bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Environmental attitudes and energy consumption among tenants in a high-rise multi-unit residential building in Toronto, Canada
Authors: Zare Mohazabieh Samira
Published: May 2021

The influence that environmental knowledge and belief have on people’s behaviour is one of the important issues in the fields of engineering, environmental study, management and other related areas. However, currently, there is not enough study on household energy use at an occupant level or on evaluation of elements that can affect household's energy use such as environmental knowledge and pro-environmental attitudes in Canadian MURBs. As such, studying household’s energy use and the interrelated effects on their energy consumption is believed to be a crucial step towards reducing energy consumption.

Considering the significance of the issues stated above, the present study attempts to evaluate energy consumption and its possible correlation with environmental attitudes among the tenants of a Toronto high-rise multi-unit residential building. The research methodology is based on a quantitative survey method, and the focus of the study is on historical annual energy consumption from April 2011 to June 2013. The main tool for collecting data is a developed questionnaire, and Dunlap’s NEP scale is used for measuring environmental attitudes.

With regards to data analysis, the survey data and historical energy consumption data from April 2011 to June 2013 were analysed. The statistical sample size consisted of the 50 tenants who completed the NEP survey from July 29 to August 18, 2014. The detailed statistical results show that there is a negative correlation between environmentally-conscious attitude and energy consumption of the participants which is in agreement with the study’s presented hypothesis. In essence, this means that having high environmentally-conscious attitudes towards the energy consumption has a positive effect on occupant’s energy consumption level.
Three-Dimensional Self-Assembled Nanocarbon For Theranostics Applications
Authors: Chowdhury A K M Rezaul Haque
Published: May 2021

Carbon nanomaterials have been explored for biomedical applications such as scaffolds in tissue engineering, drug delivery carriers, cancer diagnostics and biological imaging. Due to their possible cytotoxicity and biological inertness, they need biological or chemical functionalization to attain biomedical applications. Current research trends are for the synthesis of biocompatible and self-functionalized nanocarbon with prospective application in therapy and diagnosis. The main objectives of this thesis are to synthesize 3D self-functionalized biocompatible nanocarbon for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The synthesis of the unique three-dimensional carbon nanostructures has been done with ultrashort femtosecond laser processing mechanism, a versatile yet precise technique for nanoscale material generation.
First study deals with the synthesis of 3D nanocarbon network and its biocompatibility assessment. Quantitative and qualitative studies of the fibroblast cell response to this nano-network are performed. The findings from the in-vitro study indicate that the platform possesses excellent biocompatibility and promote cell adhesion and subsequent cell proliferation. In next study, the synthesized nanocarbon network (CNRN) platform that possesses a variation in C-C and C-O bond architecture showed dual functionality i. e. cytophilic to fibroblasts but cytotoxic to HeLa cells. Two distict opposite responses like tissue generation for fibroblasts and apoptosis like function for HeLa was observed after 48-hour of culture. The results have potentials or therapeutic appliations.
Third study focuses on the diagnostic applications of the nanocarbon. A unique non-plasmonic SERS based bio-sensing platform using 3D nanocarbon is introduced for in-vitro detection and differentiation of HeLa and fibroblast cells. Time based Raman spectroscopy of these cells seeded on nanocarbon revealed chemical fingerprints of intracellular components like DNA/RNA, protein and lipids. Their spectroscopic differences guide differentiation of each cell.
Finally, we have synthesized N-enriched nanocarbon probe through nitrogen incorporation-assisted ionization and demonstrate label free SERS based detection of transient variation of cell chemistry and thereby cancer cell diagnosis with N-enriched 3D nanocarbon probe. The results suggested that the SERS functionality not only reveal the chemical fingerprint of the intracellular components (e. g. protein, DNA, RNA etc.) within a cell but also guide detection of cancerous HeLa cells. The results obtained in this thesis point out multifunctional viability of biocompatible self-functionalized nanocarbons for therapy and diagnosis.
Knowledge gaps in demographic, spatial, and biological characteristics of Canadian at-risk plant species
Authors: Parker Rebecca J.
Published: May 2021

There are gaps in abundance, distribution, and biological information for many at-risk species, likely because of surveying difficulties. I outline these gaps for Canadian plant species and also suggest species-specific traits that hint at which species are difficult to assess in the field, therefore making them more likely to report missing data. A metaanalysis of COSEWIC listed plant species revealed that only 103 (60%) species had available status reports in 2013. Furthermore, 20% of those species had at least one missing population. Fifty-eight percent of missing information was attributable to missing abundance estimates, 24% percent to geographical information, and 18% to biological information. Finally, a Poisson distribution ANCOVA revealed no significant differences between species reporting uncertain populations and species not reporting such populations, nor in the amount of missing data they reported, with respect to any of the traits identified as potential indicators of surveying difficulty.
Towards Digital Place(s): cultivating a language of digital design in architecture
Authors: Owens Michael
Published: May 2021

