditions associated with homelessness.
Signal Analysis For Cardiac Electrical Activation Studies
Authors: Shokrollahi Elnaz
Published: May 2021

The aim of this study is to determine if some of the characteristics of reconstructed unipolar electrograms from the noncontact mapping system can be used to detect epicardial and to differentiate it from endocardial electrical activation in a canine heart. This would help the electrophysiologist know where exactly the origin of ventricular tachycardia or the critical point in tissue is located. Following this, arrhythmia can be successfully treated by ablating that part of the tissue of the heart. Virtual electrograms were recorded while pacing the right ventricle of an open-chest dog at multiple endocardial and epicardial sites using the commercially available noncontact mapping system (EnSite Array™ Catheter 3000). The endocardial and epicardial paced virtual electrograms from the juxtaposing sites allow for analyzing systematically the differences in their morphologies.

Maximal dV / dt, area under the depolarization curve and latency extracted from unipolar electrograms demonstrated significant difference between epicardial and endocardial pacing sites with a p-value of less than 0.01 in all three cases. The above features were fed to a linear discriminant analysis based classifier and high classification accuracy was achieved. Therefore, reliable criteria can be proposed to allow for discrimination of an endocardial versus epicardial origin of electrical activation.

And also the endocardial and epicardial paced virtual electrograms from the juxtaposing sites allows for an estimate of the transfer function of the myocardium in different positions of the right ventricles of a canine heart. The transfer function estimation will aid in better mathematical modeling of myocardium and could be a sensitive measure of myocardial homogeneity and arrhythmic foci localization.Another study was done on a human heart. This study was to evaluate the ability of virtual electrograms to predict abnormal bipolar electrograms. We tested the hypothesis of maxdV/dt, filtering and optimized DSM threshold. This allows better identification of abnormal myocardial substrate traditionally defined by contact bipolar mapping in human RVOT.
Implementing the Java Music Club in Residential Care: Impact on Cognitive and Psychosocial Health
Authors: Millet Geneva
Published: May 2021

Background: 90% of long-term care (LTC) residents experience cognitive impairment. Social support may benefit cognition by decreasing depression and loneliness. Objective: To investigate the effects of the Java Music Club, a manualized social support program, on cognition and psychosocial health among LTC residents. Methods: The Java Music Club was implemented 1x/week for three months. Participants (n=24, 91.7% female) completed cognitive tasks and psychosocial questionnaires before (T1), after (T2), and three months following (T3) participation. Qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of the Java Music Club were conducted at T2 with participants and recreation coordinators. Results: Decreased loneliness from T1-T2 (t = 3.31, p = .003) and T2-T3 reductions in depressive symptoms (F = 3.459, p = .043) and subjective memory complaints (F = 3.837, p = .048). Qualitative interviews illustrated important group elements, and that the Java Music Club was enjoyable and promoted social engagement. Conclusions: Participation in the Java Music Club is a promising approach to counter loneliness, depressive symptoms and subjective memory complaints in LTC residents.
A customizable web service selection framework using MCDM approaches
Authors: Karim Raed
Published: May 2021

With the tremendous increase of web services published online, the problem of selecting the best service offers becomes more challenging. Users need to make their decisions on multiple and conflicting non-functional requirements. It is a natural fit to apply the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) theory to the service selection and ranking process. In our proposed QoS-based service selection system, we take the user-centric standpoint to design the system. We improve the original MCDM models so that the user requirements on the QoS criteria are included in the rank calculation process. Our proposed QoS weighting method considers the well-defined ANP method combined with the user-defined weights. We compared the improved selection methods and we found that the Constraint Programming method is the best in terms of its sensitivity to the changes made to the QoS weights. Consequently, the results produced from this comparison would be presented to the user.
Comparison of cylindrical and non-cylindrical grain internal ballistic behavior of hybrid rocket engines and solid rocket motors
Authors: Lu Zhiliu
Published: May 2021

