bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical and experimental modal analysis of machine tool spindles accounting for system decay and its application to chatter avoidance.
Authors: Gaber Omar
Published: May 2021

Cycle time, which is the time it takes to machine a certain part, has undergone a great deal of scrutiny as it is directly related to a company's profitability. When trying to machine a part as quickly as possible, selecting the wrong cutting parameters will cause chatter. Tight surface finish and thickness tolerances are usually required by customers. Money lost due to rework and scrap from the destructive nature of chatter has driven a significant number of research studies. It is well established that chatter is directly linked to the natural frequency of the cutting system. As the spindle ages, the vibrational characteristics of the system change. The wear in the spindle bearings causes the system stiffness to decline which results in the changing of natural frequency changing. This change causes the stability lobes to shift. This shift could render a usually stable cut unstable, causing poor surface finish. Excessive chatter can also damage the spindle and shorten its usable life. The objective of this study is to predict the vibrational behaviour of a spindle as it ages. This will be done for spindles utilized under different production constraints. A model of the spindle is also developed by exploiting its Dynamic Stiffness Matrix (DSM) and applying the proper boundary conditions. These results will then be compared to the experimental results obtained from tap testing different spindles to validate and tune the model. Once the static (non-spinning) results are confirmed and the spindle model tuned to represent the real system, the DSM formulation will then be extended to include varying rotational speeds and relevant boundary condition for further modelling purposes. Ultimately, the goal of this research is to develop a procedure to be able to select the correct cutting parameters over the life cycle of
the spindle while minimizing the number of tap tests done on the spindle.
Human Health Risk Assessment of Ambient Air in a Dispute Over Petrochemical Emissions
Authors: Cousins Douglas Theodore
Published: May 2021

Combined air emissions from multiple petrochemical facilities operating in the area known as Chemical Valley in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, have led to escalating concerns over health effects to nearby residents. By conducting a quantitative health risk assessment of ambient air data collected from 2008-2014, this thesis investigated whether current emissions are resulting in increased health risk for the population living near Chemical Valley. The results of this analysis are that health risks are slightly higher than levels considered acceptable for large populations, but are within levels often accepted for smaller groups based on the traditional risk assessment - risk management paradigm. Interpreting these results in the context of the literature about the science-policy interface, and environmental dispute resolution, this thesis highlights several problems with using the traditional risk assessment - risk management paradigm as the basis for decision-making in environmental disputes— particularly when the affected population is Indigenous.
Instability of inclined fluid-film flow with substrate filtration
Authors: Kandel Hom N.
Published: May 2021

Gravity-driven flows of thin fluid films with a free surface along a porous substrate occur in many important circumstances found in industry and natural settings. In this thesis a model for such flows is derived by coupling the Navier-Stokes equations governing the clear flow in the fluid film with Darcy's law for the filtration of fluid through the porous medium. A linear stability analysis is conducted and the effect of various parameters on the state of neutral stability is investigated. A simplified model is developed by reducing the dimensionality of the problem, which is then employed in order to determine the nonlinear effects on the stability of the equilibrium flow.
Organizing collaboration: Ottawa's Role in Homelessness Initiatives
Authors: Carneiro Sarah
Published: May 2021

On any given night in Canada, 35,000 individuals experience some form of homelessness and between 136,000 and 156,000 Canadians access emergency shelters each year. Homelessness is a daunting policy and administrative challenge that requires the concerted collaboration of a diversity of public and private sector players to tackle. I argue that the Canadian federal government’s leadership prompted the cooperation between the different orders of government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in St. John’s, Newfoundland and that its administrative and collaborative governance approach has generated impressive outcomes in responding to the complicated issue of homelessness. The community-based, shared funding model used by Ottawa has proven effective in harmonizing homelessness programming, data collection, indicators of success, and objectives and outcomes between governmental and nongovernmental partners.
RAIMA: a Framework for the Design and Analysis of Self-Adaptive Egocentric Social Networks
Authors: Rahnama Hossein
Published: May 2021