The term “place” has been used to identify meaningful locations or buildings in reference to limitless connections, be they sensorial or emotional that develop an embodied memory of space as experienced by the senses. In the contemporary age of digital society the level of technological depth that an individual may be submerged throughout their daily activities has created a barrier between space and its occupant that must be bridged before a sense of place can be established. The following thesis will explore the social impacts of technological advancements in contemporary society which has created a populace of high-tech nomads and the implications of those advancements for physical environment and architecture.
Finding ways of bridging that intangible barrier or a gap through architecture will drive space and its formal expression to new levels of interactivity and connectivity that are capable of resurfacing the digitally submerged, strengthening the existing and forging new relationships between people and places.
This thesis will explore the bridging of the gap between digital technology and physical space through the advancement of interactive, adaptive spaces, materials, and forms that combine and embody a language and experience of digital design. Each section of the document works towards the establishment of the idea that it is firstly, possible to bridge that gap and to create harmony between the digital and the physical, and secondly to show that this harmony can be meaningful, impactful, and complimentary to the present richness that is the urban fabric.
This thesis will investigate the impact and implications of presence of digital technologies on the forms of societal and spatial interaction. As one’s daily life starts to operate within a digital platform independently of the realm of physical space, architecture can become reoriented to establish its new parameters.
An attempt to formulate a new language of digital design will allow the development of a new form of architecture, capable of engaging contemporary high-tech society in a new place making. As one begins to communicate and engage with his surroundings via his personal devices and vice versa a new system of interaction between occupants and occupied will emerge, as will new relationship between people and spaces.
An Accidental Architecture : the Architecture of the Imperfect
Authors: Maleki Kavosh
Published: May 2021

Accidental architecture is an imperfect architecture due to the contingent reality of the world. An accidental architecture abandons the futile binaries of form and function and the telos(end goal) of Pure Formalism, Pure Functionalism and absolute accuracy in form-function relations in favour of the poetic interplay and collisions(metaphors) of things—any entities—to create objects through accident. This change of approach from teleological to accidental architecture allows for a new form of aesthetics, an accidental aesthetic that is more than just the subsequent product of form-function relations, an aesthetic that has the same hierarchy with the notions of form and function. This thesis explores accident as a mode of design to create an imperfect architectural object, an accidental architectural object.
The impact of mindfulness training on theta and beta power in youth with ADHD: an EEG analysis and methodological considerations
Authors: Sibalis Annabel
Published: May 2021

Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. The most common management tool, stimulant medication, shows limited efficacy in youth due to side effects, stigma, and noncompliance. The current quasi-experimental study examines the influence of a behavioural, mindfulness-based treatment program for youth, Integra Mindfulness Martial Arts, on theta power, beta power, and theta/ beta ratio (TBR), neural indices reflecting attentional ability. Additionally, the current study compared the use of rest versus active attention tasks in order to determine which task type best displayed attention-related treatment gains. Improvements in attentional ability, indexed by a decrease in TBR, were found for the treatment group, but not controls, during an active attention task and not during a rest task. These findings support mindfulness training as a treatment option for ADHD, and support the use of active versus passive attention tasks when examining treatment-related gains.

Keywords: attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, mindfulness, youth, EEG, theta/beta ratio
So I left, now what? Social service workers perspective on immigrant women's service utilization after leaving an abusive relationship
Authors: Asiamah Shirley Owusuaa
Published: May 2021

Through in-depth interviews, this study explores three service provider’s views on immigrant women's experiences while they accessed and utilized services after leaving an abusive relationship. A phenomenological method of inquiry was used to examine services that are available to meet the needs of immigrant women, and the workers’ views on women’s experiences while seeking assistance. The study focuses on an intersecting analysis of the limitations on three levels: services that assist women, the systems of community resources that women utilize, and the broader structural issues such as funding that affect social service organizations. This study includes a discussion of the coordinated community approach as a recommendation for improved assistance for abused women.

Key Words: Immigrant women, Domestic violence, Intersectionality, Social service
Letters from my future self
Authors: Larratt Ashleigh
Published: May 2021

What does it mean to become the person you are meant to be? How can embodied wholeness be realized, no matter what happened, and become an exhilarating point of departure for creative practice, and ultimately, life.

In Letters From my Future Self, my thirty-six minute experimental film, I try to answer this question with material from my own life. By making art out of my personal history, and the mystical vision of a Future Self, trauma becomes a portal for healing, and discovering the beauty of the present moment.