Hybrid rocket engines (HREs) are a chemical propulsion system that nominally combine the advantages of liquid-propellant rocket engines (LREs) and solid-propellant rocket motors (SRMs). HREs in some cases can have a higher specific impulse and better controllability than SRMs, and lower cost and engineering complexity than LREs. For HREs and SRMs, both kinds of rocket engine employ a solid fuel grain, and the chosen grain configuration is a crucial point of their design. Different grain configurations have different internal ballistic behavior, which in turn can deliver different engine performance. A cylindrical grain design is a very common design for SRMs and HREs. A non-cylindrical-grain is a more complex grain configuration (than cylindrical) that has been used in many SRMs, and is also a choice for some HREs. However, while an HRE and an SRM can employ the same fuel grain configuration, the resulting internal ballistic behavior would not be expected to be the same. Pressure-dependent burning tends to dominate in SRMs, while axial flow-dependent burning tends to dominate in HREs. To help demonstrate in a more direct manner the influence of the differing combustion processes on the same fuel grain configuration used by an HRE and SRM, a number of internal ballistic simulations are undertaken for the present study. For the reference SRM cases looked at, an internal ballistic simulation program that has the capability of predicting head-end pressure and thrust as a function of time into a simulated firing is utilized for the present investigation; for the corresponding HRE cases, a simulation program is used to simulate the burning and flow process of these engines. For the present investigation, the two simulation programs are used to simulate the internal ballistic performance of various HREs and SRMs employing comparable cylindrical and non-cylindrical fuel grain configurations. The predicted performance results, in terms of pressure and thrust, are consistent with expectations that one would have for both propulsion system types.
The Use of Aerogel-Enhanced Blanket for Thermal Bridging Correction in Concrete and Steel Buildings
Authors: Sharma Rashmi
Published: May 2021

Thermal bridges have been widely proved to significantly impact the building energy performance. This study will use aerogel-enhanced blanket to provide a solution for improving thermal bridges. The common method to include thermal bridges in the whole energy modelling is the equivalent U-value method; this does not take into account the dynamic effect of thermal bridges. Hence this research is focused on the dynamic effect of the thermal bridges before and after the application of aerogel-enhanced blanket in a mid-rise residential building. This study includes: 1) two different building systems: concrete building and steel building 2) three different climate conditions 3) Five different details: balcony to floor, shelf angle location, foundation to wall, wall to floor and wall to roof 4) two different modeling approaches: equivalent U-value method and 3D dynamic method 5) two different thermal bridges: standard and improved details with aerogel-enhanced blanket.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the standard details of thermal bridges and to improve them with the help of aerogel-enhanced blanket. The research aims to determine how effective aerogel-enhanced blanket are for thermal bridging correction and to compare the results between two different building modeling approaches.
Exposing lifestyles: transactive solar architecture
Authors: Clesle Michael C. D.
Published: May 2021

Architecture is capable of increasing the energy consciousness of its occupants through the development of spaces that promote active participation with solar energy systems. Current architectural practice maximizes neither the availability of solar energy nor the potential of solar technologies, failing to recognize critical social elements of renewable energy and address an increasing disconnect between individual energy use and energy source. Through an architectural response, this thesis explores the role of active solar technologies in mediating between occupants, internal and external environments, and energy consumption patterns. The development of an inteactive, energy gathering, animated façade, challenges the perceived 'value' of energy, forcing occupants to measure consumption choices against desires for daylight, views, and the ability to generate income. A transactive environment that makes occupants' lifestyles explicit on a building's façade ensure individuals achieve a heightened sense of energy awareness requiring them to engage their architecture and question overyday energy decisions.
Exclusion in public education : the experiences of parents with young children with special needs
Authors: Dhillon Gurjeet
Published: May 2021

There has been widespread interest amongst scholars and activists in researching the concept of inclusion of young children with special needs in early childhood settings and public education. This qualitative research study provides insight into the lives of Canadian parents who have children with special needs in public education. Two interviews were conducted with three parents, all of whom have children with special needs in kindergarten and grade one.

Key findings were interpreted from a social justice perspective which indicated that children with special needs are excluded in the public education system in a variety of ways. They do not have opportunities for inclusion with their typically developing peers. Parents become advocates as a result and struggle with accessing appropriate services for their children with special needs. Recommendations are made for implementing change within the education system and areas for future research are identified.
Complexity Analysis in Maintenance Systems
Authors: Monfared Sareh Shafiei
Published: May 2021

Complexity is a very broad subject that applies to project management, engineering design and manufacturing, arithmetic, software, statistics, etc. In maintenance systems, complexity can be defined based on technical and managerial aspects of a maintenance project. Because relative complexity between two projects can be used as a yardstick for resource allocation between them, quantifying the complexity becomes important. To quantify the complexity of maintenance projects, this thesis reports two models.