An emerging research area in pervasive computing is the inference of social context in order to facilitate and mediate communications among collocated people. Understanding users' needs through information reasoning and leveraging principles of social networks plays an important role in the emergence of innovative computer-mediated social networks. This thesis introduces a generic social networking framework for the design, analysis and visualization of opportunistic social networks. The proposed framework is capable of analyzing social similarities in order to provide decision support to users in the form of ego-centric social graphs. Using opportunistic data networks, a distributed inference model is introduced to provide multi-criteria attribute matching in an ad hoc computing environment. Enhancing communications protocols to deal with real-time analysis of dynamic data, generation of spontaneous semantics, and introducing efficient social visualization techniques are salient goals of this research. Efficient pattern matching algorithms in mobile ad hoc networks can have significant benefits in generating real-time context and eliminate the need for a centralized arbiter. In our research, we demonstrate a generic and customizable software architecture for achieving efficient pattern matching in mobile ad hoc networks. In this research we present a novel design for the development of a generic matching engine that is customizable to changing social scenarios. We show how customizable semantics can play an important role in decision-making, selection of a desired attribute, and notifying users with messages in a volatile mobile network.
Convolutional neural network for image classification based on transfer learning technique
Authors: Halawani Ghassan Mohammed
Published: May 2021

The main purpose of this project is to modify a convolutional neural network for image classification, based on a deep-learning framework. A transfer learning technique is used by the MATLAB interface to Alex-Net to train and modify the parameters in the last two fully connected layers of Alex-Net with a new dataset to perform classifications of thousands of images.
First, the general common architecture of most neural networks and their benefits are presented. The mathematical models and the role of each part in the neural network are explained in detail. Second, different neural networks are studied in terms of architecture, application, and the working method to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each of neural network. The final part conducts a detailed study on one of the most powerful deep-learning networks in image classification – i.e. the convolutional neural network – and how it can be modified to suit different classification tasks by using transfer learning technique in MATLAB.
Particle Swarm Optimization Based Adaptive Kalman Filters for Fault Diagnosis of Reaction Wheels
Authors: Rahimi Afshin
Published: May 2021

There has been an increasing interest in fault diagnosis in recent years, as a result of the growing demand for higher performance, efficiency, reliability and safety in control systems. A faulty sensor or actuator may cause process performance degradation, process shut down, or a fatal accident. Quick fault detection and isolation can help avoid abnormal event progression and minimize the quality and productivity offsets. In space systems specifically, space and power are limited in the satellites, which means that hardware redundancy is not very practical. If actuator faults occur, analytical redundancy techniques should be employed to determine if, where, and how the fault(s) occurred.

To do so, different approaches have been developed and studied and one of the wellknown approaches in the literature is using the Kalman Filter as an observer for the purpose of parameter estimation and fault detection. The gains for the filter should be selected and the selection of the process and measurement noise statistics, commonly referred to as “filter tuning,” is a major implementation issue for the Kalman filter. This process can have a significant impact on the filter performance. In practice, Kalman filter tuning is often an ad-hoc process involving a considerable amount of time for trial and error to obtain a filter with desirable –qualitative or quantitative- performance characteristics.

This thesis focuses on presenting an algorithm for automation of the selection of the gains using an evolutionary swarm intelligence based optimization algorithm (Particle Swarm) to minimize the residuals of the estimated parameters. The methodology can be applied to any filter or controller but in this thesis, an Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter parameter estimation applied to a reaction wheel unit is used for the purpose of performance evaluation of the proposed methodology.
Writing intellectual disability: glimpses into precarious processes or re/making a cultural phenomenon
Authors: Jones Chelsea T.
Published: May 2021

We make each other mean through precarious processes of engagement. This dissertation posits intellectual disability as a modernist subject category characterized by un-belonging and a presumed lack of normative expression. The author takes a hesitant, interpretive, and phenomenological approach to confronting the question of what it means to re/make intellectual disability as presence and process rather than as problem. The researcher engages with intellectual disability by introducing expressive writing as method under a feminist post structuralist framework of exploratory, relational ethics. In doing so, this project introduces the concepts of wonderment and triple-labelling to the fields of cultural studies and critical disability studies. This work advocates for a reorientation toward meaning-making and research-based engagement with intellectual disability as cultural, contextual, and relational phenomenon that remains unsettled as it situates researchers at a perceived limit of knowledge.

This dissertation privileges process over resolution. The writing launches from an affect-laden epistemology of wonderment, and thus struggles to resolve its own ethical and methodological uncertainty as it attempts to center intellectual disability without (completely)privileging normative ways of un/knowing. This approach allows that the body is implicated in uncertain discursive processes that re-construct and circulate meanings about the body, the self,and the Other. Then, relying on Foucault’s conceptions of power and knowledge and Snyder and Mitchell's cultural location of disability framework, the study describes Western cultural memory: processes of mind/body splitting and subject-category building traceable through esoteric pre-modernity, eugenic modernity, and the post-identity politics of Davis’s dismodernity. A discussion of research ethics follows, which challenges rational methodological conceptions of intellectual disability that rely on preconceived notions of vulnerability. Before describing expressive writing as a primary research method, the author also makes a case for engaging with triple-labeled people (those labeled disabled, vulnerable, and incompetent) by writing in-relation-to, privileging silence and absence over “giving voice,” engaging in unfamiliarity and untranslatability, and attending to “the space between” the self and the Other.This writing uses reflexive vignettes and critical analysis to lead readers toward the researcher’s final phenomenological reflections on experiences with triple-labeled people writing in a Toronto day program.
Mathematical models of Influenza A virus infections in vitro: Investigating defective interfering particles and virus release
Authors: Liao Laura
Published: May 2021