In doing so, I offer my story as a template for others’ healing. I encourage viewers to embark on their own inward journeys of self-discovery. To enlighten that which they most wish to hide from and push away. To merge their divinity with their humanity, becoming their own Future Selves.
Fat chat : an exploration of obesity discourses in Canadian media and their impacts on social work
Authors: Abel Samantha
Published: May 2021

This Major Research Paper conducted a critical discourse analysis of Canadian Press articles focused on obesity. This research sought to understand how the articles constructed obesity, what discourses were operating, and what power relations were at play. The three main discourses that shaped the articles were mother blame, the medical model, and economics. They became evident through photographs, language used, gendered power relations, medicalized understandings of health and solutions to obesity, and who was profiting or benefitting from these understandings and solutions. Social work practitioners and educators need to consider these discourses when conceptualizing obesity, and strive to contextualize individual experiences of fatness within broader structural and systemic power relations. Social workers also need to be cautious about reproducing oppressive anti-obesity practices, social work is a profession that has historically been an agent of social control and discipline.
Incorporating spirituality and religiosity In social work practice
Authors: Choi Miryang
Published: May 2021

This study aims to critically examine the current social work practice which is based on dominant western epistemology and positivism, and which often excludes spiritual and religious aspects of clients. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and a holistic approach from the Indigenous perspective for the theoretical framework, this study challenges the dominant research method of random sampling for research. This study adopts a phenomenological approach which seeks a deep understanding of how three social work practitioners with racially and culturally diverse backgrounds view spiritual and religious dimensions in social work practice, and how they integrate these aspects into their practice. With semi-structured interviews, the findings of the study indicate the essence of the experience of social work practitioners who incorporate spirituality and religiosity in their practice. The findings indicate the need for thoughtful discussions on how to incorporate spirituality and religiosity in social work practice without allowing exclusion and harm through religion.
Playing with gender: taking up and challenging heteronormativity in an early childhood education setting
Authors: Gagliardi Lisa-Marie
Published: May 2021

This study challenges a common view that sexualities and the topic of sexuality are irrelevant
and inappropriate to children’s lives. In early childhood education, sexuality is generally viewed
as an innate developmental experience that evolves over time as children grows. Framed in a
postmodernist and queer perspective, this study upholds sexuality as a social construct
influenced by cultural and societal values. This study examines how heteronormativity is
discursively constructed in an early childhood education setting. Participant observation was
employed and video recorded with ten kindergarten children and their early childhood educators.
First, the children were found to employ a number of discourses, including: “hair;” “clothes;”
“colours;” “masculinity as the rejection of femininity;” “superhero” and “princess play.”
Secondly, the findings suggest that play is a site for children to transgress hegemonic discourses
regarding genders and sexualities. Thirdly, the early childhood educator was found to be a
critical role in this transgressive play by posing questions and problematizing children’s
heteronormative assumptions.
Curated Memories : Narrative Architecture Within Industrial Heritage
Authors: Monaco Giovanna
Published: May 2021

Curated Memories will examine how Toronto’s industrial heritage buildings and landscapes embody memory through a historical architectural narrative. Memory can be considered a projection of time revealed as layers of intellectual or physical events comprising the foundations of what we experience in the present. Moments of reflection or physical expression become manifested and it is manifested memory which will be explored through social and personal history, materiality and the senses. With a history of over 13,000 years, still not fully unearthed, Toronto’s Davenport corridor is contributing to its evolving urban landscape. Its fabric articulates relationships between revealed relics and the memories that have shaped Toronto’s development. The Bridgman Transformer Station will be explored through tangible moments of memory illustrating how new memory can be revealed, embedded and absorbed into the present and future landscape.
A City In The Sky: Engaging The Vertical Public Realm
Authors: Van Ooteghem Danielle
Published: May 2021

Urban public spaces are synonymous with the social fabric of the city, forming overlapping networks of face-to-face interaction. As population growth in Toronto intensifies, the city is experiencing an increase in developer-driven, private high-rise residential buildings and subsequent loss of public space for social interaction. Face-to-face interaction is vital to human health and well-being as it satisfies the need for self-identity and relationships at the scale of the individual and the community. Architectural design provides the means to explore possibilities for alternative social spaces in contemporary cities through the design of a vertical public realm within high-rise residential towers. The socio-spatial organization and disposition of public and private space can foster social interaction across a variety of scales. This is vital in forming communities within a high-rise residential tower that will grow together over time, creating a cohesive urban system at the scale of the neighbourhood, community and city
Pricing energy contracts under regime switching time-changed Levy Processes
Authors: Gajewski Konrad
Published: May 2021