In uncertain situations, a fuzzy graph-based model is developed that determines relative complexities of maintenance projects based on experts‟ opinions with respect to technical and managerial aspects. These aspects may not be measured precisely due to uncertain situations. The model uses an aggregation operator to mitigate conflict of experts‟ opinions on complexity relations. Using a fuzzy relation matrix representing the degrees of membership of relative complexities, the model maps the fuzzy graph into a scaled Cartesian diagram.

Also, complexity of a maintenance project can be investigated through time to repair (TTR). Performing statistical analysis shows that human cognition and project complexity have significant influence on TTR. These influential factors can be studied by a learning curve. Due to the nature of maintenance calls for repairs, a learning curve model made up of two segments is proposed. A project complexity can be derived from the learning curve at the breakpoint time. Taking into account human cognitive abilities, the breakpoint indicates the required number of trials in order to reach mastery level for performing certain tasks unsupervised.
Protocol Enhancements and Performance Analysis of WiFi Networks
Authors: Ali M. Zulfiker
Published: May 2021

The 802.11ac version of the popular IEEE 802.11 protocol aims to boost performance by increasing the channel bandwidth and allowing simultaneous transmission to multiple clients in the downlink direction. This dissertation presents an innovative approach of performance evaluation of downlink multi-user multiple input multiple output (DL-MUMIMO) technique for differentiated quality of service (QoS) based traffic categories in IEEE 802.11ac protocol. We propose a novel analytical model based on discrete Markov chain (DMC) and E-limited M/G/1 queuing model to evaluate the performance improvements of multi-user transmission opportunity (MU-TXOP) sharing in DL-MU-MIMO under non-saturated load and non-ideal channel condition. We also evaluate MU-TXOP sharing probabilities among different QoS nodes to assess the performance improvement of different traffic categories.
In this dissertation, we propose an Access Point controlled MAC protocol (A-MAC)
that enables simultaneous transmissions from multiple stations (STA) in uplink to eliminate under utilization of network resources in uplink transmission due to single user communication. The protocol uses enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) technique to initiate multi-user transmission and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) method to transmit multiple Ready-To-Send (RTS) messages simultaneously. The proposed protocol also introduces explicit channel sounding technique by using dedicated OFDM subcarrier blocks for each user. We evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol using a noble analytical model and validate the performance metrics by extensive simulation in different traffic conditions. In this dissertation we also propose the increase of carrier sensing threshold (CSTH) of nodes during association with access point (AP) to mitigate collision probability due to hidden nodes during uplink transmission and validate our proposal through extensive simulation.
Finally, we propose a noble analytical model to evaluate the performance of restricted access window (RAW) mechanism of IEEE 802.11ah as the MAC layer protocol for internet of things (IoT) network. We evaluate detailed performance metrics of non-QoS IoT network and investigate the feasibility of using RAW mechanism to support differentiated QoS based heterogeneous IoT network
Power Line Communication For Automotive Applications
Authors: Huang Xiaoguang
Published: May 2021

The following thesis is an investigation on adopting Power Line Communication (PLC) technology from AC (Alternating Current) lines to DC (Direct Current) lines and possibility to apply it on automotive applications. Prototype modules are built with existing PLC chip to verify communication performance over the battery DC lines. In order to ensure reliable data transmission over the vehicle DC power lines, research is expanded to analyze the characteristics of vehicle DC-bus network. Typical automotive components are selected and tested for interference and noise analysis. Detailed studies on impulsive noise and its statistic distribution are presented. As well, the characteristics of Lead-acid battery are reviewed on the possible impacts to carrier frequency.