In this work, two studies were performed where mathematical models (MM) were used to re-examine and refine quantitative methods based on in vitro assays of influenza A virus infections.
In the first study, we investigated the standard experimental method for counting defective interfering particles (DIPs) based on the reduction in standard virus (STV) yield (Bellett & Cooper, 1959). We found the method is valid for counting DIPs provided that: (1) a STV-infected cell’s co-infection window is approximately half its eclipse phase (it blocks infection by other virions before it begins producing progeny virions); (2) a cell co-infected by STV and DIP produces less than 1 STV per 1,000 DIPs; and (3) a high MOI of STV stock (>4 plaque-forming units/cell) is added to perform the assay. Prior work makes no mention of these criteria such that the counting method has been applied incorrectly in several publications discussed herein. We determined influenza A virus meets these criteria, making the method suitable for counting influenza A DIPs.
In the second study, we compared a MM with an explicit representation of viral release to a simple MM without explicit release, and investigated whether parameter estimation and the estimation of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) efficacy were affected by the use of a simple MM. Since the release rate of influenza A virus is not well-known, a broad range of release rates were considered. If the virus release rate is greater than ∼0.1 h−1, the simple MM provides accurate estimates of infection parameters, but underestimates NAI efficacy, which could lead to underdosing and the emergence of NAI resistance. In contrast, when release is slower than ∼0.1 h−1, the simple MM accurately estimates NAI efficacy, but it can significantly overestimate the infectious lifespan (i.e., the time a cell remains infectious and producing free virus), and it will significantly underestimate the total virus yield and thus the likelihood of resistance emergence. We discuss the properties of, and a possible lower bound for, the influenza A virus release rate.
Overall, MMs are a valuable tool in the exploration of the known unknowns (i.e., DIPs, virus release) of influenza A virus infection.
Effects of choir participation and musical training on auditory processing in older adults
Authors: Dubinsky Ella
Published: May 2021

Prior studies have demonstrated musicianship enhancements of various aspects of auditory and cognitive processing in older adults, but musical training has not been examined as an intervention for mitigating age-related declines in these abilities. The current study investigates whether ten weeks of choir participation can improve aspects of auditory processing in older adults, particularly speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. Three groups of participants underwent pre- and post-testing: choir singing (n=50), music appreciation (n=13), and an age- and audiometry-matched control group (n=32). Linear mixed effects modelling in a multilevel regression analysis showed that choir participants demonstrated the most improvements across auditory measures. Choir participants’ gains in SIN perception were partially mediated by pitch discrimination, suggesting a possible mechanism for this perceptual improvement. These findings support the hypothesis that short-term choir participation is an effective intervention for mitigating age-related hearing losses.
Reconsidering open borders: an analysis of migration and global inequality
Authors: Westman Candace
Published: May 2021

As a result of the neoliberal ideological turn the past few decades have seen a vast liberalization of markets for capital and commodities. Paradoxically, the liberalization of international borders for capital has occurred alongside a restriction of mobility for human beings. Scholarship surrounding migration generally focuses on formulating recommendations for improving the immigration system. Few scholars have focused their attention on questioning the foundational premises of this system. This paper engages with the literature on open borders. It examines the ways in which international borders simultaneously produce and maintain global inequality. It will argue that discussions of liberalizing borders can only take place in the context of a discussion about how to remove those factors that prompt migration in the first place. Studies of migration must be embedded within the broader debates surrounding the political economy of globalization and its impacts on international development.
A hydroxyapatite phantom material for the calibration of in vivo x-ray fluorescence systems of bone strontium and lead quantification
Authors: Da Silva Eric
Published: May 2021