The failures of the popular Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) model led to an interest in new, robust models which could more accurately model the behavior of historical prices. We consider one such model, the regime switching time-changed Levy process, which builds upon the BSM model by incorporating jumps through a random clock, as well as randomly varying parameters according to a continuous-time Markov chain. We develop the characteristic function as well as two methods for pricing European call options. Finally, we estimate the parameters of the model by incorporating historic energy data and option quotes using a variety of methods.
Legibility in the liminal: challenging the symbolic order, an exhibition of drawing
Authors: Laevens Joseph Frederick
Published: May 2021

"Amidst the 'Glossary of Commonly Misused Words' in the Writers Digest Grammar Desk Reference, the adverb hopefully is demonstrated in its proper usage with a fortune cookie message that reads: 'It is sometimes better to travel hopefully than to arrive'. (Lutz, 332) This paper takes its character from a similar elaboration from within its purpose. In the most simple way, that purpose is to formulate a critical explanation of the studio works as
surveyed and documented. As explication, it imbues its meaning as a manner of traveling hopefully upon the arrival of the action of the project. This might seem simple enough but in order to contextualize both the studio works and the explication the reader will be required to play the double game of both conceptually traveling and perceptually arriving. Though it may seem arbitrary, there is no other way any higher possibility of agreement between text and object could be arranged. To argue on behalf of the studio works would prioritize perceptual
arrival over the viewer's experience and to realize art about theories is easily a misuse of the word hopeful"--From the introduction, page 3.
Role of stereopsis losses in older adults’ performance on the fine-grain movement illusion task
Authors: Pearson Marlena
Published: May 2021

Accurate motion perception is necessary for older adults to safely navigate their environments. Yet it is not clear how stereopsis losses contribute to findings of motion perception deficits in older adults. To assess the contribution of stereopsis losses, three groups (younger adults, older adults with intact stereopsis, older adults with poor stereopsis) were recruited for a fine-grain movement task. The distance participants perceived a dot to move across a computer screen was assessed using a staircase procedure. While all participants perceived the dot to move further than the actual distance, older adults with poor stereopsis showed more exaggeration in their estimates than younger adults and older adults with intact stereopsis. However, the groups did not differ in the intraindividual variability of their estimates. These results suggest stereopsis losses in the context of aging may signal neural or oculomotor changes that result in reduced accuracy of positional perception.
Inverse Identification Of Elastic Moduli For 3D Printed PLA, Using Impulse Excitation Technique (IET)
Authors: Mohsin Afridi
Published: May 2021

3D Printing has recently undergone extensive development due to its lower cost and flexibility. A number of studies have been carried out to determine 3D printed material properties. This study focuses on the determination of the dynamic properties for PLA. The PLA material is processed through the popular FDM method with three different build orientations. A vibration experiment is conducted to evaluate the first modal frequency and Young’s modulus. The results are then compared to the FEM modal analysis and finally the traditional tensile testing results. The anisotropy of the 3D printed components, mainly due to the density changes caused by voids and filament alignment, result in the variation of the Young’s modulus which is different than the homogenous bulk material. The calculated Young’s moduli values are very slightly higher than the tensile test results which is in conformance with the trend documented by earlier studies on similar printed materials using the same techniques
Take the plea: the factors that influence innocent individuals to accept plea bargains
Authors: Zannella Lesley
Published: May 2021

Recently, plea bargaining has emerged as a factor that contributes to wrongful convictions. When a Crown offers a reduced sentence or lesser charge to a defendant in exchange for a guilty plea, there is the potential for innocent defendants to plead guilty. However, little is known about the factors that are influencing innocent defendants to accept plea bargains. The current study aimed to investigate the role of false evidence, risk, and modality on an innocent participant’s likelihood of accepting or rejecting a plea bargain. In a laboratory, innocent participants (N = 174) were accused of collaborating with another participant (confederate) on a problem solving task, and offered a plea bargain. Results showed that when participants were told there was an 80% chance of sanctions if they rejected the plea, they were more likely to admit guilt, and accept the plea. Additionally, participants who were high in compliance, high in fantasy proneness, or were younger, were more likely to accept the plea bargain. Implications of these findings for innocent defendants are discussed.
Google's affair with Open Source Software: from browser wars to mobile domination
Authors: Hayes Lisa , Middleton Catherine A.
Published: May 2021