Overall, PLC technology is promising for automotive applications. But the test result shows there is limitation to apply existing PLC product to automotive DC applications. Directly adopting the control method used in AC application to DC is not trivial. Further study and future research areas are recommended to be conducted to mature the PLC technology being utilized on automotive systems.
Communicating self-care in feminism non-profit spaces
Authors: Morris Emma
Published: May 2021

Self-care is often used as a way for feminist activists and organizations to prevent or mitigate burnout, where non-profit organizations are expected to do more with less and pick up service delivery that has historically been the purview of governments. However, current scholarship on self-care in non-profit organizations typically focuses on non-profits in the nursing, mental health and social work sectors. This Major Research Project (MRP) examines women-focused non-profits (including shelters, legal clinics, and women’s rights organizations) to investigate how these organizations frame self-care for their employees. Through qualitative content analysis of interviews with current and former non-profit employees, this project investigates how these narratives are perceived by those employees; what can motivate an organization to implement discussions of self-care; and how narratives of self-care change inside and outside of the workplace.
Maawandoonan: early childhood disability support services in Constance Lake First Nation
Authors: Ineese-Nash Nicole
Published: May 2021

This paper details an institutional ethnography conducted in Constance Lake First Nation, a rural
Oji-Cree community in northern Ontario, Canada. The study is a part of a larger project called
the Inclusive Early Childhood Service System Project, which is partnered with several
municipalities and service organizations in four communities across Ontario. The current project
examined six family narratives of accessing disability support services for young children. The
project seeks to understand how the service system functions from the perspective of families,
and the impact of institutional interactions on families within the service system. Employing
critical disability theory and Indigenous perspectives of child development, the study seeks to
develop a culturally-based conceptualization of disability support for Indigenous children with
disabilities or gifts.
Synthetic futurism: exploring the possibilities of limitless architectural change and growth
Authors: Kara-Yacoubian Hovag John
Published: May 2021

Buildings do not have to burst out of the ground with a predetermined identity. They have an inherent need to grow, change and reinvent themselves to reflect the changes among the people and context.

In the ever-changing condition of the context, the design of a building must be conscious of and attuned to the growing needs of society. It cannot assume it is destined for a singular purpose, as instead it is defined by a continuity of growth and reinvention. With the onset of contextual changes, the fleeting moment of a design’s conception becomes less significant. In turn, what rises in import is the integration of contingency to allow a design to metabolize the effects of the contextual change and synthesize new solutions within a flexible, absorptive system. Each added component through its relationship with subcomponents and previously existing elements can serve to create diversity, continuity and flexible internal hierarchies between continuous servant and served space. The summation of the Group Form that results from the melding of many parts can allow the buildings identity to shift as the individual parts reform and change to form new cohesive identities. By manufacturing the base and set of core components, a radically diverse system can grow beyond the limits of the originating elements, adding malleability to the many comprising identities.
Evaluating the inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity in healthy young and older adults: the moderating role of music absorption
Authors: Peck Katlyn J.
Published: May 2021

Chronic exposure to stress at any age is associated with a myriad of negative physiological and psychological consequences, and as such, development of effective low-cost and non-invasive stress reduction interventions are important. Music listening has been shown to promote faster physiological recovery from acute stress. However, there is a paucity of research examining the potential inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity, as well as potential modifier’s that may influence this effect such as music selection and music absorption. Hence, the current study examined the potential inoculation effect of music in response to acute stress, as measured by a comprehensive set of stress indices. It was hypothesized that listening to music prior to acute stress exposure would decrease stress reactivity compared to white noise (WN), and that self-selected music (SSM) would serve as a stronger inoculator than researcher-selected music (RSM). Finally, it was hypothesized that music absorption would moderate the inoculation effect of music, with a greater decrease in stress reactivity observed in high absorbers. Exploratory sub-groups analyses were also performed to examine any potential age differences in the aforementioned associations. Participants were randomly assigned to either RSM (n = 37), SSM (n = 38), or a WN group (n = 33) and listened to either music or white noise prior to undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Outcome indices of stress included skin conductance, heart rate, salivary cortisol and self-report affect. Mixed analyses of covariance showed that music listening did not inoculate the stress response compared with WN and SSM did not serve as a more effective inoculator than RSM. A main effect of music absorption was found, suggesting that high absorbers are more reactive than low absorbers. Although the study hypotheses were not supported, exploratory sub-group analyses in older adults suggest that music listening and absorption may modulate the stress response. This study provides new insight into the effect of music listening on stress reactivity and presents a new line of questions that require further investigation.