A hydroxyaptite [HAp; Ca5(PO4)3OH] phantom material was developed with the goal of improving the calibration protocol of the 125I-induced in vivo X-ray fluorescence (IVXRF) system of bone strontium quantification with further application to other IVXRF bone metal quantification systems, particulary those associated with bone lead quantification. It was found that calcium can be prepared pure of inherent contamination from strontium (and
other elements) through a hydroxide precipitation producing pure Ca(OH)2, thereby, allowing for the production of a blank phantom which has not been available previously. The pure Ca(OH)2 can then be used for the preparation of pure CaHPO4 ⋅ 2H2O. A solid state pure HAp phantom can then be prepared by reaction of Ca(OH)2 and CaHPO4 ⋅ 2H2O mixed as to produce a Ca/P mole ratio of 1.67, that in HAp and the mineral phase of bone, in the presence of a setting solution prepared as to raise the total phosphate concentration of the solution by increasing the solubility CaHPO4 ⋅ 2H2O and thereby precipitating HAp. The procedure can only be used to prepare phantoms in which doping with the analyte does not disturb the Ca/P ratio substantially. In cases in which phantoms are to be prepared with high concentrations of strontium, the cement mixture can be modified as to introduce strontium in the form of Sr(OH)2 ⋅ 8H2O as to maintain a (Ca + Sr)/P ratio of 1.67. It was found by both X-ray diffraction spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy studies that strontium substitutes for calcium as in bone when preparing phantoms by this route. The necessity for the blank bone phantoms was assessed through the first blank bone phantom measurement and Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that for the 125I-induced IVXRF system of bone strontium quantification, the source, 125I brachytherapy seeds may be contributing coherently and incoherently scattered zirconium X-rays to the measured spectra, thereby requiring the use of the blank bone phantom as a means of improving the overall quantification methodology. Monte Carlo simulations were employed to evaluate any improvement by the introduction of HAp phantoms into the coherent normalization-based calibration procedure.
It was found that HAp phantoms remove the need for a coherent conversion factor (CCF) thereby potentially increasing accuracy of the quantification. Further, it was found that in order for soft tissue attenuation corrections to be possible using spectroscopic information alone, HAp along with a suitable soft tissue surrogate material need to be employed. The HAp phantom material was used for the evaluations of portable X-ray analyzer systems for their potential for IVXRF quantification of lead and strontium with a focus on a comparison between tungsten, silver and rhodium target systems. Silver and rhodium target X-ray tube systems were found to be comparable for this quantification.
Determining the Thermal Effects of Channels on Porous Heat Sinks Under Forced Convection Conditions with Nanofluid: An Experimental and Numerical Study
Authors: Welsford Christopher
Published: May 2021

The present study determines the effects which foam metals and Nanofluid have on the performance of a simulated CPU. The present study employs yAl2O3-water Nanofluid and 6061- T6 Aluminum foam metal with a porosity of 0.91 and permeability of 40 pores per linear inch formed in bulk media and porously filled channels. The concentrations evaluated are 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.6% by volume. The study shall consider both original empirical results and numerical results obtained from COMSOL Multiphysics, showing good agreement with a maximum error of 4.3%. The present study. When considering the average Nusselt number as the representation of the strength of the heat transfer mechanism, and as such ignoring pumping requirements, it is shown that the use of porously filled channels interacting with 0.6% Nanofluid produces the most effective combination. However, when pumping power is relevant, a combination of bulk porous media interacting with 0.3% Nanofluid is observed. The results obtained herein can be applied to the cooling of electronics, or any other system wherein a general inward heat flux is applied.
Effect of pressure variation on polymer flooding
Authors: Manzoor Ahmad Ali
Published: May 2021

Chemical-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques utilize the injection of chemicals, such as solutions of polymers, alkali, and surfactants, into oil reservoirs for incremental recovery. The injection of a polymer increases the viscosity of the injected fluid and alters the water-to-oil mobility ratio which in turn improves the volumetric sweep efficiency. This research study aims to investigate strategies that would help intensify oil recovery with the polymer solution injection. For that purpose, we utilize a lab-scale, cylindrical heavy oil reservoir model. Furthermore, a dynamic mathematical black oil model is developed based on cylindrical physical model of homogeneous porous medium. The experiments are carried out by injecting classic and novel partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions (concentration: 0.1-0.5 wt %) with 1 wt % brine into the reservoir at pressures in the range, 1.03-3.44 MPa for enhanced oil recovery. The concentration of the polymer solution remains constant throughout the core flooding experiment and is varied for other subsequent experimental setup. Periodic pressure variations between 2.41 and 3.44 MPa during injection are found to increase the heavy oil recovery by 80% original-oil-in-place (OOIP). This improvement is approximately 100% more than that with constant pressure injection at the maximum pressure of 3.44 MPa. The experimental oil recoveries are in fair agreement with the model calculated oil production with a RMS% error in the range of 5-10% at a maximum constant pressure of 3.44 MPa.
Rated M for misogyny: reimagining gender assessments for film
Authors: Ciccone Vanessa
Published: May 2021