"Daily communication is facilitated by digital technologies through Web sites and social media, and accessed via computers and mobile devices (Meeker, Devitt, & Wu, 2009). The computer has "transformed the way we live, work and play" (Lunenfeld, 2011, p. 143). Communication devices are driving the development of technology standards that are very powerful for consumers, but even more powerful and profitable for the companies that control them. A battle continues for control over the way we access information online via Web browsers on computers and mobile devices. The owner of the most popular interface has an advantage because it can influence how the public sees information, favouring some content over others. But more importantly, it profits from selling access to these viewers to advertisers and it can choose who it will allow to advertise and who it will block"--From page 2.
Provincial Immigration Policies: The Case of Ontario’s Pilot PNP
Authors: Pavlova Radostina
Published: May 2021

This paper explores the involvement of provincial governments in the selection, recruitment and settlement of immigrants to Canada, focusing on Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Taking as a case study the pilot PNP that the province of Ontario launched in 2007, it asks the question: what are these expanding and increasingly popular programs accomplishing for Canada's immigration project that the federal immigration program isn't? The study argues that PNPs have been able to overcome some of the shortcomings of federal policy of immigrant selection through matching immigrants with jobs, involving receiving communities and institutions in the integration process, bringing immigrants in a relatively short timeframe, and leading to more balanced geographic distribution of immigrants while attracting immigration to provinces and areas unpopular with the general immigrant stream.
New algorithms for computed tomography image reconstruction to eliminate artifacts
Authors: Lechtman Eli
Published: May 2021

Computed tomography (CT) relies on computational algorithms to reconstruct images from CT projections. Current filtered backprojection reconstruction methods have inherent limitations in situations with sharp density gradients and limited beam views. In this thesis two novel reconstruction algorithms were introduced: the Algebraic Image Reconstruction (AIR) algorithm, and the Geometric Image Reconstruction Algorithm (GIRA). A CT simulation was developed to test these novel algorithms and compare their images to filtered backprojection images. AIR and GIRA each demonstrated their proof of principle in these preliminary tests. AIR and its extension, the Parsed AIR algorithm (PAIR), were able to reconstruct optimal images compared to filtered backprojection after empirically determining parameters relevant to the algorithms. While GIRA reconstructed optimal images in preliminary tests, reconstruction was complicated by error propagation for larger imaging domains. The initial success of these novel approaches justifies continued research and development to determine their feasibility for practical CT image reconstruction.
Exploring experiences of grief and loss after suicide of a loved one in South Asian families
Authors: Phillips Sanjini
Published: May 2021

This research explores the experiences of South Asian families who have experienced suicide of a loved one in the past five-years. Past research in the areas of suicide, grief, loss, and bereavement has not focused on how different cultures live through and may view these issues through a cultural lens. The research uses a qualitative narrative methodology and to explore how South Asian families understand and interpret suicide and negotiate their personal experiences of loss and grief after suicide. Individual interviews were conducted and recorded on audiotape. Participants were provided with an opportunity to explore and share their experiences of suicide of a loved one from a cultural perspective, voices that are missing in the mainstream literature. This research contributes to a broader understanding of suicide in diverse communities and how helping professionals can work towards a more inclusive practice with South Asian families who have experiences suicide.
Understanding Treatment Response In CBT-I: Experiential And Theoretical Perspectives
Authors: Maich Kristin Honor Grace
Published: May 2021

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is empirically supported as efficacious and is considered the first line treatment for insomnia. However, it is not clear which specific components of CBT-I are most strongly associated with most improved outcome, and for whom the treatment is most effective. The present study examined participants’ experiences with CBTI in terms of the treatment components that they found to be most helpful. Participants with chronic insomnia (N = 163) completed 4 sessions of in-person CBT-I in a clinical trial. At the end of treatment, participants completed “letters” to their future selves including reminders of which elements of treatment they found to be most helpful; these letters were analyzed from a middle range theory approach using qualitative analyses. Although some studies have investigated moderators and mediators of CBT-I, these studies are few and sparse, and there are a variety of methodological problems. In response to the demand for an investigation of treatment mechanisms in CBT-I, the current study investigated a number of presumed theoretical treatment mechanisms on CBT-I outcomes via mediational analyses. The relationship between pre- and posttreatment insomnia severity was expected to be mediated by a number variables based factors presumed to perpetuate insomnia in the long-term. Qualitative analysis yielded eleven themes of treatment components that participants found to be most helpful. The eleven themes reflected the theoretical tenets of CBT-I, but also showed that self-efficacy, which is not currently prioritized in the CBT-I literature as a significant factor impacting treatment, to be important. Results from the quantitative analysis showed that sleep compression partially mediated prospectively measured insomnia severity at posttreatment, while changes in sleep related safety behaviours mediated self-reported insomnia severity. Findings from this study show that from their own perspective, clients confirm that the theoretical treatment factors upon which CBT-I is based are indeed helpful, and also that additional, less widely studied variables related to CBT-I, therapy more generally, and broader client concerns are important. Implications from this research include important considerations for clinicians delivering CBT-I, and potential new avenues for future research directions.
'Natural Conservatives?': Examining the Voting Associations of Ethnic and Visible Minority Communities in the Toronto CMA, 2007 to 2011
Authors: Jacoby Brandon D.
Published: May 2021