The Bechdel Test is effective at raising awareness about biased gender portrayals in
media, yet it has been criticized for being an inaccurate assessment of gender balance in
film. Employing gender theory and political economy, this research interrogates the
feasibility of creating a reliable assessment of gender in film, and explores multiple uses
for such an assessment. It involves interviews with film professionals on the impact that a
reliable gender assessment could have on their work and the industry, and an examination
of representation research models focused on gender. The research proposes and tests an
assessment of misogyny in film. It makes a preliminary contribution to the creation of a
simple assessment for misogyny in mainstream movies as one step to challenge
stereotyped representations of gender in media. It contributes to communications
literature on industry and policy responses to biased portrayals in film.
Thermal performance of exterior roof level amenity space in a cold climate - a quantitative guidance tool for landscape design
Authors: Williamson William Alfred Jesse
Published: May 2021

There are no known studies to quantify the effects of amenity space landscape structures located over habitable space as related to thermal performance. There are three main objectives for investigation in this MRP; Objective 1 – Thermal analysis of on-slab wall types, Objective 2 (O2) – Thermal analysis of example amenity space using results from O1, and Objective 3 (O3) – Recommended details that ‘work’ thermally and functionally.

A quantitative methodology was utilized using 1D manual calculation (Glaser method) and 2D computer simulation (THERM) to study three CIP concrete wall conditions and variations which include; 1.0) base line condition, 2.0) modified condition, and 3.0) ultimate condition. Simulation results of O1 indicated that design of landscape walls could improve thermal performance by 55%, O2 found that there was an improvement of 60.5% between the worst and best performing conditions, and O3 recommended two wall variations to be utilized in landscape design which perform thermally and functionally.

Keywords
Thermal bridges, condominiums, MURBS, amenity space, landscape design, green roof, THERM
All-digital ΔΣ time-to-digital converter with bi-directional gated delay line time integrator
Authors: Parekh Parth
Published: May 2021

This report presents a low-power time integrator and its applications in an all-digital first-order ΔΣ time-to-digital converter (TDC). Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) that map a time variable to a digital code is the most important building blocks of time-mode circuits. The time integrator is realized using a bi-directional gated delay line (BD-GDL) with time variable to be integrated as the gating signal. The integration of the time variable is obtained via the accumulation of the charge of the load capacitor and the logic state of gated delay stages. Issues affecting the performance of the time integrator and TDC are examined. The all-digital first-order ΔΣ TDC utilizing the time integrator was designed in using IBM 130 nm 1.2 V CMOS technology and analysed using Spectre ASP from Cadence Design Systems with BSIM4 models. A sinusoid time input of 333 ps amplitude and 231 kHz frequency with an oversampling ratio 68 was digitized by the modulator. The TDC provides first-order noise-shaping and a SNR of 34.64 dB over the signal band 48.27 ~ 231 kHz while consuming 293.8 μW.
President’s Choice “Crave More” or ask less? The construction of “ethics” in food advertising
Authors: Guzina Isidora
Published: May 2021

This research paper explores six video advertisements from the President’s Choice “Crave More” campaign through the lens of food ethics and storytelling in advertising. A qualitative content analysis was used to code each of the videos for frequencies of ethical food tropes, and a storytelling framework was then applied to analyze how these tropes work together to position President’s Choice as an ethical brand. The findings suggest that President’s Choice uses tropes of food traceability, the place and production process of food, and images of food in its natural form and as an ingredient to convey messages of ethics to the food buying public. The advertisements use narration to allow for food to shine as the main character in the video, while human characters such as President’s Choice employees and farmers are considered supplementary to food. Ultimately, this paper posits that President’s Choice uses ethical food tropes to deconstruct the production process of food for the consumer in order to create an image that depicts the brand as “ethical”.
Numerical calculation of elastic properties of FCC crystals using molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Szydlowski Robert
Published: May 2021

The elastic constants and the bulk modulus of six FCC monoatomic metals were calculated using molecular dynamics simulation as functions of temperature. In addition, the coefficients of linear thermal expansion were also calculated for all six metals. A fully functional 3D molecular dynamics code capable of simulating single crystals composed of one type of atom was written for this study. Eight different embedded-atom method (EAM) interatomic potential models were used to simulate the properties of the six metals. The elastic constants were calculated using fluctuation formulas which are functions of both potential energy, as well as the momentum of the particles in the system. It was found that the temperature dependence of elastic constants is not well exhibited by all EAM potentials. However, the eight EAM potentials presented in this study show results comparable to the values and trends of experimental data
Virtual channel organization and arbitration for network on chip router architecure
Authors: Gharan Masoud Oveis
Published: May 2021

The advent of Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC) has emphasized the importance of on-chip communication infrastructures. Network on Chip (NoC) has emerged as a state of the art paradigm for efficient on-chip communication. Among the various components employed in NoC routers, Virtual Channel (VC) plays an important role in the performance and hardware requirements of an NoC system. The VC mechanism enables the multiplexing and buffering of several packets to travel over a single physical channel concurrently. VC arbitration (or arbiter) is another critical organization component of a router that has significant impact on the efficiency of an NoC system. Arbiter performs arbitration among the group of VCs that are competing for a single resource (e.g. output-port).

In this dissertation, we propose novel approaches for dynamic VC flow control mechanism and VC arbitration. The first two approaches are based on the adaptivity of VCs in the router input-port that improves the efficiency of NoC system. In both of techniques, the input-port comprises of a centralized buffer whose slots are dynamically allocated to VCs according to a real-time traffic situation. The performance improvement is achieved by utilizing multiple virtual channels with minimal buffer resources. The VC arbitration approach is based on an efficient and fast arbiter that functions upon the index of its input-ports (or VC requests). The architecture of arbiter scales with the Log2 of the number of inputs where a conventional round robin arbiter scales with the number of inputs. The index based behavior and the architecture of our arbiter leads to lower power consumption and chip area.

This dissertation presents the organizations and micro-architectures of NoC routers. We have employed SystemVerilog at the micro-architectural level design and modeling of NoC components. We employ three CAD platforms namely ModelSim, Quartus (FPGA) and Synopsys (ASIC level) to design, simulate and implement our router based NoCs. The simulation results support the theoretical concepts of our proposed VC organization and arbitration approaches. We have also implemented and conducted simulation and modeling experiments for conventional VC organization and arbitration models. The experimental results verify the efficiency of our proposed models in terms of power, area and performance in different NoC configurations.
Activated alleyscapes: the provocation of social occupation in the neglected urban public realm
Authors: Frisina Antone
Published: May 2021

As the urban environment intensifes, the emerging need to increase and enhance the public realm is vital to sustaining social activity in the downtown core. Embedded within the dense urban fabric, alleyways act as vital corridors of service and infrastructure that fuel the Ego of the built world. Glimpses of these hidden environments are faintly exposed from the street and the Id of the city is not explicitly utilized in the development of social programming. Temporary disruptions in the existing spatial organization of the physical environment can evoke new opportunities, acting as catalysts for change. The deployment of provocative interventions will serve as a vehicle to expose and redefne the perception of this undervalued public environment at different times of the day. Through multiple points of activation within the public realm, unique conditions of cultural spectacle allow for an opportunity to rewrite the narrative of social manifestation in the city.
Providing a Uniform Design Experience in an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Program
Authors: Salustri Filippo A. , Neumann W. Patrick
Published: May 2021

The design experience of 3rd year undergraduates in Mechanical Engineering at Ryerson University, and the assessment of student design work, was found to be disjointed and highly variable across the program. To
attempt to address this, the authors are constructing courseware to help instructors of non-design engineering
courses embed rich and consistent design projects into their courses. A “lightweight” Fast-Design process was
developed. Course-specific design project examples of the process are being developed for five 3rd year courses using this design process. Current versions of all courseware are freely available. This paper details the nature of the courseware and how it was designed, developed, and deployed for the project. To date, one case has been deployed, two developed, and two more are under development. While results are so far only anecdotal, there is reason to believe that our approach can noticeably improve the design experience of students in non-design engineering courses.
“Now I feel ‘truly’ like me!”: a discourse analysis of the ways ‘the gaze’ functions in two children's picture books featuring transgender and gender variant characters
Authors: Farley Meredith
Published: May 2021

Drawing on transgender, queer and feminist theoretical perspectives, I critically analyze two
children’s picture books featuring transgender and gender variant characters. With these critical
theoretical perspectives in mind, this discourse analysis examines the ways the books, both
visually and textually, depict gender embodiment and the experiences of the characters. Using
questions derived from these theoretical lenses, I analyze concepts of power, normalcy,
difference, the gender binary, gender fluidity, intelligibility and unintelligibility. These concepts
contribute to the dominant discourse of ‘the gaze’, seen in varying ways in the books. Children’s
story books largely underrepresent the experiences of transgender characters, particularly books
outlining, and explaining, a social gender transition. The majority of picture books with
LGBTQ+ themes focus on same sex families and feature boys in dresses, thus centralize around
disrupting the constraints of masculinity. I conclude this paper with recommendations for
selecting, reading, and discussing books with transgender and gender variant protagonists. The
central themes outlined in the academic literature illustrate that ‘the gaze’ and regulation of
knowledge have a significant impact on what is visible in children’s books. This may ultimately
affect children’s understanding, and appreciation, of gender variance and, hence, social gender
transitions in early childhood.
#FollowUs: Brand connectivity and marketing techniques that attract millennials on Instagram
Authors: Hellas Avery
Published: May 2021