The Conservative Party of Canada attributed its successful breakthrough in the Toronto area during the 2011 Canadian federal election to their engagement of ethnic and visible minority voters, whereas in the past, these voters were associated with the Liberal party. This research study uses spatial and statistical analyses to test patterns of association between the electoral support for the three major parties and presence of ethnic and visible minority communities. The research uses data from the 2006 Census of Canada, as well as the voting results of the 2011 and 2008 federal elections, the 2011 and 2007 Ontario provincial elections and the 2010 Toronto mayoral election. The findings suggest that non-European origin ethnic and visible minority communities are associated with the Liberal party at the federal and provincial levels, but the opposite is true at the municipal level, and the federal Liberals are haemorrhaging support from ethnic and visible minority communities to the Conservatives and NDP. The victories of the federal Conservatives may instead be associated with other factors like vote splitting, low voter turnout, and divisions between urban and suburban areas.
A comparative analysis of environmental and economic costs of PV solar imports and manufacturing for Ontario
Authors: Nguyen Elizabeth Bich Ngoc
Published: May 2021

This research focuses on the environmental impacts related to the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to assess the environmental impacts for a CS6XVP module. The current supply chain, based in China, was compared to a hypothetical Ontario based supply chain to determine environmental and economic costs. LCA results showed that the manufacturing of modules in Ontario reduced primary energy demands by 22% and GHG emission by 88%. Moreover, the carbon difference between supply chains equated to $5.84 per module. This leads to the conclusion that there are clear environmental benefits to manufacturing PV technology in Ontario; however, the economic benefits of carbon costing are not significant enough to encourage a complete shift in the current supply chain. It is suggested that a change in carbon policy could help to support the development of PV manufacturing and other renewable energy technologies in Ontario.
Least square-support vector machine based modeling for electric arc furnaces
Authors: Vakilian Leyla
Published: May 2021

The process of making steel from the scrap metal by means of electric arc furnaces (EAF) has been used extensively in the industry. Accurate modelling of EAFs is, therefore, desired to assess their operations and their impacts on the electrical network. A number of approaches have already been used to model the v-i behavior of electric arc furnaces including mathematical methods and data-driven models. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the data-driven modelling methodologies, in particular, least square support vector machine (LS-SVM). The results obtained show that the proposed method with radial base function kernel provides the model to predict both arc current and arc voltage of EAFs.
Fatigue Damage Assessment of Materials Under Uniaxial Variable Amplitude Loading Conditions
Authors: Sharma Mitesh
Published: May 2021

This  thesis  intends  to  further  apply  an  earlier  developed  energy  based-critical  fatigue damage  parameter  to  assess  the  fatigue  damage  of  different  materials  subjected  to repeated  random  block  histories.  In  fatigue  damage  assessment  under variable  loading conditions, further phenomenological factors of: (i) sequence loading effect, (ii) memory effect, and (iii) the effect of small  amplitude cycles below the material endurance limit have been introduced.The effect due to sequence loading is studied for variable amplitude loading conditions. It is  found  that  the  loading  sequence  has  a  great  influence  on  the  cyclic  stress-strain hysteresis loops and therefore on fatigue damage of materials. Memory effect concept has been carefully monitored and programmed to correspond to the closed hysteresis loops in each  block  loading  history.  The  small  cycles  exceeding  50%  of the  fatigue  endurance limit contributed to the accumulated damage.A  comparison  of  the  predicted  fatigue  life  results  based  on  energy  based-critical parameter  including  the  phenomenological  factors  with  the  experimental  live  data reported in the literature has shown a good agreement. 
Adaptive Echo Cancellation Analysis
Authors: Sun Yongdong
Published: May 2021

Echo cancellation is a classic problem in DSP and digital communication. Adaptive echo cancellation is an application of adaptive filtering to the attenuation of undesired echo in the telecommunication network. This is accomplished by modeling the echo path using an adpative filter and subtracting the estimated echo from the echo-path output. In this project, the concept of echo cancellation and echo cancellation systems are studied, simulated, and implemented in Matlab and TI TMS3206C6711 DSK. The LMS, NLMS. Fast block LMS and RLS algorithm and investigated for echo canceller and two double talk detection algorithm are presented and combined with NLMS adaptive algorithm against double talk. Finally the adaptive echo cancellation system successfully developled by the NLMS and normalized cross-correlation DTD algorithms meet the general ITU G. 168 requirements and show excellent robustness against double talk.
Urban sprawl into the Niagara Region: the effect of urban encroachment on agriculture seen through the use of remote sensing applications and landscape metrics
Authors: Carvalho Jessica Leigh-Anne
Published: May 2021