The increasing digitization of contemporary media and culture -- particularly in the West -- is changing how companies market themselves to their target audiences. As the millennial generation increases its online presence and its use of mobile digital technologies, companies whose main consumers lie within this demographic are having to shift their marketing tactics to become more technologically- and mobile-friendly. The world of social media, in particular, has become the second (virtual) home for much of the millennial population. How they dress, where they go, and what they eat are all becoming increasingly impacted by the companies, brands, people, and trends they “follow” online. In this Major Research Project (MRP) I will focus on the ways companies are marketing to millennials by focusing on the ways two clothing brands favoured by millennials are marketing and branding themselves on Instagram. I demonstrate that while these companies’ brand values may be exceedingly different from one another, their social media/Instagram strategies are surprisingly similar. That is, I will argue that these two clothing brands follow a distinctly similar set of social media marketing techniques in order to bring the best shopping experience through the use of images and captions -- into the digital world and to their millennial audiences. In other words, by adhering to a sort of social media orthodoxy, these brands are able to create a stronger connection between themselves and their millennial generation of followers.
Resisting Medical Discourses in Fat Social Work Practice
Authors: Thornton Taylor Ardel
Published: May 2021

This Major Research Paper conducted an institutional ethnography of social work practice with fat service-users in medical settings, exploring the resistance or conformity taken in clinical settings to medical discourses on fatness. Using a voice-centered relational method, three social workers were interviewed on their experiences working with fat- identified clients within medical settings. The interviews explored the role of social work in medical settings, the operation of power structures and cultural discourses that restrict or limit social workers’ capacity for engagement
from social perspectives, and the resistance practices workers use to navigate their practices to maintain anti-oppressive social work practice. It was found that there are significant issues with the medical model’s engagement with fat service-users and that, while there are significant barriers to fat positive social work practice, it is through the use of language, client- centeredness, teaching moments, and advocacy, that anti-oppressive social workers navigate these spaces.
Parametric Solar Architecture
Authors: Kuslikis Victor P.
Published: May 2021

Integrating photovoltaic systems into the urban landscape is fundamental to the wide scale acceptance of the technology. It is also one of the major factors currently limiting its popularity, coupled with high costs, and the lack of adequate storage methods. Contributing to the lack of architectural integration are shortcomings in design tools and an overall lack of forward thinking proposals suggesting how society can begin implementing solar power on a large scale. Research conducted by the International Energy Agency 'Task 41: Solar Energy and Architecture' has identified the need for more developed toolsets to help designers quantify solar exposure and shading coefficients during the conceptual design phase. Although software to calculate incident surface radiation is available, it is largely detached from the traditional design process and workflow. What is required to improve the architectural integration of photovoltaic systems is a new design methodology. A method that must be both inherently flexible and quantifiable, so that designers can validate and modify designs quickly and efficiently. In a process where innovative digital tools combined with the intuition of the designer expand the creative possibilities of intelligent solar architecture. The aim of the project is to develop a new design methodology by combining parametric and environmental analysis tools, providing quantitative performance indicators in order to assist architects at the early design stage. Using case studies, the project will demonstrate how this methodology is applicable to a wide array of project typologies within an urban context. In addition to demonstrating the applicability of the system, the case studies would also illustrate the potential for photvoltaic installations to alter the landscape of the city and facilitate a fresh dialogue between public space and renewable energy generation.
Applying a Modified Version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Predict Reactive Physical Aggression Between Undergraduate Students
Authors: Newman Jennifer E.
Published: May 2021

The current dissertation applied a modified version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to predict reactive physical aggression between university students. In addition to examining the primary constructs of the traditional TPB model (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and intentions), this dissertation extended the traditional model by also examining the impact of implicit attitudes toward aggression as well as executive functioning in the prediction of reactive physical aggression. Results provided support for the application of the traditional TPB model in the prediction of reactive physical aggression, although implicit attitudes and executive functioning did not significantly contribute to the prediction of aggressive behaviour in this sample. Gaining a better understanding of the predictors of reactive physical aggression between university students may lead to the identification of early intervention strategies for individual aggressors. This may in turn help to prevent the possible escalation of aggressive behaviour and create a safer and less threatening campus environment for all students.
Underutilization and discounting of immigrant skills : professionals on a road to driving taxis in Toronto
Authors: Hathiyani Abdulhamid
Published: May 2021