The Niagara Region contains land that is ideal for agricultural practices. This thesis strives to
illuminate whether or not urban growth in the Niagara Region is a detriment to agricultural land
use. Using Landsat 5 TM and 8 OLI-TIRS satellite imagery, spatial statistics, called landscape
metrics, will be utilized to determine growth and loss of urban and agriculture land uses. Satellite
imagery will be classified based on researched methods in order to create land class maps. These
maps will then be utilized for landscape metrics using the Patch Analyst extension for ArcMap.
Change detection methods will also be observed. The above methods will be done for the overall
landscape of the Niagara Region. This study will find that agriculture in the Niagara Region is
changing and endeavors to highlight how urban sprawl is part of the cause. Fragmentation will be
discussed as part of the issues due to urban sprawl.
Thinking third sector in Canadian and German settlement and social inclusion
Authors: Bushell Riley Rose
Published: May 2021

Canada and Germany have become major immigrant-receiving countries of the Global North, sharing settlement structures shaped by federal, regional and municipal governments and operated by large and diverse third sectors. Through an integrative literature review, this study critically examines the Canadian and German third sectors involved in settlement and social inclusion initiatives, particularly in the context of neoliberal policymaking prevalent in both countries since the 1980s. First outlining the structure and landscape of settlement in each country, it identifies several shared challenges stemming from neoliberal federal policy and the retreat of the national welfare state. Filling literature gaps in this field is particularly important given recent increases in asylum-seeking in Germany, and the global emergence of right-wing, anti-immigration political movements. The purpose of this study is to serve as the basis for further cross-national consideration, discussion and mutual learning between Canada and Germany.

Key words: Canada, Germany, third sector, settlement sector, social inclusion, asylum, immigration, neoliberal policy and restructuring
Single Vibration Mode Standing Wave Tubular Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Motor
Authors: Park Soonho
Published: May 2021

The objective of this thesis is to report the single vibration mode standing wave tubular piezoelectric ultrasonic motors developed. Piezoelectric motors are driven by reverse piezoelectric effects which converts an input of ultrasonic frequency of electrical energy into an output of mechanical movement. There are many advantages of piezoelectric ultrasonic motors compared to electromagnetic motors such as simple structure, high energy density, and high torque at low speed. Three prototypes are designed and fabricated. Two motors are fabricated using PZT cylindrical tube; one with PZT teeth and the other with metal teeth. A third motor using brass tube with PZT plates attached is fabricated. After design and fabrication of three prototypes, the performances of the motors are tested using a test apparatus for speed and torque.
Restorative justice approach to alternatives to detention: an analysis of Canadian immigration detention
Authors: Fujimoto Maia
Published: May 2021

This paper presents a literature review on restorative justice, immigration detention and alternatives to detention. I propose that a restorative justice approach and practices could be taken into consideration when developing ATD programs in Canada as well as for addressing current issues that surround immigration detention. Restorative justice is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offence and to identify and address harms, needs and obligations collectively, with the objective to ‘heal’ and put things as right as possible (Zehr, 2015). There is a research gap in the field of restorative justice and immigration in general. Restorative justice traditionally aligns itself with the criminal justice system but has potential to be applied to many areas and its application to immigration issues is a relatively new area. As these concepts can provide for a new approach towards reconciling issues involving victims and offenders outside of criminal justice, an argument can be made that there is potential for the implementation of restorative justice to have value within immigration detention.

Key Words: Restorative Justice, Alternatives to Detention, Immigration detention, Canada
Advancements toward autonomous access hole detection for urban search and rescue
Authors: Waismark Ben
Published: May 2021

The collapse of buildings creates voids underneath rubble, where victims may be trapped. First responder crews arriving at a collapse scene are responsible for the location of access holes, among other tasks. Access holes are entry points through which rubble voids may be reached by search and rescue personnel. Previously presented work aimed to autonomously locate such holes, aiding concentration of resources to areas of interest, such as those leading into rubble.
The work proposed improves upon existing work by increasing accuracy while reducing total number of detections. A new process is introduced for segmentation of colour and depth images, significantly improving the hole finding system’s accuracy. The ability to score holes based on multiple frames, considering various points of view is introduced. As an added benefit, matching holes across frames allows the algorithm to report holes once per group of matches, rather than once per frame.
Signal processing techniques for operator independent Doppler ultrasound : potential for use in transcranial Doppler ultrasound
Authors: Lee Benjamin
Published: May 2021

2D Doppler ultrasound can be used for continuous monitoring of vasospasm. However, the use of Doppler ultrasound suffers from operator dependence requiring a skilled ultrasonographer to make Doppler angle corrections. The aim of the research is to minimize the need of dedicated ultrasonographers for Doppler ultrasound monitoring of cerebral vasospasms. In this thesis, three studies including a steady flow phantom, pulsatile flow phantom and in vivo human internal carotid artery (ICA) were completed with the use of 3D Doppler ultrasound. The 3D vascular structure of the phantom and ICA were obtained using binary skeletonization from 3D power Doppler images. The vascular structure was used in combination with angle independent pulsed-wave Doppler to reconstruct the temporal blood velocity profiles at various parts of the vasculature. The results indicate that Doppler angle corrections can be minimized with the use of 3D Doppler ultrasound, and operator independent monitoring of blood flow is possible.
MEAP, modified EAP protocol for WLAN authentication
Authors: Guo Xiaoying
Published: May 2021

Wireless networking is becoming increasingly popular. However, the use of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) also creates many security issues that do not exist in a wired world. WLAN connection no longer requires cable. Instead, data packets are sent on the air and are available to anyone with the ability to intercept and decode them. Traditional physical security measures like firewalls and security guards are less efficient in this new domain.

The IEEE has organized the 802.11i Task Group to address 802.11 security. To solve the user authentication problem, it adopted 802.1x standard. The standard relies on Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to provide the authentication function. However, after the basic EAP authentication process, the Access Point (AP) still needs to be authenticated by the client. In order to implement mutual authentication, Protected EAP (PEAP), EAP-Transport Layer Security (TLS), EAP-Tunneled TLS (TTLS) or other variants of EAP are developed. But some [are] still weak in the authentication procedure. In this thesis, a new authentication mechanism called Modified EAP (MEAP) is proposed. MEAP is based on PEAP. MEAP adds a TLS layer on top of EAP, and then uses the resulting TLS session as a tunnel to protect the later Simple Password-authenticated Exponential Key Exchange (SPEKE), which is a strong password method. MEAP can provide mutual authentication to satisfy strong authentication requirements in WLAN.
Fault analysis considering fault current contributions from distributed energy sources
Authors: Arapovic Adnan
Published: May 2021

With emerging concerns over climate change and the need for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, together with the growing awareness of the importance of the natural environment and the depletion of the earth's non-renewable energy resources, the generation of electricity from distributed renewable energy resource such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy has begun to expand at a rapid pace. Proliferation of convert-based distributed energy resources in distribution systems has introduced new challenges in determining the maximum possible fault currents that a power system must be able to withstand without being compromised. Therefore is is imperative to develop the mathematical and software simulation models that approximate the response of converter-based distributed energy resources during a fault on the transmission or distribution system in order to determine the fault current contributions to the electrical grid that a transmission or distribution utility needs to reflect in their connection impact assessments.
Evaluating perception towards electric vehicles in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
Authors: Goodfield Joshua
Published: May 2021

The vast majority of the world’s transportation options heavily rely on fossil fuel outputs, which
has been a major contributing factor in the acceleration of global climate change. Given
Ontario’s relatively ‘clean’ supply mix of electricity, recent public policy outputs reflect a
shifting interest in better utilizing electricity to reform the transportation sector to meet
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. The minimal proportion of electric vehicle
ownership despite the province’s incentive programs suggests research into the barriers to
adoption in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area must be identified to inform future decision making.
A survey was completed amongst current electric vehicle owners as well as gasoline and
diesel-vehicle owners to understand attitudes towards the technology and sustainable
transportation reform more broadly. The results aim to better predict future tactics for a more
successful diffusion of alternative mobility options to acquire greater consumer and public
acceptance.
Data Analysis for Optimization of Mars Terraforming: A GIS Framework
Authors: Penfound Elissa
Published: May 2021

This study has developed a GIS framework that uses spatial environmental and climate data to better understand areas on Earth that share the most environmental similarities to Mars. The purpose of developing this framework is to determine which vegetation is most likely to survive in closed bioregenerative life support systems on Mars, using as many in-situ materials and environmental elements as possible. Using remotely sensed climate data, digital elevation models, and vegetation occurrence data sourced from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, three Mars-like study areas on Earth were analysed (the Antarctic Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, and Devon Island). This study found that plants that are part of the Bryophyte and Tracheophyta phyla are worthy of further research in regard to possible vegetation candidates that could be brought to Mars. In addition, the most promising candidate of the entire study is the genus Poa, which is found in the phylum Tracheophyta.