Canadian immigration policy has largely been dominated by economic objectives with a commitment to long-term labour market goals. In essence the policy contends that Canada needs young and well educated people to sustain its economic growth. Canadian Immigration policy however, has been ineffective in integrating many of these highly educated and skilled newcomers into their own professions. As a result, professionally trained immigrants who are engineers, doctors, scientists and the like end up underemployed as security guards, factory laborers' [sic] or taxi drivers. This research focuses on the lived experiences of professionally trained immigrants who drive taxis in Toronto. The findings indicate underutilization of significant human capital possessed by immigrants who are professionally trained. It highlights barriers faced to secure employment in their field of study and identifies racism as an important factor in this discourse. Finally, it sheds some light on directions that could help overcome these barriers to employment.
From topic and evidence to architect: the development of Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology and the resistive strategies of Black child welfare survivors
Authors: Lamers Joshua
Published: May 2021

This research engaged in the epistemological development from interpretive phenomenology into what is my implemented method of inquiry, which is Black diasporic interpretive phenomenology. This approach grounds itself in Black diasporic thought and the theorizing and work of Black authors, scholars, and activists to understand and describe the sensibilities, intimacies, struggle and resistance of Black people within the diaspora, often stemming from a hyper/invisibility created by the state, society, and institutions (Walcott, 2016). It takes seriously concerns around ethics and care while also being investigative by making connections between our present moment as Black people to the long history of subjugation and our continued fight for freedom.

Three Black participants of various identities were engaged to answer the overall research question of “what are the resistive strategies deployed by Black child welfare survivors?” The term Black child welfare survivor refers to Black people who at some point in their lives have been engaged by or taken under state guardianship, or experienced adoption. The methodology used allowed for participants’ narratives to expose the anti-Black racism and continuity of slavery and coloniality in child welfare, as well as the rigourous, sustainable, and effective methods Black child welfare survivors deploy in order to maintain themselves, their families, and their communities.

Key words: anti-Black racism, child welfare, resistance, Black diaspora, Black family
Effect of motivational incentives on face-name hyper-binding in older adults
Authors: Swirsky Liyana T.
Published: May 2021

Hyper-binding refers to the tendency for older adults to encode extraneous information from their environment, and bind this information to attentional targets such that this distracting information can be remembered in association with target information on a subsequent task. This tendency is hypothesized to result from a loss of selectivity in memory and attention due to a loss of inhibitory control. However, older adults do demonstrate selectivity under certain motivational conditions. For example, older adults show enhanced memory selectivity in reward-motivated states. The current study used motivational incentives (virtual rewards) to investigate the interaction between hyper-binding and reward-based motivation. Results revealed a motivation-related decrease in hyper-binding in older adults. This decrease was not affected by incentive magnitude (low versus high). These results suggest that the value-directed selectivity of memory and attention counteract the age-related selectivity deficit associated with hyper-binding.

Keywords: Cognitive aging, inhibitory control, selective attention, hyper-binding, motivated cognition, reward-based motivation
Speculating Typologies : A Sale for Viability
Authors: Patel Ishan
Published: May 2021

Inherently all that is designed is obsolete. The ambition to create an efficient society is followed by a continuous debate over the necessary and the unnecessary built forms. Architecture of the city is a result of satisfying the public desires that change through the inherent obsolescent nature of a progressive society. By accepting obsolescence as an inevitable state, the characteristics of the designed typologies can be preserved to withstand the changes occurring within the city.

Speculative futures discussed in writings and designs promote both dystopic and utopic state of architecture. By critiquing the usefulness of the built form through these two lenses, a framework that sustains the lifestyles in a technologically dependent society can be developed. Speculating Typologies explores architecture as an adaptive system that conserves the characteristics of obsolete typologies to create programs that will always be necessary within the urban fabric of the city.
Design and Development of Ryerson Femtosatellite
Authors: Stuurman Bryan
Published: May 2021

This thesis describes the design and development of Ryerson University's femtosatellite. The motiviation for this project is to achieve a new level of miniaturization of a satellite system to reduce costs and development time. A design is presented which demonstrates attitude control, earth contact capability and basic satellite functionality. This design weighs less than 100 grams including a 25 gram payload capacity. Earth observation and inspector satellite payloads are the proposed missions for this spacecraft. A prototype was constructed and its various subsystems functioned to their design capacities.